The Padres, Chargers, Illini Blog

Will See You On The Flip Side

2011-11-11T00:19:00.002-05:00

Friends,

After tonight's Chargers loss to the Raiders, I have decided to take a leave of absence from sports.

I will see you all again soon.

Best,

Bormo

Carson Palmer Versus The Bolts

2011-10-19T12:41:00.005-04:00

As you know by now, the Raiders went ahead and traded for Carson Palmer yesterday, giving up two high draft picks for the aged but talented quarterback in a clear attempt to "win now."

The move concerns me as a Bolts fan. The Raiders were a difficult matchup for the Bolts before they picked up Palmer - the power run game, the improving Heyward-Bey, the steady defense that can apply pressure - but now they add a veteran QB who's had success against the Bolts in the past. He hasn't always beaten the Bolts - he's had a less talented team, even in Bengals playoff years - but his passing numbers have been very good, and the games have always been close.

Let's look back at the full history of Palmer v. the Bolts.

Game 1: November 12, 2006, at Cincinnati, Bolts win 49-41

One of the more epic games in Bolts history. The Bungles went up 21-0 and went into halftime with a 28-7 lead behind a pure blitzkrieg led by Palmer and his minions Chad Ochocinco, TJ Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry. And remember, this was a dominant Bolts team that would finish 14-2 on the season, and had probably the best defense of the Bolts' recent successful run from 2004 to present. Merriman was in his dominant prime (17.5 sacks), Donnie Edwards was still ably patrolling the middle of the defense, Quentin Jammer was a young ballhawk, and Shaun Phillips, Luis Castillo, and Randall Godfrey got after the quarterback. I mean Luis Castillo had 7 sacks on the season. He hasn't had more than 2.5 since.

Yet despite all that defensive firepower, Carson Palmer carved up the Bolts. He went 31-42 for 440 yards and 3 TDs with no picks. It was the first 400-yard game of Palmer's career (it may also be the last, I didn't go that far in the resaerch). He did fumble on a big sack in the second half that led directly to an LT touchdown run, but he can't be blamed for a Bungles defense that allowed the Bolts to score 42 second-half points en route to a stunning 49-41 victory. Palmer in fact responded after the Bolts pulled to 31-28 in the third quarter by tossing a 74-yard bomb to Ochocinco, and he drove the Bungles to the Bolts 15 with a chance to tie the game late, but just missed a 4th down completion that closed out the game.

He came up a bit short, but no one except Palmer put up more than 30 points on the Bolts in 2006.

Game 2: December 20, 2009, at San Diego, Bolts win 27-24

A matchup of playoff teams, this game was typical of the type of glorious victory the Bolts pulled off time and again during the '09 season, right up until they were bounced rudely out of the playoffs by the New York Yets.

Despite the Bengals loss in this game, which was their first game following the untimely death of Chris Henry, Palmer was again solid against the Chargers defense. He completed 27 of 40 passes for 314 yards with two TDs and a pick. Not an epic day, and the Bungles only scored one touchdown in four red zone trips, but it was enough to keep pace with the AFC's #1 seed on their home turf. Palmer also showed some grit by blocking downfield on a screen pass to Chad Ochocinco on a big 4th quarter play, and, a few plays later, scored a big 2 pt conversion on a sneaky QB draw. He also drove the Bungles 90-plus yards in 6 minutes for a tying field goal with less than a minute to play (including recovering a fumble to save the drive along the way). The Bolts didn't put the game away until Nate Kaeding hit a 52-yard field goal with three seconds to play.

Game 3: December 26, 2010, at Cincinnati, Bengals win 34-20

One of the worst games I've ever watched. The day after Christmas last year, the Bolts merely needed to beat the 2-11 Bungles to maintain their playoff chances. A win at Cincy, and then a win the next week against the just-as-lowly Broncos, would give the Bolts their fifth straight playoff appearance and a home game during Wild Card weekend.

Unfortunately the team came out sloppy and Carson Palmer took advantage. He managed an excellent game, going 16-21 for 269 yards and throwing 4 touchdown passes, including a dagger 59-yard bomb to Jerome Simpson early in the 4th quarter on a dastardly quick snap that caught Antoine Cason unawares and unready. He didn't throw his first incomplete pass until the third quarter, and didn't throw any picks at all. He was also missing the corpses of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens who both sat out the game with injuries (that actually may have helped him), but still got the job done. In short, it was exactly the kind of game that I'm scared he'll be able to pull off against the Bolts this season. Mixing in a strong running game (Ced Benson and Bernard Scott ran a combined 33 times for a 102 yards in last season's game, doesn't that sound at least like something McFadden and Michael Bush could do) he only needed to pick his spots and pass 21 times, and the results were devastating to the Bolts.

