Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 5, 1991

Lost weekend: The Dodgers, Angels, Rams and Raiders went 0-8. . . .

A player asked a team official recently if the Angels could wear their road grays at Anaheim Stadium. . . .

It was meant to be a joke, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. . . .

If you are going to be a solid citizen in what has become the toughest division in baseball, you better play well at home. The last-place Angels are 28-23 on the road, but 24-29 at Anaheim. When they won American League West titles, their home records were 49-32 in 1979, 52-29 in 1982 and 50-32 in 1986. . . .

In sweeping the Angels over the weekend, the Seattle Mariners indicated that they are genuine. . . .

“This is the way a pennant race should be,” Manager Jim Lefebvre said. “There are some excellent teams and great individuals. I like our chances. We’ve got a good young pitching staff and our defense is improved. Pitching and defense are the two biggest things down the stretch.” . . .

Lefebvre wouldn’t mind adding a bat, but finances won’t allow it. . . .

“The franchise is going to lose anywhere from $5 million to $10 million this season,” he said. “We’re caught in the bad side of baseball economics. If the situation doesn’t improve, we’re going to lose a lot of free agents and become a farm club for the rich teams.” . . .

The Mariners could reach the two million mark in home attendance for the first time, but their revenue from television and radio is minimal. The highest bid for next season’s TV contract is $1.5 million. In contrast, the New York Yankees receive $45 million a year from Madison Square Garden Network. . . .

Saturday was father-and-son night at Anaheim Stadium. On father-and-son night at the Kingdome, I like the sons if Ken Griffey Jr. is playing for them. . . .

The reaction to Mike Marshall, wearing No. 41 and coming to bat for the first time as an Angel, was mild. Not many cheers. Not many boos. . . .

You suspected that Sunday wasn’t going to be the Dodgers’ day when Houston turned a foul fly out into a triple play. . . .

Dennis Martinez, I can understand. But why can’t the Dodgers hit Ryan Bowen, Jim Deshaies or Mark Gardner? . . .

Not even Brett Butler is playing heads-up baseball anymore. . . .

Past performances indicated the chances of lightning striking twice Saturday when Rafael Ramirez faced John Candelaria actually were pretty good. . . .

What could make the American League East race competitive is the schedule, which has Toronto playing only Western Division teams the last month of the season. . . .

Bay Area teams hit 10 home runs Saturday and got a split. . . .

I guess the game hasn’t passed Sparky Anderson by, after all. . . .

The Chicago White Sox could get a lift down the stretch from left-handed pitcher Wilson Alvarez, who is expected to be called up from the minors soon. . . .

Municipal Stadium in Cleveland is one old ballpark that won’t be missed when the Indians move out of the “mistake by the lake” in 1994. . . .

Willie Mays is the only major league player to hit home runs in innings 1 through 16. . . .

Yes, Fay Vincent, that asterisk should be removed from Roger Maris’ 61 home runs. Of course, Maris also belongs in the Hall of Fame. . . .

Charlie Hough, 43, is doing some amazing things 11 years after the Dodgers gave up on him. . . .

I wonder if they still want pro football in Jacksonville, Fla., after that exhibition the Rams and Atlanta Falcons put on Saturday night. . . .

Remember all the attention that NFL exhibition games abroad used to attract? No Southern California newspaper paid to send a writer to Tokyo to cover the Raider-Miami game. . . .

Mack Robinson, the silver medalist in the 200-meter dash in the 1936 Olympic Games and the brother of Jackie, is recovering from a stroke following heart bypass surgery at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. . . .

In Excess may be the best older horse in America, but he hasn’t been beating much in New York. . . .

Dave Johnson gave this twist to his call of the Hambletonian: “And down the stretch they trot!” . . .

The U.S. Pro Tennis Championships aren’t quite what the name implies. . . .

Bring back the TV timeout. Because there are none in the Pan American Games, viewers missed the United States basketball team taking the lead from Cuba for good in the second half Saturday. We also missed the Cubans’ closing rally. But how could ABC possibly delay the start of its pro bowling coverage? . . .

Payne Stewart is a real pain.