Notes on a Scorecard - July 7, 1994
I can use the three-day vacation from the World Cup. . . .
Every four years at this time, I get soccered out. . . .
The rest until Saturday will do me good. . . .
Some highlights: Marcelo Balboa’s bicycle kick. Roberto Baggio’s rebirth. Gheorghe Hagi’s midfield magic. South Korea’s grit. Brazil’s dribblers. Germany’s technique. No commercial interruptions during the action. No timeouts except for injuries. Singing in the stadiums. . . .
Some low lights: Our power play against Brazil. Deciding the Bulgaria-Mexico overtime by penalty kicks instead of sudden death. Argentina without Maradona. Hugo Sanchez sitting on the Mexican bench. Teams sitting on leads. Too many theatrics. Not enough shots. . . .
*
That might have been the first and last Fifth of July matinee at Dodger Stadium. Nearly 32,500 tickets were sold for the Dodger-Montreal game, but there didn’t appear to be as many as 20,000 fans in the stands. . . .
Raul Mondesi is one of the best bad-ball hitters since Yogi Berra. . . .
Home plate umpire Jim Quick was just that with his right hand Tuesday. Eight of the 20 strikeouts by the Dodgers and Expos were called. . . .
As good as they are, the Expos have only two players as old as 30. . . .
Ken Griffey Jr. is maturing on and off the field. . . .
Nobody’s laughing at the San Diego Padres anymore. . . .
How come the Angels have a Hall of Fame and the Dodgers don’t? . . .
Defense isn’t getting the San Francisco Giants far. They are first in the league in fielding and third in pitching. . . .
Maybe Tony La Russa is a genius, after all. . . .
Watch out for the Chicago White Sox now that Jack McDowell has regained his form. . . .
Versatile Bob Ley of ESPN, as good a sports investigative reporter as there is on TV, is doing a good job on World Cup play-by-play. . . .
The camera work during the tournament hasn’t been imaginative but at least they’re not confusing us with a lot of shots from crazy angles. . . .
The best rivalry in horse racing might be between 3-year-old fillies Sardula and Lakeway. . . .
Lakeway, who won the Mother Goose in track record time, could have stayed back in New York to run in the richer Coaching Club American Oaks, but trainer Gary Jones chose to send her against Sardula in the Hollywood Oaks Sunday. . . .
It will be a rematch of the Kentucky Oaks when Sardula, benefiting from a cool ride by Eddie Delahoussaye, upset Lakeway by a head. . . .
The newly remodeled press box at Hollywood Park is the nicest in town. . . .
*
If Arkansas, Wichita, Tulsa, Shreveport and Jackson, Miss., can play in the Texas League, I guess Las Vegas, Shreveport, Sacramento and Baltimore can play in the Canadian Football League. . . .
There will be more than a 100-degree difference in temperature for CFL teams playing an exhibition game at Las Vegas and a late-season game at, say, Edmonton. . . .
Backup quarterback being such an important position, Phil Simms still might be worth his $2.5 million salary. . . .
Three summers ago, a forward from Gary, Ind., named Glenn Robinson showed promise during the U.S. Olympic Festival at Pauley Pavilion. . . . Will the undrafted Shon Tarver be next season’s Mitchell Butler in the NBA? . . .
Among teams that showed some pre-draft interest in the UCLA guard were the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers. . . .
Volleyball player Katie Haller has become USC’s 43rd recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. Only the Air Force Academy has won more. . . .
Bob Arum is thinking about a James Toney-Michael Nunn rematch, the problem being Nunn is promoted by Don King. . . .
There had been talk about former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas, hospitalized and under treatment for diabetes, getting back into the gym, reducing from more than 300 pounds, and fighting Mike Tyson next summer. . . .
Lee Trevino has won more money on the senior tour than any player, except Greg Norman, has won on the regular PGA tour. . . .
News item: Darnell Coles becomes the sixth player this season to homer three times in a game. Reaction: Only six?
