Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 28, 1995

News item: Starting USC tailback Leonard Green, who has rushed for 121 yards in three games, won’t play against Arizona State on Saturday at the Coliseum because of a foot injury. Reaction: That means the poor Trojans will have to rely on Shawn Walters, who has gained 182, and Delon Washington, who has gained 168. . . .

Arizona State will be a prohibitive underdog, but, at 6-5, is the only Pacific 10 Conference team with a winning record against USC. . . .

Terry Donahue ought to bring an alarm clock Saturday to the Rose Bowl, where UCLA plays Fresno State, and set it for 7 p.m, kickoff time. . . .

The Bruins have been outscored, 48-10, in the first halves of their last two games against Oregon and Washington State. . . .

Are you starting to get the impression that Notre Dame, a loser to Northwestern on opening day, will be in peak form for USC on Oct. 21 in South Bend? . . .

Of course, more will be known about the Irish after Saturday’s game against Ohio State at Columbus, where $25 tickets are being scalped for as much as $1,300. . . .

Opinionated, knowledgeable Craig James is terrific on ESPN’s college football shows. . . . I have a feeling the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t take the San Diego Chargers as lightly Sunday as the last time the teams played in Pittsburgh. . . .

As the San Francisco 49ers discovered, limiting Barry Sanders to 24 yards in 17 carries isn’t necessarily the way to beat the Detroit Lions. . . .

Look for the New England Patriots, the lowest-scoring team in the NFL, to pick it up a little Sunday at Atlanta. They have been relying too much on Drew Bledsoe, who won’t play because of his shoulder injury. . . .

Tom Lasorda says he is rooting for the Angels to make the playoffs. “They’re our neighbors,” he says. “Besides, I’m friends with a lot of them. I remember Bill Bavasi when he sat on his father’s lap.” . . .

It took a promotion--Fireworks Night--for the Dodgers to sell out a game against the Colorado Rockies. However, season attendance probably would have surpassed the 3-million mark if 81 home games had been played instead of 72. . . .

Look-a-likes: San Diego outfielder Steve Finley and comedian Bob Sagat. . . .

Bob Saberhagen, who watched his son Bret pitch against the Dodgers on Tuesday, is sports editor of the Pine Mountain Pioneer and Mountain Enterprise newspapers that serve the Frazier Park area. . . .

New Knick Coach Don Nelson says he will visit New York nightspots during the season and talk basketball with the patrons. I’m sure he will get plenty of advice. . . .

Who else but John Lucas, the Philadelphia 76er coach and general manager, would sign Vernon Maxwell? . . .

If I lived in Nashville, I’d rather have the New Jersey Devils than the Houston Oilers. . . .

Larry King should do more interviews with sports figures. . . .

According to a report in the Birmingham News, Florida ($27 million), Tennessee ($25.4 million) and Michigan ($25.1 million) spent the most on their athletic programs in 1993, the most recent year the study was conducted. . . .

The Kings will be honored by the L.A. Sports Council and Chamber of Commerce next Thursday at a luncheon at the Hotel Inter-Continental downtown. Tickets are available at $65. . . .

In preparation for the opening of the Oak Tree meeting Wednesday, Santa Anita has spent $2.3 million replacing its turf course and $1.9 million on clubhouse remodeling. . . .

Trainer Charlie Whittingham, 82, walks five miles every morning and works 365 days a year. . . .

Butterbean, the 300-plus pounder whom promoter Bob Arum calls “the king of the four-rounders,” tries for his 12th consecutive victory Friday on ESPN. Oh yes, a smaller heavyweight, Long Beach’s Jeremy Williams, ranked 10th by the World Boxing Council, fights David Sewell in the main event at Stateline, Nev. . . .

Where They Are Now: Greg Bell, the running back who played for the L.A. Rams and Raiders, is the NFL’s assistant director of football operations. . . .

The Harlem Globetrotters’ new winning streak has reached a modest five games against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-stars in Europe. . . .

The officials who worked the Pittsburgh Steeler-Minnesota Viking game last Sunday must love the 13th-man tradition at Texas A&M.;