Notes on a Scorecard - June 14, 1993

On Little League Day at Anaheim Stadium, the Angels looked more like their guests than American League West contenders. . . .

But all the stumbling and bumbling during a 12-7 defeat to Seattle left the third-place Angels, who are one game above .500, only 2 1/2 games behind the division-leading Kansas City Royals. . . .

“Nobody is able to take charge,” Buck Rodgers said. “Maybe nobody is strong enough to. Everybody has some kind of a problem.” . . .

Only the Oakland Athletics, of all people, trail by more than five games. . . .

“We’re about on schedule,” Rodgers said. “During spring training, I figured we’d be anywhere from plus-five (over .500) to minus-five at the All-Star break. We’re closer to the lead, though, than I thought we’d be.” . . .

The preseason consensus was the Angels would be out of the race by Memorial Day and well on their way to a seventh-place finish. . . .

“There have been a lot of ups and downs, but, overall, I’ve been surprised by our young players,” Rodgers said. “Chad Curtis, Damion Easley and Mike Salmon have been consistent. J.T. Snow took a lot of pressure off them when he got off to a great start and I look for him to start hitting line drives again soon.” . . .

How long can the Angels stay in contention, even if it only means playing .508 ball? . . .

“I don’t know if we can win it, but we can stay competitive if we stay healthy,” Rodgers said. “Injuries scare me. We aren’t deep.” . . .

With last year’s defense, the Dodgers never would have beaten the San Diego Padres Sunday. . . .

Channel 5 doesn’t show enough replays. . . .

Right-handed pitcher--left-handed batter percentages and past performances often are overrated. I mean, with the bases loaded and the game on the line in the ninth inning, would you rather have Jim Gott or rookie Omar Daal pitching to Tony Gwynn? . . .

Ramon (Slow) Martinez is the new Alejandro (Slow) Pena. . . .

When is a double- elimination tournament sometimes not a double- elimination tournament? When it is the College World Series. . . .

Runner-up Wichita State lost only one game in Omaha, the same as champion Louisiana State, but CBS ruled that the title game must be played on a Saturday afternoon. Under the pre-national TV format, the Wheat Shockers and Tigers would have met in a rematch after LSU’s 8-0 victory. . . .

Funny, but CBS got stuck with about the only dull game in the tournament . . .

Brett Laxton, who pitched the shutout for LSU, is the son of Bill Laxton, who pitched for five different teams during a five-year major league career. . . .

Season-ticket holder Jeff Siegel thinks the Clippers should show some imagination and hire Rick Barry to replace Larry Brown. . . .

Now that they don’t have a coach, I wonder how the off-season conditioning programs of Stanley Roberts and John Williams are coming along. . . .

Former Ram and UCLA football coach Tommy Prothro, who is battling cancer at his home in Memphis, wants to thank all those in Southern California who have sent him get-well wishes. . . .

Six golfers were tied for 11th place Thursday after the first round of the LPGA Championship--one stroke off the lead. . . .

Look-alikes: Tony Granato and motion picture executive Joe Roth. . . .

Paseana might be the closest thing to a glamour horse in the Breeders’ Cup. . . .

A heavyweight tournament of sorts is being planned. Tommy Morrison would fight a lightly regarded opponent on the Lennox Lewis-Frank Bruno card in October in London and then challenge the winner for the World Boxing Council championship. Riddick Bowe would defend his WBA and IBF titles against the winner of the Evander Holyfield-Alex Stewart fight that will be held June 26 in Atlantic City. The survivors--probably Bowe and Lewis--would meet for the undisputed championship next year. . . .

Wayne Gretzky would make a terrific NHL commissioner, but that job is taken. So, I think he will stick around with the Kings for a while. . . .

KMPC is the San Diego Padres of radio stations.

Never underestimate the Phoenix Suns after they’ve lost the first two games of a series at home.