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Padres / Opening Day Notebook : Real Grass Makes Wiggins Real Eager to Play

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Times Staff Writer

The San Francisco Giant slogan this season is “Real grass, real sunshine, real baseball,” and it’s that real grass and sunshine that made injured Padre second baseman Alan Wiggins get itchy Tuesday. He walked out on the field before the game and suddenly felt like he wanted to play. He told team trainers he’s ready to start again, perhaps as early as today.

The Padres say no, though.

“Unless he (and his knee) gets real strong or I know he can steal bases at will, we won’t play him,” Manager Dick Williams said.

Actually, Wiggins could play as early as Friday, when the Padres meet the Braves in Atlanta, but it’s more likely that Williams will hold him out until the home opener, April 15.

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As for Carmelo Martinez, the Padres’ injured left fielder, he took batting practice and looked dapper in the Padre new pinstriped uniforms. He will undoubtedly be in the starting lineup when he comes off the disabled list, April 15.

“I think Carmelo’s lost six pounds since the operation (on his hand),” Williams said. “We had told him we wanted him down more . . . When he’s ready, he goes right back in. That (left field) is his job.”

Add pinstripes: This obviously was the Padre debut in the striped brown uniforms, uniforms that some said made them look like “tootsie rolls.” Still, Williams and the players liked them.

Said Williams: “I wore pinstripes in the Dodger organization. It was in the minors. Sparky (Anderson) and I, and Norm Sherry, and Danny Ozark, and Maury Wills. We finished fifth.”

Add Williams: He remembers an Opening Day when he and his team, the Oakland A’s, began with a doubleheader. It was his first year in Oakland.

Said Williams: “We were playing the White Sox in 1971. We lost the first game, and I took the lineup card out for the second game, and the ump said: “You still here?” Those were the (Charlie) Finley Days, remember.”

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While Padre starter LaMarr Hoyt was throwing 70 strikes in 92 pitches, Giant starter Atlee Hammaker also was making an impressive debut.

Hammaker went 6 innings, yielding three hits and two runs.

Said Padre outfielder Jerry Davis: “It looks like he’ll come at you with something hard, and then he just floats it. I saw just one fastball, and that was out of the strike zone.”

Said Tony Gwynn: “He threw me a slider that broke that much (his hands wide apart). I hadn’t seen him pitch in two years. I didn’t have a good idea what he’d throw.”

The winning pitcher was Vida Blue, whose last win was Sept. 8, 1982. Blue remembers it came against Seattle, remembers that it happened in Kansas City.

“No, I don’t know remember the zip code,” Blue said.

Chris Brown had the game-winning RBI; David Green was on base when it happened; and Vida Blue got the win. A colorful day at the ballpark.

Firsts:

Steve Garvey did the first regular-season interview.

Joe DiMaggio threw out the first pitch, a one hopper that got by the Giant catcher Bob Brenly.

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Hammaker had the first error, unable to handle a grounder from Mario Ramirez in the first inning.

Jerry Royster had the first Padre hit, a line single to right in the third inning.

Garvey got the first boos, only because he’s an ex-Dodger.

Lasts:

Giant pitcher Mark Davis was the last one to know his wife is going to have a baby. He found out after the game.

“They were supposed to tell us at 10:30 this morning, then it was 1:30 and then it’s 4 p.m.,” Davis said after the game when he finally heard the news. “Yeah, it was a pretty good day.”

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