Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 26, 1990

If this is the day after Christmas, it must be opening day at Santa Anita. . . .

These are not the best of times for the thoroughbred racing industry. Too many horses breaking down. Too few fans. Too many race dates. Too few stakes stars. Too many drugs in the headlines. . . .

But opening day in Arcadia remains special--a day for renewed hope, clear skies, magnificent mountain views, big fields, a full grandstand and the voice of Trevor Denman at the greatest race place. . . .

Among the reasons for optimism is a new track superintendent, Steve Wood, who already is receiving rave notices from horsemen. . . .

One of the color photographs in the calendar that will be given opening day customers should be captioned, “The Legend’s Last Lead.” It shows Patchy Groundfog leading by a nose at the sixteenth pole during Bill Shoemaker’s final ride. . . .

Laffit Pincay and Jorge Velasquez have a lot in common. They are among the top four winningest jockeys of all time. They began their racing careers in their native Panama. And each turns 44 this week--Velasquez Friday and Pincay Saturday. . . .

A new face on the backside will be trainer Pancho Martin of New York, who won the 1973 Santa Anita Derby with Sham and the 1974 Big ‘Cap with Prince Dantan. . . .

But the man with the biggest spring in his step when he reports to work this morning will be Chris McCarron, who made a remarkable return to the races by winning the jockey championship at the Hollywood Park fall meeting after breaking his legs and right arm in a spill June 3. . . .

That was a nice Christmas gift the Raiders received from San Diego when the Chargers announced that John Friesz would start at quarterback Sunday at the Coliseum. . . .

The way the Rams have been playing, John Robinson ought to surround Marcus Dupree with second and third stringers in the starting lineup Monday night at New Orleans. . . .

Twenty-eight Raiders have played for other NFL teams. . . .

At least one NFL player personnel director disagrees with the notion that Rocket Ismail will be the No. 1 choice if he opts for the draft as an underclassman. . . .

Quarterbacks aren’t the only endangered species. The Seattle Seahawks have lost six linebackers to injuries this season. . . .

At last, the Lakers vs. the Clippers tonight at the Sports Arena. The Pacific Division teams have gone 24 and 26 games, respectively, before meeting. It seems more like a cross-town rivalry at the Sports Arena, where crowd emotions are split, than at the Forum, where fans are almost entirely pro-Laker. . . .

What were the chances that the Pittsburgh Penguins would lose Mario Lemieux and still have the No. 2 and 3 scorers in the National Hockey League? . . .

I can’t believe that Phil Esposito hasn’t made a trade yet for his Tampa hockey franchise. . . .

Cleveland is in last place in indoor soccer, too. . . .

Sugar Ray Leonard says he needed 60 stitches to close cuts following his last waltz with Roberto Duran. Must have been the cold weather that night. . . .

A number of boxing people give Razor Ruddock a good chance to beat Mike Tyson, but the former heavyweight champion is an 8-1 favorite in Las Vegas. . . .

Michael Carbajal is worried that Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez’s shocking defeat to Rolando Pascua will cost Carbajal a $1-million payday. However, the International Boxing Federation light flyweight champion has a $200,000 date March 2 on ABC against an opponent yet to be announced. . . .

Harold Miner is destined to be a great one, but it won’t be easy to crack the all-time USC backcourt. Among others who have played guard for the Trojans are Bill Sharman, Paul Westphal and Gus Williams. . . .

Behind most successful coaches is an outstanding assistant. Jerry Tarkanian’s is Tim Grgurich, formerly head coach at Pitt. . . .

George Raveling will be the keynote speaker at the 20th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr./YMCA Brotherhood Breakfast Jan. 15 at the Biltmore. . . .

Larry Smith is giving his USC football team four days off before resuming practice Thursday in El Paso for the Sun--oops, Hancock Bowl against Michigan State New Year’s Eve afternoon. . . .

I don’t know about his football team, but Pasadena visitor Hayden Fry sure is a lot more fun than Bo Schembechler. . . .

Danny Darwin, who led the National League in earned run average last season at Houston, is going to find Fenway Park a little less friendly than the Astrodome. . . .

However, this could be a good year for Sox of all kinds. . . .

George Foreman’s Christmas dinner: Fruit salad, ham sandwiches, turkey sandwiches, dressing sandwiches, cranberry sandwiches, mince pie, pumpkin pie and assorted fruit juices.