Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 30, 1995

Baseball had a great October. . . .

What it needs now is a great November, December, January, February or March--some month when a collective bargaining agreement is signed and a commissioner is hired. . . .

Otherwise there might not be a 1996 season. No kidding. I wouldn’t put it past these geniuses to stage either another strike or a lockout. . . .

The Fall Classic lived up to its name. . . .

Five of the six games were decided by one run. The other was tied after six innings. . . .

But imagine what drama there would have been if Tom Glavine had gone out for the ninth inning Saturday night trying to bring the Atlanta Braves the championship--and pitch a no-hitter. . . .

No matter what anybody says, Glavine would have stayed in the game instead of being relieved by Mark Wohlers if Cleveland catcher Tony Pena hadn’t singled in the sixth. . . .

What made Glavine’s performance even more remarkable is that he had no breathing room in a game in which the only run was scored in the sixth. . . .

The New York Yankees’ Don Larsen didn’t get much more support in 1956 when he pitched his perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the World Series. The Yankees won, 2-0, half the scoring coming on a Mickey Mantle home run. . . .

Thumbs up to Ted Turner, who this decade has become one of the best owners in sports. He isn’t afraid to spend a buck and, unlike his early years, he leaves his baseball people alone and lets them make the decisions. He is even low key. I mean, how many times was he quoted during the Series?. . . .

Managerial report card: Bobby Cox gets a B and Mike Hargrove a D. . . .

*

For USC, the tie with Washington wasn’t like kissing your sister. . . .

It was like kissing Farrah Fawcett. . . .

The Trojans seemingly were without a chance when they trailed, 21-0, in the fourth quarter before a hostile crowd in Seattle. . . .

But they showed a spirit they lacked the week before in South Bend. . . .

The best decision John Robinson made was to stay with Brad Otton instead of switching to Kyle Wachholtz for the final quarter. . . .

Otton responded with one of the best clutch performances by a USC quarterback since Todd Marinovich’s at Washington State in 1989. . . .

The Trojans did something else in the second half that they didn’t in the first half--tackle. . . .

Robinson’s easiest decision was to go for the one-point conversion and the tie, which put his team ahead in the Rose Bowl race because it has a better non-conference record than Washington. . . .

Now USC can assure itself of a Rose Bowl berth by beating Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA. Washington has a tougher remaining schedule against Oregon, UCLA and Washington State. . . .

UCLA tailback Karim Abdul-Jabbar outrushed California and Stanford, 478 yards to 265. . . .

The Bruins’ victory over Cal was their sixth of the season, making them eligible to play in a bowl game. . . .

Thumbs up to Ohio State Coach John Cooper for sitting tailback Eddie George and other starters after they built a 56-0 lead over Iowa in the first half. . . .

Another tailback catching the attention of this Heisman Trophy voter is Northwestern’s Darnell Autry. . . .

*

Cigar’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic was the most impressive of his 10 consecutive this year. . . .

Great horses are supposed to adapt to any track condition and, with Jerry Bailey along as a passenger, Cigar set a Classic record of 1:59 2/5 Saturday on a Belmont Park oval that was labeled muddy. . . .

However, when you rate the best thoroughbreds ever, the ones who come to mind had more than one outstanding campaign. . . .

It is expected that owner Allen Paulson will race Cigar another year and give him the opportunity to stamp himself as one of the truly great ones. . . .

Sudden thought: Could Inside Information, who was brilliant winning the Distaff by 13 1/2 lengths, have given Cigar a contest? Trainer Shug McGaughey had pre-entered both Inside Information and Heavenly Prize in the Classic. . . .

Breeders’ Cup XII was another example of why the event should be anchored in Southern California. . . .

Only 37,246 showed up on a rainy day in New York. The weather could be even worse next Nov. 4 at Woodbine near Toronto. The humidity in Florida puts European horses at a disadvantage. So why not alternate the seven-race card between Santa Anita and Hollywood Park?