Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 8, 1992

The administrators at the NCAA convention in Anaheim are certain to ignore them, but here are a few suggestions on how to improve the lives of those forgotten people, the student-athletes:

--Pay them expenses to cover such items as transportation to and from campus at the start and end of the school year and one vacation period. . . .

--Give them a voice in the NCAA decision-making process. . . .

--Pay their tuition until they graduate, no matter how many years it takes them. . . .

--Allow them to transfer without being forced to sit out a year, the same privilege that is extended coaches. . . .

--Give back the year of eligibility lost to Prop. 48 casualties who show sufficient academic progress. . . .

--Permit letter-of-intent signees to change their minds if the coaches who recruited them leave before they enroll. . . .

--Restore the eligibility of underclassmen who file for pro drafts but are not selected or are not satisfied by the offers. . . .

USC did beat Notre Dame in golf and tennis last October. . . .

Notre Dame’s tallest basketball player is a tower--6-foot-11 center Keith Tower. . . .

The UCLA-Duke game on March 1 at Pauley Pavilion already is a hot ticket at local brokers. . . .

Paul Sunderland of Prime Ticket has become one of the best basketball commentators on TV. . . .

Bob Garibaldi, now a Pacific 10 Conference basketball official, was one of baseball’s richest bonus babies when he signed for $150,000 with the San Francisco Giants in 1962 as a pitcher out of Santa Clara. . . .

The Denver Broncos may be 0-3 with John Elway in Super Bowls, but they are 3-0 with him in AFC Championship games. . . .

It pays to be a Hog. Not only did quarterback Mark Rypien buy each of his offensive linemen a Rolex watch, running back Earnest Byner bought them leather jackets. . . .

Mike Frankovich, the motion picture producer who died last week at 83, first gained fame as a UCLA tailback. He still holds school records for the longest pass play and drop kick. A good guy who loved to talk about sports, Frankovich was a generous contributor to his alma mater. . . .

A.C. Green is playing better than in 1989-90, when he was voted a starter on the NBA Western Conference All-Star team. . . .

The NBA should adapt the NCAA rule of three free throws for a player fouled beyond the three-point line. . . .

Reggie Williams, who was overpaid as a Clipper, is underpaid as a Denver Nugget. . . .

Miami may not be at the bottom of the Big East in basketball for long. The Hurricanes are having a good recruiting year. . . .

Coach Perry Clark is doing an outstanding job resurrecting the Tulane basketball program. . . .

One of Michigan’s fabulous freshmen, Jalen Rose, is the son of former Providence All-American and NBA guard Jimmy Walker. . . .

UCLA’s Don MacLean and Arizona’s Sean Rooks, who meet Saturday afternoon at Tucson, are among the 21 players nominated for the Wooden Award by a Los Angeles Athletic Club committee. . . .

Ex-King defenseman Mark Hardy of the New York Rangers was enjoying the best season of his career before he separated a shoulder. . . .

Muhammad Ali turns 50 on Jan. 17. . . .

The World Boxing Assn. and Boxing Illustrated magazine selected the Forum as the outstanding venue of 1991. . . .

Did you see where Bill Walsh announced his retirement from football? Philadelphia Eagle offensive line coach Bill Walsh, that is. . . .

Eight former USC Trojans were selected to the Pro Bowl--starters Anthony Munoz, Bruce Matthews, Junior Seau, Ronnie Lott, Tim MacDonald, and Mark Carrier, and reserves Don Mosebar and Dennis Smith. . . .

Another ex-Trojan, New England Patriot rookie offensive lineman Pat Harlow, deserved a spot. . . .

Seven of the Trojans’ 11 football opponents in 1992 appeared in bowl games, including five winners. . . .

The New York Yankees’ outfield is crowded, and their pitching staff is empty. . . .

Hollywood Park President R.D. Hubbard made a mistake Tuesday when he fired publicist Jack Disney. . . .

Charlie McCall, Santa Anita’s clerk of scales, reports that jockeys pick up between five and seven pounds of mud during a race on a rainy day. . . .

The rain has done wonders for the color of the turf course at Santa Anita but has forced a switch to the dirt in six of the last seven scheduled races. . . .

Tiger Woods, 16, of Cypress has been given a special exemption to play in the L.A. Open and could become the youngest ever to compete in a PGA Tour event. . . .

The Boston Celtics are 0-6 without Larry Bird in playoff games since 1979-80. . . .

Significant uniform change: The Soviet Selects, who played the USA hockey team the other night, wore CIS, instead of CCCP, on their jerseys.