Bottom line: I'm scared of the Raiders and Carson Palmer. And I'm not afraid to admit it.

The Illini Versus The Buckeyes

2011-10-15T12:49:00.004-04:00

First, great photo of Whitney "Nine Piece" Mercilus by John Dixon of the News-Gazette.

Second, the Illini have only defeated the Buckeyes 12 times in Champaign. The teams have played there 46 times since their first meeting in 1902. I'd like to have more victories at home against any team, especially a bitter Big Ten foe, but that low win total will help to make today's victory - and I'm sure it will be a victory - even more special.

Here's a quick list of the Illini victories against Ohio St. in Champaign:

October 12, 1991: Illini 10 - Buckeyes 7
October 7, 1989: Illini 24 - Buckeyes 14
October 5, 1985: Illini 31 - Buckeyes 28
October 15, 1983: Illini 17 - Buckeyes 13
October 8, 1966: Illini 10 - Buckeyes 9
November 18, 1950: Illini 14 - Buckeyes 7
November 16, 1946: Illini 16 - Buckeyes 7
October 13, 1934: Illini 14 - Buckeyes 13
November 24, 1928: Illini 8 - Buckeyes 0
November 22, 1924: Illini 7 - Buckeyes 0
November 16, 1918: Illini 13 - Buckeyes 0
October 17, 1914: Illini 37 - Buckeyes 0

My conclusion from this list: the Illini are due for a win. Against Ohio St. In Champaign.

Who Would Dare Match Wits With The Zooker? (My Second Try To Finish The Post)

2011-09-04T16:32:00.005-04:00

Yesterday I celebrated the beginning of the Illini football season by starting a blog post looking at the 12 coaches Ron Zook will stare down - and no doubt intimidate - on the opposite sideline this season. Unexpected fatherly duties prevented me from finishing that post before the start of yesterday's game.

Today I'll complete the post, starting with the third game of the season.

3. Sept. 17 v. Arizona St. - Dennis Erickson

Erickson likely needs no introduction. He's twice coached in the NFL (for the Seahawks and the Niners) but hasn't done all that well (40-56). His greatest stretch came as the head coach for Miami (so dirty) in the early '90s where he won two national championships. Still, as anyone who watched The U knows, those were really Jimmy Johnson's teams. His more impressive accomplishment is turning around the Oregon St. Beavers in the late '90s-early '00s, leading them to a top 5 finish in the 2000 season. He has ASU clicking on many cylinders at the moment and will present a strong challenge to the Zooker. In dispatching Erickson, the Zooker might actually break a sweat.

4. Sept. 24 v. Western Michigan - Bill Cubit

Cubit played WR for Delaware in the '70s before starting his coaching career in the mid-80s as defensive backs coach at Central Florida. He bounced around for awhile, eventually rising to offensive coordinator for several D-1 schools (Mizzou, Rutgers, Stanford) before taking the head job at Western Michigan in 2005. Cubit has been a nemesis of Zook's in the past, drawing blood with a victory over the Illini in 2008. No doubt Zook is now wise to Cubit's non-BCS guerilla tactics, and can counter them with the might of his BCS-bred heavy cavalry (Ford, Young, Ferguson, Prosch, Pocic, Thornton, Cornell).

5. Oct. 1 v. Northwestern - Pat Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald, the second-youngest coach in all of D-1 football, rose to fame as a stud LB for Northwestern in the mid-90s. After serving 5 seasons as Northwestern LB coach, he was promoted to head coach in 2006 following the sad death of Randy Walker. He's had marginal success at Northwestern, primarily the result of cupcake non-conference scheduling. He suffered a near-mortal wound at Zook's hands last November at Wrigley Field, as Zook's boys ran up over 300 yards rushing in a dominant Illini victory. With that beatdown fresh in his mind, I wouldn't be surprised if Fitzgerald doesn't even show up for this season's game.

6. Oct. 8 at Indiana - Kevin Wilson

The long-time assistant at several schools, Wilson is in his first year as head coach at Indiana. He apprenticed for 19 years at various schools under the now-deceased former Miami (OH) and Northwestern coach, Randy Walker, and more recently worked under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. In his short tenure at Indiana he has shown both steely resolve (winning the recruiting battle for Gunnar Kiel) and total ineptitude (losing yesterday to Ball St.). Knowing Zook, he will not show any mercy on Wilson, even if it is the guy's first season at the Hoosier helm. I wish Wilson luck.

7. Oct. 15 v. Ohio St. - Luke Fickell

I won't deny this fact: Fickell looked impressive on the sideline Saturday during the Buckeyes win over Akron. Fickell played nose guard for the Buckeyes in the mid-90s, starting 50 consecutive games, including the '97 Rose Bowl where he played despite having a torn pectoral muscle. Not only that, he seems to be handling the current adversity in Columbus with aplomb. The Zooker may have his hands full with this young warrior from the Land of Buckeye.

