Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 23, 1995

Thoroughbred racing might snap out of its slump in Southern California if there were less time between races, bigger fields and more grass races. . . .

Hollywood Park is addressing two of my three pet peeves over the weekend during its annual extravaganza known as the Turf Festival. . . .

As many as 71 horses could compete in the six stakes races, and the starting gate for the main event, the Matriarch on Sunday, is expected to be packed with 14 fillies and mares. . . .

Turf racing is more appealing to the eye than dirt racing and more strategy is involved. . . .

Most jockeys love it. . . .

The best of them all is Gary Stevens, but he is 0 for 15 since the Turf Festival was initiated by R.D. Hubbard, Hollywood Park’s chairman of the board, in 1991. . . .

This time Stevens has mounts in all six races--the $200,000 Turf Express and $200,000 Miesque on Friday, the $250,000 Generous Stakes and $300,000 Citation Handicap on Saturday and the $400,000 Crown Royal Hollywood Derby and $700,000 Matriarch on Sunday. . . .

His best chance appears to be aboard Fastness, the runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup mile, in the Citation, a 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds and up. . . .

As usual, there will be a European flavor, with the French sending five horses, and Irish-breds Fastness and Alpride, the probable favorite in the Matriarch, capable of stealing the show. . . .

Jockeys Corey Nakatani and Cash Asmussen will ride in the $3.9-million Japan Cup in Tokyo on Sunday and then recross the international dateline to ride in the Matriarch and Derby the same day. . . .

Another world-class performer, Lou Rawls, will sing the national anthem at Hollywood Park on Friday. . . .

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Reports from New York have the Jets wanting to draft USC wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. . . .

If the draft were held today, the Jets, with a 2-9 record, would pick first. . . .

Some scouts believe UCLA junior Karim Abdul-Jabbar isn’t fast enough to make a top-flight NFL running back. They must be the same ones who thought Jerry Rice, coming out of Mississippi Valley State, wasn’t fast enough to become a top-flight wide receiver. . . .

USC punter John Stonehouse won the Pacific 10 Conference title with an average of 43.6 yards. . . .

UCLA will get a chance to avenge its basketball loss to Santa Clara when the second-ranked Bruins play the ninth-ranked Broncos in the second round of the NCAA soccer tournament at 1 p.m. Sunday at UCLA’s North Athletic Field. . . .

If you believe in five-year plans, the Bruins should win the title this year. They won championships in 1985 and 1990. . . .

UCLA (18-2-1) has 14 shutouts. . . .

The new look of the USC basketball team that makes its debut Friday night against Lamar at the Sports Arena includes white home uniforms. . . .

Arizona Coach Lute Olson says his freshman class next season will be the best of his career, which began in 1974 at Long Beach State. . . .

The preseason National Invitation Tournament is one of the nation’s best tournaments, something that can’t be said about the postseason NIT. . . .

Cedric Ceballos has become Mr. Consistency for the Lakers, who are getting hot-and-cold performances from the rest of their cast. . . .

Matt Fish, the center who was a crowd favorite for the Clippers early last season, has resurfaced with the Detroit Pistons. . . .

Houston, losing its NFL team to Nashville, would like to keep its National League baseball team. There is a campaign to double the Astros’ season-ticket sale to 17,200. . . .

The Americans are coming! The Americans are coming! It would take a monumental upset for Russia to beat the newly named U.S. Davis Cup team of Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Todd Martin, even though the final will be played at Moscow starting Dec. 1. . . .

The announcement that Roy Jones will box someone named Merqui Sosa on Jan. 12 at Madison Square Garden on HBO is further proof that there is nobody around to test Jones, who is probably the best fighter in the world. . . .

Legendary football and lacrosse star Jim Brown is ranked No. 1 in Bert Randolph Sugar’s book, “The 100 Greatest Athletes of All Time.” . . .

The surprise is that Randolph, former editor and publisher of Boxing Illustrated, ranks Muhammad Ali only 15th, Sugar Ray Robinson 25th and Joe Louis as low as 72nd. . . .

Let’s hope that the Dallas-Kansas City game today isn’t another NFC-AFC turkey.