Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 22, 1992

This date in baseball history: On Sept. 22, 1991, the Dodgers extended their National League West lead over Atlanta to 1 1/2 games as Ramon Martinez hit his first major league home run and pitched seven innings during a 3-0 victory over the Braves and Tom Glavine before a sellout crowd of 49,105 at Dodger Stadium. . . .

A year later, the Braves are running away with first place, the Dodgers are running away with last place, and plenty of seats are available for the game between those teams tonight. . . .

The Dodgers’ record at Candlestick Park, where they might have played for the last time, is 153-169. . . .

The pennant races aren’t exactly sizzling and the closest of the second-place teams, Milwaukee, will have to make its move in the American League East race against West Division teams. The Brewers completed their divisional play Monday against Baltimore. . . .

Chris Bosio holds Brewer club records for most consecutive victories--nine, set Saturday--and most consecutive defeats--11 in 1988. . . .

Don’t be surprised if Bob Starr returns to KMPC to broadcast Angel games next season. . . . During the year of the disabled list, the Houston Astros boast three players--Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Steve Finley--who have appeared in every game. . . .

Last Friday, the San Francisco Giants had a battery of (Bud) Black and (Steve) Decker. Saturday, Lewis (Darren) and (Will) Clark hit in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots in their order. . . .

*

On a day when the Raiders banned the bomb and tried a ball-control passing attack, 16 of Todd Marinovich’s 33 completions against the Cleveland Browns were to running backs. . . .

The Buffalo Bills have as many victories as the rest of the AFC East combined. . . .

Fifty-six World League football players made NFL rosters, but the only starter Sunday was former USC tight end Paul Green of the Seattle Seahawks. . . .

Coach Bruce Coslet said the New York Jets would beat the San Francisco 49ers, proving that he is no Joe Namath. . . .

Defensive tackle Santana Dotson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who has 5 1/2 sacks, already has broken the club rookie record formerly held by LeeRoy Selmon. . . .

The NCAA champion UCLA softball and women’s volleyball teams will be honored by the L.A. County supervisors this morning. . . .

Not even former UCLA athletic director Bob Fischer, who signed the papers for the 10-game series between the Bruins and San Diego State that began in 1984, could have envisioned Saturday’s game at the Rose Bowl that will feature two nationally ranked teams and an Aztec tailback who is the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy. . . .

Outside linebacker Jamir Miller’s three sacks against Brigham Young Saturday were not entirely unexpected. Last season, he was the Bruins’ only incoming freshman who played and tied Arnold Ale for the team lead in sacks with five. . . .

Safety Jason Sehorn, a junior college transfer converted from wide receiver, helped save the day for USC in Oklahoma when he flew through the air and batted down a pass that looked as though it was going to give the lead to the Sooners in the fourth quarter. . . .

Sehorn didn’t play football at Mount Shasta High and played two seasons in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system. . . .

That is some Aerial Circus Vargas the University of Nevada has with quarterback Chris Vargas, who threw 75 passes during a 31-21 victory over McNeese State. . . .

*

The consistency of most Big Ten teams is such that Purdue beats California one week and loses to Toledo the next. . . .

Against Vancouver on opening night of their first exhibition season under Coach Barry Melrose, the Kings showed they still know how to tie. . . .

Clipper guard Doc Rivers will deliver a “stay in school” message today at Bell High as part of the Higher Goals’ educational outreach program. . . .

“Sonny,” a play about the late heavyweight champion Charles (Sonny) Liston, has opened in Denver, where he lived at one time. . . .

Other fighters had more ability, but none had more courage than Randy Shields, the former welterweight contender from North Hollywood. The fists of Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Pipino Cuevas couldn’t strike fear into him. Neither could the gunfire from a suspected robber that grazed Shields in the back of the thigh early Saturday morning in a San Fernando Valley restaurant. Shields, who has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, ignored the pain, chased two of the suspects outside, and wounded them during a running gun battle. Clearly, they had picked on the wrong guy.