Notes on a Scorecard - Feb. 23, 1994

Bound to happen during spring training:

Few players will know what teams are in what divisions. . . . The owners will promise to have a commissioner by the end of the 1998 Winter Olympics. . . .

Darryl Strawberry will be asked what he thought about the earthquake. . . .

Bo Jackson’s home runs in Arizona will sell tickets in Anaheim. . . .

The San Diego Padres will have the best record. . . .

The Toronto Blue Jays will have the worst record. . . .

The word battery in headlines won’t necessarily refer to pitchers and catchers. . . .

Michael Jordan will go 0 for 3. . . .

George Steinbrenner will threaten to move the New York Yankees’ training camp from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.. . .

A pitcher with a .500 career record will complain about his $2-million-a-year contract. . . . Whitey Herzog will do the same thing he has done for the Angels the past few years. . . .

Mike Piazza and Tim Salmon will pooh-pooh the sophomore jinx. . . .

The Cincinnati Reds will be overrated. . . .

The Cleveland Indians will be underrated. . . .

Teams will practice cutoff and rundown plays, but not work on them once the regular season starts. . . .

It will be SRO in trainers’ rooms. . . .

The voice of Vin Scully will brighten a dreary day in L.A. . . .

It will be too wet in Florida. . . .

It will be too dry in Arizona. . . .

A herd of portly umpires will resolve to start their diets. . . .

Tom Lasorda will show “Rudy” in Dodgertown to players who are longshots to make the varsity. . . .

The Seattle Mariners will give Japanese-born pitcher Mac Suzuki a good shot to become their closer. . . .

Night games will take away the charm of exhibition baseball. . . .

The talk of Florida will be Houston Astro rookie outfielder James Mouton. . . .

The talk of Arizona will be Chicago Cub rookie pitcher Steve Trachsel. . . .

Bret Saberhagen, who is in terrific condition, will regain his Cy Young Award form. . . .

The pitchers will be ahead of the hitters, according to the hitters. . . .

The hitters will be ahead of the pitchers, according to the pitchers. . . .

Michael Jordan will go 0 for 4. . . .

*

The wit and wisdom of Roy Campanella and Don Drysdale will be missed . . .

Lee Smith will strike out the side and it will be written that he still has his fastball. . . .

Lee Smith will give up a game-winning hit and it will be written that he has lost his fastball. . . .

Rafael Palmeiro won’t chit-chat at first base with Will Clark. . . .

Vince Coleman will be offered a job as the starter for the Firecracker 500. . . .

There will be a threat of a strike. . . .

Only southpaws will be described as “crafty.”. . . .

Bobby Bonilla’s play at third base will remind New York Met fans of Howard Johnson. . . .

The Atlanta Braves’ “B” team will be more talented than the Padres’ “A” team. . . .

Barry Bonds won’t speak to reporters one day and will deliver a 30-minute monologue the next. . . .

Chicago White Sox rookie pitchers Scott Ruffcorn and James Baldwin will be the envy of every general manager. . . .

Every time Jody Reed goes to the bank, he will wish he were in Vero Beach. . . .

A hangnail will sideline a star player for two weeks. . . .

Michael Jordan will go 0 for 5. . . .

The Detroit Tigers--who have Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish, Juan Samuel, Eric Davis and Tim Belcher--will conduct a Dodger alumni club meeting. . . .

Teddy Higuera will throw one pain-free inning and announce that he’s back. . . .

If a quality pitcher is available, the Braves or the Blue Jays will acquire him. . . .

Todd Benzinger will make San Francisco Giant fans remember Will Clark. . . .

Baltimore Oriole Manager Johnny Oates will say he’s going to try to give Cal Ripken some rest in the late innings this year. . . .

Fred Claire will be ripped on radio talk shows. . . .

A rookie won’t be able to hit the broadside of a barn, but his fastball will be clocked at 95 m.p.h. and he will be called the next Nolan Ryan. . . .

The most enthusiastic veteran will be Jimmie Reese, 92. . . .

Michael Jordan will announce his retirement from baseball.