Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 14, 1990

They throw beach balls, arrive late, and leave early, but Angel fans Angels must rank among the most loyal in baseball. . . .

By looking at their attendance figures, you would think the Angels were engaged in a race for first place, not last, in the American League West. They’re averaging more than 33,000 and are ahead of last year’s pace, when they drew 2,647,291. Only in the strike-shortened season of 1981 have the Angels failed to draw two million in Anaheim since 1978. And remember, this is a franchise that never has made it to the World Series. . . .

The bad thing about ESPN televising the San Diego-Houston game in the Astrodome Sunday night was that it couldn’t be rained out. . . .

They used to say that no deal was too small for Dodger General Manager Fred Claire to make. Well, one of those tiny ones has turned out to be big--pitcher Juan Guzman was sent to Toronto for infielder Mike Sharperson Sept. 21, 1987. . . .

Darryl Strawberry has followed his buddy Eric Davis in wearing high-top shoes. . . .

New York Yankee batting coach Darrell Evans is being given some of the credit for Kevin Maas’ success. . . .

Rickey Henderson’s leg injury could mean that he won’t break Lou Brock’s stolen base record until next season. . . .

The 1990 Guillermo (Willie) Hernandez Award goes to Rob Dibble for throwing a bucket of water on the head of a Cincinnati sportswriter. . . .

You know what kind of person Dale Murphy is when he buys an advertisement in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to thank Braves’ fans. . . .

Look-alikes: Wayne Grady and Jay Johnstone. . . .

Waiting through the 7 1/2-hour rain delay at Comiskey Park Sunday for a game that never was played must have been like watching a quadruple-header at the World Cup. . . .

Male tennis players should take lessons in public relations from the women, who are among the most cooperative of all professional athletes. . . .

I wish TV interviewers would ask questions instead of making statements. . . .

Riviera Country Club plans to make a bid to host the U.S. Open, which was last held there in 1948. . . .

Wonder if they do the wave at home games of the Erie Wave in the World Basketball League? . . .

Among the freshmen who opened football practice at UCLA Monday was Michael Nguyen, a wide receiver/defensive back from Portland who fled Saigon with his family at age 2. . . .

Good shape used to be measured in pounds, but USC Coach Larry Smith is delighted that his Trojans have taken off as much as 7% body fat in the off-season. . . .

The six USC freshmen interior offensive linemen average 6 feet 5 and 279 pounds. . . .

Smith on recruiting: “You have to make sure that the prospects don’t have agents in high school. I’ve run into a couple who have.” . . .

It comes as no surprise that the motto under George Allen’s picture on the cover of the Cal State Long Beach football guide is, “The Future Is Now!” . . .

USC basketball Coach George Raveling is bullish on Yeaman Sanders, a 6-9 center who will be eligible this season after transferring from Central Michigan and leading the college division of the Cal State Los Angeles summer league in rebounding. . . .

Promoter Don Chargin says all weigh-ins, not just those for afternoon fights, should be held the day before the bout. “The most dangerous situation in boxing is having a fighter come in dehydrated from trying to make weight the same day,” he said. . . .

World’s richest track meet is at Zurich Wednesday, where promoters have a $1.25-million budget. Among those competing will be Randy Barnes, whose 75-10 1/4 put in the Jack in the Box meet at Drake Stadium in May has just been certified as a world record. . . .

Hector (Macho) Camacho’s impressive showing against Tony Baltazar sets up a big-money fight against Julio Cesar Chavez. Baltazar was made to order for Camacho, but Macho does seem to be returning to his old form. . . .

Orel Hershiser will be honored as Dodger Big Brother of the year before the game against Philadelphia Monday night at Dodger Stadium. . . .

Next black head coach in the NFL could be Ray Rhodes, who has done a terrific job with the San Francisco 49er secondary. . . .

News item: The NFL’s Cardinals draw 31,316 for exhibition opener in Phoenix against Seattle. Reaction: Here’s a team that needs to move. Maybe to St. Louis. . . .

Jerry Glanville already has the Atlanta Falcons in midseason fighting form. . . .

Gale Sayers told KLAC sports talk show host Gabe Kaplan, “Eric Dickerson wouldn’t be happy no matter how much money he was making.” . . .

Are the Goodwill Games over yet?