Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 15, 1993

The imaginative NFL schedule-maker has matched the Raiders and Cleveland Browns at the Coliseum the third week of the season for the second year in a row. . . .

But the teams hardly look the same. Both were 0-2 last September. Now they are 2-0. The starting quarterbacks will be Jeff Hostetler and Bernie Kosar instead of Todd Marinovich and Todd Philcox. . . .

The Raiders--who were upset by the Browns last year, 28-16--should have no trouble getting psyched up for a team coming off a 23-13 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. . . .

I can’t fathom the Raiders not using Rocket Ismail on kickoff returns Sunday. I mean, how much preparation does it take for a guy to run the 100-yard dash? . . .

The Kansas City Chiefs, who rushed for 46 yards against the Houston Oilers, might live to regret trading Barry Word to the Minnesota Vikings. . . .

Sorry, Jerry Jones, but the absence of Emmitt Smith probably had more to do with the Dallas Cowboys’ defeat by the Buffalo Bills than the presence of Lin Elliott. . . .

The Chicago Bears ought to welcome a bye week after losing 10 of their last 11 games. . . .

You have to wonder how much longer Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt can stick with Jim Harbaugh at quarterback over Peter Tom Willis. . . .

The injury to Mark Rypien has left some of my Fantasy League friends weeping, but he might not sit out as many games as they fear. The Redskins have a bye after playing the Eagles Sunday at Philadelphia. . . .

There are eight unbeaten and eight winless teams in the NFL. . . .

Think longevity has anything to do with Steve DeBerg ranking 10th in NFL passing yardage?. . . .

Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne would like to forget his last game against UCLA--a 41-28 defeat in 1988 that was Terry Donahue’s 100th victory--but he does have some fond memories of the series that will be resumed Saturday at the Rose Bowl. . . .

Osborne’s first game after succeeding Bob Devaney in 1973 was a 40-13 triumph over the Bruins and his 100th victory was 42-10 over them in 1983. . . .

Nebraska, which has many alumni in Southern California, requested 10,000 tickets for Saturday. . . .

J.D. Hill’s son, wide receiver Shelby of Syracuse, is among the best wide receivers in the nation. He and Julius Adams’ son, defensive end Sam of Texas A&M;, are expected to be first-round NFL draft choices. . . .

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Least surprising story of the year: Jerry Tarkanian’s suit against Nevada Las Vegas officials. . . .

The second annual Vlade Divac celebrity basketball game, a benefit for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Monica, will be held next Wednesday at St. Monica High. . . .

The UCLA women’s volleyball team will try to reverse its defeat by Stanford in last season’s NCAA championship game Thursday at 7 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. . . .

Bruin sophomore outside hitter Jenny Johnson is the daughter of Rafer Johnson. . . .

The San Francisco Giants, who were winning games by making double plays, hit into seven double plays Sunday and Monday. . . .

San Francisco’s swoon is making some fans in Tampa-St. Petersburg happy and not only because Fred McGriff is from that area. . . .

Texas Ranger slugger Juan Gonzalez has become a complete hitter, raising his average by more than 50 points from a year ago. . . .

The Giants and Atlanta Braves both have better records on the road than at home. . . .

Two reasons to root against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East race: artificial turf and a domed stadium. . . .

One of the few pluses for the New York Mets is the career-high 34 homers hit by Bobby Bonilla, whose season has ended because of injury. Bonilla is the latest in a long line of players who have rebounded after flopping their first season on a big contract. . . .

Eric Davis had nine runs batted in during his first nine games with the Detroit Tigers. . . .

Former Philadelphia Phillie infielder Granny Hamner, who died Sunday at 66, was the first player to start in All-Star games at two positions--shortstop in 1952 and second base in 1954. He can also be found in the pitchers’ section of “The Baseball Encyclopedia,” having appeared in seven games as a knuckleball specialist. . . .

The Ray Mercer-Jesse Ferguson rematch is scheduled Nov. 19 at Atlantic City. If the pay-per-view people are smart, they will mike both fighters. . . .

Chuck Knox cliche of the week: “Football games are won by football players.”