Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 14, 1993

Frightening thought of the day: The Buffalo Bills look like a Super Bowl team again. . . .

Second most frightening thought: So do the Denver Broncos. . . .

How much do the Dallas Cowboys miss Emmitt Smith? . . .

The Cowboys were 2-0 at this time last year and had scored 57 points. Smith had rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns against the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. . . .

Today the Cowboys are 0-2 and have scored 26 points. Smith’s replacement, Derrick Lassic, has rushed for 127 yards and no touchdowns against the Redskins and Bills. . . .

Gerald Perry of the Raiders might be the best left tackle in the NFL, now that Jim Lachey of the Redskins is sidelined. . . .

The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks didn’t make any mistakes with their 1-2 selections of quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer in the draft. . . .

David Klingler got booed in Cincinnati on Sunday, and it might not be long before the old Coliseum crowd favorite, Jay Schroeder, is given a chance by the Bengals. . . .

TNT commentator Pat Haden--insightful, informative and humorous--belongs on a network that televises NFL games every week of the season. . . .

Newsday critic Steve Zipay described Dennis Byrd as being “cool and confident” in his debut as a CBS commentator during the Detroit-New England game. . . .

Recommended listening: Brian Golden’s college football preview show Saturday mornings on KMPC. . . .

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What does UCLA play-by-play announcer Chris Roberts have against the word the? With him, the ball is on that 36-yard line and the Bruins are playing those California Bears. . . .

Strange, but the defending national champion, Alabama, might have the most underrated quarterback in the nation, Jay Barker. . . .

Notre Dame could have a tight end, this one Oscar McBride, drafted in the first round for the third consecutive year. . . .

It hardly seems possible that Wayne Gretzky is beginning his sixth season with the Kings after nine with the Edmonton Oilers. . . .

If Ray Bourque, who is asking for $3 million a year, wins his arbitration case, the Boston Bruins might trade him. Among those most interested would be the New York Rangers. . . .

A card promoted by Bob Arum that would have featured Michael Carbajal and Oscar De La Hoya and opened the 15,000-seat arena at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas Dec. 30 has been canceled. Funny, but a couple of MGM Grand executives showed up at the Alamodome in San Antonio Friday night and were interviewed on TV before the Pernell Whitaker-Julio Cesar Chavez fight that was promoted by Don King. . . .

Thumbs up to George Benton and Lou Duva for doing an outstanding job of preparing Whitaker for the fight of his life. . . .

Riddick Bowe, who looks huge, has begun training at Caesars Tahoe for his rematch Nov. 6 against Evander Holyfield at Caesars Palace. Where is Dick Gregory? . . .

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The two biggest favorites on Breeders’ Cup day Nov. 6 at Santa Anita might be 2-year-olds--Dahere in the Juvenile and Sardula in the Juvenile Fillies. Early projections are for a crowd of least 50,000 at the track and 40,000 at satellite betting locations. . . .

Fast improving Pedro Astacio has become the Dodger pitcher most likely to win 20 games in the near future. . . .

This is the time of year that young prospects are called up by major league teams, but the Texas Rangers also promoted 36-year-old first baseman Steve (Bye-Bye) Balboni. . . .

Now that they are within reasonable distance of the Philadelphia Phillies, the Montreal Expos have to be happy that Dennis Martinez turned down the trade that would have sent him to the Atlanta Braves. . . .

However, the Expos must be second-guessing themselves for giving up on left-handed pitcher Ben VanRyn and trading him to the Dodger organization after he had compiled a 5-16 record in Class A in 1991. VanRyn--22, 6 feet 5 and 185 pounds--was 14-4 with San Antonio this season and was named pitcher of the year in the double-A Texas League. . . .

The Oakland A’s could join the 1914-15 Philadelphia A’s and the 1986-87 Angels as teams going from first to worst. . . .

Look closely the next time you watch “Bull Durham, “ and you’ll see a copy of Baseball America with the headline “Hard-hittin’ Whiten.” The movie was shot after the 1987 season, during which Mark Whiten played for Myrtle Beach of the South Atlantic League. . . .

Consider yourself a tennis expert if you still remember the name of Pete Sampras’ opponent in the U.S. Open championship match.