Thurston has eye on LA

Friday, April 11, 2003 | 9:43 a.m.

Las Vegas second baseman Joe Thurston got a look at the first bobblehead doll of himself late Thursday afternoon, just after he had a heart-to-heart talk with Joe Amalfitano.

During a mostly one-sided, five-minute chat with Amalfitano, a Dodgers senior advisor in charge of baseball operations, Thurston resembled a life-size, slow-motion bobblehead.

Amalfitano spoke with a hand on Thurston's shoulder. During a brief walk to the Cashman Field home dugout, Amalfitano walked with his arm around Thurston's shoulder.

Earmarked for greatness after winning two of his organization's past three minor league player-of-the-year honors, Thurston finds himself back in Las Vegas for a second consecutive season.

Thursday, he received some soothing words from Amalfitano.

"Oh, yeah," Thurston said, "it's always a good heart-to-heart with him. He's a great guy, a great baseball person. Anything he has to say will be positive, especially for an infielder. (With him) having been in the big leagues and managed in the big leagues, you want to know what they have to talk about.

"I soak up stuff like that."

Amalfitano was an infielder for 10 major league seasons, between 1954-67 and mostly with the Chicago Cubs, and served on longtime Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda's staff. He is roving the Dodgers' system and plans to return to Las Vegas within the month.

"He said, 'Just do what you have to do, keep working hard and get better,' stuff like that," Thurston said.

And Thurston will soon return to Los Angeles?

"One day, I will," Thurston said.

Thurston had his way to L.A. paved in the offseason, when the Dodgers dealt Mark Grudzielanek to the Cubs. Instead, he struggled in spring training.

Viva, Las Vegas.

However, Thurston vowed to maintain a professional attitude, which he has displayed during the first week of the season.

He brought a .300 batting average into Thursday's game against Edmonton, then collected singles in his first two at-bats, eked out a walk and was hit by a pitch in the seventh, eventually scoring the third run of the 51s' 6-1 victory.

"I'm happy, not satisfied," Thurston said. "I would like to have more hits. I've put together a few good at-bats, but I always want to do better than I did the night before. I am satisfied with our team effort.

"We've played well. There have been a couple of times when we might not have gotten some runners in at certain times. But, all around, our whole team has played well. We do the little things well. We're not a team that will hit a whole bunch of home runs for you, but we'll get the job done."

Joe Thurston Bobblehead Night at Cashman is still to be determined, but a bald Thurston was mostly pleased with what he saw Thursday.

"It's pretty neat," he said. "I don't have that hair anymore, but it's pretty neat."

Reduced to a pinch-hitter's role the past three nights because of a sore left shoulder, he has continued to excel. He hit a homer Wednesday and pulled a double down the right-field line in the seventh inning Thursday.

That served as the catalyst to the 51s' five-run, game-deciding inning.

Crosby is hitting .565, with five doubles, three triples and two homers. He has scored nine runs and knocked in nine.

"It's just a mixture of seeing the ball well and having a good swing right now," Crosby said Thursday afternoon. "Put those two together, and good things happen. That's kind of the way it is right now.

"I feel I'm definitely seeing the ball well, and I feel I'm in a good position at the contact point. With those two, only good things can happen."

Bad weather at home in Houston during the offseason and an abundance of throws in spring training contributed to Crosby's sore left shoulder. In American League-ruled Tacoma this weekend, Crosby will likely be the 51s' designated hitter.

"When you have the two things going for you that I do (at the plate), you don't want to come out," he said. "Baseball is a game of failure. Anything can change one of those two things. The ball can all of a sudden get real small or you're not at the right contact point you'd like to be at.

"Right now, I have both of them."

Ross was walked intentionally twice Wednesday, and he left eight teammates on base by making the third out in his first three trips to the plate.

Ross, who hit .297 in Las Vegas last season, spent a few hours watching videotape of himself and Shoemaker said he easily spotted a few things he hadn't been doing.

"I think the next game he plays he will be a different guy at the plate," Shoemaker said. "He needs to slow down. It's an old saying, to have slow feet and quick hands."

The 51s are 6-2, just like they were in 2002. Thurston has been a dependable leadoff hitter, new acquisition Jason Romano is fast, infielder Eric Riggs has a keen eye for balls and strikes and Crosby and first baseman Larry Barnes have emerged as power hitters.