Notes on a Scorecard - July 4, 1991

If this is the Fourth of July, it must be time for fireworks, picnics, patriotic speeches and midseason baseball awards. . . .

Best National League player--Tony Gwynn (San Diego). . . .

Best American League player--Cal Ripken (Baltimore). . . .

NL pitcher--Ramon Martinez (Dodgers). . . .

AL pitcher--Scott Erickson (Minnesota). . . .

NL comeback player--Juan Samuel (Dodgers). . . .

AL comeback player--Mark Langston (Angels). . . .

NL rookie--Jeff Bagwell (Houston). . . .

AL rookie--Mark Lewis (Cleveland). . . .

Best division--AL West. . . .

Worst division--AL East. . . .

Biggest surprise--

Minnesota. . . .

Biggest flop--Chicago Cubs. . . .

Best team--Pittsburgh. . . .

Worst team--

Cleveland. . . .

Toughest pound-for-pound--Eric Yelding (Houston). . . .

Most valuable free agent--Brett Butler (Dodgers). . . .

Most disappointing free agent--Darryl Strawberry (Dodgers). . . .

Most underrated--Ivan Calderon (Montreal). . . .

Achievement award--Nolan Ryan (Texas), 44, who pitched his seventh no-hitter. . . .

Dubious achievement award--Benito Santiago (San Diego), who nailed Manager Greg Riddoch with a batting helmet Tuesday night but allowed the Dodgers to steal four bases. . . .

Most talked-about statistic--Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak 50 years ago. . . .

Best foreign team--Toronto. . . .

Worst foreign team--Montreal. . . .

Best NL name--Heathcliffe Slocumb (Cubs). . . .

Best AL name--Hensley (Bam Bam) Meulens (Yankees). . . .

Most exciting play--Vancouver outfielder Rodney McCray crashing through the fence at Portland attempting to catch a fly ball in a Pacific Coast League game. . . .

Most intriguing possibility--Freeway World Series. . . .

Among the reasons for Cincinnati’s improvement is that Barry Larkin won the NL triple crown for June. . . .

Any list of lopsided trades this year has to include Mickey Tettleton for Jeff Robinson. Big edge to Detroit over Baltimore. . . .

Five of the eight teams in the Carolina League are located in Virginia or Maryland. . . .

Now I can better understand all the Jennifer Capriati hype. . . .

Ivan Lendl isn’t in such bad company. Neither Pancho Gonzalez nor Ken Rosewall ever won a singles title at Wimbledon. . . .

When Chris Henderson travels with the U.S. national soccer team, he brings a tutor. The 20-year-old, who is the youngest player on the team, is a junior history major at UCLA. This week, he’s staying close to home during the CONCACAF Gold Cup at the Coliseum and Rose Bowl. . . .

Besides Tracy Murray of UCLA, Doug Christie of Pepperdine is among the 17 finalists for the 12 spots on the U.S. Pan-American Games basketball team. He’s the prolific shooting 6-foot-6 point guard who couldn’t play in the NCAA tournament because of an injury. . . .

Best undrafted senior may have been Pittsburgh forward Brian Shorter. . . .

Rodney Monroe of North Carolina State wasn’t drafted until the second round because he measured only 6-1 at the Chicago predraft camp. NBA teams like their shooting guards to be bigger. Nevada Las Vegas’ Anderson Hunt wasn’t even picked. . . .

Former Laker and Clipper guard David Rivers has been selected to play in the World Basketball League all-star game Wednesday. . . .

Former Raider linebacker Rod Martin coaches the Minor League Football Alliance California Bears, who will open their home season Saturday at 5:30 p.m. against the Oklahoma City Twisters at East Los Angeles College. . . .

I’m looking forward to watching Oscar de la Hoya box in the U.S. Olympic Festival. . . .

Have you ever heard a fight promoter say the ticket or pay-per-view TV sale was going poorly? . . .

Flyweight Cecelio Espino of Monterey Park is a terrific prospect. . . .

Henry Tillman, who has lost to both of them, on an Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson fight: “It would be a battle of wills. The one who wanted it the most would win.” . . .

Michael Jordan was a convincing winner on the applause meter during the dozens of celebrity introductions before the Tyson-Razor Ruddock rematch. . . .

Ben Johnson ran 10.46 seconds when he finished seventh in that 100-meter race in France the other day. The women’s world record, set by Florence Griffith Joyner, is 10.49. . . .

The fans made a lot of mistakes in the All-Star game balloting, but the players weren’t much better when they used to vote.