Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 22, 1994

Losersville, U.S.A.: It is now unlikely that any of L.A.’s four NHL and NBA teams will accomplish the modest feat of reaching the playoffs. . . .

Only the Mighty Ducks have an excuse. . . .

The Kings played the last period against Toronto as though they were looking ahead to tee time the day after the regular season. . . .

The victory Monday moved the United States into the medal round of the Olympic hockey tournament, but I will be a lot more impressed if we beat Italy in the World Cup soccer tournament this summer. . . .

Someone named Snow--American goaltender Garth--ought to feel at home in the Winter Olympics. . . .

Anaheim Connection: Six former Olympians are on the Mighty Duck roster--Tim Sweeney, Joe Sacco and Sean Hill of the United States, Patrik Carnback of Sweden, and Alexei Kasatonov and Anatoli Semenov of Russia. And a couple of Duck draft choices, Paul Kariya of Canada and Valeryi Karpov of Russia, are playing in Norway. . . .

I would hate to see an NHL-dominated Olympic tournament in 1998 if for no other reason than that the league would have to close down for a couple of weeks. . . .

I was sorry I had to miss the moose barbecue Sunday at the Hafjelltoppen press village. . . .

If Purdue forward Glenn Robinson stays on top, it will be the first time since Pete Maravich in 1970 that the player generally considered to be the best in the nation is also the leading Division I scorer. . . .

Trivia question: Who was the leading scorer last season? Answer: Greg Guy of Texas Pan American. . . .

The only two local players to win the scoring championship were Hank Gathers in 1989 and Loyola Marymount teammate Bo Kimble in 1990. . . .

Before the season, coaches were saying that as many as half the Pacific 10 Conference teams would reach the NCAA Tournament. . . .

Now it looks as though only three--UCLA, Arizona and California--will make it. . . .

USC practiced later than usual Monday morning because of the Presidents’ Day holiday, so Coach George Raveling got to sleep in until 5 a.m. . . .

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John Wooden, whose first UCLA national championship team of 1964 is celebrating its 30th anniversary, will speak at the monthly newsmakers’ luncheon on March 8 at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

Natalie Williams and Lisa Leslie demonstrated again Sunday that L.A. has the best two forwards in women’s college basketball--Williams getting 32 points and a Pac-10 record 25 rebounds against Arizona State, and Leslie 32 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals against Arizona. . . .

So-so: The Indiana Pacers, who were 164-164 the previous four seasons, are 25-24 this season. . . .

A winner-take-all, 50-meter sprint duel between Irina Privalova and Gail Devers would spice up the Sunkist meet next year. . . .

Kent Desormeaux is so confident that his mount Fly With Ty will be a heavyweight in the Kentucky Derby picture that he refers to the colt as “The Tyson.” . . .

Brocco trainer Randy Winick gives Dehere his due for winning the Fountain of Youth, but says there are no super 3-year-olds in Florida. . . .

Dexter Manley, the former NFL defensive line star who has played for Ottawa in the Canadian Football League, will return to this country to play for the CFL expansion franchise in Shreveport, La. . . .

Thumbs-up to the Kansas City Chiefs for announcing plans to switch the playing surface at Arrowhead Stadium from artificial turf to grass, perhaps as soon as next season. . . .

It is believed that Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez and Muhammad Ali are the only fighters to win titles in the same division three times. . . .

Top-ranked Georgia Tech, featuring shortstop Nomar Garciaparra from Whittier; host Cal State Fullerton, Oklahoma, and the University of San Diego will compete in the inaugural Anaheim Hilton Intercollegiate baseball tournament this weekend. . . .

Nebraska, which has a huge local following, will face either Wisconsin or Fresno State, who are also known to draw a crowd in these parts, in the Pigskin Classic on Aug. 29 at Anaheim Stadium. USC and North Carolina each collected $713,000 for playing in last year’s game, and the American Coaches Assn. received $509,000. . . .

Baseball’s Hall of Fame class in 1999 might include four players who will be eligible for the first time--Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount and Carlton Fisk. . . .

If They Had Only Known: A few months ago, Nancy Kerrigan and runner Suzy Hamilton were up for the same fitness commercial. Hamilton got the job.