Notes on a Scorecard - May 31, 1990

Clear the streets. Hide the women and children. Dial 911. The Big Red Machine is in town. . . .

It’s hard to believe that the Cincinnati Reds didn’t win anything during the 1980s, after taking two World Series championships, four National League pennants and six divisional titles in the ‘70s. But now they are looking very much like the team of the

‘90s. . . .

About all they’re leading the National League in, before their four-game series

against the Dodgers, is won-loss record, hitting and pitching. . . .

How do you go from a 75-87 finish one year to a 30-11 start the next? You get healthy, after having substitutes play 43% of the time. You watch Chris Sabo regain his rookie-of-the-year form. You uncover a gem of a starting pitcher named Jack Armstrong. You give your bullpen the nickname “Nasty Boys,” and, unlike NBC, don’t cancel them. And you get peace of mind with the departure of Pete Rose and the arrival of Lou Piniella. . . .

Wonder how good they’ll be when Eric Davis starts hitting. . . .

Jose Canseco has been getting most of the ink, but Andre Dawson is another early triple crown contender this year. It would help Andre, though, if Lenny Dykstra quit flirting with .400. . . .

I’m getting concerned about Nolan Ryan and his back spasms at age 43. . . .

Frank Robinson should worry more about the Baltimore Orioles and less about the umpiring in the American League. . . .

Do the Dodgers really think they’re doing John Wetteland a favor by giving him another chance against the Reds Friday? . . .

Rick Dempsey looks younger without his mustache. . . .

The novelty of night baseball at Wrigley Field has worn off. . . .

Rickey Henderson, only 31, is going to put the stolen base record completely out of

sight before he’s through playing. . . .

One way new Coach Seth Greenberg hopes to get Cal State Long Beach into the NCAA basketball tournament is by beefing up the schedule. He’s dropped the Maine tournament and added the Illinois tournament next season. The following season, the 49ers will play nonconference games against Kansas, Ohio State and Alabama Birmingham. . . .

Greenberg and Joe Harrington, who left Long Beach for Colorado, have a friendly wager. If Greenberg draws more technical fouls, he’ll donate $1,000 to the Colorado Athletic Department. If Harrington does, he’ll donate $1,000 to the Long Beach Athletic Department. . . .

I used to get excited about the NCAA Track and Field Championships, which aren’t exactly front-page news this week. . . .

What’s this, Frank Deford’s National plugging the current issue of Sports Illustrated? . . .

Clipper Coach Mike Schuler got bounced by the Portland Trail Blazers after he replaced Kiki Vandeweghe with Jerome Kersey in the starting lineup and Clyde Drexler didn’t like it. It’s proven to be not such a bad move. . . .

Dave Gavitt, who’ll head the Boston Celtics’ basketball operations, is new to the pros, but he’ll find that six personal fouls get players disqualified from NBA games just as they do in the Big East. . . .

A team led by Darren Daye and Darwin Cook--not Danny Ferry and Brian Shaw--won the Italian Basketball League championship. . . .

The NBA is still a step behind football and basketball when a Western Conference finals game is shown on national network TV one night and an Eastern Conference finals game on cable TV the next. . . .

Sam Perkins would be a more effective player with the Lakers than he has been with Dallas because of Magic Johnson and James Worthy, his old North Carolina teammate. . . .

Occidental College graduate Jim Mora, the New Orleans Saints’ coach, will be keynote speaker at his alma mater’s senior scholar athletic awards Banquet June 8 on campus in Eagle Rock. . . .

Average payoff for the triple at Hollywood Park, where three are offered daily, is in excess of $2,000 this meeting. . . .

The $300,000 Californian should be nothing more than a well-paid workout for Sunday Silence at Hollywood Park Sunday. . . .

ESPN “SportsCenter” host Robin Roberts never pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, but she is the third-leading scorer ever for the Southeastern Louisiana women’s basketball team. . . .

Desserts aren’t George Foreman’s downfall. Sandwiches are. . . .

The surest way for Peter O’Malley to end speculation in the East that Tom Lasorda is headed for the New York Mets would be to extend his Dodger contract.