Eric Show Draws Public’s Wrath : Padre Bothered by Negative Publicity

There are times when Eric Show thinks most of the world is rooting against him.

He thinks a lot of nonpartisan baseball fans were delighted with his ineffectiveness in the 1984 postseason. And he knows what partisan Padre fans thought when they booed him last Sunday at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Why has Show drawn the public’s wrath?

He thinks he knows the answer to that, too. It all began when he signed autographs for the right-wing John Birch Society at last year’s Del Mar Fair.

Show is still bothered by the negative publicity he has received because of his affiliation with the Birch Society. And he becomes upset when fellow baseball players receive what he perceives as positive attention for drug-related problems.

“When a guy gets caught with drugs and comes back, he’s a hero,” Show said. “When another believes in traditional American values, suddenly he’s a criminal. It shows the general mentality of people. I think their priorities are wrong for the most part. It’s not that mine are right.”

Show, who will pitch the second game of today’s doubleheader at Cincinnati, has undergone an image change in the last year.

He was perceived as an outspoken intellect who had a philosophy for everything. Now, he admittedly is classified for his affiliation with the Birch Society.

A year later, Show still thinks he did the right thing by speaking out on his beliefs.

“I don’t think in terms of regretting what I did,” he said. “I don’t feel glad or sorry about what I did. I just felt it was something that had to be done.”

Show drew attention Sunday in his last start against the Mets when he tipped his cap in sarcasm to the fans who were booing him as he left the field.

He thinks that was something that had to be done, too.

“I just thought that I’d show my appreciation to them for the booing,” Show said. “They pay money and have the right to do what they want. I know that if I put together good games, they’ll cheer.

“There are a lot of real good fans in San Diego I like as people first and fans second. The faithful fans are the ones at most games who write me positive letters. There’s a small but vocal amount of fans who are sour apples. Usually, the most vocal fans are the people who are very frustrated with their own lives.”

Lately, Show has been frustrating the Padres. In his last three starts, he has allowed 13 runs (10 earned) in 14 innings and walked 6.

Manager Dick Williams said Show has been “frustrated and fighting himself.” Show, who has had philosophical differences with his manager in the past, agrees this time.

Show is seeking to regain the form he had earlier this season. In his first start at San Francisco, he pitched a four-hit shutout, struck out 11 and did not walk a batter. Through eight starts, he was 4-2 with a 2.87 earned-run average. But with three straight bad starts, he is 4-3 with a 3.57 ERA.

“I easily could’ve won six of my first eight starts,” Show said. “I didn’t have a lot of runs to work with. Since my last three have been bad, some people think all of my starts have been bad. I shouldn’t be penalized for that.”

Show considered the recent booing as his “penalty.”

In self-defense, he recited a couple of stats from 1983 and 1984. He was the team’s only 15-game winner both years, and he led the team in innings pitched each season.

However, Show will long be remembered for his miserable 1984 postseason. In three starts, he allowed seven home runs in eight innings.

“I definitely have that hanging over my head,” Show said. “The only thing is, if people get on me about the World Series and playoffs, I’d sure like some defense sometimes. A lot could be said in my favor. I have led the team in wins and innings pitched the last two years, and I was the team’s worst supported pitcher last year.”

The Padres averaged 3.66 runs in Show’s 32 starts in 1984, fewer than they scored for any other starter. Show was the 14th-worst supported National League pitcher with at least 10 starts.

Recently, Show has found few supporters. After Sunday’s game against the Mets, he was upset when a San Diego reporter quoted anonymous Mets as saying Show was a thrower instead of a pitcher.

“If I’m a thrower, I should continue to be a thrower,” Show said. “No one says what I do well. When things go wrong, everybody says I become unnerved, rattled and tense. Everybody gives me advice.”

How does Show deal with adversity?

“God is the only thing that keeps you stable through rocky times,” he said. “If my whole life depended on whether people liked me, I’d have to exemplify far different behavior than I exemplify now. I’d have to say only what people want to hear. But my life doesn’t depend on what people think of me.”