Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 31, 1995
So what else were you expecting Sunday? . . .
All the San Francisco 49ers did at Miami was repeat their 23-point victory over the Chargers at San Diego on Dec. 11. . . .
Jeff Jaeger and Jeff Gossett must not have been the only Raiders who kicked themselves while they watched the carnage Sunday. . . .
The Raiders had the talent to make it to the Super Bowl. . . .
They probably would have been whipped again by the 49ers, who beat them by 30 points at Candlestick Park the opening Monday night of the season, but reaching Miami surely would have been better than not reaching the playoffs. . . .
The 1994 Chargers should be remembered as overachievers. . . .
Heart, leadership and coaching got them to the Super Bowl. . . .
Once there, a team that was picked to finish last in the AFC West was badly overmatched. . . .
Don’t expect the Chargers to threaten Buffalo’s four consecutive appearances in the Super Bowl, although they are young and will have the right people in charge--General Manager Bobby Beathard and Coach Bobby Ross--as long as owner Alex Spanos listens to them. . . .
If the Raiders make a coaching change, as expected, they should challenge the Pittsburgh Steelers for the opportunity to face San Francisco next Jan. 28 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. . . .
The executive director of Super Bowl XXX is Steve Patterson, former UCLA center and Arizona State basketball coach. . . .
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Year in and year out, the NCAA basketball final is the most competitive of the major title games or series. . . .
Judging by his work as an ABC analyst Sunday, New York Jet quarterback Boomer Esiason is ready for a regular TV gig. . . .
If the Raiders can begin play in a 65,000-seat stadium in Inglewood in 1997, what would be so awful about playing in the Coliseum, their home since 1982, for another couple of seasons? . . .
UCLA likely would be another tenant in the new stadium with USC remaining at the Coliseum. . . .
Stais Boseman, a sophomore guard on the USC basketball team, is reputed to be a better football player and plans to participate next season as a defensive back. . . .
Two Florida-bred gray horses on six-race winning streaks have one more assignment before what could be a confrontation in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap on March 11. . . .
Horse of the Year Holy Bull will be a prohibitive favorite in the Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 11. . . .
Wekiva Springs will be favored in the $500,000 Strub Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita. . . .
Trainer Mike Mollica wanted no part of Afternoon Deelites, so he sent Valid Wager to Florida to run in the Hutcheson Stakes on Saturday and was rewarded with a three-length victory. . . .
“Afternoon Deelites is truly a great horse, the best I’ve seen out west since Spectacular Bid,” Mollica said. . . .
Over the years I’ve seen too many over-officiated Pacific 10 Conference games like last Thursday’s between UCLA and Stanford at Pauley Pavilion, where 54 personal fouls were called. . . .
That’s whistleball, not basketball. . . .
At last glance, the average NCAA Division I free-throw shooting percentage was 66.9%, the lowest since 1958. . . .
UC Irvine will retire a basketball jersey for the first time, Kevin Magee’s No. 44, during halftime of the Anteaters’ game against New Mexico State on Saturday at Bren Center. Magee was an All-American in the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons, averaging 26.3 points and 12.3 rebounds. . . .
Little more than halfway through his 11th season, John Stockton is about to break Magic Johnson’s NBA record of 9,921 assists. Johnson played 12 seasons. . . .
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So much for that fast start the Kings anticipated with seven of their first eight games at home. . . .
Sixteen goals in six games won’t get the job done. Neither will four shots on goal in the first period against the Chicago Blackhawks. . . .
Since losing Game 5 of the 1993 Stanley Cup finals to the Montreal Canadiens, the Kings are 28-49-13. . . .
There will be an all-Southern California flavor to the weekend--the Lakers vs. the Clippers at the Sports Arena on Saturday and the Kings vs. the Mighty Ducks at the Forum on Sunday. . . .
Professional baseball tryouts will be held Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Rancho Cucamonga Sports Complex, but prospective replacement players need not bother to attend. These tryouts are for the all-female Colorado Silver Bullets. . . .
How dominant has the NFC been the last 11 seasons? They are 11-0 in Super Bowls but hold a much less convincing 290-275-1 edge over the AFC in regular-season games.
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