NOT A QUESTION MARK : Riddoch, in Crossfire Last Season, Now Calls More of Shots

Everyone gave it their best shot, didn’t they? They embarrassed him. They ridiculed him. They mocked him. They did everything they could to drive him out of San Diego.

There were players who ripped him behind his back in the clubhouse, and then cut loose with a venomous attack once they went out the door. There were reporters and broadcasters who were unrelenting, portraying him as a laughingstock. Even the front office idly stood by, waiting as long as possible before assuring him that he’d even be back.

Padre Manager Gregory Lee Riddoch might have more wrinkles in his face, less hair atop his head and a softer midsection, but he has survived.

As the Padres open their 1992 season against the Cincinnati Reds at 11:05 a.m. (PST) today at Riverfront Stadium, the questions are:

- How will the rotation perform, considering the Padres have one pitcher who hasn’t started a game since 1983 and another who wasn’t good enough to stay on the New York Yankees’ 40-man roster?

- How will new third baseman Gary Sheffield perform? Will he live up to his potential and be an All-Star, or be the discontented, injury-plagued player he was in Milwaukee?

- How will Tony Fernandez fare as the leadoff hitter? He batted only .196 in that role last season and reluctantly accepted the assignment this season.

- When will All-Star catcher Benito Santiago be traded, and when he goes, will the lineup collapse?

Funny isn’t it? Spring training has come and gone, and not once has anyone mentioned Riddoch’s job security.

Riddoch, with a one-year contract that will pay him $225,000, does not have a single guarantee from the front office that he’ll be around to see the end of the season. But if you pay attention to the silly rumors in the baseball world, Padre General Manager Joe McIlvaine has a better chance of leaving before Riddoch.

What gives? How can the man who was supposed to be in over his head in his first full year as manager of the Padres suddenly turn into Walter Alston?

“You can just see the difference in him, everyone can,” said Padre veteran Larry Andersen. “He’s so much more relaxed, more self-assured. I think everyone saw the adversity he came into last spring, and we all kind of rallied around his attitude, and it worked.

“There were a lot of skeptics in here last year, guys who didn’t believe in him. Some didn’t think he’d be around long, anyway, so they didn’t bother listening to him.

“Everyone knows now we’re going to do things his way, whether you like it or not.”

Riddoch still isn’t considered a tyrant, or even authoritarian. He has yet to knock over the clubhouse food table after a game or lapse into any obscenity-laden tirades. He does not openly criticize players, dealing with such matters in private.

If Riddoch’s style is wrong, then why did the Padres overachieve last season by finishing in third place, ahead of the San Francisco Giants and Reds? Why does catcher Benito Santiago say his relationship with Riddoch is the best he ever has enjoyed with a manager? And why does right fielder Tony Gwynn say this is one of the Padres’ most harmonious teams ever?

“Greg went through a lot of adversity last year,” McIlvaine said, “and I think it made him better. Last year, I think he had some doubts whether he could do the job or not. You don’t see those doubts anymore.

“He runs his team the way he wants, and I don’t interfere.”

Indeed, the Padres’ opening-day roster is almost exactly to Riddoch’s specifications. There are no Garry Templetons hanging around. There are no Marty Barretts or Jim Presleys. Riddoch picked the players he wanted to survive the cuts this spring, and McIlvaine approved every move.

“I think everyone understands now,” Riddoch said, “I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to win.

“People can say what they want about me. They can attack me. I don’t care. I’m going to do it my way, and I think it’ll prove to be the right way.”

The Padres, thanks to Riddoch’s influence, have made drastic personnel changes over the past 1 1/2 years. Gone are those he believes are cancers in the clubhouse. And no longer are there players on the roster who couldn’t make any other team.

Perhaps there’s no better indicator of Riddoch’s motives than the Padres’ recent acquisition of Sheffield. Labeled a troublemaker and malcontent in Milwaukee, Sheffield criticized virtually every person in the Brewer organization the past few years.

When Phil Garner became the new manager of the Brewers during the winter, Sheffield was his biggest worry. Friends and associates advised him to get rid of Sheffield. It’s either you or him, they said.

So when the Padres had a chance to acquire Sheffield, what did Riddoch do? He lobbied to make the trade. He heard the same horror stories as everyone else, but instead of viewing Sheffield as a threat, Riddoch supported the trade.

“I knew he would make us a better team,” Riddoch said, “and that’s what was most important. If I was insecure about my job, maybe I’d be hesitant. But I want to win, and I know that young man can help make us a winner.”

It was also Riddoch who pushed ownership to acquire free agent second baseman Kurt Stillwell. Riddoch also persuaded McIlvaine to allow Craig Lefferts the chance to become a starting pitcher and to trade Bip Roberts.

The product of all those maneuvers takes the field today--a lineup the Padres believe can match up with anyone.

The pitching staff still poses a concern, McIlvaine said. It would have been nice, he said, if ownership would have allowed him to sign free-agent outfielder Danny Tartabull. And he winced when he talked about how close he came to acquiring center fielder Sammy Sosa from the Chicago White Sox in a trade last week.

Still, all in all, McIlvaine said, the team is a contender.

“Our team is so much more settled than last year,” McIlvaine said. “I hate to say it, but last year, we had to run a tryout camp. You won’t see that this year. There has been a tremendous amount of change and transition here, but I think you’ll see evidence of what we have done this year.”

Padre fans have heard such talk before. Twice in the last three years, the Padres have been predicted to win the division, only to disappoint the faithful. Perhaps Padre fans simply have become wary of false hope.

“We’re very close to having a chance to win again,” McIlvaine said, “but I don’t think the fans in San Diego have a clue (how close they are). The problem with people in this city is that they jump to conclusions before they even see people play.

“I just want them to give us a chance.”

Said Riddoch: “If they do, they could be in for a big surprise. Look at me.”