Templeton Traded to Mets : Baseball: Riddoch denies having problems with veteran shortstop, who said he deserved better after 9 1/2 seasons with Padres. Mets send Tim Teufel to San Diego.

The chapter on almost 10 years of memories closed in one afternoon Friday as Garry Templeton cleaned out his locker, said a few parting words to the media and walked out of the Padre clubhouse for the final time after learning he had been traded to the New York Mets for infielder Tim Teufel.

Templeton talked about that magical year in San Diego, 1984, and spoke of how much he appreciated the support he received from the fans in this city.

Still, his departure wasn’t exactly sentimental. He also talked of being cast aside--as he perceives it--by Manager Greg Riddoch.

“I’m happy I’m going to a situation where they will let me play,” Templeton said. “But after 10 years, you would think you would have a chance to do more for the organization before you leave.”

Templeton will join the Mets today in St. Louis, and Teufel should be in San Diego in time for tonight’s Padre-Houston game.

“Teufel has some pop from the right side,” Padre General Manager Joe McIlvaine said. “He offers us something with the right-handed bat. I know Tim personally. . . . You always feel better when you personally know a player involved (in a trade).”

It is the first trade McIlvaine has made with the Mets, in whose organization he spent 10 years.

Teufel, who has been in the majors since 1983, can play first, second or third base. Considering Fred McGriff’s presence at first, Teufel should see most of his action at second or third.

Teufel, 32, was hitting .118 with one home run and two RBIs in 20 games for the Mets this year. He was backing up Dave Magadan at first in New York.

“I had five good years in New York,” Teufel said by telephone from the Mets’ hotel in St. Louis. “My playing time kind of declined with (Tommy) Herr, (Greg) Jefferies, and (Kevin) Miller. We had an excess of talent at one position (second base).

“I became a good bench player. All of a sudden, I found myself in a different role than I expected at this point in my career.”

Templeton, who came to San Diego before the 1982 season from St. Louis in exchange for Ozzie Smith, lost his job as a starting shortstop when the Padres acquired four-time Gold Glove winner Tony Fernandez last December.

As a “10 and 5 player”--10 years in the majors, five with the same team--Templeton, 35, had the right to reject any trade. The Padres nearly traded him to Texas over the winter, but Templeton and the Rangers couldn’t agree on contract terms.

McIlvaine kept Templeton at the end of spring training, according to sources, over the objections of Riddoch. Riddoch denied that Friday.

“False,” he said. “He made our team the same way the other guys made our team.”

Templeton hasn’t played much this season--he has batted only 57 times, compiling a .193 average--and was admittedly was unhappy with his utility role.

“I wish Garry the best,” Riddoch said. “He has a good opportunity in New York. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to play him in front of a Gold Glove winner.”

Still, Templeton doesn’t think he was treated fairly.

“I don’t really think so,” he said. “The new people never really got a chance to get to know me and see the type of person I really am.

“You think that all the things I did for the Padres, all the good times, they’d say, ‘Hey, let’s sit down and talk.’ Nobody never did that.”

He said he was more disappointed than bitter with the treatment.

“I felt somebody should have found out more about Garry Templeton,” he said. “I’ve been here 10 years, and nobody did that.”

Specifically, Templeton said he felt Riddoch was against him from the start.

“I knew he was,” Templeton said. “Because I know a lot of things that went on last year and this year. I knew I wasn’t in his favor and that it was going to be tough for me if I stayed here. It’s going to take a lot of pressure off of him knowing he doesn’t have a 15-year veteran looking over his shoulder and knowing if something went wrong that I knew about it. Now, he’ll probably be a little more relaxed.

“You would think that most managers would (want to) have a seasoned veteran like me who has been through a lot of battles, that he would want to use my knowledge and want me to share with young kids on a team.

“But I guess there is a conflict of interest between the way he thinks the game should be played and the way I think the game should be played. I’m more from the old school, and he’s more what he calls himself the new generation of managers.

