Riverside Officials Have a Very Tough Decision to Make

The Notebook:

The Raiders want to move their training camp to Southern California. They had a site picked out. It was a motel and adjacent field in Riverside.

Just what the Raiders were looking for, but there was a problem. The UC Riverside agricultural department has a grant to do research on orange tree fungus, using trees growing in the field the Raiders had their eye on.

Now the Riverside officials have a difficult decision. What do they want: The Raiders, or fungus?

“Greg Brock’s my first baseman,” said Tom Lasorda, when the Dodgers obtained Al Oliver for $800,000 ($4,938 a game).

That’s a guaranteed quote. It is guaranteed valid until Oct. 20, or the first day of spring training, whichever comes first.

Ruth Wysocki’s comments critical of Mary Decker Slaney a couple of weeks ago came off as refreshingly candid. Now Ruth seems to be taking every opportunity to snipe at Mary. Asked about Slaney’s tearful exit from a race Saturday, Wysocki said: “It’s too late, they nominated for the Academy Awards yesterday.”

George Bush’s wife might have a name for Wysocki. Is Ruthless Ruth now following Slaney around and acting as Mary’s designated hitter?

Innocent bystander of the year: Marques Johnson.

His stay in a rehab clinic 14 months ago was exposed in a news story recently, even though there’s no indication that Johnson has been anything but clean since. But when the Bucks traded him to the Clippers without mentioning the rehab stay, and when the Clippers forgot to ask, and the administrative deception and bungling became a news story, Marques was caught in the middle. Unfair.

Add Al Oliver: Some insiders say Oliver’s best fielding days may be behind him. Back in grammar school, perhaps. The Dodger infielders, most of them, can’t throw too straight. Should be interesting.

Here’s hoping the two-day jail sentence given North Carolina State freshman basketball player Chris Washburn doesn’t interfere with his academic career. The counselors at NC State had Chris enrolled in four courses--composition and rhetoric, history of American sport, sociology of the family, and public speaking.

Next year, if Chris comes back, they’re planning to let him take courses with books.

Last year, the USFL snapped up eight or nine college seniors who would have been first-round NFL picks. This year they got just one blue-chipper--Doug Flutie.

That signals a major trend, according to agent Leigh Steinberg. This year there are fewer USFL teams, fewer of the marquee-name college players the USFL seeks, and, for teams like the L.A. Express, less money to spend.

Result: The balance of power in contract negotiating has swung back to the NFL owners. Players threatening to jump to the rival league no longer strike fear into the hearts of NFL owners, even those owners who have hearts.

Sure, players can threaten to jump to the Canadian League, but NFL owners will laugh. Warren Moon was the CFL’s highest paid player two seasons ago at $240,000.

Answer this question and earn an A in Sports History:

Name the other American woman who fell in the Olympic 3,000 meters.

It’s Joan Hansen. She got up and finished the race in eighth place.

Vince Reel, editor and publisher of Women’s Track and Field World, detected a few errors in the telecast of the recent Sunkist indoor meet. The TV announcers:

--Referred to Billy Olson as Jimmy;

--Called the pole vaulters high jumpers;

--Announced that Dwight Stones was attempting 17-3.

Only Jimmy Olson’s friend could high jump 17-3.

Last Add New Dodger: The second-string first baseman is 38 years old, and he indicated at the Dodgers’ workout Monday that he is sensitive about references to his age.

“Ain’t anybody gonna call me Pops,” insisted Al (Pops) Oliver.

Inspirational quote of the week: Darryl Rogers, when asked if it’s true he is being considered for an award for ethics and credibility: “I am not a candidate.”