Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 8, 1994

This could go down as the year the Dodgers clinched the NL West title earlier than ever, but with their worst record. . . .

Plenty of good seats are still available for the series against Chicago that is scheduled to begin Friday night at Dodger Stadium. . . .

Raul Mondesi’s 15 assists in 108 games are only three fewer than Roberto Clemente had in 125 games during his rookie year of 1955. . . .

Eric Karros should drop the closed stance from his repertoire. . . .

The Dodgers didn’t think Pedro Martinez was big or strong enough to be an effective starting pitcher, but he is 10-5 for Montreal. . . .

The San Francisco defense, which used to be the best in baseball, has fallen apart. . . .

How thoughtful of the Angels and White Sox, who probably won’t work at all next weekend, to work overtime Saturday and Sunday. . . .

Where They Are Now: Former Angel broadcaster Al Conin is doing some San Diego Padre games on radio and television. . . .

Thirty years ago today, the Angels and the city of Anaheim drew up a letter of intent to build Anaheim Stadium. . . .

Can it possibly be 33 years since since Roger Maris hit 61 home runs? Maris broke the record 34 years after Babe Ruth hit 60. . . .

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Unlike Saturday in their exhibition game, the Rams should be able to score a touchdown against the Packers on Oct. 9 at Green Bay. I mean, having Chris Miller and Jerome Bettis in the backfield should make some difference. . . .

A team that wisely drafted for need was Pittsburgh, which might have the next great wide receiver in Charles Johnson from Colorado. . . .

Denver backup quarterback Tommy Maddox, who would be a rookie if he hadn’t bypassed his last two years at UCLA, could be starting for some other teams. . . .

Look for fewer long field-goal tries because of the risk of losing about seven yards under the new NFL rule. Possession of the ball has been changed to the spot of the attempt instead of the line of scrimmage after a miss. . . .

Tom Fears, the former UCLA and Ram end and New Orleans Saint coach who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has revealed that he has Alzheimer’s disease. . . .

“Don’t feel sorry for me,” Fears, 70, said at the Orange County Sports Assn. newsmakers’ luncheon. “I’m still playing golf and enjoying life.”. . .

The tight end on Scholastic Coach Magazine’s preseason prep All-American team is Tony Vella of Bishop O’Dowd in Oakland. He is the son of former Raider and USC tackle John Vella. . . .

Chapman College in Orange will resume football this season after a 60-year hiatus. The Panthers last played when the campus was on Vermont Ave. in L.A. . . .

Those starved for track and field news can dial toll-free 1-800-94-TRACK between now and Sept. 3 to hear Vic Holchak’s reports from the European circuit and the British Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C. . . .

Holchak has been reporting on big-time track and field since 1956 when, as a 15-year-old Washington High student, he wrote about the Olympic Games in Melbourne for the old Los Angeles Examiner. . . .

One reason the Kings traded Tomas Sandstrom was that they believed he would play in Europe next season, but he has renewed his contract with Pittsburgh. . . .

The Mighty Ducks showed their toughness off the ice last week when scout Alain Chainey knocked a bank robber out cold with one punch in Quebec City. . . .

George Foreman is living in a rented home at the Malibu Colony, running on the sand and training at Mickey Rourke’s gym in West Hollywood for his heavyweight title bout against champion Michael Moorer Nov. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. . . .

The first Brickyard 400 made for some great television, but ABC analyst Benny Parsons set a record for the most “Man, oh, man,” utterances during a single telecast. . . .

I thought the Maleeva sisters’ tennis rivalry was torrid until I saw brothers Geoff and Brett Bodine go at it in their stock cars. . . .

The award presentations at La Costa lasted nearly as long as Steffi Graf’s demolition of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. . . .

Expert analysis: Karl Malone, while being interviewed at halftime of the United States-Brazil basketball game Sunday by NBC’s Hannah Storm, said he had not seen any of the World Championship tournament. . . .

Few golfers ever have accomplished more than Paul Azinger did last week, even though he failed to make the cut in the Buick Open.