DAILY NEWS INVITATIONAL NOTEBOOK: BAIN'S KING OF SWING.

Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer

Like many home run derby participants, Tyler Bain wanted to show college and professional scouts what he could do.

Unlike many participants, the Lancaster High junior infielder almost didn't get his chance. But once he did, he made the most of his chance, winning the derby at Dedeaux Field with two home runs.

Bain wasn't Lancaster's original choice. Senior Frankie Rosado was supposed to compete, but he never showed. Bain was at USC to compete in the hot hands contest, so his teammates chose him to replace Rosado.

He hit two shots to left field to beat out 15 other competitors.

``I hope people notice me and my school,'' Bain said. ``We need to get a better look.''

Home run participants faced 12 pitches from a teammate.

--Add derby: Of the 16 participants, only four - Bain, Sean McElroy of El Camino Real, Highland's Jason Kubel and Mac Alvino of South Gate - hit home runs. The others had one apiece.

A possible reason for the lack of power: High school fields, especially those in the City, have shorter fences than Dedeaux Field's 365-foot power alleys. Two others, Jon Higashi of Chaminade and Chris Dickerson, narrowly missed.

``It's hard,'' Grant's Felipe Tetelboin said. ``It's something I'm not used to. It takes practice. It's not as easy as it sounds.''

Cleveland's Andre Strickland, who was the second to bat, correctly predicted the winner would have fewer than three.

Granada Hills' Jon Voita's chances were affected by his pitcher, coach Steve Thompson, who plunked him twice.

--MIA: Highland's John Santor, who set a school record with 15 homers last season, didn't participate in the home run derby because he will participate in the same event at the Bishop Gorman tournament in Las Vegas.

--Hottest hands: Notre Dame had the hottest hands and the fastest base runner, completing the task in 26.75 seconds. Poly was second in 27.1 seconds, and Kennedy was third in 27.45.

In the hot hands, infielders threw the ball around the diamond twice, and then a runner raced around the bases.

If a throw pulled a fielder off a base, or if a runner failed to touch a base, the team earned a two-second penalty. If a team threw the ball into the outfield, they were finished and earned no time.

--Nicknames: Before attending North Hollywood, D.J. Lewis often was called Sammy Sosa because his batting stance mimicked the Chicago Cubs slugger.

Now a freshman, Lewis gets called Michael Jordan, not because he can't hit a curveball but because his face resembles Jordan and he wore Jordan-endorsed basketball shoes.