Notes on a Scorecard - March 5, 1996

I applaud Magic Johnson’s decision to drop out of consideration for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and stomp my feet and shout in approval of his decision to return for the 1996-97 NBA season. . . .

A younger player who hasn’t had the opportunity to enjoy the Olympic experience and has accomplished more than Johnson lately, such as Dallas Maverick guard Jason Kidd, is more deserving of a spot on the next Dream Team. . . .

Resting this summer instead of competing in Atlanta should make Johnson, who will turn 37 on Aug. 14, a more energetic Laker next season. . . .

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The elbow thrown by Kelly Buchberger that flattened Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton was the lowlight of every TV sports show I saw Sunday night. . . .

Gretzky suffered a concussion. . .

Buchberger somehow wasn’t whistled for elbowing, but drew a major penalty for an ensuing fight against Gretzky’s St. Louis teammate, Murray Baron. . . .

Buchberger also deserves a five-game suspension. . . .

It was a cheap and reckless shot that he delivered with his back to Gretzky. . . .

If I’m King management, Chicago Blackhawk center Jeremy Roenick is the free agent I most want to sign. . . .

Last season, California was 1-5 in Pacific 10 Conference basketball games at Harmon Gym on the Berkeley campus. . . .

This season, the Bears finished 7-0 at home. . . .

Depending on what happens Thursday and Saturday in the state of Arizona, the Bears or Stanford should join UCLA and Arizona as conference representatives in the NCAA tournament. . . .

It will be interesting to see how perennial underachiever Georgia Tech will fare as the top-seeded team in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. . . .

Some radio talk-show hosts say they’re not getting many calls about baseball, but exhibition game attendance the first weekend in Florida and Arizona was high. . . .

What made Cal State Northridge’s record 13 home runs Saturday even more remarkable is that they were hit against traditional power Fresno State. . . .

After losing 29-3, the Bulldogs bounced back to beat the Matadors the next day, 11-8. . . .

I’m eager to find out how Coach Wayne Lukas will seed his Kentucky Derby prospects who include Prince Of Thieves, Honour And Glory, Victory Speech, Editor’s Note, Grindstone and Dr. Caton. . . .

The Barretts March sale of selected 2-year-olds will be held today and Wednesday at Fairplex Park in Pomona. Two of the colts sold last year were Honour And Glory and Unbridled Song. . . .

Alysheba had the same operation for an entrapped epiglottis that son Alyrob will undergo today. . . .

Cigar wasn’t able to run in the Santa Anita Handicap on Saturday, but cigar-smoking Walter Morgan won the Senior PGA Tour event at Ojai the next day. . . .

Long-time Forum crowd favorite Daniel Zaragoza flew to Yokohama, Japan, for a big payday as he defended his World Boxing Council junior-featherweight title against Joichiro Tatsuyoshi on Sunday. . . .

It was supposed to be Zaragoza’s last fight and he was the underdog. . . .

But leave it to Zaragoza, one of the true warriors in boxing, to score an 11th-round knockout. . . .

A Roy Jones-Nigel Benn fight would have done huge business in England, but Benn lost his World Boxing Council super-middleweight belt to Thulane (Sugar Boy) Malinga and is considering retirement. . . .

Leslie Coons’ 189-foot throw on Sunday gave USC the NCAA record holders in the women’s and men’s hammer throw. Coons is a transfer from the other USC, the University of South Carolina. The men’s standard bearer is three-time defending NCAA champion Balzs Kiss. . . .

The Trojan track and field teams face Long Beach State and San Diego State at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Cromwell Field. At 5 p.m., the USC basketball team ends its season against Washington at the Sports Arena and at 7:30 p.m., the volleyball team plays Stanford at the Lyon Center. . . .

Carl Lewis, 34, finished last in his 60-meter heat at the USA/Mobil Indoor Championships on Saturday, but it would be unwise to discount his chances of returning to Atlanta this summer as a member of the U.S. Olympic team. . . .

Another reminder that time flies: Friday is the 25th anniversary of the first Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali fight, won by Frazier on a 15-round decision at Madison Square Garden.