Notes on a Scorecard - June 18, 1991

It may not have been great golf, but Payne Stewart vs. Scott Simpson was good theater and another example of why an 18-hole playoff is the best way to decide a tie for a championship the magnitude of the U.S. Open. . . .

ABC got lucky when it came on the air 2 1/2 hours after the first shot and the players were tied on the 11th hole. However, the network somehow missed showing Stewart’s tee shot on the 12th hole. . . .

A victory by Simpson would have been the sixth for a former USC golfer in a major tournament. Simpson won the Open in 1987, Craig Stadler the Masters in 1982, Dave Stockton the PGA in 1970 and ’76 and Al Geiberger the PGA in 1966. . . .

In this year of the winning streak, it should be noted that the New York Giant team that set the major league record of 26 consecutive victories in 1916 also won 17 in a row that season. . . .

The 26 all came during a home stand. The 17 all came on the road. . . .

Where did those John McGraw-managed Giants finish in the National League? Fourth place, seven games behind the champion Brooklyn Dodgers. . . .

During the two streaks, the Giants went 43-0. The rest of the season, they went 43-66. And on July 20, they traded a struggling veteran pitcher named Christy Mathewson to Cincinnati, where he became manager. . . .

If these active players didn’t play another game, they still would be certain to be voted into the Hall of Fame: Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, Eddie Murray, Andre Dawson, Dale Murphy, Ryne Sandberg, George Brett, Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs, Robin Yount, Carlton Fisk, Rickey Henderson and Nolan Ryan. . . .

Ex-New York Met Gary Carter, another strong candidate for Cooperstown, caught ex-Met Bob Ojeda’s first complete game since Sept. 8, 1989, Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. But no, Carter didn’t catch the last one. Barry Lyons was behind the plate when Ojeda and the Mets beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-2. . . .

The Mets showed a lack of class by not inviting former manager Davey Johnson to their old-timers’ game Saturday. . . .

Don’t be surprised if Buck Rodgers replaces Bud Harrelson as the Mets’ manager before the end of the season. . . .

Look-alikes: Lenny Harris and Bill Madlock. . . .

Jack Armstrong of Cincinnati was 11-3 when he started the All-Star game for the National League last year. Since then, he is 5-11. . . .

Like Stan Musial and Pete Rose, Bobby Bonilla wasn’t afraid to change positions for the good of his team. . . .

Bruce Weitz, the actor of “Hill Street Blues” fame who will portray Yankee skipper Miller Huggins in the NBC-TV movie about Babe Ruth, played for the Connecticut team that won the Little League World Series in 1954. . . .

Heavyweight James (Bonecrusher) Smith, 37, will headline a show at the Forum in late July if he is given permission by the California Athletic Commission. All fighters older than 36 must appear before the commission. . . .

How seriously are the Clippers thinking about trading at least one of their two first-round draft choices? For the first time in years, they’re not inviting the public to the Sports Arena for the telecast of the draft on June 26. . . .

In the Laker future, Elden Campbell strikes me as a pure center and Vlade Divac as a power forward. . . .

Dr. David Lewis, director of the Van Nuys-based ASAP, says no drug-related problems were reported during the 1990-91 NBA season. . . .

Cal State Fullerton picked the right man--young, enthusiastic Bill Shumard--for the challenging job of athletic director. . . .

Twenty mid-level athletic administrators are attending a two-week session of the sports management institute co-sponsored by USC, North Carolina and Notre Dame at Chapel Hill, N.C. . . .

Paul Coffey would be a nice pickup by the Kings, but not at the expense of, say, Luc Robitaille. . . .

The Minnesota North Stars are now simply the Stars, and their colors have been changed to black and gold. . . .

Brett Hull, a dual citizen, has decided to play for the United States rather than Canada in the Canada Cup. . . .

Best Pal is a good horse who has developed second place-itis. . . .

An underrated announcer is NBC’s smooth, knowledgeable and versatile Tom Hammond. . . .

Most football magazines are picking Washington to repeat as Pacific 10 Conference champion followed by USC and UCLA. . . .

Insult of the day was handed Martina Navratilova by the Wimbledon committee, which seeded the nine-time champion fourth.