Baseball America

The awards continue to roll in for Cal State Northridge's Craig Clayton. The junior right-hander received his second first-team All-American honor Thursday when Baseball America magazine announced its 14-man squad. This time, Clayton made it as a pitcher. Last week, Collegiate Baseball magazine listed Clayton as a utility player. Clayton had strong qualifications in both areas. As a pitcher, he had a 14-5 record and 2.25 earned-run average with 166 strikeouts in 160 1/3 innings. He also batted .

Baseball returns to Dodger Stadium on Tuesday, but it will be the battle of Los Angeles in the collegiate ranks, with UCLA taking on USC in a 6:30 p.m. nonconference game as part of the Dodgertown Classic. Tickets are $12 and parking is free. Both teams are 12-3. UC Irvine plays Pepperdine in a 2 p.m. game. One ticket permits admission to both games. UCLA has won 10 consecutive games and is ranked No. 9 by Baseball America. ALSO: Peyton Manning nears decision on next team Peyton Manning is proof that nothing lasts forever Peyton Manning is throwing great, former teammate says

One by one, the major league scouts line the backstop at Marina High School's baseball diamond to get a glimpse of the slugger known as "Captain Crunch." While many of his teammates still save baseball cards, Marc Newfield collects baseball business cards. Scouts from coast to coast have wooed the Marina first baseman, whose swing has been compared to Eric Davis'. Newfield earned his nickname last summer when stories of his towering home runs became legend throughout Orange County.

It's an early morning after a late night, yet Tim Wallach's dark blue Chevy pickup rolls into the restaurant parking lot right on time. Paying attention to detail is important if you want to be a major league manager. And Tim Wallach wants to be a major league manager. "That's my No. 1 goal," he says over coffee. The only questions are where and when. Six teams have changed managers this summer and could be looking for permanent replacements this winter. There will also be openings in Toronto and Atlanta, when Cito Gaston and Bobby Cox retire after the season.

Baseball--An item in Friday's edition of The Times identified Jeff Suppan as the only area player ranked in Baseball America's top 100 prospects. Brad Fullmer, from Montclair Prep, is No. 68.

Cal State Fullerton, which has lost four of its last five games, dropped to No. 3 this week in national rankings by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball. It marks the first time this season Fullerton (39-8) hasn't been top-ranked in one of the two polls. The polls disagree on the No. 1 spot. Baseball America has Florida (36-12) first, followed by USC (36-12-1), Fullerton, Florida State (39-9) and Wichita State (37-6).

First place in the Pacific 10 Southern Division will be on the line beginning at 7 tonight at Dedeaux Field when USC and UCLA meet in the first game of a three-game series. USC, ranked 13th by Baseball America, is 18-15 overall and atop the Pac-10 standings with a 9-6 record. UCLA, ranked 10th, is 16-7 overall and in second place in the conference, at 5-4.

Four of the nation's top college baseball players and two of the nation's top teams will be featured in this weekend's Anaheim Hilton & Towers tournament, which begins today at Cal State Fullerton. The Titans, ranked third by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball Magazine and second by USA Today, will face San Diego at 3 p.m. today. Georgia Tech, ranked No. 1 by Baseball America and USA Today and No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball, will play Oklahoma at 7 tonight.

Cal State Fullerton is ranked as college baseball's No. 1 team in both polls after winning the Anaheim Hilton & Towers Classic Sunday at Titan Field. The Titans (14-2) moved into the top spot in the rankings in Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America after defeating Pepperdine, Notre Dame and Texas in the tournament. Collegiate Baseball's top 10 includes Louisiana State (6-1) in second, followed by Florida State, Miami, Texas, Clemson, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Mississippi State.

Dante Powell had four hits, including a two-run homer, and three runs batted in to lead a 19-hit attack for Cal State Fullerton in a 12-2 nonconference baseball victory over Stanford in the season opener Friday at Stanford. Fullerton (1-0), ranked sixth in the country by Baseball America, scored three runs in the sixth inning and five in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Junior right-hander Mike Parisi gave up eight hits in seven innings for the victory, yielding both Stanford runs.

