Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 23, 1990

Granted, attendance at King games is down this season, but you’ll never guess who won’t be at the Forum tonight when Wayne Gretzky tries to reach the 2,000-point plateau against Calgary. None other than the man whose millions brought him here, Bruce McNall. . . .

“I’ve got to be in New York for an important meeting of the NHL expansion committee,� McNall said. “It’s terrible. I’d love to see Wayne get those three points at home. But if he doesn’t, I won’t get to see him play at Winnipeg Friday, either, because I’ll still be in New York for the Breeders’ Cup.� . . .

McNall has the majority interest in Saumarez, who will run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and 10% of Royal Academy, who is entered in the Mile Saturday at Belmont Park. . . .

Gretzky has 25% of Saumarez, who won the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe in France a couple of weeks ago. . . .

“Saumarez has a good chance Saturday,� McNall said. “Really, I think the Arc is the toughest race in the world to win. You’ve got 20 or 25 horses to beat, and the best ones in Europe are always there. Whether you’re 2-5 or 16-1, you need a lot of racing luck. I’ve been fortunate enough to win it twice with Saumarez and in 1986 with Trempolino.� . . .

Oh, about those important NHL expansion committee meetings. Is there any chance of the Kings leaving the Smythe Division eventually and parting company with Calgary and Edmonton? “I don’t think so,� McNall said. “We might be able to re-align some, but that would probably mean adding a West Coast team and losing Winnipeg.� . . .

Don’t look now, but the Kings have the second-lowest goals-against average in the league. . . .

Here it is, the eighth week of the NFL season and the Rams are still unbeaten in NFC West play. . . .

The new Mr. Consistency is Jay Schroeder, who hasn’t had a bad game yet this year. . . .

If Dan Marino were quarterbacking the San Francisco 49ers instead of Joe Montana, they would win the same number of Super Bowls. . . .

The Phoenix Cardinals boast a surprising rookie-of-the-year candidate in running back Johnny Johnson, who was drafted on the seventh round from San Jose State. . . .

How quickly they forget. Bay Area newspapers were calling the Oakland A’s the “Bad News Bears� as the Cincinnati Reds were completing their sweep. . . .

Actor Tim Busfield is an avid A’s fan, but he wasn’t too disappointed when they dropped the first game of the Series. “I’ve got tickets for Sunday’s game in Oakland,� he said. “Now, I won’t have to worry about a sweep.� . . .

Until last week, I thought Tim McCarver was the best TV baseball commentator. Now I’m partial to Tony Kubek. . . .

Break up the Reds? Marge Schott can do that if she doesn’t come up with the big bucks for most of those players who are eligible for free agency. . . .

It turns out that Jose Canseco is the most sensible member of his immediate family. . . .

Rod Carew might replace Tony Oliva, who has bad knees, as hitting coach of the Minnesota Twins. . . .

Pittsburgh is trying to sign Barry Bonds and Bobby Bonilla to multiyear contracts before they’re eligible to become free agents after the 1991 season. If they have no luck, look for a blockbuster trade or two. . . .

Ron Fraser of the University of Miami was a terrific choice to coach the U.S. baseball team in the 1992 Olympic Games, where it will be a medal sport for the first time. . . .

Vlade Divac is in great shape compared to Roy Tarpley, who reported to the Dallas Mavericks’ training camp weighing 265 pounds. . . .

The Southland prep game of the year should be the meeting of the Nos. 1 and 4 teams in The Times’ CIF Southern Section ratings, Fontana and Rialto Eisenhower, Nov. 9 at Fontana before a packed house of 10,000. . . .

Mike Tyson keeps talking about how Buster Douglas has quit in some fights. Strange, but Douglas showed more guts than Tyson in Tokyo. . . .

Michael Nunn can’t win. He tries to be more exciting and TV commentator Ferdie Pachecho raps him for standing there and mixing it up with Donald Curry. . . .

Look-alikes: Al Unser Jr. and Randy Travis. . . .

The men’s team will scrimmage and participate in slam-dunk and three-point shooting contests and the women will run through drills at the annual UCLA basketball fan appreciation day Sunday at 2 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion. . . .

The Bruins were going to play in the preseason National Invitation Tournament in 1991, but will wait another year and, instead, face Indiana in the Hall of Fame game at Springfield, Mass. . . .

Circle Nov. 24 and March 18 on your calendars. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point scoring record will be in danger those nights when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls play Paul Westhead’s Denver Nuggets.