Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 16, 1992

We should have known all along that it would take a good performance by Jay Schroeder to get Todd Marinovich the Raiders’ starting quarterback job. . . .

Of course, it makes sense to start the young Marinovich in a comfortable spot at home against the struggling Cleveland Browns, who will be without Bernie Kosar. But it would have made more sense to have started Marinovich on the road against the Denver Broncos and the Cincinnati Bengals, too. The Raiders probably would have won a game by now. . . .

Who ever thought the second Monday night game of the season, Miami vs. Cleveland, would be more exciting than the first one, Dallas vs. Washington? . . .

If the Raiders somehow are trailing by three points in the final minute Sunday, they should pray the Browns go into their prevent defense

again. . . .

Touchdown Tommy Vardell ran well against the Dolphins, but, right now, First Down Tommy would be more like

it. . . .

The Houston Oilers not only knocked Indianapolis Colt quarterback Jack Trudeau out of the game Sunday, they ripped the “u” and “p” off of the name on the back of replacement Tom Tupa’s jersey. . . .

Not that Los Angeles has anything to brag about, but the New York football season might be as disappointing as the baseball season. The Jets and Giants are 0-4.

The UCLA media guide says Rob Walker “appears to be loose under pressure.” More will be known Saturday when the redshirt freshman quarterback, replacing the injured Wayne Cook, makes his first start against Brigham Young before 65,000 at Provo, Utah. . . .

USC’s game against Oklahoma at Norman on Saturday will begin at 11 a.m. CDT, 9 a.m. PDT. Trojan players have been advised to go to bed an hour or two earlier than usual this week and wake up an hour or two earlier. However, the team charter isn’t scheduled to arrive in Oklahoma City until 1:30 a.m. CDT Friday. . . .

The team meal will be served at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 3 1/2 hours before kickoff. . . .

The Angels have had more radio announcers than managers. . . .

There have been 13 managerial changes, excluding three interim periods, since the hiring of Bill Rigney for the inaugural season of 1961. The list of radio announcers is 15 and soon to grow after the dismissal of Al Conin and Bob Jamison at the end of the season. . . .

The voices have included those of Bob Kelley, Don Wells, Buddy Blattner, Dave Niehaus, Dick Enberg, Al Wisk, Don Drysdale, Bob Starr, Steve Shannon, Steve Bailey, Ron Fairly, Ken Brett, Ernie Harwell, Conin and Jamison. . . .

Compare that to four Dodger announcers--Vin Scully, Jerry Doggett, Ross Porter and Drysdale--and two managers--Walter Alston and Tom Lasorda--since the move from Brooklyn to L.A. in 1958. . . .

Conin is among the candidates for the Colorado Rockies’ play-by-play job. . . .

Alex Garcia of San Fernando, last seen in the movie “Diggstown,” will fight 6-foot-10, 280-pound Mike White of Los Angeles in El Paso on Tuesday as part of an all-heavyweight card that will be televised by the USA network. Garcia might earn a bout against Ray Mercer. . . . No team has two hotter pitchers than the Milwaukee Brewers. Chris Bosio has won eight consecutive games and Cal Eldred seven. . . .

Primarily because of the unsettled ownership situation, the San Francisco Giants have not signed their first-round draft choice, Calvin Murray, who was an outfielder on the U.S. Olympic team. . . .

Luckiest Chicago White Sox player Monday night was George Bell, who was challenged to a fight by mammoth New York Yankee coach Frank Howard before cooler heads prevailed. I don’t care if Howard is 56. . . .

Texas Ranger outfielder Juan Gonzalez has joined four Hall of Famers--Mel Ott, Joe DiMaggio, Eddie Mathews and Johnny Bench--as the only major league players to hit at least 40 home runs in a season before their 23rd birthday. Gonzalez will turn 23 on Oct. 16. . . .

Danny Villanueva, the former placekicker, has become general chairman of the GTE West Classic, a Senior PGA Tour event at the Ojai Country Club March 1-7. . . .

A weight program has put 15 pounds on Harold Miner, who expects to report to the Miami Heat camp at 225. . . .

The men’s champion, Stefan Edberg, played twice as many sets as the women’s champion, Monica Seles, in the U.S. Open. . . .

Eric Lindros has lived up to his billing during Philadelphia Flyer scrimmages. . . .

Larry Smith, whose USC Trojans tied San Diego State, on college football adopting overtime: “All coaches are for it. Why fight your head off for three hours and get a tie? At least, try overtime in the bowl games.”