Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 2, 1990

If Joe Torre gives them the same insight he did viewers of Angel telecasts, the St. Louis Cardinals will improve. . . .

Not a single deal was made Tuesday before the major league trading deadline, a sign of these times of free agency and complicated contracts. . . .

The Dodgers and Giants should be aware that 18 of the Reds’ next 20 games will be played in Cincinnati. . . .

ESPN alienated viewers the way it handled coverage of Nolan Ryan’s 300th victory. The game wasn’t supposed to be shown because of some crazy rule. But my cable service carried the first inning and a half from Milwaukee, and then switched to the Baltimore-Toronto game. . . .

Bert Blyleven, who has 279 victories, is the next pitcher with a shot at 300. . . .

People dressed in suits at ballgames try to look like fans by wearing caps, but it doesn’t work. . . .

The good news about former Dodger top draft choice Bill Bene’s last start at Vero Beach is that he gave up only one run and three hits in eight innings. The bad news is that he walked nine. . . .

Now that Eric Dickerson has signed with agent Leigh Steinberg, does that mean he will become a quarterback? . . .

Student-athletes or athlete-students? Colorado and Tennessee opened football practice Tuesday, six weeks before the start of classes. . . .

If the PGA is serious about improving human relations, it will refuse to stage any tournament at a private club that has discriminatory policies. . . .

One of Ron Cey’s 24 career stolen bases was shown on Diamond Vision the other night as the Penguin was saluted during the Dodgers’ 100th anniversary celebration. . . .

Think Detroit Tiger president Bo Schembechler would like to sign a former wide receiver named Kirk Gibson next season, even if he did play at Michigan State? . . .

Baseball is at another record attendance pace, due in no small part to reasonable ticket prices. . . .

You know the Cubs are in trouble when the third hitter in their lineup, Mark Grace, has only 36 runs batted in. . . .

Now we get a lot of Dodger and Angel road games on TV, but all home games of the Hollywood Stars and Los Angeles Angels of the Pacific Coast League used to be televised by Channel 9. . . .

Last manager to move from the broadcasting booth to the dugout was Jerry Coleman, whose San Diego Padres finished last in the National League West in 1980. . . .

The Saints reportedly want Steve Wisniewski and a No. 1 draft choice from the Raiders for Bobby Hebert. That sounds too steep, especially for a team that gave up another offensive lineman, Jim Lachey, for another quarterback, Jay Schroeder, two years ago. . . . Word from the Green Bay Packer camp is that Tony Mandarich’s pass blocking techniques are rapidly improving. . . .

Maybe Stefan Edberg has become a gate attraction. The Wimbledon champion drew a capacity crowd of 7,866 for a first-round match in the Volvo/Los Angeles tournament at UCLA on a Tuesday night. . . .

The future of Mary Slaney, 31, again is in doubt now that she has undergone Achilles’ tendon surgery. . . .

Several jockeys are working a double shift these days, afternoons at Del Mar and evenings at Los Alamitos. . . .

El Paso-based adviser Ron Weathers has done a terrific job orchestrating George Foreman’s comeback--the right opponents, the right paydays and the right publicity. . . .

Look-alikes: Buster Douglas and Dexter Manley. . . .

Julio Cesar Chavez and Don King, of all people, were seen in Steve Wynn’s office at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas Tuesday. Possibilities for late November are a Chavez-Meldrick Taylor rematch or a Chavez-Hector Camacho bout. . . .

Sacramento, home of International Boxing Federation junior-lightweight champion Tony Lopez, will try to claim another world title when Loreto Garza challenges World Boxing Assn. junior-welterweight champion Juan Coggi, Aug. 17 in Nice, France. . . .

The Hambletonian, which will be raced at the Meadowlands Saturday, had more appeal when it was held country-style at Goshen, N.Y., and Du Quoin, Ill. . . .

Golden State got more from Philadelphia--a first-round draft choice--than Manute Bol was worth. . . .

Kevin McHale will be seen in an episode of “Cheers,” next season as a ringer for the saloon’s basketball team in a game against rival Gary’s Old Town Tavern. . . .

Fay Vincent has put an NPG tag on Hank Steinbrenner--No Parental Guidance. . . .