Notes on a Scorecard - July 30, 1990

It’s now or never for the Dodgers, which is an improvement over their status most of this summer. . .

Five of their next 10 games are against sagging, first-place Cincinnati. The other five are against surging, second-place San Francisco. Time to move into contention or call it a year. . .

What the Dodgers have to prove is that they can beat somebody consistently besides the patsies of the National League. They are 35-22 against teams with losing records, but only 16-26 against the rest. . .

“When everybody gets intense and excited,” said Rick Dempsey, who has played for three pennant winners, “you’ve got a lot better chance to win.”. . .

That excitement was visible for one of the few times this year Saturday night when Juan Samuel’s teammates mobbed him after his bloop single capped the two-out, four-run rally that overcame Atlanta in the ninth inning. . .

Diamond Vision quiz Saturday: What Dodger went 12 for 30 as a pinch-hitter in 1973? Surprise answer: Steve Garvey. . .

A lot of people would also be surprised to learn that Garvey asked to be traded early that season and management told him he might be accommodated within a few days. Bill Buckner was the first baseman and there was nowhere for Garvey to play. But then left fielder Von Joshua, who was hitting up a storm, broke his wrist. Buckner was moved to left and Garvey went to first base, where he stayed with the Dodgers until 1983. . .

Pete Rose will serve his prison sentence in Marion, Ill. That happens to be the birthplace of Ray Fosse, the catcher Rose bowled over at home plate to win the 1970 All-Star game in Cincinnati. . .

To watch Mike Scioscia battle day-in-and-day out is to appreciate him. . .

My favorite baseball name is Rac Slider, third base coach for the Boston Red Sox. . .

Nice to see that Maury Wills, who is making a comeback in the game of life, has been hired by the Dodgers to teach base stealing and bunting to minor leaguers. . .

Imagine all the attention Ken Griffey Jr. would be getting if he played in New York or Los Angeles instead of Seattle. . .

He may not be a household name outside Three Rivers Stadium, but Doug Drabek of Pittsburgh has the same record (13-4) as Ramon Martinez. . .

Pity the Cleveland Indians, who finally put some people into Municipal Stadium for a pair of doubleheaders against the Yankees over the weekend and then lost all four games. . .

Most scouts believe the pitching is better in double-A minor league ball than triple-A. Younger arms. . .

One problem with the Soviet baseball team is that the players--or at least their translators--haven’t learned the cliches yet. . . .

Despite the DH rule, National League batters were averaging one point more (.259 to .258) than American Leaguers through games of Saturday. . .

A big Laker trade, to be announced sometime after the salary cap is raised Wednesday, reportedly is in the works. . .

Wayne Gretzky’s back felt well enough for him to have played a round of golf with King Coach Tom Webster last week. . .

Los Angeles isn’t the hotbed of tennis that it once was, but 17 of the 32 singles’ players in the Volvo tournament that begins at UCLA today have lived in Southern California. . .

It’s hard to believe if you watched the first Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali fight Saturday on NBC, but their third match, the Thrilla in Manila, was much better. . .

Yes, there still is an Arena Football League. And the Detroit Drive, Dallas Texans, Denver Dynamite and Pittsburgh Gladiators already have clinched playoff berths. . .

Attendance estimates were as low as 3,000 Saturday night at the Rose Bowl for the North-South Shrine all-star football game, an event which drew 85,000 in 1958 at the Coliseum. . .

Frank Jares, who died last week at age 77, was among the colorful entertainers who worked the local professional wrestling circuit in the 1940s and 50s. Among his contemporaries at the Olympic Auditorium, Hollywood Legion Stadium, Ocean Park Arena and Jeffries Barn were Gorgeous George, Lou Thesz, Wild Red Berry and Baron Leone. The father of Daily News sports columnist Joe Jares was introduced as “Brother Frank Jares, the Mormon Mauler from Provo, Utah.” Actually, he was a Catholic from Pittsburgh. . .

Playing well for the Laker team in the Summer League at Loyola Marymount have been forward David Benoit, a free agent from Alabama, and guard Tony Smith, a second-round draft choice from Marquette. . .

Roseanne Barr is one more reason “America the Beautiful” should be sung before sporting events instead of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”. . .

Ross Porter, during the 12th inning of the Dodger-Atlanta marathon early Saturday morning: “Vin Scully took the night off, one of his great decisions of the year.”