Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 29, 1994

This is the Heisman Trophy ballot I mailed to New York Monday:

1. Kerry Collins. The Penn State quarterback hung up exceptional numbers all season while leading the best offense in the nation. What I like most about him is that he was a perfect seven for seven during the drive that brought the unbeaten Nittany Lions their comeback victory at Illinois. . . .

2. Rashaan Salaam. The Colorado running back joined select company--Heisman winners Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen and Mike Rozier--when he rushed for more than 2,000 yards this season. . . .

3. Warren Sapp. The Miami lineman is the finest player on the nation’s leading defensive team and the biggest reason the Hurricanes are headed to the Orange Bowl again. . . .

Voting for Steve McNair, the Alcorn State quarterback, would have been like voting for someone from the Canadian Football League as the outstanding player in professional football. . . .

Salaam is a solid favorite to be presented the Heisman on Dec. 10, partially because many of those voting for a Penn State player will choose running back Ki-Jana Carter rather than Collins. . . .

A candidate’s chances to succeed in pro football should not be considered. . . .

But it is worth noting that Sanders, who won in 1988, was the last Heisman winner to be productive in the NFL. . . .

Since then, Andre Ware and Desmond Howard have been flops, Ty Detmer and Gino Torretta have done as little as expected, and Charlie Ward has become a pro basketball player with the New York Knicks. . . .

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In an NCAA Division I-A playoff--what a wild and crazy idea that is--Penn State would prevail because its offense is the most dominant unit in college football. . . .

The Theodore Gabrielson Award, presented annually to the outstanding USC player in the Notre Dame game, ought to be given to punter John Stonehouse. . . .

Texas Tech, which will face the Trojans in the Cotton Bowl, is one of five teams that tied for the Southwest Conference title. Only three teams didn’t. Among those sharing the title was Texas A&M;, which had the best overall record but was ineligible for the championship because of probation. . . .

Isn’t it about time for the Raiders to give Billy Joe Hobert a chance and make him the No. 2 quarterback? We know what Vince Evans, who played most of the second half in relief of the injured Jeff Hostetler Sunday, can and can’t do at 39. . . .

The Raiders either throw the ball too often to Tim Brown or too seldom. . . .

The Pittsburgh Steelers are fundamentally sound, strong defensively, and well coached, but I can’t see Neil O’Donnell or Mike Tomczak taking them into the Super Bowl. . . .

Which quarterback, in his prime, would you most want conducting your two-minute drill: Joe Montana, John Elway or Dan Marino? . . .

The most spectacular catch I’ve ever seen by a tight end was Ben Coates’ against Indianapolis Sunday night. The New England Patriot star showed the concentration of a juggler. And, of course, jugglers don’t perform with vicious tacklers bearing down on them. . . .

Crowded in the middle: Eight teams in the NFL are 6-6. . . .

Please explain to me why the Minnesota Vikings have become so bad so quickly that they lost at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers four weeks after beating them by 23 points on the road. . . .

Besides Lee Smith, other free agents high on the Angels’ shopping list are Kevin Gross, Mickey Tettleton and Darrin Jackson. . . .

After rallying for a narrow victory aboard Exchange in the Matriarch Stakes Sunday at Hollywood Park, jockey Laffit Pincay called the horse “an old pro.” I’m sure Exchange would love to have returned the compliment. . . .

Darryl Dawkins and the Harlem Globetrotters should make a perfect fit. . . .

Since the Chris Webber trade, the Golden State Warriors are 1-4 and the Washington Bullets 0-3. . . .

George Foreman’s box-office magic is reflected in these figures: His bout with Michael Moorer Nov. 5 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas attracted 11,113 fans, who paid $3,348,543. The Roy Jones-James Toney bout in the same building Nov. 18, drew 7,582 fans, who paid $1,572,209. . . .