Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 30, 1995

The toughest thing for the 49ers to win all day was the coin flip. . . .

I don’t know exactly where they rank among the all-time great football teams, but it would be difficult to make an argument against them having the best offensive unit. . . .

Anybody would look good throwing to Jerry Rice. What helps to make Steve Young such an extraordinary quarterback is his running ability. . . .

The underdog Chargers, who should have been loose, seemed tight. . . .

Search parties ought to be sent out for Leslie O’Neal and Junior Seau. . . .

Oh well, at least the Chargers kept 49er cornerback-wide receiver Deion Sanders off the scoreboard. . . .

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that Klaus Wilmsmeyer got to ply his trade. . . .

In case you’ve never heard of him, he’s the San Francisco punter. . . .

California punishment: The 49ers were 5-0 against intrastate rivals. The only California team that gave them a game was the Rams, who lost in their second meeting, 31-27, at Candlestick Park. . . .

Young’s 66.7 completion percentage was less than his regular season average of 70.2. . . .

Are NFL historians sure that Jerry Markbreit has refereed only four Super Bowls? . . .

There was no need for instant replay Sunday. . . .

Stoic coaches George Seifert and Bobby Ross weren’t exactly a sideline camera person’s delight. . . .

Thumbs up to ABC for sticking to meat-and-potatoes camera work on the game action, instead of giving us artsy-craftsy stuff. . . .

The San Diego pitcher, Stan Humphries, was better than his catchers. . . .

The crowd sounded subdued--even during those 83 seconds when the score was tied, 0-0. . . .

Andre Coleman, the Chargers’ little rookie from Kansas State, could be on his way to becoming one of the all-time great kickoff returners. . . .

ABC’s pregame show theme was “it’s Super Bowl Sunday everywhere,” but, actually, it was Super Bowl Monday in Australia. . . .

No halftime show with Tony Bennett and Patti LaBelle can be all bad. . . .

I wonder if the 49ers will make their throwback uniforms their permanent uniforms during the NFL’s 76th anniversary season. . . .

The Pittsburgh Steelers might have lost by only 21 points. . . . *

Collector’s item: The Rams have sent the media a 417-page review of their final season in Anaheim. . . .

On the cover is linebacker Shane Conlan, who is identified as the team’s most valuable player. . . .

California’s talented basketball team, which had been underachieving lately, played to its potential Saturday at Pauley Pavilion. . . .

UCLA played hard, but not well. . . .

To be sure, the game was won Saturday, not Friday when the Bears claimed the Bruins heckled them during practice. . . .

In victory, Cal Coach Todd Bozeman could have been a little more gracious. . . .

The most exciting televised sporting event on Super Sunday was Arkansas’ 94-92 victory over Kentucky. . . .

*

After Rafael Ruelas’ victory over Billy Schwer on Saturday in Las Vegas, promoter Bob Arum joked that he would put the Ruelas-Oscar De La Hoya match at the L.A. Coliseum if he could install slot machines and blackjack tables there. . . .

Ruelas-De La Hoya will be May 6 at the MGM Grand Garden if De La Hoya defeats John-John Molina on Feb. 18. . . .

Really, though, a Sylmar-East L.A. matchup belongs here. . . .

It would be the hottest all-Southern California fight since Bobby Chacon stopped Danny Lopez in the ninth round on May 24, 1974, before a capacity crowd at the Sports Arena. . . .

Most devastating puncher on Saturday’s card was pony-tailed Konstantin Tszyu, the Russian-born junior welterweight from Australia who stopped Jake Rodriguez in the sixth round for the International Boxing Federation title. . . .

Rodriguez was knocked down five times, but took so much punishment that ringsiders were asking what was keeping him up. . . .

Gabriel Ruelas improves with every fight. . . .

George Foreman will remain the people’s heavyweight champion even if the World Boxing Assn. strips him of its title for fighting Axel Schulz instead of top-ranked contender Tony Tucker. . . .

A Tucker-Bruce Seldon WBA title fight could be held in a telephone booth and not sell out. . . .

Substance over image: That’s Andre Agassi, who has won two consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.