Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 25, 1995

I keep waiting for Al Davis to make a decision or two. . . .

He has got to (a) retain Art Shell as Raider coach, or (b) dump Shell and (c) hire his successor. . . .

Davis should make a change because Shell wasn’t able to take perhaps the most talented team in the AFC into the playoffs this season and has won only two postseason games since replacing Mike Shanahan on Oct. 3, 1989. . . .

Butch Davis would have been a solid choice to succeed Shell. . . .

Ditto Joe Bugel. . . .

Davis, the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator the last two years, apparently was not offered the job after being interviewed twice in El Segundo and then accepted an offer from the University of Miami. . . .

Maybe Al didn’t want to give in to those who always have claimed that Davis is the real coach of the Raiders. . . .

Bugel, who coached what were then known as the Phoenix Cardinals, has signed a Raider contract, but as senior assistant and offensive line coach. . . .

It is not too late to change Bugel’s designation to head coach. . . .

Davis has no obligation to retain Shell, a loyal 27-year employee, but he does have one to let him know exactly where he stands. . . .

*

Steve Wood might have the toughest sports job in California this month. . . .

He is the track superintendent at Santa Anita. . . .

The seemingly endless rainfall has proven the biggest obstacle to what shaped up as Santa Anita’s most compelling meeting in 15 years. . . .

In 1980, Spectacular Bid swept the Strub Series with victories in the Malibu, San Fernando and Strub Stakes and then won the Santa Anita Handicap. . . .

This year, the focus will be on another 4-year-old, Holy Bull, if he races in the Big ‘Cap on March 11 as expected. . . .

But the highlight could be a duel between Afternoon Deelites and Timber Country in the Santa Anita Derby on April 8. . . .

Let’s hope that the rain leaves, stays away and Wood doesn’t have to work overtime. . . .

Gabriel Ruelas won a coin flip from Rafael and chose to fight before his brother on Saturday’s card at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. “It was a two-headed quarter,” protested Rafael. . . .

Riddick Bowe, who likes to fly nearly as much as John Madden, is making the trip from his home in Ft. Washington, Md., to his training camp in Palm Springs in the “BoweMobile.” It’s a luxury bus. Along the way, Bowe will get in some road work for his March 11 bout against Herbie Hide. . . .

Lennox Lewis’ new trainer, Emmanuel Steward, should try to teach him to relax and not to work from such a straight-up stance so much of the time. . . .

*

Most NBA teams would settle for a 2-2 trip, but the Lakers would have gone 4-0 if they had scored two more points against Indiana and hadn’t blown big leads against Philadelphia. . . .

It was only a matter of time before the Clippers failed to reach the 70-point plateau. . . . Connecticut was impressive coming from behind to defeat Syracuse the other night, but don’t expect the Huskies to become the first unbeaten NCAA Division I team since Indiana in 1976. The improved Big East is too competitive. . . .

North Carolina’s lack of depth might be a blessing because Dean Smith has a habit of substituting too often. . . .

Paul Kariya already is making a difference in the Mighty Ducks’ offense. . . .

Can Aaron Krickstein possibly be only 27? . . .

Jack Nicklaus says about the senior tour, “I’m either going to have a great year or it is going to be my last.” . . .

Nicklaus, who turned 55 last Saturday, will compete against defending champion Ray Floyd, Arnold Palmer and Lee Trevino in the Senior Skins Game at Hawaii this weekend on ABC. . . .

Spotted on the menu at a local restaurant: “Thai Cobb Salad.” . . .

The San Francisco 49ers, the designated home team, will wear their throwback uniforms in the Super Bowl. So should the San Diego Chargers. Theirs are more attractive than the 1995 version. . . .

Dwight Clark, who made “the catch” in the 1981 NFC championship game against Dallas, is listed as coordinator of football operations/player personnel for San Francisco. . . .

He is not just a figurehead. . . .

Clark does a lot of the college scouting and the 49ers will be starting four rookies on Sunday at Joe Robbie Stadium. . . .

General Manager Bobby Beathard is well known for his role in the success of the Chargers, but do you even know the name of his 49er counterpart? It’s John McVay.