Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 15, 1990

The biggest difference between the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers is defense, and the gap grows every day that the Rams don’t pay holdout Kevin Greene what he’s worth. . . .

For the only time this year--and perhaps the last time ever--local pro football fans can see a doubleheader Saturday. Under the new NFL speedup rules, the 1 p.m. Raider-Dallas exhibition at the Coliseum will be over in plenty of time for dinner and a trip down the Santa Ana Freeway to Anaheim Stadium for the 7 p.m. Ram-San Diego exhibition. . . .

Nine major league baseball games were telecast into Los Angeles Tuesday, seven more than Sunday, when the CBS blackout rule was in effect. . . .

Sportscasters who call Houston the ‘Stros aren’t really saving much time. . . .

Now that the Chicago White Sox are underachieving, the tightest race in the American League West is for last place. . . .

Once upon a time, people thought the Bay Area teams couldn’t draw 2 million fans between them. This season, the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants might draw more than 5 million. . . .

I don’t know if Stump Merrill can manage, but he can certainly chew and spit tobacco with the best of ‘em. . . .

Remember when the Minnesota Twins used to have the Homerdome advantage? They’re a game below .500 there this season. . . .

As for that power outage in New York the other night, the Yankees must have been playing the A’s. . . .

Goose Gossage is 1-6 with the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks in Japan. . . .

From Manager Joe Morgan, after Oakland’s Scott Sanderson shut out Boston on a three-hitter Monday night: “We must have set a Red Sox record. We went over two hours without a base hit.” . . .

The Lakers have shown a touch of class the way they’ve been treating Michael Cooper, which is a lot more than can be said about the Denver Nuggets’ handling of their greatest player, Alex English. . . .

Thumbs up to Michael Chang, who is going to make sacrifices so he can play for the United States in the Davis Cup. . . .

It’s remarkable that Chris McCarron was able to ride a horse in training at Del Mar Monday, less than 10 weeks after suffering broken legs and a broken forearm in a spill at Hollywood Park. . . .

The new dominant jockey on the nation’s toughest circuit is Pat Valenzuela, who won the Hollywood Park title and is running away with the Del Mar championship. . . .

Versatile commentator Jesse Ventura has split from the World Wrestling Federation, but still does color on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ radio broadcasts. He once was promised a job in the Yankee booth by George Steinbrenner. . . .

Riddick Bowe, who is on his way up, shouldn’t have too much trouble with Pinklon Thomas, who is on his way down, in a bout that has been signed for Sept. 7 in Washington. . . .

The less you read about Mike Tyson, the better he must be behaving. . . .

The peanut gallery, priced at the bargain rate of $200 and $300, already has been sold out for the Buster Douglas-Evander Holyfield heavyweight title bout at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas on Oct. 25. That’s a Thursday night, a rarity for boxing ever since the Olympic Auditorium series ended years ago. . . .

New York Giant brass argued among themselves before taking Rodney Hampton as their No. 1 draft pick. But they think they made the right choice after Hampton ran 89 yards for a touchdown on his first play in the Giants’ 20-6 exhibition victory over Buffalo Monday night. . . .

Lance Zeno, who has been moved from guard to center by Coach Terry Donahue, is the first UCLA football player ever to bench press 500 pounds. . . .

Another impressive physical specimen in Westwood is All-American forward candidate Don MacLean, who has added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-10 frame and now weighs 230. . . .

The UCLA and UC Irvine basketball teams get to travel all the way to Anchorage to play each other in the first round of the Alaska Shootout on Nov. 23. . . .

No wonder UCLA football fans are so excited about the return of offensive coordinator Homer Smith. Following his arrival in 1972, the Bruins went 8-3 after a 2-7-1 season. The first time he returned in 1980, they went 9-2 after a 5-6 season. Now he’s back again after a 3-7-1 season. . . .

Among those who excelled in USC’s rookie camp were outside linebacker Willie McGinest from Long Beach Poly and tight end Elic Mahone from Muir. . . .

It will be homecoming for 35 Colorado players who hail from Southern California when the Buffaloes play Tennessee in the first Disneyland Pigskin game at Anaheim Stadium on Aug. 26. Five Colorado assistant coaches recruit in this area. . . .

If the Atlanta Braves are America’s Team, as TBS claims, this country is in bad shape.