Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 20, 1994

The Raiders are driving me crazy. . . .

Here it is, the last week of the regular season, and I still can’t figure out if they are a team of destiny or a team destined not to make the playoffs. . . .

Their record is 9-6. . . .

They would be 11-4 if they had won games against Miami and San Diego that were within their grasp. . . .

They would be 7-8 if they had lost games against Seattle and Houston that they survived after game-winning and game-tying field-goal attempts missed by a whisker and less. . . .

The bottom line is that, after winning five of their last six, they still need a victory over Kansas City on Saturday at the Coliseum or a New England loss at Chicago to reach the playoffs. . . .

The optimist in me says they’ll beat the Chiefs, who usually beat them, because Jeff Hostetler is throwing strikes again, Chester McGlockton is clogging the middle better than anyone including Cortez Kennedy and the Jeffs (Jaeger and Gossett) are kicking well. . . .

The pessimist in me says they’ll lose to Kansas City because of penalties, other fundamental mistakes, questionable strategy, and the fact they will be facing Joe Montana instead of Dan McGwire or Hugh Millen. . . .

It was strange to hear a commentator, ESPN’s Joe Theismann, criticize the Raiders for not throwing enough bombs. . . .

McGlockton’s quickness at a listed 310 pounds is remarkable. . . .

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How important is home-field advantage in the playoffs? Since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, home teams have won 68.9% of all postseason games. Of course, you have to factor in that the home teams are those with the better records. . . .

It’s looking less and less likely that the Miami Dolphins will become the first team to have a home-field advantage in the Super Bowl. . . .

If the Raiders are guilty of committing too many penalties, often the Rams are guilty of not committing enough. . . .

Only one penalty was assessed against them Sunday at Soldier Field, an indicator of their timidity. . . .

The Rams would be wise to draft J.J. Stokes, who might become the best wide receiver outside San Francisco. . . .

If Raider wide receiver Alexander Wright really ran 40 yards in 4.14, as Mike Patrick said on the telecast Sunday, he is the fastest person ever. Bob Hayes says he never ran the 40 faster than 4.3. . . .

Of course, NFL people have been exaggerating 40-yard times, or misclocking them, for years. . . .

It’s easy to understand why Brown owner Art Modell is asking for a new football stadium to be built in Cleveland. If you think the Coliseum is a lousy place to watch an NFL game, try Municipal Stadium some Sunday afternoon. . . .

The San Francisco 49ers, who are third on the all-time list, will have to score 51 points next Monday night at Minnesota to break the NFL record of 541 in a season set by the Washington Redskins in 1983. . . .

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If there is a weakness in Ernie Els’ golf game, the rest of the tour would like to know about it. . . .

Afternoon Deelites looked awesome winning the $500,000 Hollywood Futurity by 6 1/2 lengths on Sunday. . . .

Before handing the Kentucky Derby to him, though, consider that Afternoon Deelites’ sire, Private Terms, was unbeaten in seven races before the 1988 Derby. On the first Saturday in May that year, he finished ninth behind Winning Colors. . . .

The freshman basketball crop from the state of California is formidable. . . .

In fact, this squad could hold its own against freshmen from high schools in any other state: Ricky Price, Duke; Jelani Gardner and Tremaine Fowlkes, California; J.R. Henderson and Toby Bailey, UCLA; Cameron Murray, USC; Tim Young, Stanford; Jeremy Veal, Arizona State, and Miles Simon, Arizona. . . .

USC ought to handle Missouri Kansas City tonight at the Sports Arena. After all, the Trojans won last year on the Kangaroo court. . . .

The Dallas Mavericks (11-8) are within two victories of matching their total for the 1993-94 season. . . .

So much for those who criticized the Orlando Magic for winding up with Anfernee Hardaway instead of Chris Webber. . . .

Hey, let’s look at the bright side--violence is down in the NHL this year.