Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 5, 1990

That rotten Ram schedule suddenly looks like a blessing. A team that is racked by injuries and needs time to develop has an off-week as early as the fourth week of the season and plays only one NFC West game before the final six weeks. . . .

Given their reputations, I’m going to believe Bill White and not Richie Phillips. . . .

My all high-top outfield is Kevin Mitchell in left, Eric Davis in center and Darryl Strawberry in right. . . .

In a flashback scene in the movie “The Lemon Sisters,” a guy working a knock-down-the-bottle game tells one of the girls, “You’re no Sandy Koufax.” The year was supposed to be 1959. Koufax was 8-6 that season, bringing his career record to 28-27. . . .

Oakland’s acquisitions of Willie McGee and Harold Baines have as much to do with 1991 as 1990. The A’s can’t count on Jose Canseco, who has a serious back problem, being in shape next year. . . .

Can Doug Drabek, who has the best numbers, win the National League Cy Young Award despite getting less attention than Frank Viola or Ramon Martinez? . . .

Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver, Dwight Gooden and Jerry Koosman have pitched for the New York Mets, but no Met has ever pitched a no-hitter. Neither has a San Diego Padre. . . .

All in the family: Four sons of former major league players are on the Kansas City Royals’ roster--Brian McRae, Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Kurt Stillwell, and Danny Tartabull. . . .

Fred McGriff still gets little respect, but he is putting up big numbers again. Last year, he led the American League in home runs. This year, he ranks among the leaders in homers, batting average, runs scored and walks. And McGriff is the guy who sent Cecil Fielder packing to Japan two years ago because Fielder couldn’t beat him out for the Toronto Blue Jays’ first base job. . . .

A .229 hitter, Robin Yount, is third in runs scored in the American League. . . .

Dallas stole Alonzo Highsmith from Houston by not giving up a first-round draft choice. Highsmith is a solid all-around back and a Don Baylor kind of influence in the locker room. . . .

Highsmith is the sixth former University of Miami player on Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboy roster. Now, if he could only switch teams with the Hurricanes. . . .

I find cut-down day in the NFL nearly as interesting as draft day. . . .

Look-alikes: Merlin Olsen and former Raider Mickey Marvin. . . .

The Morris brothers, Joe and Jamie, and the Farr brothers, Mel and Mike, all were cut by NFL teams on the same day. . . .

The British Columbia Lions, who have Doug Flutie and Major Harris at quarterback, are in last place in the Western Division of the Canadian League. . . .

Eric Dickerson is willing to have a doctor who isn’t affiliated with the Indianapolis Colts or himself give him a physical exam. . . .

CBS missed showing the turning point of the Steffi Graf-Jennifer Capriati match--the first point of the match. . . .

The Lakers won more games on the road in the 1980s than the Clippers won anywhere. . . .

The New York Knicks had a bigger payroll than the Los Angeles Rams last season. . . .

A reading of “Bum’s Rush,” a musical about the Dodgers’ move to Los Angeles, will be staged Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Santa Monica Library Auditorium. . . .

News item: Danny Everett sets a world best for 300-meter dash in track and field meet at Seville, Spain. Reaction: How many times has the 300 meters been run this year? . . .

Housebuster’s connections will always regret it if they don’t let the sprint star try a distance of more than a mile. . . .

Heavyweight champion Buster Douglas has donated $10,000 to the Police Athletic League in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio. . . .

Douglas will leave Columbus on Monday to begin preparations in Las Vegas for his Oct. 25 bout there against Evander Holyfield. Unlike most people, Buster finds fewer distractions in Vegas. . . .

Some of the best prep football in America will be played in the re-aligned Angelus League, which now includes Loyola, St. John Bosco, Bishop Amat, Mater Dei and Servite. . . .

Athletic Director Corey Johnson is trying to get Cal State Long Beach out of its game at Miami next season. He is afraid it could be a lot worse than the 59-0 beating handed the 49ers by Clemson Saturday. . . .

Earvin Johnson won’t be able to play basketball again until Dec. 1. This particular Earvin Johnson is a 6-foot-11 sophomore center for the University of New Orleans who suffered a wrist injury in a pickup game recently.