PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK : In the Early Going, Sheffield Is Making McIlvaine Look Good

HOUSTON —  It’s too early to be cocky about a trade working out for the best, but after the first 11 games of the season, Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, can not help being a bit smug.

McIlvaine, harshly criticized for trading for Gary Sheffield three weeks ago, sits back now with a look of contentment. After all, where would the Padres be after 11 games of the season if not for the acquisition of Sheffield?

“Maybe now people will realize I know what I’m doing,” McIlvaine said. “Then again, nobody believes what I say.

“I knew what this kid could do. I’ve seen him play since he was 14 years old. I knew all along how much he could help us.

“But what bothers me the most is that people make judgments before they even seen these guys play. Just like the Toronto trade. People who hadn’t even seen Fred (McGriff) or Tony (Fernandez) were critical.”

Sheffield, who hit only two homers and drove in 22 runs all of last season, already has hit two homers with 11 RBIs in the first 11 games of the season.

“From Day 1 in Milwaukee,” McIlvaine said, “he was asked to carry the entire load, and that wasn’t fair. Here, he doesn’t have to do that. It doesn’t hurt either that he’s batting between Tony Gwynn and McGriff. They’ve got to pitch to him now.

“Believe me, the addition of Gary has made us a very solid, complete team. We can compete with anybody with what we’ve got.”

Who has the highest on-base percentage among active players in baseball?

Try Randy Milligan of the Baltimore Orioles at .490.

The top five: Milligan, Wade Boggs of Boston, .431; Ricky Henderson of Oakland, .403; and the Padres’ McGriff and Dave Magadan of the New York Mets, .391.

The Padre front office and manager Greg Riddoch had a six-hour seminar Friday afternoon with media consultant Andrea Kirby, who provided expertise on dealing with the media.

“It’s good to see yourself in front of the TV,” McIlvaine said. “It’s kind of like a refresher course.”

Around the basepaths: Padre chairman Tom Werner is not the only one concerned with the economic climate of baseball. Listen to Texas Ranger pitcher Nolan Ryan, who no longer is interested in buying a team: “In today’s baseball climate, I certainly wouldn’t invest as an owner. There’s just too many things that are unpredicatable. The popularity of the game won’t change, but when you factor in the salary structure, the upcoming negotiations on TV, and the labor issue, I think I’ll stick with cattle. I’ll just worry about droughts.” . . . Padre bullpen stopper Randy Myers was clocked at 95 m.p.h. on a JUGS radar gun in San Francisco. . . . Reliever Mike Maddux (strained elbow) pitched on the side before Friday’s game, and still is on schedule to come off the disabled list April 24. Right-handed reliever Jeremy Hernandez is the likely candidate to be optioned to triple-A Las Vegas when Maddux returns. . . . Outfielder Oscar Azocar might be starting a new fashion trend. He has begun wearing a new brand of baseball cleats. You guessed it--the brand that uses the pump. . . . Shortstop Andujar Cedeno is the first Latin player produced by the Astros to make the majors since Cesar Cedeno (no relation) in 1970. . . . The Cleveland Indians are the youngest team in the majors this season at 26.4; the Astros check in at 26.9. . . . Montreal Expo reliever Bill Landrum on his departure from the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which he was to be paid $1.7 million: “Getting released by the Pirates is like winning the lottery, and losing your ticket.” . . . Texas Rangers outfielder Ruben Sierra, on how good the club will be when second baseman Julio Franco returns to their starting lineup: “Maybe we’ll go to another planet. This is just the beginning.” . . . McIlvaine is familiar with Astros catcher Scott Servais. He selected him in the second round of the 1985 June Free Agent Draft, but could not sign him. . . . It should be an interesting winter for the Oakland Athletics. They have 14 players eligible for free agency.