Notes on a Scorecard - Aug. 23, 1995

If it weren’t for the Tornado, this would be the year of the Rocket in L.A. . . .

As it is, Ismael (Rocket) Valdes leads his friend and fellow Dodger starter Hideo (Tornado) Nomo in victories, 11-10. . . .

My belief is that Valdes, who turned 22 on Monday when he won his sixth decision in the last seven, will have a more productive career here than the much more publicized Nomo, 26. . . .

Nomo may succumb to some incredible offer to return to Japan in the near future. No such offers will come Valdes’ way from Mexico. . . .

Also, Nomo, with his forkball delivery, is more susceptible to arm problems than is Valdes. . . .

Remember when home run distances were posted in both feet and meters at many major league parks in anticipation of what was supposed to be a conversion to the metric system? The signs still are up at Olympic Stadium in Montreal. . . .

Something is screwy when the first game of the Angel-Boston Red Sox series at Anaheim Stadium draws a smaller crowd than the Minnesota-Texas and Baltimore-Seattle matchups the same night. . . .

The Angels rank eighth in average home attendance among the 14 American League teams. . . .

You know it is getting late in the season when only five more promotions are left on the Dodger Stadium schedule. . . .

Thumbs up to the Philadelphia Phillies for refusing to blame Jim Fregosi for the team’s slide and, instead, giving him a one-year extension. . . .

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I liked the Dallas Cowboys’ old uniforms better. The new ones are too busy. . . .

The best uniforms in sports are simple and classic: The Yankees’ and Dodgers’ in baseball, Green Bay’s in football and Boston’s in hockey and basketball. . . .

Running back Blair Thomas, who was taken No. 2 overall by the New York Jets in the 1990 draft and was cut by the Atlanta Falcons on Monday, figures prominently on any NFL all-flop team. . . .

Jack Faulkner, St. Louis Ram quality-control expert and the only team executive still working in Anaheim, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Miami of Ohio, on Aug. 31. Faulkner played for Sid Gillman at the Cradle of Coaches. . . .

Lucky Texas Tech. Coming off a 55-14 defeat by USC in the Cotton Bowl, the Red Raiders will open their season Sept. 9 at Penn State. . . .

College football arrives on the tube this weekend with Michigan-Virginia on Saturday and Ohio State-Boston College on Sunday. . . .

Forum Boxing, Inc., will stage its 13th anniversary show Monday night, featuring a 12-round super-bantamweight bout between Jesse Magana and Joe Manzano. It will be the 17th program this year at the Forum and 245th in the series that has emphasized competitive matches and produced an uncommon number of major upsets. . . .

Genaro Hernandez, who challenges Oscar De La Hoya Sept. 9 at Caesars Palace, will spar with unbeaten Shane Mosley on Saturday at 1 p.m. at East Los Angeles College Stadium. Admission is $5 and proceeds will go to a scholarship fund at the school. . . .

Mark Kriski, Channel 5 weatherman, claimed the other morning that he could do a better job of ring announcing than Jimmy Lennon Jr. Peter Broudy of the Olympic Auditorium challenged Kriski to speak up or shut up. So he will work a fight on Thursday’s card. . . .

It’s a longshot because Cigar is so talented, but a competitive Cigar-Thunder Gulch rivalry would be just what horse racing needs. . . .

The hot rider at Del Mar is Chris McCarron. . . .

Thirty-something: The top four players on the Miller Lite Beach Volleyball Tour, which has a stop at the Hermosa Beach Pier from Friday through Sunday, are Karch Kiraly, 34; Mike Dodd, 38; Mike Whitmarsh, 33, and Adam Johnson, 30. . . .

The indoor U.S. volleyball team will seek a spot of revenge against Italy tonight at the Forum. Italy won, 3-0, in the Centennial Cup last week in Atlanta. . . .

In what is supposed to be a time of austerity for college athletes, the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles newsletter reports that NCAA officials have had meetings this year at such tony resort areas as Beaver Creek, Colo.; Nantucket, Mass.; Hilton Head Island, S.C; Whitefish, Mont.; Cape Cod, Mass.; Bar Harbor, Me.; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Teton Village, Wyo.; Palm Desert, Coronado and Lake Tahoe. . . .

Only three more weeks until the opening of NHL practice.