Show to Talk to Gwynn After Dugout Dispute

Eric Show of the Padres, who exchanged harsh words with Tony Gwynn after an 11-2 loss to the Giants Sunday, said Tuesday he planned to talk with Gwynn about the outburst.

“I’m sure that everything’s going to be OK,” Show said. “I think a lot of this has been blown up a little. Tony and I have always been, I thought, good friends. I’d just like to talk to him about this.”

Show gestured angrily toward the playing field and had words with Manager Larry Bowa when he was removed from Sunday’s game after giving up four runs--three unearned--in one-third of an inning.

“His job is to get outs,” Gwynn said of Show in published reports Monday. “Our job is to make it easier for him to get outs. There was an error (by Garry Templeton) and a bad decision (by John Kruk, making a late throw to third) that opened up the door for it. But that’s part of the game. I don’t particularly like people coming in here and saying they’re not getting support after they’ve been taken out of a game. Obviously, we made some mistakes, and they cost us. But it just doesn’t happen when he’s on the mound. Sometimes you’ve just got to tough it out.”

Said Carmelo Martinez: “That’s nothing new for Eric. He’s always complaining. . . . He gets so much into the game that he forgets about other people. He’s just thinking about himself.”

On Monday, Show said: “Tony has popped off about me. I realize that Tony is a very good player and a lot of things he says carry a lot of weight. So, I’m at a disadvantage, but Tony is not God. Yet, people take what he says as gospel because he’s hitting .360.”

But by Tuesday, Show--who is 2-9 with a 4.14 earned-run average--was trying to downplay the incident.

“If I’ve been wrong about some things I want to know,” Show said, “and if I feel I’ve been a little mistreated, I hope he understands that too and we can come to some kind of terms here. I’m not interested in prolonging any type of bad feelings.”

Before Tuesday’s game, Gwynn said: “We try to win for everybody. . . . I’m through talking about the matter. I’m playing baseball now.”

Show met with Bowa before Tuesday’s game, but neither would comment on the meeting.

“I’m really sorry any actions I had were misinterpreted as some sort of demonstrative--I don’t know what the word is I’m looking for--put down,” Show said.

“There was a misunderstanding. “I’ve always said we win as a team and we lose as a team and I’ve never, ever criticized anybody by name in the paper or talked about what went on behind closed doors or never, ever have I criticized a defensive error or physical error.”

Show, who had allowed just seven earned runs in 31 innings before Sunday, said he simply was frustrated.

“With the way things have gone, I don’t know a human being who wouldn’t be. But I’m not crying,” he said. “Show me a quote in the last two years where I’ve complained about the lack of support on this team. That I’ve said. Other people have yelled at me about it and said I’ve complained. Bring it to light. If I’ve done it, I’d like to see it too. But I don’t think I have.”

Said Templeton: “There’s a lot of frustration there. Eric is an emotional player. He’s always been like that. He tends to get on his teammates. He pitches his (rear) off and we don’t get runs. It seems to happen to Eric a lot, but it’s not planned. It just happens that way.”

Said pitcher Dave Dravecky: “I would imagine over the past few years things have mounted. But I don’t think Eric has changed in any way. He’s the same person he’s always been.”

Is Show happy being a Padre?

“That’s a Catch-22 too,” Show said. “If I am, I’m a masochist. If I’m not, I want a trade. I can’t answer that at this time.”