Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 15, 1993

This is like something out of Abbott and Costello. . . .

Jim Abbott rejects a $16-million, four-year offer from the Angels, gets traded to the New York Yankees, asks for $3.5 million for one year in his arbitration case, loses, and is left with $2.35 million. . . .

Oh well, at least he will be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of George Steinbrenner’s return to baseball. . . .

Any of three NL West teams--the Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds or Houston Astros--would be favored to win the NL East. . . .

Give the edge to the Kansas City Royals in the deal that sent Gregg Jefferies to the St. Louis Cardinals for Felix Jose. . . .

Another case for adoption of a no foul-out rule was made Saturday at the Sports Arena when Oregon State’s leading scorer and the Pacific 10 Conference’s top rebounder, Scott Haskin, picked up three fouls in the first 3 1/2 minutes against USC. . . .

For all intents and purposes, the outcome was decided then. . . .

Haskin sat the rest of the first half, his team trailed, 40-18, at halftime, and the 6-foot-11 center fouled out with 14:18 remaining. . . .

Basketball is the only major sport in this country where the disqualification of a player is not uncommon. . . .

There ought to be some other, less damaging way to penalize the offending individual and his team. . . .

At the very least, the personal foul limit should be increased by one when a game goes into overtime. That way, the New York Knicks might have had the services of Patrick Ewing for the last two of the three overtimes Sunday against the Orlando Magic. . . .

The official who tossed out Reggie Miller and left Michael Jordan alone the other night after their scuffle in Indianapolis should have been fined by the league office. . . .

Whether the coach is Larry Brown or Mike Schuler, Clipper forward Loy Vaught doesn’t get enough playing time. . . .

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Michigan matches up well with Indiana everywhere except at coach, where Bobby Knight has the edge over Steve Fisher. . . .

Among names being mentioned for the University of California job is Jerry Pimm of UC Santa Barbara. . . .

The strength of the Atlantic Coast Conference is such that Duke, a 12-point loser to Wake Forest at Cameron Indoor Stadium Saturday, is only 7-4 in the league. . . .

Artesia High teammates Avondre Jones, a 6-10 center, and Charles O’Bannon, a 6-6 forward, and 6-foot Muir guard Jacque Vaughn have been selected to play in the McDonald’s All-American game April 4 at Memphis, Tenn. . . .

James Toney emerged as a full-blown star Saturday night in Las Vegas when he stopped Iran Barkley with a virtually flawless performance. . . .

While winning the International Boxing Federation super-

middleweight championship at 167 pounds, Toney demonstrated that he is capable of working at a brisk pace for nine rounds and gave credence to his claim that making the middleweight limit of 160 sapped his strength in previous fights. . . .

The sport of boxing isn’t exactly brimming with talent, but there are several outstanding fighters who weigh between 154 and 168--Toney, Roy Jones, Terry Norris, Julian Jackson, and, when he puts his mind to it, Michael Nunn. . . .

The target date for a George Foreman-Tommy Morrison fight at Caesars Palace is May 21, which originally was set aside for a Riddick Bowe-Ray Mercer bout. . . .

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What amazes me the most about the Daytona 500 is how drivers, such as Rusty Wallace Sunday, walk away from some of the most awful looking crashes. . . .

One of two Dales in the race wins and it still isn’t Earnhardt. . . .

Joe Gibbs always is tough when he has the horsepower. . . .

During the fall semester, 168 of 508 athletes at USC had a grade-point average of at least 3.0. . . .

Versatile Rich Marotta is doing an outstanding job on Clipper broadcasts. . . .

Likeable Style might be good enough to compete against the best 3-year-old colts, but look for John and Betty Mabee, who also own River Special and Art Of Living, to point her toward the Kentucky Oaks rather than the Derby. . . .

The Major Hockey League that is supposed to open for business next season is just what the sport needs. Sure. . . .

How long ago was the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid? Mike Ramsey, one of the heroes of the U.S. team that shocked the Soviets and then won the gold medal, played in his 900th game for the Buffalo Sabres last week. . . .

The way it has been playing lately, the Kings’ defense belongs in the NHL All-Star game.