BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Real Umpires Receive a Big Welcome

A bouquet of roses awaited their arrival, and when the umpires walked onto the field for the first time in nine months, Ed Montague walked slowly up the first-base line, carrying a sign:

“Thanks Fan’s for Your Support.”

OK, so maybe the umps still need to work on their grammar, but never have they been so happy to see a ballpark.

“I can’t tell you how good it is to be back,” crew chief John McSherry said. “You don’t realize how much you miss it.”

Said Dodger second baseman Delino DeShields: “There’s an appreciation for these guys that maybe wasn’t there before. I think we learned pretty quick how important these guys are to our game.”

*

Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo, who camouflaged his feelings after his debut, revealed Wednesday that the game was the greatest thrill of his career.

“I’ve been pitching since I was 16,” Nomo said, “but I never felt a feeling like I did (Tuesday). It was a very special feeling. It’s one I never will forget. I’ve gone through a lot, but believe me, this was worth the wait.”

*

Dodger rookie outfielder Todd Hollandsworth, who was looking forward to starting his first game in front of his family, instead experienced a sharp pain in his right hand during batting practice. He was scratched from the game and X-rays revealed a small broken bone in his wrist. He will be examined in Los Angeles today. . . . Scouts who watched Todd Worrell pitch two hitless innings Tuesday said it was the best he has looked in two years. “I’ve never seen him throw a curveball as well as he did,” one scout said. “It looks like he’s abandoned his slider, and now his curve is like a slurve. He looked like a completely different pitcher to me.” . . . Dodger President Peter O’Malley, who attended Nomo’s debut at Candlestick Park, was on his way to Tucson on Wednesday to watch Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park pitch for triple-A Albuquerque. . . . Ismael Valdes will remain in the Dodger bullpen until his next scheduled start Tuesday night against San Diego. . . . If the Padre rotation does not change, Fernando Valenzuela is scheduled to face the Dodgers on Wednesday. . . . Dodger reliever Rudy Seanez’s fastball was clocked at 97 m.p.h. during Tuesday’s game.