Notes on a Scorecard - June 30, 1992

My sympathy to Dan O’Brien, Joe Falcon, Roger Kingdom, Greg Foster, Mary Slaney, Kenny Harrison and the rest of the world-class athletes who failed to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team. . . .

But none has a legitimate gripe coming. Each was given a fair opportunity in New Orleans to qualify for Barcelona. There is no need to change the system. Performance under pressure is the name of the game at the trials--and the Olympic Games. . . .

One suggestion is to have the first two finishers in each event qualify and leave the third spot open to a vote of officials. That would create more politics, which is exactly what track and field doesn’t need. . . .

Thumbs down on NBC for virtually ignoring the remarkable fourth-place finish of Thousand Oaks high school junior Marion Jones in the 200-meter dash. . . .

For the first time, Carl Lewis will be a sentimental favorite at the Olympics. . . .

As the week began, none of the six major league baseball teams in the three largest media markets--the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs and White Sox--had a winning record. . . .

When does the first half of the season count more than the second half? In All-Star game voting. . . .

Steve Sax is off to a slow start with the White Sox, but not re-signing him in 1989 remains one of the Dodgers’ biggest mistakes. . . .

All of the single-season home run hitters listed in the Dodgers’ top 10 played in Brooklyn. . . .

A couple of future Hall of Famers, Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins and Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres, continue on display in Orange and Los Angeles counties tonight and Wednesday afternoon. . . .

Thirty years ago tonight, Sandy Koufax pitched the first of his four no-hitters, a 5-0 victory over the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium. He struck out 13. . . .

No complete games were pitched in the National League during the weekend. . . .

Let’s say Magic Johnson is given medical clearance to play for the Lakers next season. A lineup of Johnson and Anthony Peeler at the guards, James Worthy and Sam Perkins at the forwards and Vlade Divac at center would give the Portland Trail Blazers a run for the Pacific Division title. . . .

Rookie guard Randy Woods might help the Clippers more defensively than offensively. . . .

And Elmore Spencer will provide them with width as well as depth. . . .

Chris McCarron’s winning ride in the Beverly Hills Handicap Sunday at Hollywood Park matched the name of his mount--Flawlessly. . . .

Look-alikes: Trevor Denman and Donald Trump. . . .

For once, I would like to see a full field for a major race at Hollywood Park. . . .

To the naked eye, it nearly always appears as though the outside horse wins a photo finish. . . .

The same fans who used to root against John McEnroe are cheering for him at Wimbledon, even though his court behavior has not improved much. . . .

USC’s 3-8 football record was the worst during the Larry Smith regime, but the team’s grade-point average of 2.78 for the spring semester was the best. . . .

A lot of people vacationing in Washington, D.C., this summer are taking side trips to Baltimore to see the new ballpark. . . .

Best fight on the schedule is the rematch of the James Toney-Mike McCallum draw Aug. 29 at Reno for Toney’s International Boxing Federation middleweight championship. . . .

The earthquakes brought a halt to activity at Larry Goossen’s gym in Big Bear. Greg Haugen and Rafael Ruelas are expected to finish training at the Ten Goose Gym in Van Nuys for their bouts July 7 at the Hollywood Palladium. . . .

The referees seemed to leave the fighters alone more than is customary during the U.S. Olympic boxing trials. . . .

Since Wayne Wright became athletic director in 1976, Pepperdine teams have won 64% of their games. . . .

For the second consecutive year, 1979 Heisman Trophy winner Charles White won the competition matching a group of past and present NFL players against the American Gladiators. . . .

In the wake of the Los Angeles riots, the number of night events at the Coliseum is decreasing. The supercross and off-road racing cards July 11 and 18 will begin at 4 p.m. . . . On the day senior pitcher Nolan Ryan won his first game of the year, senior golfer Gibby Gilbert won his first tournament in 15 years. . . .

I hope the rest of the planet will understand if most of us in the United States are more interested in the 1993 Super Bowl game at the Rose Bowl than the 1994 World Cup championship game there.