Notes on a Scorecard - May 26, 1994

Darryl isn’t the first strawberry to spoil quickly, just the most expensive. . . .

The Dodgers got one half of a good season out of Darryl Strawberry, the second half of 1991. . . .

Then he became the biggest dud in Los Angeles pro sports history. . . .

The back injury he suffered in 1992 wasn’t his fault, but most of the problems that followed were. . . .

I applauded the Dodgers for signing him on what they thought was his way to the Hall of Fame. . . .

I applaud them for releasing him and admitting he’ll never get there. . . .

I wish him good luck, but a comeback is going to take a lot more determination than he has shown his hometown. . . .

*

Our guest expert on the great home run explosion is Steve Stone. . . .

“I have no doubt about the balls being souped up,” said Stone, who is Harry Caray’s sidekick on Chicago Cub telecasts and won the 1980 American League Cy Young Award. “They’re a little harder, maybe wound up tighter.” . . .

Stone says there are other factors in the nightly parade of 12-6 and 10-8 games. . . .

“The strike zone is smaller,” he said. “Anything above the waist is being called a ball. It used to be above the letters. Left-handed batters hit low pitches like crazy against right-handed pitchers, for some reason. Everyone has to pitch lower now and you see the results.” . . .

Stone, who was 25-7 for Baltimore in his Cy Young year, says all the rule changes in the last three decades have been in favor of batters. . . .

“People like to see high-scoring games,” he said. “So, in 1969, the year after Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA, they lowered the mound from 18 to 10 inches. That took away the effectiveness of the over-handed fastball, curveball pitchers. Now you see the sinker, the slider and the split finger. A hard thrower used to be timed at 92, 93 m.p.h. Now, it’s 88 or 89.” . . .

How much is expansion responsible for the rise in gopher balls? . . .

“There were only 20 spots added last year when home runs also were up by a good percentage,” Stone said. “That means that an awful lot of pitchers who were here before expansion are giving up home runs too.” . . .

Stone is happy that he pitched when the game was safer and saner. . . .

“It’s dangerous out there for pitchers the way balls are coming off bats,” he said. “I see pitchers being hit on the feet on a daily basis. The mound is a tough place to be today.” . . .

*

This new playoff format has got me wondering how baseball teams are going to celebrate winning various titles. . . .

Perhaps there will be a soda celebration in the clubhouse for a division title, beer for the first round of the playoffs, wine for a league title, and, of course, champagne for the World Series. . . .

The San Diego Padres do not figure to be contending for any title, but their star, Tony Gwynn, says he likes the new three-division setup. . . .

“Some people are complaining about it now, but wait until later when there are races for playoff spots,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting.” . . .

New Angel Manager Marcel Lachemann pitched for Rod Dedeaux at USC and was also his assistant coach for four years. . . .

“What you did at Bovard Field will work for you at Anaheim Stadium, too,” Dedeaux faxed Lachemann the day he replaced Buck Rodgers. . . .

Another prominent Southland sports personality who pitched for Dedeaux at USC is Cliff Goodrich, president of Santa Anita. . . .

“Cliff was a big, gangly right-hander who might have gone on to pitch in the majors if he hadn’t gotten hurt,” Dedeaux said. . . .

If Oscar De La Hoya defeats Giorgio Campanella as expected Friday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, he will face Jorge Paez July 29 at the same site. . . .

International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr. probably has the toughest opponent of the four young stars being showcased Friday--Thomas Tate, brother of former 160-pound champion Frank Tate. . . .

If John Starks, who is better known for his offense, can keep holding Reggie Miller to 14 points, it will be be difficult for the Indiana Pacers to beat the New York Knicks. . . .

I can’t get enough of overtime in the NHL playoffs. . . .

Utah should give the Jazz nickname back to New Orleans.