SCRAPPERS NOTEBOOK From Batavia, N.Y.

Dedicated fans: Season openers never get old for two Scrappers fans. Nick Papalas, 46, of Niles and Bill Welsh, 41, of Columbiana have attended all five, including Tuesday's 2003 opener against the Muckdogs. Papalas and Welsh, wearing Scrappers' T-shirts, sat behind Mahoning Valley's dugout. "We make sure we're available for this," Welsh said. "It gives us an early look at the team. By the time we come back for our [home] opener, we know where everybody's at." Papalas and Welsh may not have far to travel next season; the New York-Penn League's tentative 2004 schedule has the Scrappers opening the season at home.
Defensive highlight: Standing out defensively for the Scrappers was third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, a first-year player from the University of Nevada. He made several outstanding plays. He completed an inning-ending double play in the first and made a running grab of a pop foul in the ninth. "He's unorthodox and he looks funky, but he's very quick," Scrappers manager Ted Kubiak said. "I like the way he goes after ground balls, and he throws darts to first. They're accurate."
Hit by pitch: The Scrappers' Eric Johnson was given a scare in the fifth inning when he partially dodged a pitch toward his head. The ball brushed Johnson's lip, forcing it to swell later. Johnson lay at home plate while trainer Michael Salazar attended to him. "It tore some meat off my lip," Johnson said. "I tried to get out of the way, but it kept tailing toward me. It shocked me a little bit."
Retaliation? In the sixth inning, Scrappers pitcher Chad Durbin hit Esteban De Los Santos with the first pitch. On his way to first base, De Los Santos stopped and stared at Durbin, forcing both managers to come out of their dugouts and prevent a fight. "He asked why I did that," Durbin said of De Los Santos. "I didn't mean to hit him. I just wanted to knock him off the plate. That's all."
Teammates: Two former standouts at the University of South Alabama were in the Scrappers' starting lineup. Designated hitter Ryan Mulhern was taken in the 11th round and went 1-for-4 with a run scored against the Muckdogs, while shortstop Brett Parker was taken in the 29th round and went 0-for-4.
Absences: Brad Snyder, one of the Cleveland Indians' first-round draft picks assigned to Mahoning Valley, was not with the team. He is scheduled to arrive Friday, Kubiak said. The other first-round pick, Michael Aubrey, was listed on the Scrappers' roster, but the Indians sent him to Class A full-season Lake County. Also absent Tuesday was hitting coach Chris Bando, who managed the team last season. Bando, a Solon resident, will not travel with the Scrappers.
-- Brian Richesson