Notebook : Anderson Expecting Team to Activate Him, but Valenzuela Out

Pitcher Fernando Valenzuela and infielder Dave Anderson are eligible to play in the World Series--but only Anderson will be activated.

Anderson, who reinjured his back fielding ground balls 2 days before the final game of the season, says he’s ready to play and expects to be on the roster. He is likely to replace Mike Sharperson, who had replaced Anderson.

However, Valenzuela, who was put on the disabled list July 31 for a sore left shoulder and was activated on Sept. 26 for 2 appearances, will not pitch in the World Series, according to Dodger pitching coach Ron Perranoski. Perranoski said after Wednesday’s game that Valenzuela is not ready, but Valenzuela didn’t completely agree.

“My arm feels strong, and it felt good after I pitched here (Oct. 1 against San Francisco),” Valenzuela said.

“I don’t have pain now and didn’t after I pitched, but it’s hard to tell if I’m ready (to be activated) because I only pitched a few innings and hadn’t pitched for 2 months before that.”

Valenzuela was the starting pitcher in the Dodgers’ National League West game clincher at San Diego. He pitched 3 innings, gave up 1 earned run, 2 walks and had 3 strikeouts. In his Oct. 1 start, he pitched 4 innings, and earned a save by allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits.

“The first couple innings of that game, I was overthrowing--letting my arm drop, which was the main problem all season. But the last 2 innings I felt good. My arm felt strong. But, it’s hard to tell.”

Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, said the only players eligible for the World Series are those who were on the postseason roster as of Aug. 31, which includes the 24-man roster and the 3 players who were on the disabled list--Valenzuela, Anderson and pitcher Mario Soto.

Should there be an injury to a player on the 24-man roster before Friday, which is the deadline for submitting the World Series roster to the league office, the Dodgers could also add any player in the Dodger organization as of Aug. 31.

Claire also declined to comment on whether the Dodgers will carry more pitchers on their roster for the Series--they had 9 on the roster for the league championship series, opting for an extra fielder--so they don’t get caught in the same situation as Game 4 against the Mets, when they used all their pitchers except reliever Jay Howell, who couldn’t play because he of his suspension for using pine tar in Game 3.

Add Fernando: Valenzuela may look happy--before Wednesday’s game he was on the field playing Hacky Sack with his teammates and cracking jokes as he took batting practice--but he is having a difficult time being a spectator.

“It’s been very hard not playing, very hard,” Valenzuela said. “But, it was best for the team. I didn’t go to New York, but I have been at all the games here, on the bench.”

Mike Scioscia and Valenzuela are the only Dodgers who played in the 1981 World Series.

In that series, Valenzuela had a 1-0 record, pitching a complete game. Scioscia, who was Steve Yeager’s back-up, caught in 3 games but had only 4 at-bats.

Add Scioscia: Fittingly, the champagne didn’t begin to pour until Scioscia, the veteran of these affairs, began to uncork the bottles. Scioscia said the difference between the 1988 and 1981 teams is that this year’s plays more like a team.

“The 1981 team was a stacked team, much like the Mets are,” Scioscia said. “We were a great offensive team in 1981, we had a lot of big hammers in the lineup. This team is more of a steal, hit and run club, with probably a little better pitching staff and a much better bullpen. The importance of each role is shifted from an offensive team to a scratch offense. That’s the biggest difference.”

Last Add Scioscia: Though Orel Hershiser won the Most Valuable Player award, Scioscia was also a likely candidate.

Scioscia’s home run in Game 4 was pivotal to the Dodgers success. The homer tied the score, 4-4, in the ninth inning, and the Dodgers went on to win, 5-4, in the 12th inning on Kirk Gibson’s homer.

“If (Tommy) Lasorda calls Hershiser a bulldog, then Scioscia is a St. Bernard,” ABC broadcaster Al Michaels said.

Steve Yeager, 1 of 3 MVPs in the 1981 World Series along with Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero, was at the game Wednesday night.

