Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 30, 1990

The bum elbow that will keep Joe Montana out of the Pro Bowl sure hampered his style in the Super Bowl. . . .

Montana’s most impressive postseason number may have been his smallest: zero interceptions. . . .

There was a racehorse named Montana to Clark. Montana to Rice would be faster. . . .

The 49ers should have poured Gatorade on George Seifert before the game. . . .

Maybe Joel Collier, the former Denver defensive coordinator, wasn’t so bad, after all. . . .

NBC should have anticipated the rout and pitted its Senior Skins Game telecast against CBS’ second half. . . .

The 49ers have opened as 4-1 favorites at the Barbary Coast Sports Book in Las Vegas to win Super Bowl XXV. . . .

After a year’s absence, the term “three-peat” has returned. . . .

Most Las Vegas books reported profits Sunday. A lot of late action was on the Broncos on the money line--bets on them to win the game outright. . . .

Maybe the NFL should try it the NCAA way and have several bowl games instead of only one. . . .

It turned out that the sweeps in the World Series and NBA Finals were the two most competitive of America’s three major pro sports events of the 1989 season.

The Pac-10 did UCLA Coach Jim Harrick a favor by putting him on probation. A calmer Harrick will be even more effective on the bench. . . .

This may be the most disappointing season of George Raveling’s disappointing career at USC. No way should any team be 1-8 in the Pac-10. And it won’t get any better if the Trojans keep making dumb mistakes such as not calling time out in the last four seconds against Oregon. . . .

One of the problems is that so few people care. Crowds for six of the eight USC games at the Sports Arena this season have been smaller than the 2,200-seat capacity of the on-campus Lyon Center. And yes, plenty of good seats are available for the USC-UCLA game Thursday night. . . .

NBC announcer Al McGuire, who needs a course in journalism, defended Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s tirade against the sports staff of the Duke Chronicle by saying, “The school paper is part of the team.” . . .

Clipper announcer Ralph Lawler has a good suggestion for changing the NBA All-Star voting. Let the fans pick 10 players on each team and have the coaches make out the starting lineups and complete the rosters. . . .

The Clippers are building a following, but about half the sellout house at the Sports Arena tonight will be rooting for the Lakers. . . .

Look-alikes: Joe Montana and Gary (Midnight Caller) Cole. . . .

King fans should be more patient before turning thumbs down on the Bernie Nicholls trade. . . .

Overheard in the senate section at the King-Ranger game Saturday night: “The Forum must be the only arena in the country where your view can be blocked by a cocktail waitress.” . . .

Why is it that athletes suffer so many freak injuries? Many a sportswriter has competed in the celebrity harness races at Los Alamitos without suffering a broken collarbone, as Laffit Pincay did Friday. . . .

The voice of John Ramsey, the public address announcer who died last week, was nearly as recognizable to Southern California sports fans as those of Vin Scully and Chick Hearn. . . . For the first time in 41 years, there won’t be a Fresno Hot Stove League dinner. The sponsor blames the cancellation on the high cost of attracting major league stars, who used to donate their services. . . .

Next time, Nevada Las Vegas basketball players should try calling collect. . . .

Finally, some good news out of the University of Florida athletic program: The Gators are switching from artificial turf to grass next football season. . . .

Pro golfer Amy Alcott is described in a UCLA newsletter as a generous contributor to Bruin athletics. . . .

ESPN host Chris Berman congratulated prognosticator Pete Axthelm for his 53% performance on NFL games this season. Berman neglected to mention that anybody wagering on all of Axthelm’s picks would have been a loser because of the vigorish. . . .

Why did the San Francisco Giants sign Dan Quisenberry, who seems washed up at age 36, to a two-year guaranteed contract? . . .

If the Angels trade for Cardinal relief pitcher John Costello, they will have Abbott and Costello. . . .

Former Ram wide receiver Dwight Scales has been hired as coach at Morehouse College in Atlanta. . . .

One of the saddest stories in sports is that of J.R. Richard, who suffered a stroke at 30 and now has filed for bankruptcy. . . .

You have to question the effectiveness of steroids now that Northwestern football players have been accused of using them.