Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 25, 1994

The Raiders aren’t exactly packing them in at the Coliseum, but the noisy Pirates’ Pavilion, located behind the east end zone, has become the L.A. equivalent of the Dog Pound at Cleveland. . . .

I was afraid it was going to be another long Sunday afternoon for Coach Art Shell when the scoreboard, listing Raider members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, identified him as a former defensive tackle. . . .

What made the sacks of Atlanta’s Jeff George unusual was that two of the three were recorded by cornerbacks, Albert Lewis and James Trapp. . . .

This is the fourth time in the last five years that the Rams have been 3-5, but it beats last year’s 2-6. . . .

Phil Simms might have gotten the New York Giants into the playoffs, something it doesn’t appear Dave Brown or Kent Graham will be able to do. . . .

The Cleveland Browns (6-1) will be tested for class on the road by Denver, Philadelphia and Kansas City three of the next four weekends. . . .

Indianapolis rookie Marshall Faulk, who caught eight passes for 127 yards and rushed 22 times for 86 yards against the Washington Redskins, is quickly becoming one of the most prolific double threats in the NFL. . . .

*

The UCLA-Stanford game at the Rose Bowl Saturday, which shaped up before the season as one of the most entertaining matchups on the Pacific 10 Conference schedule, has become so unappetizing that it won’t even be televised live. . . .

Quarterback Brad Otton, who played as a freshman last year at Weber State, is eligible this year at USC because transfers from Division I-AA to Division I-A schools don’t have to sit out a season. . . .

The Trojans, who are off this week, hope they have the same success Nov. 5 against Washington State at Pullman that they did earlier this season against Baylor after a week off that followed their trouncing at Penn State. . . .

The battle of the bands between USC and California at the Coliseum last Saturday was much more competitive than the football game. . . .

The Golden Bear quick- steppers were a refreshing change from the crassness of the Stanford band, which saluted O.J. Simpson during halftime the previous week at Palo Alto. . . . Many Cardinal fans booed the performance that set a new low for bad taste. . . .

Hail Columbia, which has a winning record and sometimes even scores more points than Chet Forte used to put up for the basketball team. . . .

Kansas State quarterback Chad May transferred from Cal State Fullerton before the Titans dropped football, and Utah quarterback Mike McCoy transferred from Long Beach State after the 49ers quit the sport. . . .

Maybe all second-year Clipper guard Terry Dehere needed was some playing time. He scored 43 points against Sacramento in an exhibition game last week. . . .

Michael Jordan phoned George Raveling, one of the 1984 U.S. Olympic team assistant coaches, the other day to see how he was recuperating at USC University Hospital. . . .

Those old pals, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, shook hands and smiled at Jim Hill’s birthday party the other night. . . .

*

The longest trip of Rafael Ruelas’ life, 32 hours from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and back, was for naught. . . .

Well, at least he got to see the sights. . . .

The cancellation of Ruelas’ defense of the International Boxing Federation lightweight title against Billy Schwer and the rest of the four-bout, pay-per-view card was announced at 5:30 p.m. Saturday Hong Kong time, before the fighters were to weigh in for the show that was supposed to start at 10 a.m. Sunday. . . .

British manager Barry Hearn withdrew his four fighters when promoter John Daly couldn’t come up with the guaranteed purses. . . .

This never would have happened in California, where promoters have to post bonds. . . .

“Of course, the ones who are hurt the most are the fighters,” said Ruelas’ manager, Dan Goossen. “It cost them eight weeks of wear and tear on their bodies.” . . .

Bob Arum is trying to rearrange the Ruelas-Schwer bout for somewhere in the United States. . . .

John Carlo, 33, a last-minute substitute, knocked out Leon Spinks, 41, in the first round Saturday night at Washington, D.C. The former heavyweight champion never threw a punch. . . .

Jim Riggleman’s tenure with the San Diego Padres was terrific preparation for managing the Chicago Cubs. . . .

News item: Raul Mondesi becomes the third consecutive Dodger to be voted National League rookie of the year. Reaction: I hope Fred Claire doesn’t think this is an assembly line. Brett Butler and Tim Wallach, who have filed for free agency, should be re-signed, no matter how appealing the prospects from Albuquerque and San Antonio are.