Notes on a Scorecard - July 26, 1995

The most disturbing graphic on television Monday night showed that the team with easily the best record in baseball today wouldn’t have the home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. . . .

In what is supposed to be the first year of the expanded format, it has been pre-determined that the advantages in the American League will go to the winners of the West and East divisions. . . .

This means that the Cleveland Indians, who are about to nail down the AL Central title any day now, would play the first two games of a best-of-five series at home and the remainder on the road. . . .

Wouldn’t it make much more sense to seed the three division champions in order of won-lost records and then the wild-card team, as in the NFL? . . .

An American League spokesman said Monday that logistics and ticket sales were made easier by this plan. . . .

Didn’t convince me, though. . . .

I mean, shouldn’t the Indians be rewarded for their greatest season since 1954, when they won 111 games? . . .

Mike Hargrove’s wrecking crew won’t play a wild card in the first round under any circumstance and might have to oppose the team that currently has the second-best record in the league, the Angels, because teams from the same division can’t be matched. . . .

In the National League this year, the home-field advantages will go to the Central and East winners. . . .

Playoff dates are Oct. 3-4-6-7-8, league championship series dates are Oct. 10-11-13-14-15-17-18 and World Series dates Oct. 21-22-24-25-26-28-29. . . .

Don’t circle them on your calendar, though, until a labor agreement is reached or the players promise not to strike and the owners not to stage a lockout. . . .

*

The playoff update on ABC’s Angel-Indian telecast Monday was fine, but not-so-hot was the split screen that showed another game and switched the audio from Al Michaels’ play-by-play to John Saunders’ studio commentary just when Chili Davis hit a home run. . . .

I could have done without all those Seattle-Milwaukee updates. . . .

The poorly conceived Baseball Network concept will be put to the test during the postseason. All first-round and league championship series games will be played on the same days at the same times and telecast on a regional basis. But which game do we get if both the Angels and Dodgers are playing? . . .

Perhaps the two best teams in the majors, Cleveland and Atlanta, will be appearing in Southern California today, the Indians against the Angels at 1 p.m. and the Braves against the Dodgers at 7:30. . . .

*

Thumbs up to Hollywood Park racing secretary Martin Panza for an outstanding job during the summer meeting that concluded Monday. . . .

Through Panza’s efforts and the support of Chairman R.D. Hubbard, Hollywood Park attracted the hottest handicap horse in years, Cigar; the winner of the first and last legs of the Triple Crown, Thunder Gulch, and the defending Breeders’ Cup Classic champion, Concern. . . .

In his second year on the job, Panza, a 31-year-old native of San Marino and graduate of the University of Arizona’s racetrack management program, also put some much-needed variety into the daily cards. . . .

“In the early ‘80s when racing was booming, I think a lot of people around here got lackadaisical,” Panza said. “We can’t be like that anymore. We’ve got a good foundation, but we have to keep building.” . . .

*

Boxing promoter Don Chargin envisions a bout between Danny Romero and Marco Antonio Barrera, two of the best young fighters in the world, sometime next year. . . .

“I wish I were promoting in L.A. or Las Vegas,” Chargin said. “This is going to be a great fight. Weight won’t be a factor. Romero is a flyweight who should be a bantamweight and Barrera a super bantamweight who should be a bantamweight.” . . .

Romero, the first American to win at least a share of the 112-pound title in 63 years, will make his second defense of the International Boxing Federation championship against Miguel Martinez Saturday night on a pay-per-view card at San Antonio. . . .

“Romero has a tremendous assortment of punches and never gets rattled,” Chargin said. “Barrera is tremendously determined and throws vicious body punches. He’s not afraid of anyone, including Jose Sulaiman. He told Sulaiman on national TV in Mexico what he thought about the treatment he was getting from the [World Boxing Council].” . . .

If ever an owner and a ballplayer deserved each other, it’s George Steinbrenner and Darryl Strawberry.