Notes on a Scorecard - April 12, 1995

Half the players on its 40-man roster are younger than 25. . . .

Only five are older than 30. . . .

The average age is 25.5. . . .

The dean of its starting outfield is beginning his second season in the National League. . . .

Ismael Valdes and Hideo Nomo might be its fourth and fifth starters, and bullpen regulars figure to include Al Osuna, Antonio Osuna, Rudy Seanez, Greg Hansell and Ed Vosberg. . . .

Is this a replacement team? . . .

No, this is the Dodger varsity. . . .

The Dodgers would appear to be among the biggest losers of the strike. . . .

A franchise known to spend freely hasn’t signed a significant free agent, has lost three and is determined to rebuild with youth a year after it finished first in the abbreviated National League West race, albeit with a 58-56 record. . . .

One of the problems is that, unlike most other major league owners, Peter O’Malley depends largely on baseball for his income. . . .

The financial losses caused by the strike meant a huge slash in payroll. . . .

The rationale is that a team packed with promising youngsters working hard for modest wages will be good enough to contend for the title in the less-than-imposing NL West. . . .

But the consensus is that the Colorado Rockies are among the most-improved teams in the league and, no kidding, the San Diego Padres have the best pitching staff in the division. . . .

Besides, they no longer will have to deal with one of the finest leadoff hitters of the era, Brett Butler, when they visit Dodger Stadium. . . .

Good luck to anyone trying to identify the starting lineups of major league clubs after the recent trades and free-agent movement. . . .

Bob Allison, the former Minnesota Twins’ outfielder who died Sunday at 60, led the American League in the most underrated statistical category, runs scored, in 1963. . . .

*

The six Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division games between USC and Arizona State lasted 23 hours and one minute. Three went extra innings and not a heck of a lot was settled because the season series ended 3-3. . . .

The first project of Below the Belt Productions will be “Teddy Atlas,” a motion picture on the life of Michael Moorer’s trainer, who also has worked with Mike Tyson. A partner in the movie company is Moorer’s manager, John Davimos. . . .

One of my favorite fighters, Danny Romero, will try to win the International Boxing Federation flyweight title from Francisco Tejedor on the George Foreman-Axel Schulz card April 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. . . .

Asked why he calls Larry The Legend his little locomotive, jockey Gary Stevens said, “He reminds me of a small train with a very big engine that can go a long way.” . . .

Thumbs up to Gary Lewis, trainer of Jumron, for resisting pressure and staying with jockey Goncalino Almeida for the Kentucky Derby. Almeida, a 39-year-old former champion in Brazil, rode Jumron to a third-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby. . . .

The quality of this year’s NBA draft will depend upon how many of these players who just finished their sophomore seasons make themselves eligible--centers Joe Smith of Maryland, Rasheed Wallace of North Carolina, Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, Antonio McDyess of Alabama and Rashard Griffith of Wisconsin and forward Jerry Stackhouse of North Carolina. . . .

Detlef Schrempf of Seattle and Steve Kerr of Chicago are the only NBA players making more than half of their three-point shots. . . .

The question about Raider free-agent signee Pat Swilling is how much the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker for New Orleans has left at 30 after two disappointing seasons at Detroit. . . .

*

On the cover of its spring football prospectus, UCLA showcases wide receiver Kevin Jordan as a Biletnikoff Award candidate, outside linebacker Donnie Edwards as a Butkus Award candidate and offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden as a Lombardi and Outland Trophy candidate. . . . All will be tested Sept. 2 when the Bruins open the season against Miami at the Rose Bowl. . . .

After they lost to the Mighty Ducks on Sunday, Wayne Gretzky said the Kings seem to have more success against the better teams in the NHL’s Western Conference. Indeed, the Kings are 6-6-5 against opponents that now have winning records and 7-11-2 against the rest. . . .

The best thing that happened to the Kings the week of the trading deadline was that they didn’t make any trades.