Notes on a Scorecard - March 16, 1993

By ALLAN MALAMUD

March 16, 1993 12 AM PT

Eighteen years after winning his 10th and final NCAA basketball championship at UCLA, John Wooden still gets excited this time of year. . . .

“The tournament looks wide open,” Wooden said. “I’ve seen some very good teams on television--Arizona in the first half Saturday against us (UCLA), North Carolina, Duke when it had Grant Hill, Kentucky, Michigan, and Indiana when it had Alan Henderson. You can’t really judge teams accurately on TV, though, because you never get to see the action away from the ball that is so important.” . . .

As has been his custom since retirement, Wooden, 82, made the short trip from his Encino home to watch every UCLA game at Pauley Pavilion this season. . . .

“The whole matter of Jim Harrick’s contract extension was bad for the players,” he said. “It took away too much attention. He had another year left on his contract and it never should have been an issue. . . .

“Coach Harrick hasn’t done badly at all,” Wooden said. “His record during his time at UCLA has been second in the conference only to Arizona, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Of course, you can’t satisfy everybody. I know about that. You win every game and some alumni are still upset because the margin of victory isn’t big enough.” . . .

The coach whose Bruin teams were 620-147 from 1948 to 1975 makes 18 speaking engagements a year for a bank, is appearing in a shoe commercial on TV, and spends much of his time with his six great-grandchildren. . . .

Soon there will be two more great-grandchildren to make the hours even more special, but on Friday, Wooden will be in front of the television set watching UCLA play Iowa State in the first round of the tournament he dominated for so many years. . . .

“I think UCLA and Iowa State probably are even up,” he said. “Unfortunately, Michigan and Coastal Carolina aren’t so even. Whoever survives, UCLA or Iowa State, will be undermanned against Michigan.” . . .

First, the Freedom Bowl. Now, the NIT for USC. The difference is that the basketball team won’t be in an everything-to-lose, nothing-to-win situation when it faces Nevada Las Vegas in the first round Wednesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. . . .

The Trojans will be double-digit underdogs to the Rebels, who either will vent their anger after being rejected by the NCAA tournament selection committee or simply won’t give a damn. . . .

The major role James Forrest played in Georgia Tech’s ACC tournament final didn’t surprise USC, which was beaten at the buzzer by Forrest’s three-point shot in the second round of the 1992 NCAA tournament. . . .

Sound-alikes: Bobby Hurley and Al Davis. . . .

Pedro Martinez, brother of Ramon and Jesus, is pitching so well in Florida that the Dodgers might have to decide whether to find a spot for him in the starting rotation, assign him duty in the bullpen, or send him down to Albuquerque. . . .

Where former Dodgers are now: Juan Samuel is with the Cincinnati Reds and Jose Gonzalez with the Florida Marlins. . . .

Ozzie Guillen’s comeback is a lot more important to the Chicago White Sox than Bo Jackson’s. . . .

So far, so good for Alan Trammell during the Detroit Tiger experiment that has him in center field. Travis Fryman is playing shortstop. . . .

The three NHL expansion teams from the last two seasons--San Jose, Tampa Bay and Ottawa--are 40-158-11. . . .

In a fax to Bob Arum’s office, former longtime Madison Square Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner called Michael Carbajal’s seventh-round knockout of Humberto Gonzalez Saturday the best fight he had ever seen. . . .

Pepe Reilly of Glendale, the U.S. Olympic welterweight who won only one bout at Barcelona, made an impressive professional debut Sunday in Las Vegas when he knocked down Mark Fornelli and stopped him at 2:55 of the first round. . . .

Joe Dragna, the oldest active trainer in thoroughbred racing, will celebrate his 91st birthday Wednesday. . . .

“I still think I’m riding the best 3-year-old,” Gary Stevens said after favored Personal Hope was beaten Sunday by 2 3/4 lengths by Corby in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. . . .

Corby’s decisive victory means that the 3-year-old filly Eliza, also owned by Allen Paulson, will be pointed toward the Kentucky Oaks rather than the Derby. . . .

Standardbred owner Billy Barty will be the host for a night at the Los Alamitos harness races Wednesday with proceeds going to his Little People of America Foundation. . . .

Hunch players should be aware that My Irish Lady is entered in the La Habra Stakes on St. Patrick’s Day at Santa Anita.