Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 1, 1992

Gunfire isn’t the only sound that has been heard this week during football practice at Howard Jones Field on the USC campus. . . .

In preparation for their game against top-ranked Washington on Saturday at Seattle, the Trojans have been subjected to high-decibel taped recordings of crowds, bands and, according to one listener, “assorted noises from hell.”. . . .

USC has been shut out only three times in its last 286 games, but twice in its last four games at Husky Stadium. . . .

“We never did anything to shut the crowd up, so they were yelling the whole game,” Trojan quarterback Todd Marinovich said in 1990 after he completed seven passes in 16 attempts for 80 yards, was intercepted twice and replaced early in the fourth quarter of a 31-0 loss. . . .

It will be up to another sophomore quarterback, Rob Johnson, to keep his composure better Saturday than Marinovich and most of his teammates did two years ago. . . .

“The ’90 game was the biggest humiliation any of us can remember,” Coach Larry Smith said. . . .

Of course, the Huskies have a habit of doing that to people. The average score during their 17-game winning streak is 40-11. . . .

Fifty-three Washington players are from California. One USC player, freshman fullback Kevin Clark, is from Washington. . . .

Seattle weather forecast for Saturday: High of 69 degrees, partly cloudy, no rain. . . .

This is the year of the tailback in the west, which boasts the nation’s top five all-purpose runners in San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk, Stanford’s Glyn Milburn, Arizona State’s injured Mario Bates, Pacific’s Ryan Benjamin and California’s Russell White. . . .

ABC’s Monday night game, Dallas vs. Philadelphia, is a little more attractive than TNT’s Sunday night game, New England vs. the New York Jets. . . .

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Any other year, Dodger rookie pitcher Pedro Astacio would be getting a lot of attention for pitching four shutouts in 10 starts. . . .

Fernando Valenzuela had five shutouts in his first 10 starts in 1981. . . .

The Angels will miss Marcel Lachemann, the pitching coach who has decided not to return for the 1992 season. . . .

The Baltimore Orioles drew 3,567,819 fans and had 67 sellouts during their first season at Camden Yards. . . .

The Buffalo Bisons of the American Assn. drew more than a million for the fifth consecutive year. . . .

Parity: Since 1983, every National League team has finished last in its division at least once. . . .

Former Angel and San Diego Padre third baseman Jack Howell is leading the Japan Central League in home runs with 35. . . .

The Milwaukee Brewers are the first team since the 1912 Washington Senators with 10 players who have stolen at least 10 bases. . . .

NL West champion Atlanta won seven of 12 from East champion Pittsburgh during the regular season. . . .

It’s doubtful that any player is looking forward to the postseason more than Brave outfielder Otis Nixon, who was on suspension last October because of drug problems. . . .

The Florida Marlins should be interested in bringing home Miami native Andre Dawson, who will be a free agent. . . .

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Evander Holyfield has been the highest-paid athlete in the world since Oct. 25, 1990, when he knocked out Buster Douglas for the heavyweight title. He has earned $50 million since then, and, working on a percentage, figures to make at least $15 million for his Nov. 13 bout against Riddick Bowe at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. . . .

It is typical of the politics of the sport that Julio Cesar Chavez next will fight Greg Haugen, not Pernell Whitaker. . . .

Former two-time world champion Roger Mayweather announced his retirement in his dressing room at the Forum after his defeat to Fidel Avendano on Monday night and gave his boxing equipment to reporters. . . .

Virgil Hill’s unanimous decision over 1984 U.S. Olympic teammate Frank Tate Tuesday night was predictable. Hill is a good, well-conditioned boxer who lacks power. . . .

Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers will be featured on ESPN’s first two NHL telecasts. Oh, yes, a guy named Mario Lemieux of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins will also be playing in the opener next Tuesday. . . .

The Lakers may be aging at forward and guard, but they are so deep that Coach Randy Pfund will be able to afford to give Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy and Sam Perkins sufficient rest time. . . .

The Clippers, who believe Shaquille O’Neal will be a gate attraction, have put a game against the last-place Orlando Magic on one of their mini-season ticket packages.

Now that the Raiders have a new offensive coordinator, I hope they go to something more modern like the single wing or the split-T.