Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 3, 1995

When Raul Mondesi becomes eligible for free agency in the year 2000, you can be sure that the Dodgers will have to outbid the Colorado Rockies. . . .

Mondesi might hit 75 home runs some season if he were to call Coors Field home. . . .

I like high-scoring games, but what’s happening in Denver is ridiculous. . . .

It’s more home run derby than baseball. . . .

They ought to erect tall screens at Coors--like the old Chinese Wall in left field at the Coliseum, but in center and right too. . . .

Better yet, they should have made the home run distances much longer when they built the place. Didn’t they learn anything from all the cheapies hit in the thin air at Mile High Stadium? . . .

Capacity crowds are the norm, but I’m sure those fans wouldn’t mind seeing an occasional pitching duel. . . .

The Dodgers rank second in the National League to the Rockies in tickets sold with an average of 37,285. However, the total of 1,677,832 for 45 dates is down 178,433 from a year ago. . . .

Meanwhile, things haven’t changed much at Anaheim Stadium, where only 22,074 tickets were sold for the Randy Johnson vs. Murderers’ Row matchup Tuesday night. . . .

Some of the same people who questioned Fernando Valenzuela’s age are wondering if Dodger rookie reliever Antonio Osuna really is only 22. . . .

Anyone shocked by the Cleveland Indians’ success this season forgets that they were 66-47 last season. . . .

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The baseball tournament in the 1996 Olympic Games should be the best yet. . . .

The young U.S. team not only beat the Cubans in the series that concluded Tuesday for the first time since the competition began in 1986, it swept the four games. . . .

The U.S. coach is Louisiana State’s Skip Bertman, not to be confused with SCTV’s Skip Bittman. . . .

Jerry Tarkanian will have the opportunity to make a big splash early at Fresno State. The Bulldogs open their basketball schedule in the preseason National Invitation Tournament. . . .

Kris Johnson, who will be a sophomore at UCLA, has lost 27 pounds on a diet that is prepared by his mother and emphasizes vegetables. . . .

Gary Beban, Dick Butkus, Harry Gilmer, Pat Haden, Al Krueger, Doyle Nave and Ted Shipkey will be inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame next Thursday at the Court of Champions outside the south side of the stadium. . . .

Look-alikes: Bobby Bonilla and Cedric Ceballos. . . .

The PGA will present its Distinguished Service Award to Patty Berg on Wednesday at Riviera Country Club. . . .

Mike Tyson doesn’t have a trainer but has a conditioning coach, Carlos Blackwell. . . .

Blackwell says the former heavyweight champion has cut his body fat by 17% since his release from prison and expects to weigh 220, down from 239, for his Aug. 19 bout against Peter McNeeley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. . . .

Unbeaten middleweight Dana Rosenblatt resurfaces on Aug. 11 against Troy Watson in New Orleans on ESPN. Michael Nunn will fight on Aug. 15 and Danny Romero on Sept. 8. . . .

Track and field fans are in for a rare treat when ABC televises 9 1/2 hours of the World Championships from Goteborg, Sweden, the next two weekends. ESPN and ESPN2 will each televise 5 1/2 hours of competition during the week. . . .

Tom Dolan, who will swim in the 400-meter freestyle today in the nationals at the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center, was named Big Ten athlete of the year over Penn State quarterback Kerry Collins. . . .

Dolan, a nephew of former Herald Examiner editor Mary Anne Dolan, led Michigan to its first NCAA swimming title in 34 years. . . .

Not bad for someone who has exercise-induced asthma and a narrow esophagus that allows him only 20% of the normal oxygen intake. . . .

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Biggest football player in the Pacific 10 Conference is Arizona State tackle Juan Roque at 6 feet 8, 320 pounds. . . .

“That’s a muscular 320,” Coach Bruce Snyder said, “not a sloppy 320.” . . .

UCLA tackle Jonathan Ogden is 6-8, 315. . . .

“That’s a skinny 315,” Coach Terry Donahue said. . . .

Donahue told reporters and broadcasters at the Pac-10 media day: “I know most of you didn’t think I’d last 20 years. I’m kind of surprised too.”