Notes on a Scorecard - July 30, 1992

There is a chance that the man who might be the best player in baseball, Barry Bonds, will wear a Dodger uniform next season. . . .

Those close to him are convinced that Bonds, the Pittsburgh Pirate outfielder who will become a free agent after this season, was merely shooting off his mouth in San Diego at the All-Star game when he said he didn’t want to play for the Dodgers. . . .

Bonds switched agents last week, to the Beverly Hills Sports Council headed by Dennis Gilbert. . . .

Bonds is from Riverside and is having a home built in nearby Temecula. . . .

Most free agents prefer not to change leagues. . . .

Few other teams could afford his asking price, so a little persuasion and maybe $40 million is all it might take for Peter O’Malley to land him. . . .

It was nice of Tom Lasorda to assume the blame for the Dodgers’ dreadful performance this season, but I don’t think he is managing much differently than last season when they won 93 games. . . .

Angel pitcher Tim Fortugno, who won his first major league game last week at age 30, was sold by the Reno Silver Sox to the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization in 1989 for $2,500 and 12 dozen baseballs. . . .

Mike Scioscia will be honored by the Westwood Shrine Club on Saturday at a luncheon at the Shrine Auditorium. Vin Scully will be master of ceremonies, and tickets are available to the public for the event that will benefit the Shriners’ Crippled Children’s Hospital. . . .

Baseball America rates Angel farmhand Tim Salmon of Edmonton the best hitting and power-hitting prospect in the triple-A Pacific Coast League and Dodger property Billy Ashley of San Antonio the best power-hitting prospect in the double-A Texas League. . . .

The only two non-Japanese players to hit for the cycle in a professional game in Japan are former Angel Jack Howell, who did it Tuesday, and former Dodger Daryl Spencer in 1965. . . .

John McEnroe, who is resting at home with his family in Malibu before competing in the Volvo Tennis/L.A. tournament next week at UCLA, says, “At some point, I feel the Olympic gold medal will be as important as the Wimbledon or U.S. Open championship.” . . .

Look-alikes: Bob Samuelson and U.S. Olympic volleyball teammates Nick Becker, Carlos Briceno, Bob Ctvrtlik, Scott Fortune, Dan Greenbaum, Brent Hilliard, Bryan Ivie, Doug Partie, Eric Sato, Jeff Stork and Steve Timmons. . . .

Please don’t compare the volleyball reversal to the United States’ defeat by the Soviet Union in the basketball championship game in Munich in 1972. That was robbery. This was a reasonable interpretation of the rules. . . .

The Romanian Cowboy, Bela Karolyi, is getting as much attention during Olympic telecasts as the General, Robert Montgomery Knight, does during college basketball telecasts. . . .

I prefer more focus on the athletes than on the coaches. . . .

The coach of Angola would have trouble convincing Toni Kukoc that the U.S. basketball team doesn’t play defense. . . .

Most people who can afford to buy the TripleCasts are working or sleeping while the events are being shown live. . . .

Julio Cesar Chavez will defend his World Boxing Council super-lightweight title against Frankie Mitchell Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton on a Showtime card that also will improve the records of Hector (Macho) Camacho and Julian Jackson. Then comes Chavez-Camacho Sept. 13. Says Chavez, “I could never go back to Mexico if I lost to Camacho.” . . .

Howie Long, the racehorse, broke his maiden recently at the Solano Fair in Vallejo. . . .

Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy is expected to prepare for the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31 at Gulfstream Park by running in the $200,000 Del Mar Budweiser/Breeders’ Cup at a mile Sept. 13 and Oak Tree’s $200,000 Goodwood Handicap at 1 1/8 miles Oct. 11 at Santa Anita. . . .

One of the best things about the Rams’ 25 practices in 15 days is that there have been no serious injuries. . . .

Jack Kemp will speak for John Mackey and Paul Tagliabue for John Riggins at the Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday at Canton, Ohio. . . .

I wonder how professional golfers would react to the music from the floor exercise program that blares into the ears of 15-year-old gymnasts during their routines in other Olympic events.