Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 15, 1992

The Dodgers have nearly three weeks left, but, like most things this year, the franchise record for most errors during a season is out of their grasp. . . .

In only 137 games, the 1891 outfit committed 432 errors. At least those guys had an excuse, the fielding equipment being not quite what it is today. . . .

The surprise is that the Los Angeles record of 193--which probably will remain intact, barring any more seven-error nights--was set by the team that lost a three-game playoff to the San Francisco Giants for the 1962 National League pennant. . . .

Those Dodgers were able to win 102 games because Tommy Davis hit .346 and drove in 153 runs, Maury Wills stole 104 bases and Don Drysdale went 25-9. . . .

Dodger Stadium attendance will be the lowest since 1976, except for the strike-shortened 1981 season. . . .

I didn’t think it would be so, but the Dodgers have missed Mike Morgan more than Tim Belcher. . . .

Only four National League pitchers have thrown more shutouts this season than Pedro Astacio, who has three in seven starts. . . .

At the beginning of the week, each of the four major league division leaders had won 45 games at home. . . .

Sorry, but the Detroit Tigers will need more than the return of Ernie Harwell to get back into the pennant race next season. . . .

The pressure is off Cal Ripken Jr. now that his consecutive-games streak was snapped--consecutive games without a home run. . . .

As if the Atlanta Braves needed more starting pitching, Pete Smith is 5-0 since being recalled. . . .

Catcher Darren Daulton of the Philadelphia Phillies, who is leading the National League in runs batted in, had as many as 57 RBIs only once before this year. . . .

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The Cincinnati Reds are bullish on two prospects they brought up for the final month, catcher Dan Wilson and infielder Willie Greene. . . .

Bob Tewksbury of the St. Louis Cardinals, who is 16-5, has walked 17 in 213 innings. Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners, who is 11-13, has walked 132 in 178 innings. As Frankie Frisch used to say, “Oh, those bases on balls.” . . .

Stefan Edberg, who won three consecutive five-set matches before defeating Pete Sampras in four sets for the U.S. Open title, must be among the best conditioned of all athletes. . . .

Perhaps no other sport has more shifts in momentum than tennis. . . .

The field for the U.S. Open badminton tournament at UC Irvine Sept. 23-27 includes 43 players who participated in the Olympic Games. . . .

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Paul Atkinson, the tallest jockey at Del Mar, is a good guy to have aboard a longshot. . . .

Don King says Julio Cesar Chavez will visit Mike Tyson in prison Sept. 27. . . .

The press area for the Chavez-Hector (Macho) Camacho fight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Saturday was set back several rows, giving writers the opportunity to empathize with paying customers whose view is blocked by television cameramen standing on the ring apron. . . .

There were lots of introductions of celebrities from Mexico and the United States, but the largest ovation was given Magic Johnson. . . .

In the manner of old-time fighters, challenger Riddick Bowe will do the majority of his work at a hotel in the Catskills in New York before his heavyweight title bout against Evander Holyfield on Nov. 13 at the Thomas & Mack. . . .

There were 14 more punts during the Ram-New England game than during the Buffalo-San Francisco game. . . .

For the record: It doesn’t sound or look right, but Al Davis’ official title with the Raiders is “President of the General Partner.” . . .

The Indianapolis Colts miss Mark Herrmann. . . .

For the first time since 1983, the Chicago Bears are not off to a 2-0 start. . . .

Wisely, Tampa Bay Coach Sam Wyche rotated his offensive linemen against Green Bay in 120-degree heat Sunday. . . .

The New York Giants, who rallied from a 34-0 deficit to get within 34-28 of the Dallas Cowboys, had a chance to make an NFL record comeback. In 1980, the San Francisco 49ers trailed the New Orleans Saints, 35-7, before winning, 38-35. . . .

The Heisman Trophy is Marshall Faulk’s to lose. . . .

Cris Collinsworth, the new analyst on NBC’s Notre Dame telecasts, showed he was no homer Saturday with his critical comments during the Irish-Michigan game. . . .

In case you haven’t noticed, three of the four top-ranked college teams are from the state of Florida. . . .

Next time, I’m picking Central Michigan over Michigan State. . . .

The Raiders used to find a way to win. Now they find a way to lose.