Notes on a Scorecard - May 23, 1994

Now Michael Jordan has a challenge. . . .

He can return to the Chicago Bulls and try to bring them their fourth NBA title in five years. . . .

The Bulls had a successful season, but it might have lasted longer if Jordan had been playing basketball in Madison Square Garden Sunday instead of baseball in Huntsville, Ala., where his batting average dropped to .221. . . .

This was another ugly NBA game badly in need of someone, such as Jordan, capable of putting the ball in the net. . . .

Tough defense had something to do with the lousy field goal shooting percentages, but how do you explain New York’s 60% and Chicago’s 52% free-throw shooting? . . .

Before dismissing the home-court advantage again, consider that each Game 7 of the three conference semifinal series that went that far was won by 10 points by the home team. . . .

I love Hakeem Olajuwon’s style. He plays the game hard and cleanly and never showboats. He is a throwback to Bill Russell. . . .

The Houston Rocket center should enjoy another big series against Utah, which is nearly as unimposing in the middle as Phoenix. . . .

The Atlanta Hawks might still be in the playoffs if they had Dominique Wilkins--the scorer they needed against the Indiana Pacers--instead of Danny Manning. . . .

Understatement of the day from NBC’s Bob Costas during the draft lottery show: “Glenn Robinson is perhaps the top pick.” . . .

So much for the suspicion that somehow, some way, the Lakers or Boston Celtics would get one of the top three picks. . . .

The difference between NBA and NHL officiating is that the basketball whistle blowers aren’t afraid to decide a game with a call in the last minute. . . .

Seattle Supersonic assistant Tim Grgurich, who served under Jerry Tarkanian at Nevada Las Vegas, would make a good choice to fill one of the NBA openings. . . .

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The Dodgers showed they are legit by taking two out of three from the Reds in Cincinnati. . . .

It is one thing to beat up on San Diego and Colorado and another to win a series on the road from the team that had the best home record in the National League. . . .

Most encouraging were the three good performances by starting pitchers Tom Candiotti, Ramon Martinez and Pedro Astacio. . . .

I’m not sure which is a better example of the souped-up baseball, Brett Butler’s three home runs or Ken Griffey’s 20 home runs. . . .

They have been hitting fools, but I don’t think the Dodgers can afford to have Mike Piazza’s bat out of the lineup every five games on days when Candiotti is pitching. . . .

Now they can concentrate on baseball in Chicago. The Cubs, who open a three-game series tonight at Dodger Stadium, have won six in a row and the White Sox six out of seven. . . .

The average number of runs scored by winning teams in the American League Friday night was 10.7. . . .

Sunday’s averages showed only one AL team, the White Sox, with an earned run average less than 4.00. . . .

San Diego Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn on players who are unhappy with their contracts: “Hey, 109 (minimum wage of $109,000) is a lot of money. I’m sure most fans who come to the ballpark would be delighted to be making 109.” . . .

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Jennifer Capriati’s troubles revive the belief that 17 should be made the minimum age for professional tennis players. . . .

Remember when Oregon was a track and field power? The Ducks finished eighth, far behind campion UCLA and runner-up USC, in the Pacific-10 Conference men’s meet. . . .

The next King general manager should give Rogie Vachon more to do. . . .

Tabasco Cat’s victory in the Preakness might be the start of a big year for Wayne Lukas, who has a number of promising 2-year-olds in his barn. . . .

When I saw the replay of the Kentucky Derby during the Preakness telecast, I gave Tabasco Cat a lot better chance to win Saturday. He wasn’t ready for the start of the Derby and then got pinched. No such bad luck in Baltimore. . . .

The 3-year-old picture remains scrambled and probably won’t be settled until races much later in the year. . . .

Look for an announcement this week that the Riddick Bowe-Larry Donald heavyweight bout will be held July 15 at Hollywood Park. . . .

Angel broadcaster Bob Starr, expressing surprise that there was activity in the Kansas City Royal bullpen during the eighth inning of David Cone’s one-hitter and third consecutive shutout: “The way he’s pitching, the bullpen could be on the bus going to the airport.”