Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 30, 1995

In more than 30 years on the L.A. sports beat, I can’t recall the hiring of a coach that met with more approval than that of Larry Robinson. . . .

“That’s because I haven’t done anything yet,” Robinson joked 13 days before the start of King training camp. . . .

Actually, Robinson has been busy the last few weeks, studying tapes of the Kings’ 1994-95 season, a second consecutive playoff-less disaster. . . .

“I saw a lot of organized confusion, especially in the defensive zone,” Robinson said. “Nobody knew what the other guy was doing. That is something that can be remedied.” . . .

He didn’t detect much enthusiasm last season, either. . . .

“Losing isn’t fun, but everyone should want to come to work,” he said. “I couldn’t see that in the players’ faces.” . . .

An assistant coach for the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils the last two seasons, Robinson uses the word parity often when assessing the NHL, and he is confident the Kings can make rapid strides with the talent on hand. . . .

He says he thinks Wayne Gretzky, 34, and Jari Kurri, 35, have retained their skills, but probably not their stamina. . . .

“I can’t rely on them to be on the ice 25-35 minutes a game,” Robinson said. “I have to be smart as to when and how I use them. I’ll make their shifts shorter. Gretzky used to be able to stay out there for two or three minutes, but not now.” . . .

Sept. 11 is an important date for Robinson--his first day of practice as a head coach and the day he may be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot. . . .

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The Dodgers shouldn’t have called up former replacement player Mike Busch. . . .

I mean, this isn’t a team known for its chemistry, even in the best of times. . . .

The last thing it needs during the stretch run is unrest in the clubhouse. . . .

If Dave Hansen shows he can’t do the job at third base, why not move Chad Fonville, the jack of all positions, to third and return Roberto Kelly to left field? . . .

Best late-season acquisition appears to be David Wells, the left-handed pitcher the Cincinnati Reds got from the Detroit Tigers. . . .

Dr. Robert Kerlan’s many friends in horse racing are delighted to see him back at the races at Del Mar. . . .

Heat shouldn’t be much of a factor during the UCLA-Miami game Saturday at the Rose Bowl because kickoff will be at 5 p.m. . . .

USC Coach John Robinson’s book, “Coach to Coach, Business Lessons From the Locker Room,” is due out in late October. . . .

This will be the 35th year that Prime Sports’ Tom Kelly has broadcast Trojan football games--and the first for Larry Kahn and Mike Lamb on KMPC. . . .

Trojan freshman wide receiver Billy Miller is catching everything thrown to him at Howard Jones Field. . . .

Among sports’ crazier rules is the one in tennis stipulating that a player who suffers cramps judged to be a result of a lack of physical fitness loses by default if he or she receives treatment on the court. . . .

What’s next--suspending unfit baseball players who suffer pulled muscles? . . .

Look-alikes: Golfer Colin Montgomerie and New England Patriot Coach Bill Parcells. . . .

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Genaro Hernandez defended his World Boxing Assn. super-featherweight title eight times in four years, but says he never got nearly the attention he is getting now while training for his bout Sept. 9 against Oscar De La Hoya at Caesars Palace. . . .

“Now I understand why athletes get annoyed with the media,” Hernandez said. . . .

However, he admits it’s worth it for a $500,000 payday. His previous high was $160,000, last year for fighting Jimmy Garcia, who died after suffering head injuries in his next bout against Gabriel Ruelas. . . .

Heavyweight title calendar: Oliver McCall defends his World Boxing Council title against Frank Bruno at London on Saturday, and Axel Schulz faces Francois Botha on Dec. 9 in Germany for the International Boxing Federation title vacated by George Foreman. . . .

But the heavyweight fight I’m looking forward to is Lennox Lewis-Tommy Morrison on Oct. 7 at Atlantic City, a matchup of strong punchers with weak chins. . . .

Which was the bigger rip-off, three Seattle Seahawk players being fined $1,000 apiece for eating hot dogs on the sidelines during an exhibition game against the San Francisco 49ers, or ringsiders being charged $1,500 for the Mike Tyson-Peter McNeeley fiasco? Of course, the hot dogs lasted longer.