Umps May Need to Duck Only Flying Certificates

There won’t be a repeat of the “Ball Night” fiasco this season at Dodger Stadium. . . .

Well, at least not unless spectators litter the field with certificates. . . .

On “Ball and Glove Day” April 14, fans 14 and under will receive blue fielder’s gloves and certificates redeemable for baseballs. . . .

Last August, the St. Louis Cardinals were awarded a forfeit over the Dodgers in the bottom of the ninth inning after souvenir baseballs were thrown onto the field in protest of umpires’ decisions. . . .

Best spring training development for the Dodgers is the effective pitching of Pedro Astacio, who may become a reliable fifth starter. . . .

Worst setback is the shoulder injury to Eric Karros, who is coming off the best year of his career. . . .

For the Angels, the biggest plus has been the emergence of third-baseman George Arias, 24, at the plate and in the field. . . .

The minus is the arm problem of Steve Ontiveros, who could be the team’s much-needed right-handed starter, but will begin the season on the disabled list. . . .

Chicago White Sox star Frank Thomas began the week hitting .490 in exhibition games. Heck, he probably won’t hit within 100 points of that during the regular season. . . .

No wonder Rob Dibble is considering retiring. He threw six wild pitches and hit a batter during 1 2/3 innings of a minor league exhibition game last week. . . .

Cal State Fullerton outfielder-pitcher Mark Kotsay was the top vote-getter in balloting for the five all-decade College World Series teams. . . .

An all-time team will be selected before the 50th CWS begins May 31 in Omaha. . . .

Kentucky’s rematch with Massachusetts at East Rutherford, N.J., on Saturday is drawing a lot of attention, but not as much as UCLA’s with Houston did in the 1968 NCAA semifinals at the Sports Arena. . . .

Elvin Hayes and the Cougars had ended the 47-game winning streak by Lew Alcindor and company during the regular season before what was then a college basketball record crowd of 52,693 at the Astrodome, 71-69. . . .

But the Bruins turned the sequel into a rout, defeating Houston, 101-69. In the final, UCLA beat North Carolina, 78-55. . . .

Our thoughts are with one of the all-time great Bruins, Walt Hazzard, who is at UCLA Medical Center recovering from a stroke. . . .

How upset are the Lakers with Cedric Ceballos? He arrived at the Forum in time to play against Charlotte on Sunday and Vlade Divac was sidelined with tonsillitis, but Ceballos’ suspension wasn’t lifted until after the game. . . .

Nothing like losing to a .500 team on your home court before embarking on a six-game trip that starts at Orlando. . . .

The Donald sat court-side at the Forum. That is Donald Trump, not Donald Sterling. . . .

Damon Stoudamire, the point guard from Arizona who scored 30 points in the Toronto Raptors’ upset of the year over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, deserves to be NBA rookie of the year. . . .

Sudden thought while spotting Barry Switzer ringside at the Mike Tyson-Frank Bruno fight: Switzer, who was 157-29-4 and won three national titles at Oklahoma and is 25-9 with a Super Bowl championship at Dallas, is the most underrated coach in football. . . .

There will be no betting in the United Arab Emirates and no admission charge for the $4-million Dubai World Cup on Wednesday. . . .

The richest thoroughbred race ever also will be shown on ESPN, tape delayed at 1 p.m. . . .

Gary Stevens says his mount, Soul Of The Matter, has never been better, and Chris McCarron is excited about Tamayaz, who is two for two over the track’s sandy surface. . . .

However, Cigar will be heavily favored to make it 14 in a row. . . .

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Before Monday’s games, the Kings led the NHL in one department and it isn’t all bad--ties. . . .

It is hard to take Thomas Muster’s No. 1 world ranking seriously. . . .

For a change, common sense prevailed in track and field when the Olympic schedule was changed to allow Michael Johnson to compete in both the 200- and 400-meter events. . . .

The first 10 places at the World Cross-Country Championships went to runners from Africa. . . .

No list of great coaches would be complete without Dan Gable, whose Iowa Hawkeyes have won 14 NCAA wrestling titles during his 20-year tenure. . . .

The Dallas Mavericks are 1-11 in nationally televised games this decade--and not much better in games that are not nationally televised.