Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 24, 1995

It’s a small place, this Los Angeles. . . .

I attended the same junior high school (Louis Pasteur) as Robert Shapiro, the same high school (L.A.) as Johnnie Cochran, and the same university (USC) as O.J. Simpson. . . .

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Hockey didn’t learn anything from the baseball strike. . . .

Now it appears that baseball hasn’t learned anything from the hockey settlement. . . .

The word compromise is not in the vocabulary of the owners or the players. . . .

The Dodgers say they will bring back 1958 ticket prices if there is no labor contract, and other teams are talking about bringing back 1958 players. . . .

Congratulations to Vin Scully, who was presented the William Slocum Award for long and meritorious service to the game Sunday night by the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Assn. . . .

Among others attending the New York dinner were Duke Snider, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. Asked which of them was the best center fielder, Snider said, “Joe DiMaggio.” . . .

In the Hank Aaron documentary being made for TBS, Sandy Koufax calls Aaron the toughest batter he ever faced. . . .

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The Kings are going to have to end their work stoppages a little earlier in the evening. . . .

They don’t have enough firepower to fall behind 2-0 every game and expect to win. . . .

They are playing a tougher and more conservative brand of hockey than last season. I like the presence of Rick Tocchet, and it will be nice to have Marty McSorley around for the entire 48-game season. But the prospects of scoring a goal aren’t real good except when Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri are on the ice. . . .

I’m eager to see what the Kings’ first-round draft choice, goaltender Jamie Storr, can do. . . .

Edmonton is 30-29-10 against the Kings since the Wayne Gretzky trade before the start of the 1988-89 season. . . .

Don’t expect San Diego quarterback Stan Humphries to conduct an impromptu news conference poolside in Miami and predict a Charger victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. He’s not the type and, besides, it wouldn’t be original. . . .

Arizona has been advanced a notch to No. 10 in the USA Today/CNN college basketball poll. I wonder if the voters were more impressed by the Wildcats’ 10-point loss to UCLA or 21-point victory over USC. . . .

Pat Riley must not be doing such a bad job coaching the New York Knicks this season after all. . . .

Another gray horse, Wekiva Springs, is shaping up as the most serious challenger to Holy Bull in the Santa Anita Handicap March 11. . . .

Holy Bull’s victory in the seven-furlong Olympic Handicap in 1:22 Sunday at Gulfstream was just what the owner-trainer, Jimmy Croll, ordered. . . .

Trainer Mel Stute deserves extra consideration when you’re handicapping races on off-tracks. Stute’s horses usually do well under tiring conditions because he keeps them so fit. . . .

Among those entered in the high school 50-meter dash in the Sunkist meet Feb. 11 at the Sports Arena are Bishop Amat’s Daylon McCutcheon, son of Lawrence; Pasadena’s Chris McAlister, son of James; and Birmingham’s Marvin Powell III. . . .

Just what boxing needs, another alphabet organization. The World Boxing Union (WBU) will present its heavyweight championship belt to George Foreman Friday in L.A. . . .

Four Southland boxers have made the U.S. team for the Pan American Games March 11-26 in Argentina--Carlos Navarro of L.A. at 119 pounds, Fernando Vargas of Oxnard at 139; Lamon Brewster of L.A. at 201; and Lance Whitaker of Northridge at over-201. . . .

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It would be great for golf in this country if Phil Mickelson, the 24-year-old left-hander from Arizona State who won the Tucson Open, could become a consistent threat on the tour. . . . Meg Mallon has something too many golfers lack--a sense of humor. After finishing seventh at Orlando, she announced to the gallery that she had three-putted seven holes, and then she threw her putter into the water. . . .

Where they are now: Earl Campbell is the president of Earl Campbell Foods Inc., which is considered to be one of the fastest-growing companies of its kind in the nation. . . .

In rating draft prospects, NFL scouts tend to put too much emphasis on postseason all-star games. . . .

The Cincinnati Bengals, who had pretty good luck with another tackle from USC named Anthony Munoz, are interested in selecting Tony Boselli. . . .

Don’t be surprised if USC signs to play Penn State in the Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium next August.