Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 13, 1994

It is time for the most routine play in football, the conversion kick, to be eliminated. . . .

Instead, pro, college and high school teams should line up at the three-yard line after touchdowns and try to pass or run for a one-point conversion. . . .

That was nice balance the Raiders showed on offense against the Denver Broncos--32 rushes and 31 passes. . . .

However, they still committed far too many penalties--12--and these stupid, repetitious errors could keep them out of the playoffs or get them eliminated early. . . .

Have you ever seen a team line up offside as often as the Raiders? . . .

Versatile Hugh Millen was the Broncos’ leading passer and rusher Sunday. He ran once for 24 yards. . . .

You know Chuck Knox is near the end of the line when his 4-10 Rams are guilty of trash talking. His teams in L.A., Seattle and Buffalo used to show a lot more class and win a lot more games. . . .

Please don’t tell me that the Dallas Cowboys don’t miss Jimmy Johnson at least a little bit. . . .

Johnson would have had them playing with more intensity against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Working hard the last eight or nine minutes might get the job done in the NBA, but not in the NFL. . . .

Randall Cunningham needs a change of scenery. For that matter, so does Rich Kotite. . . .

Steve Young finally is getting his due--at least outside San Francisco. . . .

The first NFL game played indoors was the Chicago Bears’ 9-0 victory over the Portsmouth Spartans on Dec. 18, 1932. A crowd of 11,198 saw the league championship game played on an 80-yard field at Chicago Stadium. . . .

Al Michaels described a spectator at a recent Monday night game as “Santa Claus wearing his throwback uniform.” . . .

Dec. 24 should be an interesting Saturday in the NFL in Southern California--Kansas City vs. the Raiders at the Coliseum, Pittsburgh vs. San Diego at Jack Murphy Stadium, and Washington vs. the Rams, probably playing their last game at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

Last add UCLA-USC football game: This was the first time that a UCLA team that finished with a losing record beat USC. . . .

USC recruiting in Texas should be helped by the Trojans’ appearance against Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2. . . .

Colorado and Colorado State both are 10-1 in football, North Carolina and North Carolina State 8-3, Virginia and Virginia Tech 8-3, and Washington and Washington State 7-4. . . .

Sportscasters’ cliche: “It’s time for someone to step up and get it done.” . . .

Freshman guard Cameron Murray is giving USC what it needed--an explosive shooter with good ballhandling skills. Besides, he set a school record for steals in a game against Cal State Sacramento. . . .

Another 6-1 Cameron who plays guard in this city, UCLA’s Cameron Dollar, is a coach’s dream who does many things well. . . .

Coach Jim Harrick is probably going to have to find room in his starting lineup for freshman forward J.R. Henderson, who is the best shooter on the team and has surprisingly good perimeter skills. . . .

The Bruins’ next game at Pauley Pavilion is Dec. 22 against George Mason, coached by Paul Westhead. . . .

Nobody in the Hollywood Park press box could remember a bigger winning margin on grass than 2-year-old American Day’s 13-length score in a maiden race Saturday. He is Best Pal’s half brother. . . .

Among those elected to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for 1995 are Ken Holtzman, Ed Newman, Bud Greenspan and the late Jimmie Reese. The Hall of Fame museum is at the campus of Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel. . . .

Of the 15 highest-salaried baseball players, only one is a pitcher. David Cone is 13th. . . . A charity hockey game featuring former NHL stars and show business personalities will be played Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Forum. It will be followed by a college all-star game. . . .

During the Clippers’ losing streak, Coach Bill Fitch was asked if they could make the playoffs. “My name is Fitch, not Houdini,” he replied.