Notes on a Scorecard - June 17, 1991

Old-timers’ day at Dodger Stadium was a day to appreciate Lenny Harris. . . .

Lenny Hustle is a throwback to a time when major leaguers worked on one-year contracts, realized that their jobs could be taken on a moment’s notice by some minor league phenom and treated every play as though it were their last. . . .

Some throw-in Harris was in the deal that also sent Kal Daniels to the Dodgers from Cincinnati for Tim Leary and Mariano Duncan July 18, 1989. . . .

“Lenny is a breath of fresh air,” says Manager Tom Lasorda about the third baseman who would finish high in a most popular Dodger contest. . . .

One old-timer who didn’t expect to be at Dodger Stadium Sunday was Don Zimmer. . . .

Willie Davis, 51, looked fit enough to play two. . . .

Von Joshua robbed Steve Garvey of extra bases with a running, backhand catch in left field, and Boog Powell hit one of the longest singles in Dodger Stadium history, a blast off the right-field wall. . . .

Tommy John is moving to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where he is scheduled to become commissioner of the Sunshine Baseball League. If it receives sanction from the major leagues, the winter league will open play next year with six teams composed of minor leaguers, plus major leaguers on rehabilitation. . . .

What do Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier, Jimmy Brown, Mike Wallace and Eddie Fisher have in common? People with those famous names have played for the St. Louis Cardinals. . . .

I almost didn’t recognize the new, slim Pedro Guerrero. . . .

Atlanta’s acquisition of Otis Nixon from Montreal was a real steal. . . .

Who would have thought that the Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers would be the American League West teams to string together two of the longest winning streaks ever? . . .

During his broadcast of the sixth game of the 1952 World Series between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees on “Baseball’s Greatest Games” on Prime Ticket the other night, Red Barber marveled at how the differences in winning and losing shares would be as much as $2,300 or $2,400. . . .

Barber also said that the much-juggled Dodger staff had “only” 50 complete games that year. Actually, it had 45. But in 1990, the Dodger staff led the National League with 29. . . .

The amazing thing about Seattle’s 15-2 victory over Detroit Saturday night, in which 14 Mariner batters were walked, was that it took only three hours to play. That’s about average this season. . . .

Look-alikes: Scott Simpson and Dwight Evans. . . .

Simpson probably will shoot 18 pars and beat Payne Stewart in the U.S. Open playoff today. . . .

Thumbs down on ABC for refusing to shut down some of its soap operas for the day and missing the first 2 1/2 hours of the playoff. . . .

Maybe parity has arrived in boxing. Edwin Rosario’s third-round knockout of World Boxing Assn. junior welterweight champion Loreto Garza in Garza’s hometown of Sacramento Friday night was the latest in a number of upsets that began with Buster Douglas over Mike Tyson. . . .

A prospect to watch is Rudy Zavala, an unbeaten super-bantamweight from Rosemead who has won nine of his 11 fights by knockout. . . .

Louie Espinoza could get first crack at Troy Dorsey’s International Boxing Federation featherweight title this summer if Espinoza defeats Moises Urbina tonight at the Forum. . . .

If you don’t think track and field can make for good entertainment, you weren’t watching the national championships Saturday on NBC. . . .

Say this about showman Carl Lewis: He also has heart. . . .

A collection of athletes, musicians and actors coached by Jerry Tarkanian will play the Raiders’ basketball team Saturday at 2 p.m. at Cal State Long Beach in a benefit for the Oralingua School for the hearing impaired. Tark’s wife, Lois, was an administrator at the school when it opened 21 years ago. . . .

The Kings are interested in trading for another of Wayne Gretzky’s former Edmonton teammates, defenseman Charlie Huddy, who was taken by Minnesota in the expansion draft. . . .

One owner who might not object to the NHL players’ desire for unlimited free agency is Bruce (Money Bags) McNall. . . .

If only it were as easy for U.S. Davis Cup captain Tom Gorman to pick his singles’ players as it is his doubles team. Jim Pugh and Rick Leach are 6-0 in Davis Cup competition on about every surface imaginable. . . .

The NBA coach of the year balloting should be conducted after the playoffs, not before. Houston’s Don Chaney won with 69 votes. Chicago’s Phil Jackson got four. The Lakers’ Mike Dunleavy got none. . . .

St. Louis Cardinal Manager Joe Torre on his switch from the Angel broadcasting booth: “If I made a mistake in the booth, it didn’t cost my team three runs.”