Latham got a peek at the Show

Monday, May 5, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

As a kid growing up in Las Vegas, Chris Latham dreamed of one day playing in the major leagues.

After finally realizing that dream last month when he was called up from the Salt Lake Buzz to replace -- of all people -- Paul Molitor on the Minnesota Twins' roster, Latham has tried to tell his boyhood friends what life is like in the major leagues. But words fail him.

"It's every kid's dream growing up, to be a major leaguer," Latham said after spending three weeks with the Twins. "But being there, you really can't even (explain) it, it's that incredible. It was real exciting.

"You go from 'Hey, you' down here in the minor leagues to 'Hey, sir' and 'Excuse me, sir' up there. You get a lot of respect."

When Molitor was placed on the disabled list and Latham was summoned from Salt Lake, the former Basic High standout knew his first trip to the major leagues would be brief. Although he stayed longer than he had anticipated, Latham has mixed feelings about his Twins stint.

"I was just happy to get my opportunity to go up to the big leagues," Latham, 23, said. "I just wish I could have contributed more (but) while I was up there, they didn't let me play much.

"I knew it was going to be short-term as far as guys coming off the DL, but they really didn't know how long I would be there. I ended up being there longer than I was expecting so it worked out great."

Latham, who was returned to Salt Lake last week, appeared in seven games and had only eight at-bats, but his first major-league hit was an RBI double that helped the Twins to a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Angels April 16 at the Metrodome. He finished with two hits and two strikeouts and left the Twins with a major-league batting average of .250.

While Latham did not see much playing time with the Twins, he was determined to make his stay as much of a learning experience as possible.

"I talked a lot of hitting with Paul Molitor," said Latham, who had three hits and drove in two runs in the Buzz's 14-3 victory over the Las Vegas Stars Sunday at Cashman Field. "I talked to a lot of guys about defense, where I should play hitters, which way I should play hitters in certain counts.

"I talked to (Ken) Griffey (Jr.) a lot and (fellow Las Vegan) Marty Cordova helped me out with a lot of different things. I talked to a bunch of guys and they all gave me a little bit of information. I just tried to lock it in and try to remember everything they told me. I really learned a lot while I was there."

But the most important thing Latham learned during his brief stint with the Twins?

"I was just happy to be there (but) now I've got to work that much harder to get back because now I know I can play there," he said.

But first, Latham said, he will have to shake off the "rust" he said he has accumulated by not playing for the past three weeks. He got a good start on that Sunday by doubling in a run in the third inning, singling in the fifth and driving in another run with a bases-loaded single in the sixth.

"Right now, I'm just trying to get back into the groove of things because I was up there for three weeks and didn't get to play much," Latham said. "I'm kind of rusty right now so I'm just trying to put the ball in play and luckily I had a few hits today."