“Hell, don’t ask me. I always thought baseball was played the same way it was played back when they invented it. For him to not use my knowledge and a lot of things that I know about the game is beyond me. I think that hurt me more than anything because you have to sit back and be quiet.

“When the young kids came up to me, I just said, ‘Hey, look, get away from me because I don’t want you to get into a bad situation because he feels I’m saying something to you guys.’ ”

Riddoch denied disliking Templeton, and said he only remembered one instance where he had problems with Templeton. Riddoch said that was last season at a game in San Diego.

“Last year on a bunt, he made a comment,” Riddoch said. “I called him in and said, ‘Look, what you did today questioned what we’re doing as a team. It would be the same thing if you miss a ground ball for me to question whether you’re trying.’ ”

Since then, Riddoch said, there have been no confrontations.

“That’s the only one I can think of, and that’s a very minute and trivial thing,” Riddoch said.

With the departure of Templeton, the only back-up shortstop the Padres have is Paul Faries, who earned the second base job earlier this season before going on the disabled list with a sprained ankle May 23.

When asked about the back-up shortstop situation, McIlvaine said: “There still may be something to come in the next few days.”

The trade caught the Padres by surprise. Now, only Tony Gwynn, Ed Whitson and Craig Lefferts remain from the Padres’ 1984 championship team.

“I hate to see Tempy go, man,” Shawn Abner said. “I loved him.”

Abner said he didn’t think Templeton was a negative influence in the clubhouse.

“No,” he said. “No way. That’s just from my standpoint. He always went out of his way to try and help me. He knew when to crack a joke and when to get on you. I don’t think Garry Templeton is a negative influence. Far from it.”

Gwynn was in the clubhouse when Templeton said his goodbyes.

“I wished him the best of luck,” Gwynn said. “He told me when we play the Mets, don’t hit the ball in the hole because he’s going to throw me out.

Gwynn laughed.

“I know he’s right.”

Padres-Mets Trade by the Numbers Garry Templeton

Regular Season YR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG ’76 St. Louis 2138 32 62 1 17 .291 ’77 St. Louis 621 94 200 8 79 .322 ’78 St. Louis 647 82 181 2 47 .280 ’79 St. Louis 672 105 211 62 .314 ’80 St. Louis 504 83 161 4 43 .319 ’81 St. Louis 333 47 96 1 33 .288 ’82 Padres 563 76 139 6 64 .247 ’83 Padres 460 39 121 3 40 .263 ’84 Padres 493 40 127 2 35 .258 ’85 Padres 546 63 154 6 55 .282 ’86 Padres 510 42 126 2 44 .247 ’87 Padres 510 42 113 5 48 .222 ’88 Padres 362 35 90 3 36 .249 ’89 Padres 506 43 129 6 40 .255 ’90 Padres 505 45 125 9 59 .248 ’91 Padres 57 5 11 1 6 .193 Totals 7502 873 2046 68 708 .273 League Championship Series ’84 vs. Chicago 15 2 5 0 2 .333 World Series ’84 vs. Detroit 19 1 6 0 0 .316

Tim Teufel

Regular Season YR TEAM AB R H HR RBI AVG ’83 Minn 78 11 24 3 6 .308 ’84 Minn 568 76 149 14 61 .262 ’85 Minn 434 58 113 10 50 .260 ’86 NYM 279 35 69 4 31 .247 ’87 NYM 299 55 92 14 61 .308 ’88 NYM 273 35 64 4 31 .234 ’89 NYM 219 27 56 2 15 .256 ’90 NYM 175 28 43 10 24 .246 ’91 NYM 34 2 4 1 2 .118 Totals 2359 327 614 62 281 .260 League Championship Series ’86 vs. Hou 6 0 1 0 0 .167 ’88 vs. LA 3 0 0 0 0 .000 Totals 9 0 1 0 0 .111 World Series ’86 vs. Bos 9 1 4 1 1 .444