Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 27, 1991

Buck Rodgers is a good choice to manage the California Angels. . . .

But so were Doug Rader, Gene Mauch, Jim Fregosi and Dick Williams, to name just a few. . . .

It is the impatience of the ownership that is bad. When you make 15 managerial changes in 23 years, you get what you ask for. No World Series championships. No American League pennants. Only three American League West titles. . . .

The timing of the latest move was curious. The Angels had just swept the Boston Red Sox out of Anaheim Stadium. If Mr. and Mrs. Gene Autry were going to replace Rader, they should have done so before the team fell totally out of contention or waited until the end of the season. . . .

The Angels won 91 games in 1989. Two years later, they have a new manager, a new general manager and a new president. . . .

If I were Rodgers, I wouldn’t have been so eager to take the job after reading about Jackie Autry’s concerns about the bottom line. . . .

When he caught for the Angels from 1961-69, he was known as Bob Rodgers. . . .

The first Angel manager, Bill Rigney, stayed the longest. Rigney managed the team for 1,332 games from 1961 to early 1969. Dave Garcia had the shortest reign, 127 games during 1977-78. . . .

Let let us not forget interim Managers Whitey Herzog, who went 2-2 in 1974, and Moose Stubing, who went 0-8 in 1988. . . .

One of the Dodgers’ biggest mistakes was taking pitcher Bill Bene, who is still trying to master the art of throwing strikes at Vero Beach of the Florida State League, instead of Robin Ventura, who has become an outstanding third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, in the first round of the June draft in 1988. . . .

Willie Randolph, 37, has been an integral part of the Milwaukee Brewers’ resurgence. . . .

Philadelphia reliever Mitch (Wild Thing) Williams--win, lose, or save--is the most exciting pitcher in baseball. . . .

Atlanta broadcasters like to talk about the great fans who attend Brave games, but where were they all those years when the team was losing? . . .

The Baltimore Orioles could be a team of the near future because of their young pitching staff that features Ben McDonald, Mike Mussina and Arthur Rhodes and reliever Gregg Olson. . . .

If you see the motion picture “Pastime,” look for the Hall of Famers sitting in the grandstands. . . .

Like him or not, Carl Lewis ranks among the most remarkable athletes of this century. . . .

Challenger Mike Tyson remains a 2-1 favorite over champion Evander Holyfield for their heavyweight title fight that is still scheduled for Nov. 8 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. . . .

Georgia Tech and Clemson make the Atlantic Coast Conference the only league with two teams in the Associated Press preseason football poll. Actually, top-ranked Florida State is a third ACC school, but won’t participate until 1992. . . .

Opening some wide holes for Kevin Williams in UCLA’s scrimmage Saturday at the Rose Bowl were sophomore tackles Craig Novitsky and Vaughn Parker. . . .

Registering on the Richter scale was the hit Bruin strong safety Matt Darby put on running back Shawn Wills. . . .

Tailback Estrus Crayton, a transfer from Rancho Santiago College in Santa Ana, was among the standouts of a USC scrimmage Friday that brightened Coach Larry Smith’s day. . . .

Rocket Ismail’s six-game statistics with the Toronto Argonauts: 25 pass receptions for 520 yards and two touchdowns; 10 rushes for 93 yards and two touchdowns; 16 kickoff returns for a 22.3-yard average; six punt returns for a 24-yard average. The team is 4-2 with Ismail and 1-0 without him. . . .

By trading Steve Beuerlein, Raider owner Al Davis has separated himself even farther from the Mike Shanahan days. . . .

Spencer Tillman may be the one to resurrect the San Francisco 49ers’ running game. . . .

That Jackson kid in the Chicago White Sox organization must be some ballplayer. After only two games, he was promoted from Class A to double A.