SPRING TRAINING NOTEBOOK : Whitson Is Saving His Enthusiasm for an Off-Field Event

Teammates nudged one another. Coaches charted pitches. Reporters scribbled notes.

Padre Ed Whitson, his every move being scrutinized Tuesday during his workout, couldn’t help but be amused. He realizes everyone wants to know the status of his right elbow, which underwent arthroscopic surgery in July to remove a bone spur. Maybe it really is important that he threw for 10 minutes off a dirt mound and didn’t feel a twinge.

But pardon Whitson for acting emotionless. It’s not that he’s disinterested. It’s just that he has something more important going on in his life right now.

Whitson’s wife, Kathleen, is having a baby. The Caesarean operation is scheduled March 17 in Columbus, Ohio.

Will Whitson leave spring training and be there?

You better believe it.

“This is our miracle baby,” Whitson said. “We never dreamed this would happen. Believe me, all of our prayers are answered.”

It has been nearly six years since Kathleen Whitson has been pregnant. Her last two pregnancies, in 1985 and 1986, ended in late miscarriages. Their only child, Jennifer, was born 10 years ago.

This time, the pregnancy has been just as frightening. Kathleen underwent emergency surgery in December, and spent 27 days in the hospital wondering if the baby would be kept alive. Then, she contracted a flu virus, coupled with pneumonia. It hasn’t been pleasant.

“But we should be out of the danger zone now,” Whitson said. “It’s a wonderful feeling. And you know the best part of the whole thing? It’s a boy. It’s a boy. Can you believe it?

“We’ve been wanting a boy so badly that we were even talking about adopting one. Now we’re going to have our own.

“I’ll tell you what, by the time he’s three, he’ll know how to swim, start the boat, and load and unload a reel.

“I can’t wait.”

The Padres quickly are learning that some of their best moves are ones they never made.

It was the a year ago when the Padres offered free-agent pitcher Ted Higuera a three-year contract in excess of $11 million, only to lose him to the Milwaukee Brewers. It turned out to be a stroke of good luck, considering Higuera underwent rotator-cuff surgery and continues to be bothered by shoulder problems.

This year, it happened again. After attempting this winter to trade for Carlos Quintana of the Boston Red Sox, the Padres were fortunate they never made the trade. Quintana was involved in a serious automobile crash over the weekend in Venezuela, and will be out at least four months.

“I was just thinking about that,” McIlvaine said. “It’s a real shame what happened.”

Padre Notes

Padre Manager Greg Riddoch, on the absence of bullpen stopper Randy Myers: “There’s too many good things going on. I don’t want to judge other people on what I would do. If it were me, I would be here like some of the other guys trying to get an edge, but that’s just me.” . . . The Colorado Rockies, according to sources, are close to signing a spring-training agreement with Tucson, Ariz. Once the Rockies move to Tucson, city officials say, they will attempt to lure either the Padres or Seattle Mariners to Tucson. The Padres acknowledge that they have interest in moving to either Tucson or Sun City (near Phoenix), Ariz., but aren’t expected to make a decision until April. . . . One of the fan letters awaiting the Padres when they arrived to Yuma was addressed to, believe it or not, Jack Clark. . . . Discovered on the aluminum bleachers at the Padres’ complex: an autograph of former Padre third baseman Jack Howell, who finished training camp in Yuma last week with the Yakult Swallows. . . . Reliever Mike Maddux on driving through the sand dunes to Yuma: “Well, I got my car sanded for free. Now, I just have to get it primed. . . . The Padres were serenaded during the day by a five-piece heavy-metal band. No one seemed to know where they came from. . . . Stat of the day, courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau: The Padres have used 72 third basemen during their 23-year history. The only major league teams who have used more since 1969 have been the San Francisco Giants (75) and Oakland Athletics (74). In fact, the only third baseman to play more than 400 games for the Padres was Luis Salazar, and it took three tours of duty. . . . The Padres signed second baseman Luis Lopez, and pitchers Frank Seminara and Doug Brocail on Tuesday to one-year contracts. They have 16 unsigned players, who have a March 4 deadline to reach an agreement.