Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 30, 1994

If you have the chutzpah to name your college basketball doubleheader the John R. Wooden Classic, you had better round up four pretty fair teams. . . .

The organizers of the first such event could hardly have done a better job. . . .

Call it the Fabulous Four. . . .

At 10:12 a.m. Saturday at The Pond of Anaheim, top-ranked Massachusetts will play seventh-ranked Kansas. . . .

In the second game, third-ranked Kentucky will play UCLA, ranked fourth in one poll and fifth in the other. . . .

“Those certainly are four fine teams,” said John Robert Wooden himself. “And they’re from different sections of the country. That’s very good.” . . .

The legendary coach, whose UCLA teams won 10 NCAA titles, including seven in a row, sounded chipper on the phone from his condo in Encino. . . .

“I still make 18 speeches a year for Coast Federal Bank,” Wooden, 84, said. “I also do a few fundraisers. Of course, the joy of my life is my family. I’ve got seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren with another on the way.” . . .

Wooden remains a regular at UCLA games at Pauley Pavilion and saw the Bruins defeat Cal State Northridge in their opener on Saturday. . . .

“They’re not playing well together yet, but that’s understandable,” Wooden said. “I doubt if many teams are this time of year. . . .

“I think with all the returning starters, they’ll have more unity this season. Coach (Jim Harrick) hasn’t quite decided on his fifth starter or what offense he’s going to run, so there’s a little inconsistency right now. . . .

“The talent is there for a fine team. They could contend for the national championship, but they shouldn’t be the favorite.” . . .

For now, the Bruins would be very happy with a victory in the second game of the John R. Wooden Classic. . . .

*

Among the keys to Rick Neuheisel’s first season at Colorado will be the quality of the staff assembled by a bright young coach who has no head coaching experience. . . .

Terry Donahue’s first staff at UCLA in 1976, when the Bruins were 9-2-1, included Rich Brooks and Dick Tomey. . . .

Of course, it would also help Neuheisel if running back Rashaan Salaam returned for his senior season. . . .

Besides Stanford offensive coordinator Terry Shea, a prominent candidate to succeed Bill Walsh might be Tony Dungy, defensive coordinator for former Cardinal coach Dennis Green with the Minnesota Vikings. . . .

Walsh was 17-7 in his first stint at Stanford in 1977-78 and 17-17-1 during his second stint from 1992-94. . . .

Rival Pacific 10 Conference coaches will miss the bulletin board material he gave them in his book. . . .

For the record: Because of an editing error, it was incorrectly reported that Texas A & M shared the best record in the Southwest Conference with four other schools. The Aggies, who are on probation and ineligible to play in a bowl, were 6-0-1 in conference games. . . .

The Dallas Cowboys remain the leader in sales of NFL-licensed merchandise, followed by the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Raiders and San Francisco 49ers. . . .

Many local baseball and hockey players will swing into action Monday at Mike Scioscia’s annual golf tournament at Industry Hills that benefits the Casa Colima Hospital. . . .

Beating the Rams to St. Louis is track and field Coach Bob Kersee, who has moved his operations there. . . .

Forum Boxing publicity director John Beyrooty was standing between and slightly behind Riddick Bowe and Larry Donald during their news conference when Bowe fired a combination to Donald’s face. . . .

“I was shocked,” Beyrooty said. “They were just mumbling some stuff. There was no cussing and neither guy seemed angry. Suddenly, Bowe got physical. If he had wound up a little more with that right hand, he would have hit me instead of Donald. After I got out of the hospital, I could have become a rich man.” . . .

In 1946, the Rams played their first game in Los Angeles, an exhibition against the Washington Redskins at the Coliseum. On Dec. 24, the L.A. Rams almost certainly will play their final game. The opponent at Anaheim Stadium will be the Redskins.