The starting lights flashed, and Tony Schumacher stormed down the track at the sight of green during the finals of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bistol, Tenn., earlier this month. Schumacher outlasted Larry Dixon to take the win and extend his point lead in Top Fuel.

It turned into a big win for Schumacher, for Santa Maria's own Alan Johnson (crew chief of Schumacher's car) and, ironically enough, the upstart Santa Maria Valley Packers.

Yes, those Packers - the first-year semi-pro baseball group that kicks off its season today at Hancock.

Donned in a Packers hat - the embroidered “P” on the cap similar to the Philadelphia Phillies' logo - Johnson set about giving his post-race spiel to ESPN 2 reporter Dave Rieff.

The win, he said, was “good for the Army, and good for the Santa Maria Valley Packers.”

“That's right, that's not a Phillies hat,” Rieff quipped.

As Packers coach Scott Nickason put it, “We've gotten national exposure and we haven't even played Game 1 yet.”

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For the Packers, it's been a whirlwind ride from December to opening day - as quick as a Schumacher victory.

On Wednesday, Dec. 12, Nickason announced the formation of a new summer baseball program - the entire Santa Maria Indians' coaching staff resigning to join Nickason in a new venture. The Indians have a rich history of more than 60 years within the Central Coast community.

Since, the Packers staff has scrambled to produce a roster, a schedule and enough promotion to “get the community involved” - including Johnson's unexpected ESPN plug.

The Packers, each donned in “I'm a Packers Backer” t-shirt Friday, were out for just their second day of practice at John Osborne Field on the Hancock College campus. A majority of the players first arrived on Monday, hoping to use the summer as a time to experiment, prepare for college ball, impress scouts and - as a number of them simply put it - win.

Today, the Packers - a conglomeration of players from different backgrounds and homestates, a few locals sprinkled among the bunch - take on the East Los Angeles Dodgers in a season-opening double-header starting at 1 p.m.

“There's been a lot of anticipation for tomorrow,” Nickason said. “I think the players realize it isn't just a summer league team. They realize our philosophy is to get the community involved.”

There are a few recognizable faces - including Hancock relief pitcher Mickey Jannis, Jeff Farnham and Blaine Wilson (a Righetti graduate) - but a majority of the players sport unique hometowns.

For example, there's the Oklahoma-Texas duo of Dearth Parker and Josh Turner.

“I figured coming to California would be pretty fun,” Turner said. “Plus, I've never been to the beach.”

Turner hails from Weatherford College in Texas, where he broke the school record for wins with 10 as a sophomore. Turner looks forward to working with Packers assistant coach Bryn Smith - who before his time as a Hancock College pitching coach was a pitcher (1981-93) for the Montreal Expos, St. Louis Cardinals and Colorado Rockies.

Jannis - who has worked with Smith since he was a senior at Arroyo Grande High - hopes to make a transition from elite relief pitcher to starter. He gets the first-game starting nod today.

“I'm going to try to add a couple more pitches,” Jannis said, which will include a curveball and knuckleball.

Cal State Bakersfield plans to use Jannis as a starter next season.

“There's a lot of knowledge to cram into two months,” Smith said, adding that he doesn't plan to throw his pitchers more three innings at a time. In that way, playing time is more equal and arms will not be worn out.

Other local pitchers include Joe Allison and Diego Soto. Smith pinpointed Chris McNeil as a “potential closer.”

On offense, Nickason mentioned Kevin Sandberg, who comes from the University of Northern Colorado. In one game this season, Sandberg had 10 RBIs during a 29-10 win over Metro State.

As far as league play, the SMV Packers will compete in the Sierra Baseball League - a 2007 brainchild of Lodi Grapesox and San Luis Obispo Blues owner and president Stevie Mac. League opponents include the Blues and SLO Rattlers, the Dodgers, Clovis Outlaws and Nor-Cal Longhorns, among others.

Lodi will host an All-Star Classic game on July 12 and there are “work-in-progress” plans for a championship series - which will include the top two teams in league.

All Packers games will be held at John Osborne Field, except June 11 and June 20 games sponsored by the Boys and Girls Club and Relay for Life, respectively. Both games will be at Elks Field.

The Packers also - not unlike most semi-pro teams - will have to compete with the June 5 MLB draft. Nickason expects prospects Deltra Cleary and Ryan Mollica to be high draft picks and not to join the Packers' roster.

May 31, 2008