A Tomahawk Chop for Big-Talking Dodgers

Maybe the Dodgers’ three spring-training losses to Atlanta, including a 12-2 beating on Sunday, will shut them up for a while. . . .

I’ve never heard so much pennant talk from a team that didn’t win a postseason game the year before and whose regular-season record was 12 games worse than the National League champions’. . . .

*

Now that Dennis Rodman is self-destructing again, the Chicago Bulls no longer are an outright cinch to win the NBA title. . . .

The Lakers’ playoff chances will depend greatly on Magic Johnson’s physical condition and Vlade Divac’s level of play. . . .

Johnson suffered a calf injury while playing for his touring team a year ago in Australia and it has bothered him from time to time ever since, as it is now. . . .

Divac’s season went from bad to worse on Sunday night when he drew a technical foul in the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic and then got a tongue lashing and benching from Coach Del Harris. . . .

Harris’ tirade, in full view of 17,505, may serve as a wake-up call for his disappointing center. . . .

Divac should be at the top of his game at 28, but is averaging only 12.8 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, compared to 16 and 10.4 last season. . . .

The Lakers will be formidable underneath if Divac can regain his form and the improved Elden Campbell can maintain his. . . .

Oh, could UCLA use Jacque Vaughn. . . .

One reason Kansas was able to recruit Vaughn at Muir High in Pasadena was that the Bruins had Tyus Edney at point guard. . . .

Best third-round matchup might be Kansas-Arizona in the West Regional on Friday at Denver. Vaughn will be guarded by the tenacious Reggie Geary from Santa Ana Mater Dei. Seven of the 10 starters have California roots. . . .

Clark Kellogg, the former Ohio State and Indiana Pacer star who is co-host of the studio show, is the most-improved performer on CBS’ tournament team. . . .

The Mighty Ducks’ bid for a playoff berth has become interesting because they are playing winning hockey. . . .

The A Pair of Jacks Open Golf Classic, a benefit for the American Diabetes Assn. that is co-hosted by scout Jack Faulkner of the St. Louis Rams and General Manager Jack Ferreira of the Mighty Ducks, will be played April 1 at Los Coyotes in Buena Park. . . .

Don King is planning a heavyweight title doubleheader in July--World Boxing Council champion Mike Tyson against World Boxing Assn. champion Bruce Seldon, and International Boxing Federation champion Francois Botha against an opponent to be determined. . . .

For $30 million, Tyson should have attended the news conference after his knockout of Frank Bruno on Saturday night and should have been on time instead of 2 hours 15 minutes late for the Sunday news conference. . . .

Remember when $15 would get you a ringside seat? That was the price of the program for the Tyson-Bruno card. . . .

I sat next to former heavyweight champion Ingemar Johansson, who was doing the commentary for the telecast to Sweden. Couldn’t understand a thing he said, but he spoke in extremely mild tones. . . .

Butterbean has been crowned four-round heavyweight champion of the world by promoter Bob Arum. . . .

Butterbean’s first defense of the title will be tonight on the show at the Pyramid in Long Beach that features hometown heavyweight favorite Jeremy Williams. . . .

Forum Boxing president John Jackson wants to stage a rematch of the fight of the year, Marco Antonio Barrera’s victory over Kennedy McKinney. The junior featherweights will appear in separate bouts on a pay-per-view show at the Pond of Anaheim on May 4. . . .

Three of Wayne Lukas’ five Kentucky Derby candidates raced over the weekend and his best still may be the one who ran the poorest. Prince Of Thieves was wiped out at the start of a fourth-place trip in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita. . . .

Smithfield’s solid second-place finish in the San Felipe suggests trainer Charlie Whittingham, 82, has at least one more journey to Kentucky remaining. . . .

As luck would have it, the cargo plane taking Cigar to the $4-million Dubai World Cup refueled in Shannon, Ireland, on St. Patrick’s Day. . . .

Indiana Coach Bob Knight after presenting retiring Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times sports editor Bob Hammel with keys to a new car: “There are schools that give cars to players. I’m the only guy who gives one to a sportswriter.