With Santana, there's a catch The Dodgers acquired infielder Casey Blake from the Cleveland Indians for minor league catcher Carlos Santana this time last year, to great dismay among fans that closely follow the Dodgers' farm system. Baseball America promptly ranked Santana as Cleveland's top prospect. The magazine last month ranked him as the seventh-best prospect in all of baseball, in a top-50 list that included no one from the Dodgers. At the time of the trade, the Dodgers explained their rationale: Santana would hit wherever he went, but they did not believe his defense would play in the majors, at least at catcher.

The Dodgers' playoff hopes this season may benefit from the acquisition of Manny Ramirez, but I wonder what damage will be incurred to the wonderful tradition that is Dodgers baseball. If you cut Tommy Lasorda, he'll bleed Dodger Blue. If you cut Manny, he'll simply use it as an excuse to not run out a ground ball. He is a hitting savant who understands little, and cares even less, about the sport he plays. So be careful what you ask for Los Angeles, the game (and your baseball heritage)

OFF THE WALL Looking back Because Cal Ripken Jr. will be inducted into the Hall of Fame today, it is interesting to note that on the same day 24 years ago -- July 29, 1983 -- Steve Garvey ended his National League record of 1,207 consecutive games played after dislocating his thumb in a collision at home plate with Atlanta Braves pitcher Pascual Perez. Garvey's streak is less than half of Ripken's 2,632. Garvey, a career .

Can sportswriters really be trusted with voting for football and baseball hall of fame candidates? Sportswriter Norman Chad doesn't think so. Writing for AOL, he pointed out recently that in 1936, for the first baseball Hall of Fame induction class, 11 of 226 voters didn't vote for Babe Ruth. Four of the 226 didn't vote for Ty Cobb. He found 20 of 302 voters in 1966 left a blank next to Ted Williams' name. And in 1979, 23 of 432 didn't vote for Willie Mays.

* Third baseman Kevin Howard of Miami hit a game-winning, two-run home run during the third inning of the Hurricanes' 4-2 victory Saturday over Florida Atlantic at Miami. It was his first home run of the season. Howard, from Westlake High, batted .413 with four home runs and 52 runs batted in last season and was selected Baseball America magazine's freshman of the year.

They will be strangers here, and are not expected to hang around long enough to get acquainted. Still, the Virginia Tech Hokies are excited about being the fourth-seeded team in an NCAA Regional at Cal State Fullerton, joining the Titans, USC and Loyola Marymount. Virginia Tech faces USC at 3 p.m. Friday. Fullerton and Loyola play at 7 p.m. The winning teams and losing teams play each other Saturday.

* Third baseman Kevin Howard of Miami hit a game-winning, two-run home run during the third inning of the Hurricanes' 4-2 victory Saturday over Florida Atlantic at Miami. It was his first home run of the season. Howard, from Westlake High, batted .413 with four home runs and 52 runs batted in last season and was selected Baseball America magazine's freshman of the year.

With an eye toward 1991, when it will move up to NCAA Division I, the Cal State Northridge baseball team took a giant step forward Tuesday when Scott Sharts hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning to beat USC, 4-3, at Dedeaux Field in the opener for both teams. It marked the second consecutive season Division II Northridge had beaten the Trojans on their home field.

I watched Mark McGwire with my sons this week the way I watched Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle with my father in their own amazing September, in 1961. I listened to Jon Miller and Joe Buck make home run calls on McGwire the way I listened to Mel Allen in '61, and Scooter Rizzuto. It was all baseball this week at our house, the way it was everywhere. Baseball came all the way back, because of McGwire. On Wednesday morning, when I was taking my 8-year-old to school.

Rain has wreaked havoc on the Western State Conference baseball tournament, scheduled to begin today and conclude Saturday. Coach Len Mohney, whose Canyons team was scheduled to play visiting Cerritos today at 2, decided Wednesday the Cougars' diamond was too soggy. The game has been moved to Cerritos, where the teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 11. The first game would be a makeup game of a South Bay tournament game rained out last week.