Notes on a Scorecard - April 27, 1992

Eric Dickerson, who will take a pay cut to play for the Raiders, must have wanted to get out of the state of Indiana almost as much as Mike Tyson. . . .

Dickerson’s career might be resurrected here, but the Raiders needed a veteran quarterback more than a veteran running back. . . .

The surprise isn’t that the Rams drafted Sean Gilbert on the first round, but that he already has agreed to terms with them. . . .

The draft was about as fast moving as another of ESPN’s big events, the America’s Cup. . . .

Southland restaurateurs are the surest winners after the selections of Gilbert by the Rams and Chester McGlockton and Greg Skrepenak by the Raiders. . . .

Before the season, anyone suggesting that Stanford running back Tommy Vardell would be picked 23 spots ahead of Michigan tackle Skrepenak would have been ridiculed by the draftniks. . . .

The Washington Redskins’ selection of Desmond Howard will not do much for parity in the NFL. . . .

If the size of draft prospects’ hearts were measured, Ty Detmer would have been picked early. . . .

Steve Emtman will be alarmed by the dropoff in talent from the University of Washington to the Indianapolis Colts. . . .

The Pacific-10 was the most productive conference with six first-round selections. . . .

Please, no more 40-yard dash clockings until next April. . . .

Look for the Dallas Cowboys to switch 10th-round draft choices with someone and get an additional 12th-rounder in the exchange. . . .

Fred Edelstein had Steve Young headed for the Raiders, but, at least, he didn’t have the Raiders going to Oakland. . . .

Funny, but I didn’t think the Cincinnati Bengals’ biggest need was for a quarterback. . . .

If the Clippers take some free-throw shooting lessons before Tuesday night, they could win a game or two from the Utah Jazz at the Sports Arena. . . .

Optimism is switching the date of a concert at the Forum to make room for a fourth game between the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers. . . .

The huge difference in talent has taken all the fun out of the Laker-Trail Blazer series. There isn’t even anything to second guess. . . .

The opinions of Bill Walton are missed on Clipper telecasts. . . .

As expected, the most valuable player in the NBA playoffs so far is from North Carolina--Brad Daugherty or Michael Jordan. . . .

While working the remote control Friday night, I could have sworn that I saw Kelly Hrudey make a stick save on a drive by Darryl Strawberry and Karl Malone pounce on the rebound. . . .

As he showed again Sunday at Candlestick Park, Strawberry seldom leaves any doubt when he hits a home run. . . .

How much longer can Fred Claire keep three first basemen on his roster? . . .

The more you watch Eric Davis, the easier it is to understand why Pete Rose said he has never seen a more talented ballplayer. . . .

Look-alikes: Todd Benzinger and Wes Parker. . . .

Few athletes enjoy their jobs as much as Orel Hershiser. . . .

Trade update: At this rate, Bill Swift will go 36-0 for the San Francisco Giants and Kevin Mitchell will not hit a home run for the Seattle Mariners. . . .

Deron Johnson, the Angel coach who died last week, was one of the greatest all-round high school athletes ever in San Diego before embarking on his professional baseball career. . . .

The Atlanta Braves may have been able to compensate for Dave Justice’s absence much of last season, but, clearly, they are not the same team without him. . . .

The Detroit Tigers are giving us a preview of the pitching staffs of the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins. . . .

Thumbs up to the Racing Dates Committee of the California Horse Racing Board for proposing fewer dates. . . .

The Derby Trial is no such thing. . . .

Wayne Lukas, who has been the most successful trainer in the country, does not use a stopwatch during morning workouts or read past-performance charts. . . .

I presume Arazi flew first class from France. . . .

Too bad the 800-meter relay is not an Olympic Games track event. . . .

The NHL should copy the NBA’s first-round format of best-of-five games instead of best-of-seven. . . .

I preferred the NFL’s instant-replay review rule to the PGA’s TV viewer-call-in rule. . . .

No wonder Bruce McNall wants to build a new arena in Inglewood. The 24-year-old Forum must be one of the oldest buildings in Southern California.