Padres Say Governor Is a Good Catch

Who needs a scouting network when you have newspapers?

After a picture showing Gov. Pete Wilson making a one-handed catch of an orange at a Stanford University speech made the front page of local newspapers, the San Diego Padres last week offered, and Wilson signed, a one-year contract to play for the ballclub--for $1.

“I’m delighted to be with my hometown ball club. It’s the realization of a boyhood dream,” the would-be center fielder said in a press release.

In a letter last Thursday to Wilson, Padres President Richard J. Freeman praised him for his “tremendous” catch of the orange thrown at him by hecklers who opposed Wilson’s recent veto of gay-rights legislation.

“It’s obvious that you have the natural instincts to make the tough plays,” Freeman wrote.

Wilson, who was a center fielder and pitcher in high school at Country Day in St. Louis, will be hard at work preparing for next year’s spring training camp, said spokesman Franz Wisner.

“The governor has fielded some tough questions from the press and batted down some bad legislation. With that kind of experience, I’m sure he’ll do quite well with the Padres,” Wisner said.

Members of the gay and lesbian community had expressed intense anger at Wilson for his Sept. 29 veto, rioting in some cities and throwing fruit and vegetables at him while he spoke at Stanford University last Tuesday.

He caught an orange that was thrown at him during the appearance and lobbed it back into the crowd.

Doug Case, a gay community activist in San Diego, said Monday that he opposed the violent tactics applied by some activists against the governor, but said that it was “unbecoming of the stature of the office of the governor to be throwing objects at demonstrators.”

Case said it was unclear whether the Padres’ offer was a political statement or simply a sports gesture. Officials for the ballclub declined to comment.