Notes on a Scorecard - July 15, 1991

The Saturday matinee idol at the U.S. Olympic Festival was a stick of dynamite from East Los Angeles named Oscar de la Hoya. . . .

Teen-age fans of the 18-year-old graduate of Garfield High screamed, squealed and stomped their feet as he overpowered Dezi Ford for three rounds in the semifinals of the 132-pound division at Loyola Marymount. . . .

Nearly as impressed as the kids from the barrio was the noted boxing authority, Sugar Ray Leonard. . . .

“De la Hoya reminds me of a young Julio Cesar Chavez,” said Leonard, the analyst for ESPN. “He’s so cool, so poised for his age. He’s very coachable. He takes his time and I love his economy of movement. He can really dig to the body, too. Boom, boom, boom.” . . .

How would Leonard compare De la Hoya to the Sugar Ray who won a gold medal at 140 pounds in the 1976 Olympic Games? “Oscar is more of an inside fighter,” Leonard said. “I moved around the ring more.” . . .

What also makes De la Hoya such an exceptional professional prospect are his height and reach. At 5 feet 10 and still growing, he will continue to tower over most of his opponents when he turns pro after the Barcelona Games. . . .

Unbeaten in the last four years and 203-4 for his career, de la Hoya is so good that he actually makes amateur boxing enjoyable. Remember, this is the sport where a jab that lands counts as much as a knockdown punch. If the same philosophy was applied to football, a field goal would count as much as a touchdown. . . .

Next up for De la Hoya is Patrice Brooks of St. Louis in the final Tuesday night at the Forum. . . .

Bradley Martinez ballooned all the way up to 123 pounds when he spent two months loading tanks in the Persian Gulf and was unable to train. However, the 5-5 U.S. Army private from Ft. Huachuca, Ariz., has trimmed to his fighting weight of 106 since returning home in mid-February. . . .

Martinez said his 470th armored division encountered troops from Iraq’s Republican Guard, most of whom surrendered. His opponent Saturday at Gersten Pavilion, Orlando Malone, showed more bravery. However, Martinez won a lopsided decision. . . .

Laker General Manager Jerry West was among those scouting talent at the Festival basketball competition at Pauley Pavilion Saturday night. It’s never too early. None of the participants has played more than one season in college. . . .

There weren’t many fans in the stands and it might not be easy getting psyched up to play for the dear ol’ North, South, East or West, but you would have thought the national championship was at stake the way the kids dived for loose balls. . . .

Cherokee Parks, the 6-11 center/forward from Marina High in Huntington Beach, will return to Pauley Pavilion next season. But he will be with Duke when the national champions play UCLA. . . .

A standout Saturday was Glenn Robinson, a 6-9 forward from Gary, Ind. He is a Prop. 48 casualty who has signed a letter of intent with Purdue. . . .

The volunteer workers at the Festival are a lot more polite and helpful than most paid employees at local sports venues. . . .

Thumbs up to ESPN anchors Barry Tompkins and Sharlene Hawkes for showing enthusiasm for the Festival events, but not trying to make them something they aren’t. . . .

Something is out of whack when Greg Kite signs a four-year, $4-million contract with the Orlando Magic and Marcus Allen signs a one-year, $1.1-million contract with the Raiders. . . . Poor George Foreman. He will be paid only $6 million to fight unranked cruiserweight Boone Pultz Sept. 7 on an HBO card at Thomas & Mack Center on the Nevada Las Vegas campus. . . .

Mike Tyson will knock out Evander Holyfield in the fifth round. . . .

Somebody better inform the Dodgers that the All-Star break is over. . . .

Tom Lasorda should send a thank you note to his good friend Jim Leyland. . . .

Blame the Angels’ recent problems on anything but their four-man rotation. . . .

Jim Abbott struck out the first and last Yankees to face him Saturday night and none in between. . . .

Only thing wrong with the HBO special “When It Was A Game” is that it lasts an hour, instead of two hours. . . .

The umpiring for the Sunday game before the All-Star game was the worst at Dodger Stadium since “Naked Gun.” . . .

Look-alikes: Terry Steinbach and Ringo Starr. . . .

The American League averages Sunday showed Cal Ripken hitting 125 points higher than his younger brother Billy. . . .

How many Baltimore Orioles does it take to pitch a no-hitter? Four.