Daily News from New York, New York • 657

By STEVE SERBY 1 7 'I -1 i i 4 i v. i 1 and aching pain for a number of reasons: He is tired of repeating a personal spring training every few weeks; he is paid to pitch, whether it be to help break losing streaks or prolong winning streaks; he would like to show New York the kind of pitcher he still thinks he can be. He has been assured by Mets doctors there is no long-term risk to pitching. His New York experience has been marred and jarred by right index-finger tendinitis, acute bronchitis, shoulder cramping, flu, the elbow. "As long as I'm able to pitch, it's my job to go out there and do it." he said.

The old expression is, can a guy play hurt? I could play hurt as long as it's not going to endanger my career." The only consolation Saberhagen has is that he se FED UP: Bret Saberhagen is so frustrated by his latest injury he's pondering retirement. Daily News Sports Writer SAN DIEGO Bret Saberhagen, wracked by injury, sickness, ailment and hard luck over the course of his year and a half in New York, last night said he would consider retirement when his contract expires after the 1996 season. "I'm frustrated enough with the aches and pains I've had the last couple of years to go along with the losing. If things don't turn around into this next contract, I'll retire after this contract," Saberhagen said. "I've thought about that I'm not enjoying coming to the park as much as I did.

"As it is right now, if it was the last year of my contract down the road, this would be it I'd be calling it quits." Saberhagen is 29. "The losing is very tough to deal with," he said. "I don't want to go through a career like Nolan (Ryan) has been going through the last few years. It's not what I want to do. I want to go out there every fifth day or I don't want to go out there at all.

I'm sure when the time comes it's going to be a tough decision (but) I don't enjoy trying to rehab all the time and spending my life in the trainers' room." Saberhagen, who' signed a three-year, deal in spring training worth a guaranteed $20.15 million with deferred payments, could be headed for the DL today because of a bone fragment in the back of his right elbow. Surgery is a possibility at the end of the season, but in the meantime, Saberhagen would like to pitch through the stiffness and tenderness a kid along." Serby five homers and Most of the Padres rookies played together in the minors. "All I know, we always had fun down there," Velasquez said. "It's like I've grown up with them since A-ball." Vegas with 24 RBI. cured his lucrative contract after a 3-5 1992 season.

"The way I'm feeling, I'm kind of glad I signed the contract early on," he said. "I'm sure I could have gotten another contract at the end of the season, but who knows what type of contract with what team?" He acknowledges management's frustration with his 8-12 record as a Met but does not feel any guilt "I'm frustrated basically because of just knowing I'm supposed to be out there regardless what they think, what anybody thinks," Saberhagen said. "I'm here for a reason. I'm not here to sit here and enjoy the ride, whether it's a good ride or a bad ride. The Cy Young years, 1985 and 1989, seem like an eternity ago.

Saberhagen has resigned himself to the reality that the "superstar numbers" he expects of himself are on hold again. So he doesn't take the game home and doesn't go out as much as he used to. Except for one incident in which bar patrons cursed the Mets and Saberhagen up and left, he appreciates the way New York has welcomed him. It is not the "concrete jungle" he immediately pictured when the Dec. 11, 1991, trade for Gregg Jefferies and Kevin McReynolds was made.

It has not been the field of dreams he thought it could be after the shock wore off, either. "Right now, everything kind of seems like a pipe dream the way things have been going," he says. "It's still a dream." That's all it is. Vince Coleman was a last-minute scratch due to what team called "flu-like symptoms." Joe Orsulak led off and replaced Coleman in center. Sid and drives in runs.

Where he's different is in his wallet McGriff led the Padres' salary list at $4.25 million. Velasquez is one of 12 Padres making the major-league minimum of $109,000. Following his first season of Triple-A ball, Velasquez was a September callup last season and started at first base the last three games. He was on the 1993 opening-day roster, but primarily was used as a pinch hitter and was sent down on June 11. He said he heard McGriff trade talk nearly every day in Las Vegas, and unlike many Padres fans, was happy that San Diego didn't get Braves first base prospect Ryan Klesko.

"For me, I wait all these years for it to happen," Velasquez said. "And it happened not really the way I wanted it to happen, but it's going to give me the chance to play." Velasquez hit only .161 in 28 games with the Padres earlier this season, with no homers and nine RBI. But he hit .333 in 30 games at Las THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO There's a new show in town, produced by Tom Werner and managed by Jim Riggleman: The Rook-, ies. When first baseman Fred McGrifT was traded to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, the Padres brought up Guillermo Velasquez from the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars, giving San Diego 10 rookies on its active roster. The lefthanded Velasquez wasn't in the starting lineup against the Mets last night, but he'll have a chance to play regularly, provided that he can hit lefties.

"Defensively he's a very good first baseman," Riggleman said. "We're going to give him a shot to be the replacement for Fred McGriff. That says a lot for what we think of him." Velasquez won't give the Padres as many homers as the prolific McGriff did, but he's similar in other ways. He's big 6-3, 225 pounds Fernandez pitched two-hit shutout over five innings in second rehab start yesterday for Double-A Binghamton. El Sid threw 65 pitches and walked two with three strikeouts.

Run-down Darrfn Jackson went for checkup yesterday at Scripps Clinic and was optimistic about return of blood tests tomorrow. "I'm just a skinny twig with no power," he said. Joe Mcll-vaine on return to San Diego: "It's not strange, I just had to make sure I went in the right locker room. It's like a player being traded in midseason." Padres GM Randy Smith on Fred McGriff deal with Braves for prospects Meivfn Nleves, Donnie Elliott and Vince Moore: 'This is a long-term plan. There is no quick fix.

We're not going to rush kids to the big leagues to try to improve on this season. We're not going to jeopardize our future by rushing.