Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 8, 1993

The L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA should be renamed in memory of Bruin alumnus Arthur Ashe. . . .

What distinguished Ashe from every other Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion was that his biggest accomplishments came outside the lines. . . .

The Riddick Bowe-Michael Dokes fiasco was stopped too late. HBO should have stopped it the moment Dokes’ name was suggested as an opponent for Bowe in his first heavyweight title defense. . . .

There had been talk about staging the fight during halftime of the Super Bowl. Heck, it could have been held during a timeout. . . .

Least useful TV worker in America on Saturday was Harold Lederman, who scores the fights for HBO. . . .

The next time New York City sports fans brag about their sophistication, it should be pointed out that they nearly filled Madison Square Garden--and paid $1,603,425 for the privilege. . . .

Bowe would probably have an easier time with Evander Holyfield in a rematch than he did Nov. 13, but Bowe-Holyfield II, at least, would be worth watching. . . .

The champion ought to be reminded that Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson took on all comers. . . .

After being upset by Jesse Ferguson, Ray Mercer said, “I’ll be ready to fight tomorrow.” Yeah, but too bad he wasn’t ready Saturday. . . .

Mercer, who was out of shape and had been advised not to fight Ferguson, blew a $2-million payday against Bowe. . . .

There should be few complaints about Oscar De La Hoya’s last opponent, Curtis Strong. The Chicago lightweight, who was stopped during the fourth round Saturday at San Diego, was about right for this stage of De La Hoya’s development. Next up for the Olympic champion is an experienced main-eventer, Jeff Mayweather, March 13, at the Las Vegas Hilton. . . .

UCLA Coach Jim Harrick, whose team is 4-5 in a weak conference, keeps giving his critics ammunition. . . .

What was especially disappointing about the Bruins’ defeats at Washington and Washington State was that they were blown out down the stretch both times. . . .

UCLA would have been beaten even worse Saturday at Pullman if official Mark Reischling had looked at the replay of a 45-second shot clock call that he had made incorrectly against the Cougars shortly before halftime. . . .

When he should have been looking at a TV monitor, Reischling instead got into a beef with Coach Kelvin Sampson and slapped him with a technical foul. . . .

Against Pacific 10 leader Arizona, California freshman guard Jason Kidd demonstrated that he can be a scorer. . . .

The only question about the Wildcats the rest of the conference season is whether they will remain unbeaten. . . .

One of the most remarkable streaks in college basketball is Pepperdine’s 24 consecutive West Coast Conference road victories. . . .

Upset of the day: Sergei Bubka didn’t break the world indoor pole vault record during a meet at Grenoble, France. . . .

Thoroughbred racing shoots itself in the foot when horse-of-the-year A.P. Indy, who could have given the sport some badly needed star quality in 1993, is retired after his 3-year-old campaign. . . .

Whatever happened to Buster Douglas? . . .

Among the reasons USC probably will play in the Pigskin Classic at Anaheim Stadium is that the Trojans have only five home games at the Coliseum next season. . . .

Most uplifting moment of the weekend: Mario Lemieux slipping on a jersey at the NHL All-Star game. . . .

Washington Capital defenseman Al Iafrate shot a puck 105 m.p.h. Friday night at the Forum in Montreal. That’s slower than the serves of a lot of tennis players, but faster than the deliveries of baseball pitchers. . . .

The rule against coaches, such as the Chicago Bulls’ Phil Jackson this season, working two consecutive NBA All-Star games is senseless. . . .

Mayor Tom Bradley will be honored as the man of the year at the Hollenbeck Police Council and Hollenbeck Youth Center’s 13th annual salute to the Dodgers at noon Tuesday at the Bonaventure. . . .

For a guy who supposedly dislikes his coach, Danny Manning has been playing pretty well lately. . . .

It was only a matter of time before the Shaq Attack claimed a backboard. . . .

The Los Angeles Sports Council estimates that Super Bowl week attracted 80,000 visitors from outside the area, including 10,000 who didn’t attend the game. . . .

Just once, I would like to see a fight in an NHL All-Star game--or a body check.