Kent, Martinez take first steps back

Jeff Kent took formal batting practice Tuesday for the first time this spring, and Pedro Martinez finally threw from the top of a mound.

Kent underwent surgery on his right wrist Jan. 10 to remove scar tissue and repair a ligament. Before Tuesday, he had been hitting off a tee or with the ball being tossed from a short distance. This time, he hit from a batting cage, swinging easily and hitting line drives consistently with a coach doing the pitching.

“I don’t have a set program or plan,” Kent said at Dodgers camp in Vero Beach, Fla. “It all leads to wanting to be game-ready. There is a finish line.”

Kent hopes to be ready by the Dodgers’ season opener against the Atlanta Braves on April 3. Asked how many at-bats he might need during the exhibition season, Kent laughed and replied: “Maybe one.”

“I’ve played the game a long time, I play it better with my head than with my body right now,” he said. “I’m not worried about the physical activity. I’m just swinging, 50 percent. I felt just fine swinging, I probably could have gone better. I didn’t even try. I was completely comfortable with my swing.

“I won’t even predict when I’m going to play (in an exhibition game). Spring training is overrated. I think it’s good for pitchers to get their strength. The other guys, maybe three weeks, four weeks.”

After throwing 34 pitches to catcher Bobby Estallella at Mets camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla., Martinez acknowledged he still has a lot of work to do before opening day.

“I’m out of shape,” Martinez told a group of reporters before walking off the field. “I’m just trying to get back to the mound, see how my toe is. My arm is not full-strength.”

None of his pitches appeared full-speed, and Martinez said he has to concentrate on getting his foot healthy before he can strengthen his arm.

“Because I want to have my arm in good shape, I need to have my legs in good shape,” he said. “Without a leg, there is no arm.”

Martinez threw from the slope of the mound for the first time in camp last week after a sore right toe kept him in the clubhouse for the opening weeks of spring training.

In Scottsdale, Ariz., Barry Bonds entertained and delighted a small gathering of fans and San Francisco teammates by dressing up as Paula Abdul to judge a spin-off of the hit television show “American Idol,” called Giants Idol.

Bonds, who wore a strapless dress and a blonde wig, surprised everyone watching the mock contest, where young players had to sing in front of the judges.

“I’ll never tell my wife to hurry up any more,” Bonds said. “Because it took me forever to get ready. I’ll never do that again. I couldn’t get my hair right. There were a lot things I went through during the 30 minutes I was getting ready.”

The event raised $337 from fans that will be matched by the Giants organization and donated to the Giants Community Fund. Giants Idol was the brainchild of Mark Sweeney, who decided to bring a little levity to the clubhouse.

Also, the Giants and outfielder Randy Winn agreed to a $23.25 million, three-year contract extension.

Winn, acquired before last season’s trading deadline from Seattle, batted .359 with 14 home runs after joining the Giants last season. The 31-year-old is on the U.S. roster for the World Baseball Classic.

At Dunedin, Fla., Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells played in the Blue Jays’ intrasquad game, and appeared ready for the World Baseball Classic.