PADRES UPDATE : NOTEBOOK / BOB NIGHTENGALE : Padres Finally Admit Spring Was Filled With Discontent

The Padre players refused to publicly admit it. They didn’t want anyone thinking they were a bunch of malcontents before the season started. But yes, they confessed Sunday, they were disgruntled this spring and first few days of the season over Greg Riddoch’s managerial techniques.

They wondered why in the world they had to have daily meetings for infielders, for outfielders, for pitchers, and for everyone as a group. And while they were griping, why did they have to stretch before each game, when they never before stretched as a team.

“All the little things that people bitched and moaned about,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said, “people are believing now. We believe in ourselves. And we believe in what Greg is doing.”

Said second baseman Bip Roberts: “At first, it just didn’t seem right. But it is right. It’s making us do things as a team.

“Now, we don’t have time to complain. If you do, you have three guys telling you to shut up and do the job.”

Funny, what winning can do for team harmony, huh?

Padre reliever Larry Andersen, who is deeply concerned that his neck still has not improved despite taking heavy medication the past few days, likely will have a Magnetic Resonance Imaging test performed on his neck in San Diego.

“I’m not a doctor,” he said, “but I can’t imagine coming up with a stiff neck five or six team a season without a cause. It just doesn’t seem right.”

Andersen, who has had occasional neck problems in the past, said that three times since late February he has been inflicted with his neck woes. The first occurred in February when he picked up his suitcase for spring training. Then, in March he awoke to look at this alarm clock, and felt a sharp pain in his neck. And now, awaking with a stiff neck on opening day, the pain has yet to go away.

“I keep waiting for Joe (McIlvaine) to walk by and say, ‘Why did I sign you,’ ” said Andersen, who signed a two-year, $4.35 million contract as a free-agent in the off-season. “This whole thing is baffling to me. It usually goes away, but it scares me that it just continues to linger.”

Andersen warmed up in the ninth inning Sunday, just in case he’d be needed, but said that he still felt stiff, and likely would be ineffective.

“I was decent, and I threw a little cheese,” he said. “But it wasn’t what you’d call sharp Cheddar. It was more like soft Brie.

“If it stays like this, maybe I’ll just throw with it, but I’d sure like to find out if something can be done to see if it can be cleared up.”

Physical therapy, perhaps?

“Maybe at the same time I’ll get some mental therapy,” Andersen said.

Padre first baseman Fred McGriff has a banged-up big toe from his collision Saturday night with Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia. Teammate Bip Roberts, who also was tagged out at home by Scioscia Saturday night but came away unscathed, says he plans to give a word of warning to McGriff. “With that guy (Scioscia),” Roberts said, “you’ve got to give him that forearm shiver. You can’t slide into him. He just doesn’t move.”