DODGERS ROLL OUT BLUE CARPET FOR FAN.

Byline: Yvette Cabrera Daily News Staff Writer

For every killjoy who plucks the dream baseball catch out of a 12-year-old boy's mitt, there's a Dodgers player like Eric Young willing to restore a kid's shattered faith.

It's been hard for 12-year-old Travis Martin to forget the August day he caught a foul ball during batting practice at Dodger Stadium, only to have another fan - an adult - snatch it from his glove.

But the bittersweet memory was all but forgotten Sunday, when Dodger Stadium was converted into a field of dreams for the Simi Valley youngster. He spent his afternoon in the Dodgers dugout chatting it up with his heroes, cramming his baseballs with autographs and swinging his very own Louisville Slugger, a gift from Young, an infielder for the Dodgers.

``Oh my God, he's really cool,'' Travis raved after he and his father, Clark Martin, got a tour of the team locker room from Young.

After learning of Travis' heartbreaking ordeal in the Daily News, the Dodgers decided to roll out the red carpet. Travis and his family were the guests of honor for dinner at the exclusive Stadium Club and watched Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants from ground zero with dugout seats.

``You just hate for things like that (the snatching incident) to happen,'' said Dodgers publicity manager John Olguin, who organized Travis' special day.

It was a day that merited only the best for Travis, who dressed in his first-day-of-school outfit and was on his best behavior as he and his family, including sister Ashley, 8, and mother Lisa, toured the press box.

The August game was supposed to have been special for Travis - a reward for earning good grades. Instead, not only was his foul ball stolen by an anonymous man, but he also got pushed around and dropped his baseball cards after the game while trying to get players' autographs.

Young later learned that he had inadvertently stepped on Travis' cards. So while other Dodgers players happily complied with Travis' autograph requests Sunday, Young took it one step further by presenting the boy his baseball cap - sweat included - inscribed with a happy face, the number 21 and the message, ``To Travis: I'm sorry for stepping on your cards - Eric Young.''

``I trampled his cards and didn't know it, and in that respect it can be really tough out there,'' Young said during a break from batting practice. ``I just wanted to apologize for (that).''

As for the person who grabbed Travis' ball, Young said there is no excuse for that kind of behavior.

``I think it speaks for itself,'' he said. ``I think if each adult looks out for a kid and makes (the game) happy and peaceful, then everything will be all right.''

Happy indeed was how Travis felt Sunday as he jumped up from his seat in the dugout every other minute to ask for autographs, always addressing the players with ``Mister.''

``This is so cool,'' said Travis, an aspiring baseball player whose room is covered in Dodgers paraphernalia and whose favorite Dodgers game activity is singing and dancing during the seventh-inning stretch.

The family of four was awe-struck as they headed onto the diamond, their feet crunching on the infield dirt.

``Oh my God, we're going right on the field,'' said Lisa Martin, snapping photographs as her husband videotaped their son's every step.

``This is rad!'' said Travis, a lanky youngster who will start classes at Hillside Junior High School in Simi Valley on Tuesday.

It was Lisa who wrote to both the Dodgers and the Daily News about her son's experience. Travis was so distraught after his ball was stolen that nothing, not even a Dodger dog, could cheer him, said his mother.

But on Sunday, Travis had put the incident behind him.

``He touched me; he touched my head!'' the youth crowed to his mother as coach Manny Mota strode past him. Minutes later, Mota sat down in the dugout to talk about Travis' baseball aspirations.

``He asked me, what's the first thing you want to do before you come out here and play? And I said, get a good education,'' said Travis.

Lisa Martin has already set aside a box to store Travis' souvenirs from his special day, everything from the letter that Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully wrote to gifts the Dodgers gave him: a duffel bag stuffed with a jersey, towel, three-ring binder and, of course, a baseball.

``This has just been incredible,'' she said. ``This is going to be a part of him forever. Nothing can get better than this - that is, until he's out there on the field playing ball for the Dodgers.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

PHOTO (1 -- color) Travis Martin, 12, who caught a foul ball at Dodger Stadium only to have a man grab it from his mitt, takes a swing with the bat given to him by the Dodgers' Eric Young.

(2) From left, Lisa and Clark Martin listen in as their son, Travis, gets some pointers from Dodgers coach Manny Mota before Sunday's game.

Tom Mendoza/Daily News