Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 2, 1995

What has been UCLA’s most difficult pit stop in the Pacific 10 Conference this decade? . . .

McKale Center in Tucson? . . .

Try again. . . .

The Sports Arena in Los Angeles. . . .

The Bruins are 1-4 at the home of USC since 1990. . . .

It would take a considerable reversal of form for the Trojans (7-11) to upset the Bruins (12-2) tonight, and interim Coach Charlie Parker is pulling out all the motivational tools available. . . .

Before practice on Monday, football Coach John Robinson delivered a pep talk to the team. . . .

On Tuesday, it was Athletic Director Mike Garrett. . . .

On Wednesday, it was former basketball coach George Raveling. . . .

Tonight, it will be Parker. . . .

“I’m excited,” Parker said. “For the last six years, I listened to Coach Raveling talk about one of the greatest rivalries in sports and wondered what it would be like to be in his position. It’s a great honor to be involved.” . . .

“The cliche fits about throwing out the records in this rivalry. You’ve got to go into it thinking you’re going to win. The psyches of the players are important. Often, they’ll rise to the occasion and play above their heads. I’ve seen it happen.” . . .

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Replacement players are not being used, but the price of tickets for USC baseball games at Dedeaux Field has been reduced from $5 to $4. . . .

Dodger first baseman Eric Karros will swing back into action Saturday at noon when he plays for the alumni against the UCLA varsity at Jackie Robinson Stadium. . . .

Saturday was a remarkable night for Bruin shotputters. . . .

In the LSU Invitational, Dawn Dumble set a women’s NCAA indoor record of 58 feet 6 inches and John Godina a school indoor record of 67-4 1/4. . . .

Colonel Collins, who finished third in the Irish and Epsom derbies, is the unknown factor in the $500,000 Strub Stakes Sunday at Santa Anita. Trained in this country by Rodney Rash, the Colonel will be making his first start on a dirt track. . . .

College Town has the pedigree to win the Strub. His father, Snow Chief, won the race in 1987. . . .

College Town’s name refers to Claremont, home of Claremont Mudd College and the horse’s owner and breeder, retired neurosurgeon David N. Brown. . . .

Jockey Gary Stevens promises to be refreshed when he returns to the Southern California circuit in June after a four-month stint in Hong Kong, where racing is conducted only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. . . .

Julie Krone’s autobiography, “Riding for My Life,” is scheduled to reach bookstores on May 1. . . .

Our Dutch Pal, who broke his maiden last Friday at Santa Anita, is named after Ralph (Dutch) Wilcox, a former USC end who caught a touchdown pass from Marshall Duffield during the Trojans’ victory over Pittsburgh in the 1930 Rose Bowl game. . . .

TV ratings for the Connecticut-Kansas women’s basketball game on CBS Saturday were higher than for the men’s game between the two schools that followed. . . .

A quirk in the revised NHL schedule has the Kings off during the week and then playing Detroit and the Mighty Ducks at the Forum on Saturday and Sunday. . . .

It can’t be purely coincidental that Mike Keenan’s St. Louis Blues are off quickly and the Keenan-less New York Rangers are off slowly. . . .

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The live crowd for the boxing card featuring Rafael and Gabriel Ruelas on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas was a disappointing 5,100, but pay-per-view TV buys showed the brothers’ popularity in Southern California. . . .

Rafael Ruelas, who was paid $300,000 for his eight-round victory over Billy Schwer, will be rooting hard for Oscar De La Hoya to beat John John Molina on Feb. 18. If that happens, Ruelas will receive more than $1 million for a De La Hoya bout on May 6. . . .

I’m not particularly excited about major league baseball expansion. . . .

After Stan Humphries’ elbow injury at Pebble Beach, there ought to be a rule protecting quarterbacks on driving ranges. . . .

Are you up for the Pro Bowl? . . .

Dating to last season, the Orlando Magic has won 24 consecutive regular-season games at home, a streak that will be tested by the Seattle Supersonics tonight. . . .

Nothing against these two, but I don’t think Latrell Sprewell-Dan Majerle will be ranked among the West All-Star team’s greatest guard tandems. . . .

Big Little Men: At the start of the week, Spud Webb was the leading free-throw shooter in the NBA and Muggsy Bogues the third best.