Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 13, 1993

After UCLA started 0-2 for the first time during the Terry Donahue regime, the talk was about how the Bruin program was in ruins. . . .

Never mind that the opponents were California and Nebraska and the Bruins had lost by a total of three points. . . .

Forget about Donahue’s eight consecutive victories in bowl games, his 85 in Pacific 10 Conference games that put him second behind only Don James, and his eight seasons of nine or more victories. . . .

What had he done lately? Split his last 47 games, that’s what, going 23-23-1. . . .

But three weeks and three victories later, the talk is about how the Bruins might be able to spend New Year’s Day on their home field in Pasadena. . . .

“There is a renewed enthusiasm and a renewed hope that we can be successful,” Donahue said. “The clouds have cleared a little bit.” . . .

The game against Washington at the Rose Bowl on Saturday has become the most meaningful for UCLA since 1988, when it lost to USC in the Pac-10 title decider, 31-22. . . .

The Bruins could put in a solid claim for the Western Athletic Conference championship after outscoring San Diego State and Brigham Young the last two weeks, 120-27. . . .

Now they will be tested for class by the Huskies, who are ineligible to play in a bowl, but appear to be on a crusade. . . .

Having lost to California, the Bruins can’t afford another conference defeat. They will play the title favorite, Arizona, Oct. 30 at the Rose Bowl. However, the unbeaten Wildcats have a schedule advantage. Washington won’t be able to pay them back for the defeat in Tucson that ended the Huskies’ 22-game win streak because the teams don’t play this season. . . .

You can beat the traffic Saturday by arriving in time to catch the 10 a.m. water polo game at the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center between fourth-ranked UCLA and three-time defending national champion California. . . .

Doing the commentary on Prime Ticket for the USC-Oregon State game will be Craig Fertig, who played quarterback for the Trojans from 1962-64 and coached the Beavers from 1976-79. . . . *

Early birthday greetings to John Wooden, who will turn 83 Thursday. . . .

Wooden is delighted by the recent recruiting success of UCLA Coach Jim Harrick, who has received oral commitments from four outstanding high school players. . . .

Injuries might ruin the NFL career of Steve Emtman, the former Washington defensive lineman who has undergone knee surgery for the second consecutive year after having been picked first in the 1992 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. . . .

Magic Johnson got a triple double--20 assists, 18 points and 12 rebounds--in Essen, Germany, where his team of former NBA players played the German national team. . . .

Kurt Rambis, who has rejoined the Lakers, went five for five from beyond the three-point line in Magic’s charity game at the Forum in August. During his NBA career, Rambis missed all 13 of his three-point shots. . . .

Genaro Hernandez will have to improve considerably upon his lackluster performance against Harold Warren at the Forum on Monday night if the World Boxing Assn. junior-lightweight champion ever fights Oscar De La Hoya. . . .

Best Breeders’ Cup race Nov. 6 at Santa Anita could be the Distaff, with Hollywood Wildcat, Sky Beauty and Paseana heading the field. . . .

New York writers are touting Sky Beauty as a strong horse-of-the-year candidate, but Hollywood Wildcat won impressively over the course Monday. . . .

Wayne Black of Zimbabwe, who helped USC win the NCAA tennis title last spring, is No. 1 in the national preseason singles rankings. . . .

Otis Nixon has gone from a mediocre hitter at Montreal to a terrific leadoff man at Atlanta in a manner not unlike Maury Wills, who spent eight years in the minor leagues before starring for the Dodgers. . . .

The attempt to speed up major league baseball games this season wasn’t a smashing success. Regular-season games averaged 2 hours 48 minutes 22 seconds--1 minute 8 seconds faster than a year ago. . . .

I get a kick out of television executives who complain about the length of games. Cut down on the time for TV commercials between innings, and the games would be shorter. . . .

During the National League playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies putting in Kim Batiste for defensive purposes has been like the Dodgers putting in Jose Offerman. . . .

What ever happened to Deion Sanders?