Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 22, 1996

What a difference a national championship makes. . . .

If UCLA had gotten blown out in the second half by Arizona a couple of years ago, people would have been calling for Jim Harrick’s scalp. . . .

But Bruin followers seem to be taking Saturday’s 88-79 loss in stride. After all, the Wildcats are 128-7 the past nine seasons at McKale Center in Tucson. And they are particularly tough to beat on days when they make 13 of 20 three-point attempts. . . .

Granted, the Wildcats were without academically ineligible center Joe Blair, but the blow was softened when Jelani McCoy got into early foul trouble. . . .

Harrick got high marks on Thursday after he benched Charles O’Bannon for the remainder of the game after O’Bannon drew a technical foul for taunting Arizona State fans with more than 16 minutes remaining. . . .

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Mike Fratello, the former czar of the telestrator, is doing the best coaching job in the NBA. . . .

Even Del Harris acknowledged that the Lakers have a lot more talent than Fratello’s Cleveland Cavaliers, who upset L.A. on Saturday at the Forum and have a better record. . . .

Cancel any plans to stage a parade down Main Street at Disneyland in honor of Clipper center Brian Williams. . . .

“We get more vocal fans out of 5,000 at the Sports Arena than we do out of 15,000 or 12,000 here,” Williams said after the Clippers’ loss to Utah Saturday at the Pond of Anaheim. “I don’t see what the big bonus about playing in Anaheim is, I’ll take the mausoleum any day.”. . .

Wait until Ron Harper hears that. . . .

The Orlando Magic is 20-0 at home and 9-10 on the road. . . .

Fishy story: Kendall Gill going to New Jersey will put a Gill in the Nets. . . .

Kids must have loved watching the glowing, computer-chip puck during Fox Sports’ telecast of the NHL All-Star game. It was like something out of a video game. . . .

A lot of adults also thought they saw the puck better. Most of the time, yes, but I actually found it more difficult to detect the puck when it went into the net. . . .

A 5-4 All-Star game ranks as a defensive struggle. . . .

As usual, the skills competition on Friday night was more entertaining. . . .

Anyone who remembers the Clippers turning down a Danny Manning-for-Glen Rice deal with Miami realizes the necessity for the Kings to trade Wayne Gretzky if they can’t re-sign him. . . .

The Kings aren’t the only local hockey team that should enter the free-agent market after this season. . . .

Clearly, the Mighty Ducks need some veteran leadership. . . .

On their way to the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers whipped the Buffalo Bills, who were without Bruce Smith, and edged the Indianapolis Colts, who were without Marshall Faulk. . . .

This is not to suggest that the Steelers, who were without Rod Woodson, are lucky to be in the Super Bowl. . . .

However, it would help their chances on Sunday if Troy Aikman or Emmitt Smith suffered a freak accident this week. . . .

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By pulling away from Editor’s Note in the 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull Stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream, Cobra King demonstrated that he might be able to handle the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby distance. . . .

Track and field star Michael Johnson has been selected as the North American recipient of the 1995 Amateur Athletic Foundation World Trophy. Other winners: Haile Gebreselassie, Africa, track and field; Vladmir Smirnov, Asia, Nordic skiing; Miguel Indurain, Europe, cycling; Russell Coutts and Team New Zealand, Oceania, yachting; and Ana Quirot, South America/Caribbean, track and field. . . .

Azumah Nelson has been voted boxer-of-the-year by the World Boxing Council. Nelson is a WBC champion. Oscar De La Hoya isn’t. . . .

Former Olympian Pepe Reilly, who fights on tonight’s card at the Forum, has had his ups and downs as a professional. He has scored 16 knockdowns and been knocked down five times while compiling an 11-2 record. . . .

In what sport is there more focus on the ladies’ competition than the men’s? Figure skating. When ABC televised the U.S. championships on Saturday, the ladies were shown in prime time and the men in late afternoon. . . .

Headline writers hate him, but Mark Philippoussis is going to be the next great Australian tennis player. . . .

After an obvious traveling violation wasn’t called during the Arizona-UCLA game, ABC analyst Larry Farmer said, “I guess they’re playing NBA rules today.”