Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 16, 1990

Oakland isn’t hitting the way it can. Jose Canseco is hurting. Cincinnati has regained its April and May form. The Reds’ bullpen is the deepest in baseball. So it should take the Athletics as many as five games to win the World Series. . . .

Not the least of the Oakland advantages is Manager Tony La Russa over Lou Piniella. . . .

The A’s can beat you so many ways. Who would have predicted they would sweep the American League championship series without hitting a home run? . . . Considering the strength of both bullpens, this figures to be a six-inning World Series. The team that is ahead after six innings should win. And both teams probably will play for one run early, rather than try for a big inning. . . .

CBS television announcers Jack Buck and Tim McCarver aren’t bad, but you have the option of turning down the sound and listening to the radio broadcast by Vin Scully and Johnny Bench on KNX. . . .

The National League playoffs were more interesting than the American, but not because of the lack of the designated hitter. Nine legitimate hitters in the lineup make for more exciting baseball than the occasional managerial decision whether to pinch-hit for a pitcher. . . .

Buster Douglas’ camp used to talk about him coming in at 230 pounds for Evander Holyfield Oct. 25. Now the number you hear is 235. . . .

Rather than fight the World Series, the Douglas-Holyfield promotion is joining it. The heavyweights will stage a news conference at the Oakland Convention Center Friday, the morning of Game 3 of the Series. . . .

After HBO signs Mike Tyson to a new contract, it will set its sights on an over-the-weight Julio Cesar Chavez-Meldrick Taylor rematch at 144 pounds. . . . Four was at least one too many on the HBO boxing telecast team. Jim Lampley, commentator Larry Merchant and scorer Harold Lederman will do just fine without the departed Sugar Ray Leonard. . . .

I like Jay Schroeder’s attitude. He didn’t complain about being booed by Raider fans and now he’s hearing cheers without gloating. . . .

Few NFL people are more knowledgeable than Al Davis’ right-hand man, Al LoCasale. . . .

Did the beer ban hurt attendance at the Coliseum Sunday? The gate sale for the Raider-Seattle game was disappointing and the announced attendance of 50,624 was the second smallest in the NFL Sunday. . . .

Sunday was a big day for the Yankees--alumni of the Hamilton High Yankees, that is. Warren Moon threw five touchdown passes for Houston against Cincinnati and Stephen Baker scored on an 80-yard pass play for the New York Giants against Washington. . . .

Raider defensive end Greg Townsend will be the host of a fund-raiser for the Family Assistance Program Nov. 1 at the Beverly Hills hotel. . . .

Lucky TNT. It gets America’s Team, the New England Patriots, against the Miami Dolphins on its first Thursday night NFL special. . . .

The trouble with the Rams’ pass defense is that too many lettermen returned from the unit that ranked 28th in the NFL last season. . . .

On the same day as the massacre in Chicago, defensive end Donald Evans, whom the Rams drafted on the second round out of Winston-Salem State in 1987 and tried to convert into a fullback, returned John Elway’s fumble 59 yards for the Pittsburgh Steelers. . . .

Last season’s AFC championship game participants, Denver and Cleveland, are 4-8. . . .

A victim of the Herschel Walker trade is Mike Lynn, out as general manager of the Minnesota Vikings. . . .

The Dallas Cowboys might have kept the wrong quarterback, Troy Aikman instead of Steve Walsh. . . .

What happens to a run-and-shoot team when it has to play in freezing, windy weather?. . . .

Fran Tarkenton is also a hall of fame businessman. His company doubled its sales last year to $66 million. . . .

Perhaps the only people in pro sports to wear uniform numbers of 100 and higher are NFL officials. . . .

Look-alikes: Keith Richard and Emerson Fittipaldi. . . .

Damon Bailey, the highly touted Indiana freshman, was selected to the second All-Big Ten preseason basketball team. . . .

Among early risers on the USC campus are the basketball players. George Raveling’s men begin workouts at 6 a.m. in the North Gym and Marianne Stanley’s women at 6:30 in the Lyon Center. . . .

Beefed-up Sean Elliott, who had a disappointing rookie season, is looking good in the San Antonio Spurs’ camp. . . .

Not one of the past six Heisman Trophy winners has earned a college degree. . . .

Representatives of the Citrus, Sugar, Holiday, Freedom and Peach bowls have requested press-box credentials for the USC-Arizona game Saturday in the Coliseum. . . .

Reports of the deterioration of Wayne Gretzky were greatly exaggerated.