“They say the first World Series is the one you remember most. No, no, no. I guarantee you don’t remember that one because that fantasy world you always dreamed about is suddenly real. And the thing has 10,000 legs and it simply eats you up.”

_ Sparky Anderson, Reds manager (1970-78)

The thing may have had 10,000 legs, but it did not eat up Bobby Bonilla.

His own left leg . . . now that was nearly another story.

The hamstring he strained during the National League Championship Series slowed Bonilla throughout the World Series, and he ended up batting .207 (6 for 29) with three RBI.

But it was Bonilla’s home run in Game 7 that awakened the Marlins’ offense in the clinching victory, and it was Bonilla’s gambling sprint for third base in Game 3 that started the Marlins’ seven-run ninth inning.

And after their 11th-inning victory for the World Series championship Sunday night, it was Bonilla who found manager Jim Leyland and gave him the bear hug he had been waiting so long to give his friend and favorite manager.

They had lost back-to-back NLCS in Pittsburgh in 1990 and 1991. Leyland’s Pirates went on to lose another NLCS in 1992, and Bonilla lost in the ALCS last season with Baltimore.

But now that they’ve both come away victorious in their first trip to the World Series, Bonilla knows neither will have to answer the questions about not being able to win the Big One and not producing on the biggest stage.

“I’ve taken a lot of [crap), haven’t I?” Bonilla asked rhetorically at about 2:30 a.m. Monday, sitting in a Marlins clubhouse filled cigar smoke and with players and wives whose clothes were soaked with champagne.

“This is not so much vindication as it is just nice to win and nice to see Leyland win. I think they’ll look at all of us a little differently now. They can’t say [Leyland hasn’t won the big one) now, can they?

“You can’t go any further than this.”

Bonilla is scheduled to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman on Wednesday in New York City. It will be interesting to see the reaction he gets from the crowd in the city where he was once booed so mercilessly that he wore ear plugs during games.

Bonilla left Leyland’s Pirates to sign his first big contract with the New York Mets, and he learned right away that money alone can’t buy happiness.

Now, he’s got three years left on a four-year, $23.3 million contract, and Bonilla hopes he is able to stay with Leyland in South Florida.

Bonus tops his salary

Edgar Renteria, who drove in the winning run in the 11th inning of Game 7, will make more from his playoff share than his 1997 salary. Renteria’s salary is $180,000, and the Marlins are expected to make an average of more than $200,000 for their share of the players’ pool after winning the World Series.

Coaches interviewing

Marlins coaches Jerry Manuel and Larry Rothschild

will interview this week for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ managerial job. Manuel is expected to interview Wednesday night and Thursday morning, and Rothschild on Thursday night and Friday morning.

They will be the seventh and eighth candidates to meet with the Devil Rays, who would like to make their decision sometime in early November.

Manuel, 43, the Marlins’ bench coach, managed for parts of two seasons in Montreal’s minor league system. Rothschild, 43, has been the Marlins’ pitching coach the past three years.

Staff Writer Jeff Miller contributed to this report.