Notes on a Scorecard - April 6, 1995

This is traditionally among the most attractive weeks on the American sports calendar with the NCAA basketball championship game, the opening of baseball season and the Masters. . . .

Well, two out of three isn’t bad. . . .

Throw in the Santa Anita Derby and the Caesars Palace fight show on Saturday and the Long Beach Grand Prix on Sunday and baseball hardly will be missed. . . .

Excuse us for sticking with the chalk, but the predicted winners are Afternoon Deelites in the Derby, Oliver McCall over Larry Holmes, Nick Faldo in the Masters, and Al Unser Jr. in the Grand Prix. . . .

*

Afternoon Deelites was criticized for not putting away Timber Country by more than a length in his last race, but trainer Richard Mandella’s colt remains unbeaten and in possession of the best speed numbers. . . .

Unlike the Kentucky Derby, the last 10 runnings of the Santa Anita Derby have been remarkably formful, the average winning payoff being $5.20 and the biggest $9.40. . . .

“I don’t see this man going the whole distance,” Holmes says of McCall, who won the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship by knocking out Lennox Lewis in the second round on Sept. 24 at London. . . .

I don’t see McCall going the 12 rounds, either. It figures to take him only about five to dispatch legendary Larry. . . .

Sometimes becoming a champion does wonders for a fighter, and McCall has been devastating at times during his sparring sessions in Las Vegas. . . .

It would be nice to have an American win the Masters, but Faldo won’t do an el foldo on the course he loves so much. . . .

Marvelous Marvin Hagler, one of the few great champions to announce his retirement at the right time and make it stick, will be a ringside commentator on the pay-per-view telecast Saturday. . . .

Hagler, who has acted in Italian movies, is the idol of Giovanni Parisi, the 1988 Olympic Games gold medalist at 125 pounds who will challenge Julio Cesar Chavez for the WBC super-lightweight championship. . . .

Parisi’s two dogs are named Marvin and Hagler. . . .

Mike Tyson’s pre-fight analysis will be taped. . . .

Thumbs up to Don King for sending Gerald McClellan back to the United States on a specially equipped airplane at a cost of $90,000. . . .

Don Chargin will be seated in the same location he occupied during his 18-year stint as Olympic Auditorium matchmaker tonight when Yory Boy Campas fights Young Dick Tiger. Chargin promotes Campas, the exciting welterweight from Navajoa, Mexico, who is 57-1 with 51 knockouts. . . .

Unser Jr. should have a street named for him in downtown Long Beach, where he has won five of the last seven Grand Prix races. . . .

*

Surfing, yes, but ballroom dancing as an Olympic Games sport? . . .

ESPN’s Sunday night baseball telecast this week will be a Pacific Coast League game, Las Vegas vs. Phoenix. . . .

The reaction of Chicago Blackhawk star Jeremy Roenick to the collision with Dallas Star defenseman Derian Hatcher that left Roenick with a knee injury and ended his season was refreshing. . . .

“I’ve got respect for Derian,” Roenick said. “I don’t think he was trying to injure me. He works hard. He’s tough. And sometimes, in the spur of the moment, things happen.” . . .

Wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson of USC and Kevin Jordan of UCLA and Bruin offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden have made the Playboy Magazine preseason All-American team. USC center Jeremy Hogue, who has a 3.90 grade-point average, has been named national scholar athlete by the magazine. . . .

Sports Saturday at the USC campus--9 a.m.: Athletic equipment surplus sale at the tennis courts; 11 a.m.: Spring football scrimmage and barbecue at Howard Jones Field, admission $20; 1 p.m.: USC vs. Arizona State baseball game, Dedeaux Field; 1:30 p.m. USC vs. Stanford men’s tennis match, Marks Stadium. . . .

A Trojan baseball fan called to say that it took two UCLA basketball coaches to do what Rod Dedeaux did--win 11 NCAA titles. . . .

Operators at the UCLA athletic department are answering the phones, “Good morning, home of NCAA champions.”. . .

ESPN commentators Dick Vitale and Digger Phelps might regret not having picked UCLA in the top four next season. . . .

When they have Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge, Kevin Johnson and Elliot Perry on the court, the Phoenix Suns can beat anybody in the 6-6-and-under league.