Notes on a Scorecard - June 19, 1991

Juan Samuel isn’t communicating with reporters, but Dodger spokesman Tom Lasorda gladly will talk about the leading candidate for the National League’s comeback-player-

of-the-year award. . . .

“On opening day in Atlanta, I told Samuel that I wanted him to be our No. 2 hitter, but that he wouldn’t succeed unless he changed his style,” Lasorda said. “He had to be more patient. He had to cut down on his swing. He had to be more selective and hit the ball to the opposite field. Well, he’s doing all those things for us.” . . .

Samuel also has hit eight home runs, but is behind his pace of 1987, when he hit 28 for the Philadelphia Phillies. . . .

“Ted Williams once told me that he was the most surprised guy in the ballpark when he hit a homer,” Lasorda said. “I told Samuel that I wanted him to be the most surprised guy in the world when he hit one.” . . .

Samuel, 30, filed for free agency after batting only .242 in his first season with the Dodgers but re-signed with them for one year after no other team would guarantee him an everyday job at second base. . . .

He has been the most consistent Dodger, having gotten hits in 51 of his first 61 games. . . .

Sign of the times: It took the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants 3 hours 54 minutes to play a nine-inning, 5-4 game Monday night at Candlestick Park. . . .

Lasorda is keeping trim by swimming 40 laps in the L.A. Police Academy pool before most home games and then walking back to his Dodger Stadium office. . . .

It was nice to see the fans give Mike Scioscia, so often overlooked, a standing ovation Monday night at ceremonies honoring him for playing more games than any other Dodger catcher. . . .

The next great catcher in the American League could be Dave Nilsson, who was hitting .414 at last report for the Milwaukee Brewers’ El Paso farm club. He would also be the first great catcher born and raised in Australia. . . .

New York Met coach Doc Edwards is trying to solve catcher Mackey Sasser’s problem of throwing the ball back to the pitcher by having him toss a football to the mound in practice. . . .

Commissioner Fay Vincent is right when he says both major leagues should have the same rules. But he is wrong when he says they shouldn’t have the designated hitter rule. . . .

The Clippers have decided to open the Sports Arena doors to the public for the telecast of the NBA draft next Wednesday, after all. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not thinking about trading at least one of their two first-round picks. . . .

Former featherweight champion Danny (Little Red) Lopez, who will turn 39 next month, has applied for a license to box in California. He hasn’t fought since being knocked out by the late Salvador Sanchez in the 14th round on June 21, 1980. . . .

Joey Gamache and Jerry Ngobeni will fight for the vacant World Boxing Assn. junior lightweight title June 28 in Lewiston, Me. The last championship fight held there was of somewhat more importance--it was in 1965, when Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round. . . .

Selling soft drinks in the stands at the Clay-Liston bout was a young Bates College student named Bryant Gumbel. . . .

The Joe Louis-Billy Conn match 50 years ago at the Polo Grounds in New York was the first Gillette Friday night fight radio broadcast. . . .

Most competitive fight on the Mike Tyson-Razor Ruddock June 28 card at the Mirage in Las Vegas could be Azumah Nelson vs. Jeff Fenech for Nelson’s World Boxing Council super featherweight championship. Fenech, an Australian, hasn’t lost since dropping a controversial jury decision to Redzep Redzepovski of Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals of the 1984 Olympic Games at the Sports Arena. . . .

The 40th reunion of the Scholastic Sports Assn./California Scholastic Press Assn. will be held Aug. 3 in conjunction with the annual workshop at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Many Southland sportswriters are graduates of the program, which originated at the old Los Angeles Examiner. . . .

The Miami Heat certainly showed a lot of imagination by picking Kevin Loughery as its coach. . . .

Sports medicine pioneer Dr. Robert Kerlan will be honored Thursday night in the Cary Grant Pavilion at Hollywood Park. The reception and dinner will benefit the Crippled Children’s Society. . . .

Wayne Lukas’ decision to replace Gary Stevens with Chris McCarron aboard Farma Way in the Hollywood Gold Cup June 29 revives memories of 1973, when Cougar II owner Mary Jones replaced Bill Shoemaker with Laffit Pincay. Shoe rode Kennedy Road for Charlie Whittingham and won the Cup by a nose over Quack. Cougar II finished third. Stevens, incidentally, will ride Anshan for Whittingham in this year’s race. . . .

Atlanta Brave broadcaster Don Sutton, on stout Philadelphia Phillie batter John Kruk: “He looks like a guy who went to a fantasy camp and decided to stay.”