Notes on a Scorecard - July 2, 1991

Is that football in the air? Only five more days until Raider rookies report to camp in Oxnard. . . .

If Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson signed contracts today, Tyson would open as a 2 1/2-1 favorite. . . .

I want Robert Duvall to star in the “Mills Lane Story.” . . .

Among the few underpaid people in major league baseball are the official scorers, who get $65 a game. . . .

The New York Yankees, without George Steinbrenner, have brought baseball excitement back to Yankee Stadium. . . .

Attendance at Anaheim Stadium is off slightly, but a tight pennant race will take care of that. . . .

The Detroit Tigers have the highest home run total and the lowest batting average in the majors. . . .

It’s all relative: Sons of Bert Blyleven and Ken Griffey Sr. and former players Rick Monday, Bob Boone, the late Joe Sparma, Ray Ripplemeyer, Ed Goodson, Glenn Abbott and Milt May were taken in the baseball draft last month. . . .

Otis Nixon has a higher ratio of stolen bases to at-bats than Rickey Henderson, Vince Coleman or any other active player. . . .

Dwight Gooden, who was booed at Shea Stadium Sunday, is throwing as hard as ever but has lost the movement on his pitches. . . .

When Sid Fernandez returns, the Mets may trade Ron Darling. . . .

Among the best little-known hitters in the American League is Brian Harper of Minnesota. . . .

The St. Louis Cardinals have more triples than home runs. . . .

Chicago Cub pitcher Danny Jackson is on the disabled list for the seventh time in the last two years. . . .

Texas Ranger rookie Ivan Rodriguez, 19, may have the best arm of any catcher in baseball. . . .

Kansas City outfielder Danny Tartabull had a bat thrown out of a game recently because it was made by a non-licensed manufacturer. . . .

During the re-broadcast of the sixth game of the 1952 World Series between the Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, Red Barber announced that box, reserved and general admission tickets would go on sale after the final out for Game 7 at Ebbets Field. Imagine seats being available the day before the decisive game of the Series. . . .

Just once, I would like to hear a pitcher cheered for walking a batter intentionally. . . . Cashman Field in Las Vegas is one of the nicer minor league parks. . . .

Indiana might have plucked the sleeper of the NBA draft in second-rounder Sean Green, a 6-5 guard from Iona. . . .

Orlando gambled twice in the first round with soft Brian Williams and fat Stanley Roberts. . . .

Working with Bill Walton could bring out the enormous potential in Luc Longley, the Australian center from New Mexico who was taken by Minnesota. . . .

Joe Wylie, the Miami forward who was drafted by the Clippers in the second round, is familiar with the Sports Arena. He scored 20 points and got 15 rebounds in the Hurricanes’ loss to USC last season. . . .

Despite reports to the contrary, Billy Owens was happy to be drafted by Sacramento. He says he will appreciate the weather after those long winters in Syracuse. . . .

The Bay Area media weren’t thrilled with the Golden State draft. Neither was Warrior Coach-General Manager Don Nelson. . . .

Pick Six carry-overs have become the order of the day at Hollywood Park. As the meeting heads into the home stretch, the races become less predictable. Too many tired horses. . . . Racing’s best rivalry will be renewed Saturday when Meadow Star and Lite Light meet in the 1 1/4-mile Coaching Club American Oaks at Belmont Park. . . .

Is it true that KMPC sportscaster Jim Healy has been voted a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce? . . .

During Athletic Director Peter Dalis’ eight-year regime, UCLA has won 19 NCAA team championships and six bowl games. . . .

Bruin forward Tracy Murray is one of the 17 finalists for spots on the 12-man team that will represent the United States in the Pan-American Games in Cuba. . . .

Those sparse turnouts for the alphabet soccer tournament don’t mean that Southern California wouldn’t support the World Cup in 1994. . . .

The next great miler could be Noureddine Morceli, a 21-year-old from Algeria who will try to break Steve Cram’s 6-year-old record of 3:46.32 Saturday in the Golden Mile in Oslo. . . .

Ben Johnson is expected to make close to $1 million this year despite his disappointing comeback. Credit his lawyer, Ed Futterman, and manager, Larry Heidebrecht, for negotiating guarantees long before Johnson’s races. . . .

It was nice that common folk got to see Wimbledon Sunday, but did they have to do the wave?