Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 27, 1993

The Raiders, engaged in a tight race for a playoff berth, froze Sunday. . . .

I mean, they were so far off their game that they were penalized only three times for 14 yards. . . .

How much did the Green Bay Packers’ home-ice advantage have to do with their 28-0 victory? . . .

A lot, because the listless Raiders played as though they believed the odds were stacked against them. . . .

The game was important to both teams, but you never would have known it the way L.A. stumbled around after Green Bay took an insurmountable 7-0 lead late in the first half. . . .

The Raiders, who miss rookie Greg Robinson badly, let the Packers know early that there would be no need to defend against the run. . . .

I don’t understand why Art Shell didn’t give Rocket Ismail, whose style didn’t seem cramped on kickoff returns, a chance to play tailback. . . .

Reggie White and the rest of the Packer linemen were able to concentrate on the pass rush, and it was no surprise that they knocked Jeff Hostetler down several times and finally out for the count. . . .

Hostetler wasn’t totally blameless. Even on those occasions when he had time, he mostly was off the mark. . . .

The first half, with all its kicks, gave viewers a preview of this summer’s World Cup. . . . “It’s even,” said NBC commentator Joe Gibbs after the first quarter. “Nobody is doing anything.” . . .

The lack of action must have made Gibbs drowsy because he said his star receiver with the Washington Redskins, Art Monk, went to Purdue. Monk attended Syracuse. . . .

Raider tailback Nick Bell, who didn’t wear gloves and fumbled twice, gave new meaning to the saying about an athlete who “doesn’t have all the equipment to be a star.”. . . . When comparing Sterling Sharpe and Jerry Rice as receivers, please consider that Sharpe’s quarterback is Brett Favre and Rice’s quarterbacks have been Joe Montana and Steve Young. . . .

Shame on Packer management for even thinking about changing the colors of the best-looking home uniforms in the NFL. . . .

I wonder if the Raiders kicked themselves or smiled when they got the word that Denver and Pittsburgh also lost. . . .

UCLA should be able to gain a spot of revenge on New Year’s Day for L.A., which is 0-2 against the state of Wisconsin this season. . . .

The Rams, who won half of their first four games, peaked at the wrong time. . . .

I still say Jerome Bettis, who is the second-leading rusher in the NFL, deserves to be rookie of the year over Seattle quarterback Rick Mirer, who began Sunday ranked 11th in the AFC in pass efficiency. . . .

You have to be impressed when you are told that Sunday was the coldest day ever for a football game in Buffalo. . . .

It is about time that fans talked about the Houston Oilers as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. . . .

Best play of the NFL season was the handoff from New York Giant punt returner Dave Meggett to a young fan in a wheelchair after Meggett scored a touchdown in the New Orleans Superdome last Monday night. . . .

Worst crowd reaction was during the same game when some spectators cheered after Saint quarterback Wade Wilson was injured. . . .

The highest-ranked team in the coalition ratings, Nebraska, is the biggest underdog of any bowl team. . . .

*

How is this for a trade of forwards who are playing out their options and want to sign elsewhere? Danny Manning from the Clippers to the Chicago Bulls for Horace Grant. . . .

The Bulls’ success without Michael Jordan is an even better NBA story than the unexpectedly fast starts of the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks. . . .

Dec. 23 will be remembered as the night that the Rockets and Seattle SuperSonics lost at home and the Dallas Mavericks won on the road. . . .

No question, the Kings ought to bring Marty McSorley back. . . .

Lenny Dykstra getting $24.9 million for four years from the Philadelphia Phillies doesn’t bother me, but a .500 pitcher getting $3 million a year does. . . .

Sure enough, CBS Sports hasn’t been the same since Brent Musburger left. . . .

A sign on the north wall of the Olympic Auditorium says the building will be open for business soon. . . .

This holiday season, my thoughts and prayers are with Jeff Lukas, a nice man who trains thoroughbreds extremely well and is battling to recover from head injuries suffered when he was knocked down by a horse.