On Farm, Bosio Is One Big Leaguer Without a Major Attitude

Chalk up another case against the image of the selfish major league baseball player.

Seattle Mariner pitcher Chris Bosio was with the JetHawks for only one day, making a rehabilitation start Monday, but he left an impression.

As soon as Bosio showed up at the ballpark in Visalia, he was clowning around with players from both teams. And he didn’t even seem to mind pitching in Visalia’s Recreation Park, which is one of the poorest in the California League.

“Baseball is baseball,” Bosio said. “It just makes you appreciate it more [when you get back to the majors].”

After Bosio had finished his work, instead of blowing out of town right away, he circulated through the crowd, signing autographs. And after the game, he bought pizzas for players on both teams.

“I don’t expect any special treatment,” Bosio said before the game. “I’m just trying to fit in here and get some work done.”

Southern exposure: It all started going south for Marty Wilson in February after he was passed over for the job of Pepperdine basketball coach in favor of Lorenzo Romar.

Soon, Romar had a new staff, leaving Wilson, whose association with Pepperdine began as a player in 1984 and ended with him serving as interim coach for half of the 1995-96 season, out in the cold.

“It was sad,” Wilson acknowledged. “Basically, Pepperdine is my home. I’ve been there a long time.”

But it was time to move on. In Wilson’s case, that meant heading south.

After being contacted by San Diego Coach Brad Holland, Wilson accepted a job as the Toreros’ top assistant, only weeks after Holland’s right-hand man, Randy Bennett, left to become Romar’s top assistant at Pepperdine.

“I think it will be good for me, for San Diego and for my family as well,” said Wilson, a former Simi Valley High standout.

Wilson, though, didn’t feel optimistic a month ago. After losing out to Romar for the Pepperdine job, he still wanted to be part of the staff.

“You don’t want to be tossed out and have to look for another job,” he said. “But I think it will work out for the better.”

Wilson moved to San Diego on Tuesday and will be joined by his wife, Myra, daughter Jessica, 4, and son Jalon, 9 months, at the end of the month. The family has been living in Canoga Park.

“I love it down in the San Diego area,” Wilson said. “I’m going from one beach to another. I can’t complain about that.”

Add Wilson: He said the strangest part about coaching at San Diego will come next season when the Toreros and Pepperdine, West Coast Conference rivals, play at Firestone Fieldhouse.

“It’s going to be weird going back and sitting on the bench on the other side of the gym,” Wilson said. “But I’m excited. I think we have a chance to be pretty good and put up a fight in the league.”

Wilson will always have a strong affection for Pepperdine’s players, but recent conversations with Wave guards Marques Johnson and Tezale Archie have made it clear he’s on the other side now.

“Basically they said, ‘Hey, coach, we’re happy for you, but we have to go against you,’ ” Wilson said. “We know we’re going to war.”

Honors

Cal State Northridge outside hitter Collin Smith and UCLA middle blocker Tom Stillwell, a graduate of Notre Dame High, were named to the all-tournament team at the UCLA volleyball tournament Saturday.

The Bruins won the four-team event and the Matadors placed third.

Quotebook

“You can hear the hecklers a lot better.”

-- JetHawk first baseman James Clifford, comparing minor league baseball to big-time college football. Clifford played linebacker at the University of Washington.

“We’re so anemic, if we were vampires, we wouldn’t be able to suck any blood.”

-- Burbank High baseball Coach Frank Des Enfants, on his team’s .217 batting average.

Stats

The Cal State Northridge volleyball team has recorded at least 50 kills in in all but two matches and more than 10 block assists in 20 of 24.

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Contributing: Rob Fernas, Jeff Fletcher, Irene Garcia, Dana Haddad.