Yeager said it’s difficult to compare this year’s Dodgers to the team of 1981.

“We had Dusty Baker, Rick Monday, (Ken) Landreaux, (Steve) Garvey, you just can’t compare it,” Yeager said.

The clubhouse celebration was barely 2 minutes old when Lasorda could be seen, and heard, throwing someone out of the clubhouse. Apparently, a fan had walked into the clubhouse along with reporters. Lasorda, to put it gently, was not happy about it. He ushered the fan, wearing a T-shirt and shorts, all the way across the clubhouse and threw him out the door.

Meanwhile, pitcher Tim Belcher, who won Games 2 and 5--watched the clubhouse celebration by standing on a 3-foot box in the doorway of a locker.

When Lasorda spotted Belcher, he yelled, “What are you doing up there, I’ve been looking for you.”

“Just soaking it all in, Tommy, just soaking it all in,” Belcher answered, as he got down and gave Lasorda a big hug.

“I was fortunate,” Belcher said. “In the games I pitched, the offense came through for me, and they didn’t in the games Orel pitched. But he’s the MVP, he’s the best pitcher.”

Belcher said he has not been told whether he will start Saturday’s World Series opener against Oakland, but it’s likely. Oakland has announced its starter--former Dodger Dave Stewart.

The usually reserved Fred Claire was grinning from ear-to-ear in the clubhouse. But when he saw Rick Dempsey, he lost control.

Hugging Dempsey seemingly as hard as humanly possible, Claire said, “It’s people like you who believed that made this possible.”

Dempsey countered with--”It’s you who gave me a chance . . . “

Dempsey, who was cut by Cleveland after the 1987 season, sat in the lobby of Dodger Stadium for 2 hours last winter waiting for a chance to talk with Claire about playing for the Dodgers.

Add Dempsey: Dempsey had this comment on the Dodgers’ Tuesday night performance:

“Yesterday, you could just look at us and tell we did not have the same kind of intensity that we had in the other 5 games. You could see it in our eyes we were too impatient and trying to end it too soon. We weren’t letting the other team beat themselves, like we usually do.”

As expected, the loser’s clubhouse was quiet. Dodger pitcher Jesse Orosco paid his former teammates a visit, and talked with Bob Ojeda and Ron Darling.

Darryl Strawberry patiently answered questions--and offered an apology to the team’s fans in New York.

“Those fans love us and support us all year,” Strawberry said. “This is a heartache for us and for them. We’re sorry.”

The grapevine:

--With a right-handed hitting first baseman the No. 1-priority on the Dodgers’ winter shopping list, reliable sources say the club has already had conversations with the Cleveland Indians regarding Joe Carter. The Indians are said to have interest in Alejandro Pena, but would apparently require one other proven pitcher.

--Relief pitcher Donnie Moore, released by the Angels in late August, has been negotiating with the Texas Rangers on a contract that would guarantee a modest salary and provide Moore monthly bonuses if he sticks.

--Former New York Yankees manager Lou Piniella has emerged as the leading candidate for the Houston Astros’ vacancy, though Jeff Torborg is also in the picture and coach Matt Galante may ultimately be the fallback choice.

Talking about Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda, the Mets’ Davey Johnson said:

“Not to take anything away from Tommy . . . he’s a great manager and his team has had a great year. But he’s not a role model for me.

“No. 1, I have no memory for stories. I’d rather listen to his than tell mine.

“No. 2, I don’t have his appetite.

“And No. 3, I’m not Italian. I can’t talk with my hands.”

Police arrested 10 people for selling tickets at inflated prices outside of Dodger Stadium Wednesday, but said that scalping for Game 7 was slow.

“We didn’t see a lot of the guys we had been seeing all season,” said Sgt. J. Oliveri of the L.A. Police Department’s Northeast division.

Oliveri said some of the scalpers “were down to selling them at face value an hour before the game. They started out at about $50 for a $25 ticket.”

Times staff writers Ross Newhan, Mike Downey and Nieson Himmel contributed to this story.