Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 8, 1993

It was unfortunate that James Miller crashed the party Saturday night at Caesars Palace. . .

The para-glider daredevil--make that devil--could have killed somebody. Could have been a fan, a writer, a broadcaster, a judge, a referee, or a fighter. And they let this guy out of jail on $200 bond a few hours later? . . .

Remarkably, Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe, who were left waiting out in the cold for 21 minutes, didn’t miss a beat and actually stepped up the pace after the longest seventh-inning stretch in history. . . .

This was a rarity--a rematch that was better than the original. . . .

I had Holyfield ahead by three points, but maybe it should have been closer. When I scored the seventh in favor of Holyfield, I had forgotten that Bowe had dominated the first portion of the round. It was ancient history. . .

The judges also had trouble deciding who won the seventh. It was the only round each scored differently. One gave it to Holyfield, one to Bowe, and the other had it even. . . .

Determination and smarts regained the heavyweight title for Holyfield, who was far more disciplined than last November. . . .

Bowe was dominant when he utilized his reach advantage to keep Holyfield at the end of heavy jabs in the middle of the ring, but he didn’t deliver enough of them. . . .

Holyfield weighed 11 pounds more than the first time, but it was all muscle. Bowe also weighed 11 pounds more, but much of that was fat. He gorges himself on pie and ice cream between fights, balloons to 300, and then goes on a crash diet at training camp. You can get away with it against Michael Dokes or Jesse Ferguson, but not against Holyfield. . . .

The rap on Bowe had been that he wasn’t dedicated enough to become heavyweight champion. He proved those critics wrong. However, staying hungry and retaining the title against his first legitimate challenger was another matter. . . .

Holyfield probably would outhustle Lennox Lewis, too. . . .

HBO should get one of its highest ratings ever when the fight, including the crash-landing and pounding of the parachutist by some of Bowe’s handlers, is replayed Thursday night at 9. . . .

*

On any list of Raider heroes in 1993, Kevin Butler must rank right up there with the Coliseum timekeeper. . . .

Last month, a foul-up by the timekeeper allowed the Raiders to line up for the touchdown run by Nick Bell that beat the New York Jets. . . .

Sunday at Chicago, Butler muffed two short field-goal tries in the last quarter, including what should have been the game-winner on the final play. . . .

This was bizarre stuff. . . .

The Bears, who had no timeouts remaining, went about their business so leisurely that quarterback Jim Harbaugh almost killed the clock completely before spiking the ball with only one tick remaining. . . .

And the Raiders, who had all their timeouts left, never called one. That meant they wouldn’t have had another scoring opportunity if Butler had kicked the field goal. . . .

The Rams have lost only twice the last five Sundays. However, that is a trifle deceiving. They have had two byes, another off-day because of a Thursday night game, and two defeats. . . .

*

The most impressive performer Saturday at Santa Anita was the only horse to win in Breeders’ Cup record time, Brocco. . . .

Trainer Randy Winick’s 2-year-old, who was ridden by Gary Stevens, is huge and has a long stride. Little Arazi might have gotten more attention for his awesome performance in the Juvenile two years ago at Churchill Downs, but Brocco figures to have a much better career. . . .

Kotashaan might be able to nail down horse-of-the-year honors with a victory in the Japan Cup on Nov. 28. Otherwise, the vote will go to another turf specialist, Lure. . . .

Overlooked was a terrific effort by Gilded Time, who finished third and less than a length back in the Sprint after being away from the races for a year. . . .

Cardmania’s nose win over Meafara, who went off at higher odds in the Sprint, might have cost one Santa Anita bettor $3 million. The bettor singled Meafara on his National Pick 7 ticket, but had all the other winners, including Arcangues in the Classic. For picking six, not seven, he collected $510. . . .

On NBC, they made a big deal about the home-track advantage. Sure, it helps when you don’t have to ship from the East or Europe. But the locals dominated so thoroughly that it is possible that the greatest racing in the world is in Southern California. . . .

Tip of the day from John Madden: “When a quarterback licks his fingers, it usually means that he’s going to pass.”