Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 29, 1993

The role of spoiler during the final series of the season is not what Tom Lasorda had in mind in April, but he will play it to the max. . . .

“You can be sure that we’ll be going all out,” Lasorda said about the Dodgers’ four-game series against the San Francisco Giants that will begin Thursday night at Dodger Stadium. “The games are going to be meaningful, there will be a lot of excitement, and everybody knows what the Giants have done to us in the past.” . . .

In 1982, then again in ‘91, the Giants eliminated the Dodgers from contention during the last weekend at Candlestick Park. . . .

“I love Dusty Baker,” Lasorda said. “He helped me enjoy the fruits of victory when he was a Dodger. But I can’t pull for him to win the division. I can’t pull for the Braves, either. We’re going to use our regulars against the Giants, just like we did against the Braves, and nobody is going to be able to accuse us of favoring one team or the other. Let the best team win.” . . .

After losing 99 games last year, the Dodgers have regained respectability, but not a contending spot in the National League West race. . . .

“I’m not satisfied at all,” Lasorda said. “If we don’t finish first, I can’t consider it a good season.” . . .

Lasorda on Dodger needs: “Ideally, we will start next season with two new left-handed pitchers--a starter and a reliever--and a left-handed power hitter. Whether or not it will happen, I don’t know.” . . .

On Darryl Strawberry: “My relationship with Darryl has been nothing but the best. I hope he can come back, not only for the sake of his baseball career, but for the sake of him living a good life.” . . .

On Mike Piazza: “He’s the strongest hitter I’ve ever seen in the Dodger organization. After he hit one into the second deck at Cincinnati, Bobby Valentine said, ‘We’re going to check his bat.’ I told Valentine, ‘Don’t check his bat, check his forearms.’ ” . . .

*

First assignment for the Chicago White Sox Tuesday at Comiskey Park will be to make sure the Canadian flag is displayed right side up. . . .

Why was Chuck Finley still pitching in the seventh inning Monday while the Angels were trailing the Minnesota Twins in a meaningless game, 6-3? . . .

Eleven of the participants in an old-timers’ game at Miami were younger than 45-year-old Marlin pitcher Charlie Hough. . . .

Randy Johnson is almost a cinch to win the American League strikeout title by more than 100. . . .

Last year, Colorado Rockies officials projected a home attendance of 2.8 million for their first season. Such pessimists . . .

Now that the Lakers have lost A.C. Green, they are hoping that George Lynch will become the next A.C. Green. . . .

The NBA will miss Wally Rooney and Jim Capers, two good officials who have announced their retirements. . . .

On Oct. 6, a couple of hours after “Rudy” has its world premiere in South Bend, the movie will be shown to the Notre Dame Club of L.A. in Westwood. Among those in attendance will be Bob Golic, who was a teammate of Rudy Ruettiger in 1975. . . .

Bobby April, the excitable special teams coach of the Atlanta Falcons who caught the attention of the Monday night crew on ABC, was an assistant to Larry Smith at USC from 1987-90. . . .

Coach Ron Wilson of the Mighty Ducks showed he’s a realist when he said he would split the goaltending duties because of the nightly bombardments that an expansion team figures to face. . . .

Oscar De La Hoya’s Dec. 10 fight in Madison Square Garden will be strictly a showcase. The opponent is Jose Vidal Concepcion, a 32-year-old journeyman with a 33-10 record. . . .

Shane Mosley, the lightweight from Pomona who beat De La Hoya and Pepe Reilly in the amateurs, has knocked out his first five pro opponents, including Miguel Angel Pena in 1 minute 40 seconds Monday at the Forum. . . .

From the World Boxing Council newsletter: “The WBC invests a tremendous amount of time, effort and money in seminars and workshops for referees and judges and strives for objectivity in the most subjective area in sport. Scoring a fight, however, based on effective aggression, clean punches, ring generalship and defense is an area that remains open to personal interpretation.” . . .

Houston headline writers are asking if the Pardee is over.