Notes on a Scorecard - April 3, 1995

The two words I feared hearing Tuesday in Anaheim were, “Play Ball!”. . .

Replacement baseball would have been a fraud. . . .

It will be well worth the three-week wait for the return of genuine baseball. . . .

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This is UCLA’s year and it will be climaxed by an 87-82 victory over Arkansas for the national championship tonight at Seattle. . . .

The defending champion Razorbacks have regained peak form, but they still suffer a lapse during every game, and the opportunistic Bruins will pounce on it. . . .

Those three-point bombs at the buzzer ending the first half can be devastating. A week ago Saturday it was Tyus Edney of UCLA against Connecticut, and Saturday it was Dwight Stewart of Arkansas against North Carolina. . . .

CBS commentator Billy Packer was on the top of his game when he kept saying that Edney should be trying to penetrate the Oklahoma State defense more often. Apparently, Jim Harrick was yelling the same thing from the bench. . . .

Harrick’s virtually mistake-free coaching in the tournament reminds me of Tom Lasorda’s managing in the 1988 World Series. . . .

Make Ed O’Bannon, who was honored by the U.S. Basketball Writers Assn. Sunday, the heavy favorite to win the John R. Wooden Award this week. . . .

The tournament’s outstanding-player award is a cinch to be given to either Edney or Arkansas forward Corliss Williamson--for the second consecutive time--depending on the outcome tonight. . . .

North Carolina sophomore center Rasheed Wallace could use a little more seasoning before moving on to the NBA. . . .

In 1978, Mitch Chortkoff, then a sportswriter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, predicted that the Bruins would demolish Arkansas in the NCAA tournament. . . .

The Razorbacks upset the Bruins, 74-70, in the West Regional semifinal, and Chortkoff opened his mail a few days later to discover a gift package of manure sent by Arkansas fans. . . .

Oklahoma State senior center Bryant (Big Country) Reeves has the good hands and shooting touch to be a factor in the NBA, but his lack of speed will hurt him. In the old days, he might have been as effective as Clyde Lovellette. . . .

Final Four day is considered to be the best in sports by college basketball aficionados, but there’s nothing wrong with championship night, either. Seven of the last 10 titles have been decided by six or fewer points. . . .

The Bruins have won their 10 championship games by an average of 12.4 points. The most lopsided was 78-55 over North Carolina in 1968 and the closest 81-76 over Florida State in 1972. . . .

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You have to wonder how new Nevada Las Vegas Coach Billy Bayno, who has never been a head coach and is unfamiliar with the territory after being an assistant at Massachusetts, will fare in the recruiting wars. . . .

Thirty-five years ago Sunday, the Boston Celtics defeated the St. Louis Hawks, 102-86, to take a 2-1 lead in the NBA finals. . . .

Clipper fans shouldn’t fret about that upset victory over the Utah Jazz. The Clippers still lead the Philadelphia 76ers by 4 1/2 games in the race for last place in the NBA standings and a lottery pick no lower than fourth. . . .

Look for an announcement soon that Genaro Hernandez will fight Gabriel Ruelas on July 27. . . .

The first fight card ever at The Pond of Anaheim was a rousing success. Forum Boxing President John Jackson and matchmaker Antonio Curtis put together a lively, lengthy card for the crowd of 12,479. . . .

Unbeaten light-featherweight Antonio Marco Barrera deserved fighter-of-the-night honors for his 12-round victory over Daniel Jimenez. . . .

Welterweight Yory Boy Campas, who made a big hit knocking out Cassius Clay Horne on Feb. 16, will return to the Grand Olympic on Thursday to fight Young Dick Tiger. . . .

George Foreman called to ask which I thought was a bigger story, Michael Jordan or Mike Tyson coming back. Right now, it’s Jordan. But wait until Tyson scores a 55-second knockout at Madison Square Garden. . . .

In an ordinary year, Serena’s Song, the filly who romped home in the Jim Beam Stakes, might be able to handle the boys in the Kentucky Derby. . . .

Norv Turner, coach of the Washington Redskins and a former assistant at USC, attended the Trojans’ spring practice session Thursday. . . .

Best hockey game I’ve seen this year on the tube was Maine’s triple-overtime victory over Michigan in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament. . . .

The Kings should have gone for the two-point conversion during their 7-7 tie with the Winnipeg Jets Saturday night at the Forum.