Padre Notebook : As Promised, Bowa Is Giving Players Run of the Place

While your Runnin’ Padres began looking a bit like death and smelling a lot like analgesic balm Friday afternoon, longtime Padre coach and clubhouse assistant Whitey Wietelmann remembered this Cy Young story.

“Ol’ Cy used to tell me, for the first two weeks of spring training, he never touched a ball, all he did was run,” said Wietelmann, a former player. “Then the first time he threw, his legs were so strong, he could throw through a wall.”

Hearing the story later, Manager Larry Bowa raised his eyebrows.

“That so?” he said. “If you find Cy, bring him into camp.”

Hearing the same story, Mark Davis lowered his head.

“I don’t believe it,” he said, wiping his face. “If you check it out, I bet ol’ Cy was sneaking out to the mound and throwing at night.”

Despite the fact there was no such thing as a pitchers mound when ol’ Cy played, Bowa and Davis properly outlined the theme of the first full week of Padres spring training.

The manager is living up to his promise that his players will run until they have legs enough for August.

The players are taking it as if it were cough medicine.

“I have never run this much before here,” said pitcher Andy Hawkins, in his 10th Padres’ camp. “But I guess it can’t hurt you.”

“It’s different,” Davis admitted. “But it has to be good.”

The main thrust of Bowa’s physical regiment--extended running before, during and after workouts--continues to be directed at his pitchers.

This is why they came to camp five days earlier than the position players, unusual for the Padres. And this is why, if they think the organized runs will end with spring training, they have another two-mile think coming. Pitching coach Pat Dobson has promised to continue the group workouts throughout the season.

“Last year early, our starters couldn’t get us deep into a game because their legs went out,” Bowa said. “Your legs go out, you lose your push, so your arm is forced to do all of the work. Your arm becomes lazy, and the ball gets up.”

Hawkins put it another way: “Once your legs get tired, it’s all over. The ball goes from way down there to way up here .”

If that happens early this year . . . well, Dobson said that better not happen early this year.

“What this starting staff needs is to consistently get us into the sixth and seventh inning, that’s all,” he said. “We don’t need complete games heroes one start and shelled in the third inning the next start.

“You get us into the seventh inning allowing four runs or less, we got a chance. Our starters this year have got to give us a chance.”

They will, as soon as they catch their breath.

“I know, the players are saying they are sore and stiff, but it’s natural,” Bowa said. “No matter what they did, they would be sore and stiff.”

For the entire team, the two-mile run is developing daily intrigue. Friday, for the first time in three runs, rookie pitcher Greg Harris was defeated. Second baseman Joey Cora, who had finished second twice, took the lead early, and then held off a strong closing kick by Harris for his first victory.

“I got him, I got him!” shouted Cora after crossing the imaginary finish line in the left-field corner of one of the practice fields. “He’s always caught me before, but now, forget that!”

Finishing a surprising fourth was outfielder Carmelo Martinez, who shouted, “How about that! Two Puerto Ricans in the top four! Yeah, man!”

Remember, Bowa says these things aren’t supposed to be competitive.

“Well, OK, I don’t mind it like this,” Bowa admitted.

Last among finishers for the second consecutive day was Keith Moreland, who walked some of the course. Not finishing was first baseman John Kruk, still battling the flu.

Progress has been made in the contract negotiations of Benito Santiago, the 1987 rookie of the year. There are even hints that differences might be resolved before the Padres’ mandatory March 4 signing date, when unsigned players’ contracts are simply renewed at the club’s figure.

Sources say the Padres have improved their offer from $140,000 to the mid-$150,000 range. Joe Maenza, Santiago’s Florida-based agent, talked to Padres General Manager Jack McKeon Friday morning and seemed pleased.

“I’ll know better about it (today), but at this point we are closer than we were last week,” said Maenza, who has been demanding $180,000.

At this time last week, Maenza was considering asking Santiago to walk out of camp in protest. That no longer seems to be an option.

“I don’t anticipate that happening now,” said Maenza, whose Davimos Sports firm also involves ex-major leaguer Manny Sanguillen and handles many accounts of Puerto Rican players. “Benny’s job is to play baseball. We just want what other rookies of the year get.”

One figure has come from last year’s top rookies--Kansas City’s Kevin Seitzer has signed for $175,000. He finished second to Oakland’s Mark McGwire, who is asking for $200,000.

Based on their statistics, as opposed to Santiago’s, an offer in the low $160,000s would likely be acceptable to the Padres and Maenza.

“All we want is what is fair,” Maenza said.

Said McKeon: “We talked but then, we’ve been talking. We think we do have a fair and reasonable offer.”

The list of unsigned Padres dropped to 17 Friday with the signing of Greg Harris, Brad Pounders and Roberto Alomar.

The big names are still unsigned, including Santiago, Kruk, second baseman Randy Ready and reliever Lance McCullers.