Templeton Feels Secure at Short in Padres’ Plans : Padres: He’s teaching Bip Roberts how to do his job, but has no intention of handing it over to him.

He sits in the corner of the clubhouse, slowly puffing on a cigarette, listening to his teammates telling him he’s crazy. What he’s doing, they say, is committing professional suicide.

“You’ll see,” they tell him. “You’ll see how much money you’ll be costing yourself. And if you don’t watch (out), you’ll be losing your job by the All-Star break.”

Padre shortstop Garry Templeton just laughs, blowing smoke in their faces until they eventually walk away, shaking their heads in puzzlement.

OK, so maybe it’s not the wisest career move to be providing daily instruction to Bip Roberts on the art of playing shortstop, particularly considering the way Roberts is playing this spring. Maybe it’s even more foolish considering that Templeton is 34 years old, has one bad knee, and has lost much of his speed.

But maybe, just maybe, Templeton doesn’t care about his own selfishness. If the Padres are going to benefit more by Roberts playing shortstop instead of himself, he said Thursday, so be it.

“Not many guys would do what he’s doing,” Roberts said, “helping a guy play his own position. But that’s Tempy. He’s the best, absolutely the best.

“You know I’ve heard the same thing, people talking about me taking his job. Hey, that’s something I’ve never even looked at, taking his job. As long as he’s here, he’ll be the man.

“And the way Tempy’s looking right now, man, he may never leave.”

Templeton comes into this spring camp in what he says just might be the best shape of his career. He lifted weights. He rode his bicycle. He even watched what he ate.

“Really, I don’t know when the last time I ever felt this good,” he said.

He feels so good, he says, that he invites Roberts, Joey Cora and anyone else who carries a shortstop’s glove to compete for the position. He’ll take them all on. He has been a starting shortstop for the past 13 seasons, so why should that change now?

“I don’t see anyone taking my job for at least a year,” Templeton said, “maybe, not even then. I’m going to keep helping Bip out all I can, but I’m not going to just hand him my job. He’ll get some time in there this year, which will help me out, but I’m still going to play my 130, 135 games.

“I’m not going to be one of those guys who has a big ego, thinking that if he has a big day, I’m in trouble. If Bip or Joey plays in more games this year at short, that’ll just extend my career.

“I want to help these guys become a success. I’m not going to be around forever, someone’s going to have to fill my shoes.

“But not now.”

There are those, of course, who do not share Templeton’s views. He hears the whispers. He reads the newspapers. He listens to the talk shows.

The same criticism keeps arising, refusing to go away.

Templeton’s lack of range.

“I pick up the paper, and that’s all I hear about, my bad knees,” Templeton said. “Well, I’ve got one bad knee, and it feels fine.

“I hear people say he doesn’t get to the balls he used to. Come on, now, that was 10 years ago.

“People don’t realize what I’m trying to do. Sometimes, I’m just trying to take away an area. And when Larry Bowa was here, it got to be ridiculous. He had me out of position all the damn time. Finally, I just said to him, ‘Will you let me play shortstop? You already had your time. Let me have mine.’

“Things are a lot better now under (Padre Manager) Jack (McKeon), but still, I hear people say, ‘You’re not the same shortstop as Ozzie Smith. We never should have traded Ozzie away.’ Well, look at the stats, will you? Will somebody please take a look at the stats?”

OK, you want range? Only two National League shortstops got to more balls last season, Smith and Jose Uribe of San Francisco.

You want consistency? Templeton made 20 errors for the fourth consecutive season, none in the final 24 games; was tied for second in the league with 232 putouts; and was third with 409 assists.

You want offense? Templeton batted .255 with six homers and 40 RBIs, his best offensive season since 1985.

You want leadership? Templeton is the Padre captain for the fourth consecutive season.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Padre pitcher Ed Whitson said. “The guy’s been around all these years, and he’s probably the most underrated player in this clubhouse.”

Indeed, whenever the Padres are mentioned as championship contenders the names that surface are Tony Gwynn, Jack Clark, Joe Carter, Bruce Hurst, Roberto Alomar, yeah, and even Bip Roberts.

You bring up Templeton’s name, and fans ask if he’s still playing.

“When you prove somebody wrong, you put a hush-mouth on them,” Templeton said. “And that’s what I intend to do.”

Templeton also has something else in mind. He’s been in All-Star Games. He’s been to a World Series. He’s had a few years in which he batted higher than .300.

“Yeah, I’ve done just about everything I’ve wanted,” Templeton said. “I made my money. I’ve had my good times.

“But look at my hand, man.

“It’s bare.

“I want a ring on it.

The major concern involving Templeton is the same as it’s been since his junior year in high school--his left knee.

Templeton had open surgery on the knee, which took out most of the cartilage and left the knee rubbing on bone. If it had occurred five years later, it would have been taken care of with arthroscopic surgery. But there was no such operation in existence in 1974.

He has since had two operations, the last occurring in October, in which a piece of cartilage was removed just above his knee. It has allowed him more agility, he said, acknowledging that the pain never will completely go away.

“The pain is there, and it will be there the rest of my life,” he said. “But I still go out and play, because that’s the way I was brought up, playing with pain.

“Hopefully, I’ll get out of the game before I say, ‘Damn, I can’t even walk.’ I’m sure every time I play on it, it’s not helping matters. Maybe it’s too late for me to get out of the game before I’m crippled. I do know I’ll always have problems late in life just because of the operations.

“But it’s a choice I made, and one I’m happy with.”

It’s become a time now, he said, where he’d just like to have everyone happy with him.

Padre Notes

The Padres made four errors, two by first baseman Jack Clark, leading to five unearned runs in a 13-8 loss to the Angels. They now have made 10 errors in four games. “I’m really not as concerned about my hitting as I am about first base,” Clark said. “But we just got under way. You don’t want to get too exotic out there.” . . . Clark, playing in his first “A” game of the spring, hit a monstrous home run that cleared the center-field fence and landed atop a tool shed. “It felt good to finally play in one of these things,” Clark said. “ ‘A’ games are a lot different than ‘B’ games. There’s no batting practice . . . They just throw a lot of bats and balls out there and say, ‘Go play.’ ” So which game is Clark playing today against the Seattle Mariners? “The ‘B’ game,” he said. “I guess once a B-gamer, always a B-gamer.” . . . Padre starter Dennis Rasmussen was the lone Padre pitcher who didn’t get shelled. He allowed two hits in the first inning, and then retired the next seven batters. The Padres’ next three pitchers--Ed Whitson, Dan Murphy and Ricky Bones--yielded 11 hits, 13 runs (eight earned), and nine walks in the final six innings. “We just couldn’t get over the goal line,” said Manager Jack McKeon, “all we could get was two field goals and a safety. But the most important guy was Raz (Rasmussen). We were looking closely at his control, and he didn’t walk a soul.” . . . Whitson attributed much of his poor outing--two innings, seven hits and eight runs (three earned)--to nerves. “I was just anxious, real eager, and that messed up my delivery,” said Whitson, who threw 61 pitches. “You know it’s funny. I’ve been in this game since ‘74, and I still get nervous in my first start of the spring. But show me a guy who comes to spring training and doesn’t have butterflies, and I’ll show you a failure. He’ll never make it.” . . . Pitcher Darrin Reichle became the first player optioned out of camp. More cuts are expected Friday. . . . Padre outfielder Thomas Howard went two for four, and scored two runs, but still is expected to be left off the 24-man roster in lieu of Jerald Clark.