mmf@sdchema.UUCP (Marsha Fanshier) (04/29/85)
After a year without serious injury or personnel problems the Padres have
been dealt a severe blow. Padre second baseman Alan Wiggins is again
in a drug rehabilitation center. At this time no one knows when or if
Wiggins will be back with the team. In the meantime what will this mean
to the Padres?
I don't have any sort of stats with me at this time but if I remember
correctly Wiggins was second in the league in stollen bases and first
in the league with put-outs by a second baseman. Wiggins was the leading
scorer for the Padres and his range at second-base robbed the opponents
of several baserunners. There is no one on the Padre club who can match
these kinds of stats. Besides the obvious Wiggins also contributed
to the club by shaking up opposing pitchers. It is no co-incidence that the
Atlanta brawl was started by Perez throwing a fast-ball into the ribs
of Alan Wiggins. Wigley had torn up the basepaths during the first three
of the four game series and had made the Atlanta pitchers look bad.
And, of course, when Wiggins was on base Gwynn saw a lot more fastballs.
The major problem the Padres face is a decrease in run production. When
Wiggins got on base he usually scored. At this time Royster and Flannery
are being platooned at second. They are both able infielders and might
even get more hits than Wiggins but the scoring threat just isn't the same.
The best way for the Padre team to face this challenge is for the pitchers
to give up fewer runs. That was displayed in yesterday's game against
the Dodgers (Valenzuela) where both managers played for a one run game.
Fortunately, the Padre pitchers managed to be the team to get away without
any runs scored against them.
I don't know what is going to happen to Alan. I think that if he makes
progress the team will give him one more chance. I doubt if he would
get a third. I'm curious what the commissioner is going to do here.
Does anyone have any ideas? This leaves a question in my mind about
drug abuse among these hot-shot players. San Diego lost one of their
favorite football players recently (Chuck Muncie) to this same problem.
Alan is one of the most popular members of the Padre club. Both of these
athletes are exciting to watch and catalysts to their teams. Is the
same courage and reckless abandon that makes them exciting ball players
also contribute to their potential for drug abuse and if so to what
extent should they be forgiven and understood?
Anyway, after last week when no one around here even knew if Wiggins
was alive we are at least relieved to find out he is safe. I hope to
see Wiggins return to the team this season. In the meantime this
is a serious blow to the Padres. It does not leave them a weak team
but it does leave them weakened. The roadtrip out east will be interesting.
GO PADRES!!!
Marsha
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