Notes on a Scorecard - March 11, 1993

The best news out of Dodgertown is that Orel Hershiser has struck out eight batters in seven innings, one more than his game high all last season. . . .

Another spring training surprise is Billy Sample, who has begun his first year working with Bob Starr on Angel radio broadcasts. Sample has a good voice and pleasant delivery and is knowledgeable. . . .

Something different about the Florida Marlins: They will head south when they break camp. . . .

The manager of the Twins in the Fountain Valley youth baseball league is named Tom Kelly. . . .

Don Barksdale, who died Monday at 69, was the first African-American to participate in an NBA All-Star game and also the first UCLA center to be selected to a consensus All-American team. . . .

Are you ready for a possible Carolina showdown--North vs. East--in the first round of the NCAA tournament? . . .

The Sporting News has selected Eddie Fogler of Vanderbilt as the national coach of the year. . . .

Good scouting and patience are paying off for the Winnipeg Jets in regard to rookie scoring sensation Teemu Selanne. The Jets drafted the winger from Finland in the first round in 1988, when he was 18, and then had to wait until after he had played three years with a club team and in the 1992 Olympic Games to sign him. . . .

Michael Carbajal, 5 feet 5 1/2, will tower over Humberto Gonzalez, 5 feet 1, during their unification light-flyweight title bout Saturday at the Las Vegas Hilton, but Gonzalez will have had more trouble making the 108-pound limit. . . .

Carbajal balloons to only 112 between fights. He never has to worry about his diet. However, Gonzalez must go on a fruit, salad, chicken and fish regime for several weeks before a match. . . .

Gonzalez, the underdog, has bet $20,000 on himself at a Las Vegas sports book and could win $60,000. . . .

Those aggressive little guys will land more hard punches per minute than most heavyweights. . . .

Jeff Mayweather, who will face Oscar De La Hoya in a scheduled eight-rounder on the card, is listed as 23-2-2 with six knockouts and is ranked as the No. 20 lightweight contender by the World Boxing Council. . . .

Buddy McGirt wasn’t merely making excuses when he said his left shoulder bothered him during his 12-round loss to Pernell Whitaker last Saturday at Madison Square Garden. McGirt will undergo surgery for a torn rotator cuff Monday. . . .

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, the 1984 Olympic gold medalist ice dance pair, will perform in the Tour of World Champions on June 12 at the Forum and June 23 at the Anaheim Arena. By then, it will be known if they plan to return to Olympic competition next year in Norway. . . .

Owner Allen Paulsen said he will watch the $200,000 San Felipe Stakes on Sunday at Santa Anita before deciding whether to run Eliza in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3 or in the Fantasy Stakes for fillies April 9 at Oaklawn Park. . . .

It’s unusual for the two top-rated Kentucky Derby prospects, River Special and Personal Hope, to be competing against each other in a race as early as the San Felipe. . . .

Determine in 1954, Affirmed in 1978 and Sunday Silence in 1989 used the San Felipe as a steppingstone to victories in the Santa Anita and Kentucky derbies. . . .

Trainer Wayne Lukas believes the Triple Crown grind is too rigorous and suggests this format: Run the Kentucky Derby at 1 1/8 miles instead of 1 1/4, wait three weeks instead of two until the Preakness, keep that race at 1 3/16 miles and then run the Belmont Stakes three weeks later at 1 1/4 miles instead of 1 1/2. . . .

Formation of the Pro Athletes Golf League will be announced today in New York. George Brett will be commissioner, and at least six tournaments, with prize money ranging from $300,000 to $400,000 per event, are scheduled beginning in June. Football, baseball, basketball and hockey players will compete. . . .

The Steve Beuerlein Quarterback Classic will be played April 8-9 at the Pacific Country Club in San Clemente. The entire celebrity field for the charity tournament will consist of NFL quarterbacks. . . .

Why are only 10 NFL teams bidding for the services of free agent Reggie White? . . .

Garrison Hearst, the former Georgia running back, showed no signs of being slowed down by his knee problem when he ran sprints for NFL scouts during a special workout recently. . . .

Houston Oilers wide receiver Haywood Jeffires has donated $100,000 to his alma mater, North Carolina State. . . .

About Michael Jordan’s bad toe: Is it the shoes?