CRUNCH TIME HUNDREDS TRY FOR ROLES IN WHEATIES AD.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Scott Swenson grabbed a glove and made his way from Simi Valley to Dodger Stadium and strapped a heavy brace onto his right shin.

The 43-year-old construction worker has had his share of softball glories, but he's never made the lasting sports impression he seeks. He's never struck out the Yankees, never homered the Dodgers into World Series glory. But on Friday, like more than 1,000 other hopefuls, he had his crack at becoming a Wheaties pitchman.

``For me, it would be a dream come true,'' he said, flexing and stretching outside the storied stadium's gates. ``I got run over by a trash truck, had 19 surgeries over 18 years. They told me I'd never walk again, so for me to be out there, maybe in a Wheaties commercial, that'd be amazing.''

General Mills threw out an open call, seeking five to seven guys from age 25 to 45 to play a little ball and talk up the Breakfast of Champions. Handsome professional actors mingled with chiseled athletes and regular joes, mingling around the parking lot for a shot at making the cut to get inside on the infield dirt.

The cereal maker commissioned the Santa Monica-based commercial producer UNCLE to shoot the spot, re-creating Dodger legend Kirk Gibson's fabled home run to beat the Oakland A's in the 1988 World Series as a friendly softball game. To motivate the would-be stars, the producers had Gibson, now a bench coach for the Detroit Tigers, on hand to bark instructions as they ran the bases for the camera.

``OK, now crouch down a little bit,'' he called, clearly amused at watching a half-dozen guys recreate his famous home run trot. ``You've got the hand pump, but you're running too good. Remember, you're not feeling too good. And you can't be smiling!''

Some brought their caps, some toted gloves, some flexed muscles that hadn't been used since Little League. They played hooky from work, made calls on their cell phones while warming up, tried to look purposeful in jeans and athletic sandals.

Not all succeeded.

``How are you gonna go to a baseball audition without a glove?'' sighed Tony Todd, an ex-college ballplayer from Santa Monica who now acts and served as a technical adviser for the shoot. ``I'm trying to be nice, but, hey, that's like showing up to work with no clothes on.

``Aww, man! This guy brought his girl! You don't bring your girl with all these guys around!''

Steve Marquez, a 23-year-old auto body repairman from Glassell Park, did not bring his girl. But he did eat four bowls of Wheaties to prepare for the tryout, figuring that would get him in character for his screen test and time in the batter's box.

``They didn't tell me you have to be skinny,'' grinned the man, who looked more like a football linebacker than a base runner. ``I was like, if they take fat guys, I'm in. None of these lefties can touch me.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) For its new ad, Wheaties had former Dodger star Kirk Gibson help auditioners re-create his 1988 World Series moment.

(2 -- color) Hopefuls line up to sign up for the Wheaties ad audition at Dodger Stadium on Friday, with former Dodger star Kirk Gibson giving them pointers.

(3 -- color) Rob Floyd of Los Angeles eats a free sample of Wheaties after his audition for the General Mills commercial.

David Sprague/Staff Photographer