8. Oct. 22 at Purdue - Danny Hope

Hope spent several years jumping around as an offensive line coach (including time at Purdue) and then five years as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky before joining the Boilermakers for the 2008 season as Joe Tiller's assistant head coach. He took over for Tiller a year later and now, in his third season, has basically run the program into the ground. Yes, that is an exaggeration, but the Zooker should have little trouble with Hope this season.

9. Oct. 29 at Penn St. - Joe Paterno

Who? I don't think I've heard of this guy. And I can't find anything written about him online or elsewhere in the press. This guy is a total unknown.

10. Nov. 12 vs. Michigan - Brady Hoke

A round, pudgy-looking guy, Hoke has never coached a game for Michigan (at least as the head coach) that wasn't called due to severe weather. Hoke is an old school guy who spent 8 years as a Michigan defensive assistant before taking head coaching jobs at Ball St., San Diego St., and now Michigan. I've said from day one that this was a good hire for Michigan, and nothing I saw yesterday changed that fact. Except for the fact he apparently can't control lightning. Zook can control lightning. Advantage Zooker.

11. Nov. 19 vs. Wisconsin - Bret Bielema

I'm going to go ahead and announce Bielema as the Zooker's archnemesis. Bielema played LB for Iowa, and then joined the Hawkeyes as an assistant coach for nine years. He spent one year as the co-DC at Kansas St. before joining Wisconsin as the DC in 2004. Barry Alvarez named Bielema as his successor in 2005, and Bielema has been riding the coattails of Alavarez's work for the past five years. Bielema may be an okay coach, but he has no business running a program as successful as Wisconsin has been the past few years. It's time for Bielema's wake up call and the Zooker is just the man to do it.

12. Nov. 26 at Minnesota - Jerry Kill

This guy won at Saginaw Valley St., he won at Southern Illinois, he won at Northern Illinois, and he almost pulled the upset in his debut game for Minnesota on the road at Southern Cal. He also beat kidney cancer. And his last name is "Kill." I like this guy. I may feel the slightest bit of remorse when Zook steps on his neck this coming Thanksgiving weekend.

It's going to be a great season.

Who Would Dare Match Wits Against The Zooker?

2011-09-03T12:37:00.004-04:00

Today begins another season of Illini football. To mark this momentous occasion, I thought I would look at the twelve coaches who would dare take the opposite sideline against Ron Zook this season. These gentlemen must be very brave, or very stupid, to challenge our Champion - the Zooker - in pitched battle. So who are these guys?

1. Sept. 3 v. Arkansas St. - Hugh Freeze

First-year college head coach, better known as the guy who coached Michael Oher in high school. I don't know much about Freeze's coaching philosophy, but if he is anything like how the actor Ray McKinnon portrayed him in The Blind Side movie ("Hold it in here, between the tits!"), I like Zook's chances.

2. Sept. 10 v. South Dakota St. - John Stiegelmaier

Like Freeze, Stiegelmaier was a former high school coach before becoming a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, and eventually moving on to South Dakota St. He became the head coach in 1997 and has a career 83-60 record. But whatever his merits as a coach, you have to question the decisionmaking of a man would spend 14 years coaching a team called the Jackrabbits. It's safe to say Zook can handle this guy.

Oh my. Just spent the last couple hours on unexpected Dad duty. Didn't get a chance to finish this before heading out to watch the Illini game. I'll finish this post before next week.

Go Illini!

A Midsummer Visit To The Baseball Hall of Fame

2011-08-24T23:59:00.000-04:00

On the Friday that started July 4 weekend this year I took a trip to Cooperstown to visit the venerable National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. I traveled with one of my advisors, and noted beer aficionado, Tom Teatro. In addition to the Hall, we toured the excellent Ommegang Brewery, taking not one, but two tasting tours. And drinking several other of their fine Belgian-inspired beers at the bar on premises.

But as good as the Ommegang visit was, we were really there to see the Hall of Fame; as always, it did not disappoint. A few photos follow.

One of the things we wanted to accomplish over the weekend was to play catch on Doubleday Field. We gave it our best shot - eventually making it onto the field and throwing the ball back and forth for a few minutes - but then the Assistant Groundskeeper threatened to call the Cooperstown PD if we didn't exit the premises immediately. He even whipped out a walkie-talkie and pretended to radio the cops, a move he's no doubt honed by booting legions of teenagers ... and anyone who just spent the day drinking at Ommegang.

Before we "trespassed" onto the field, we caught the end of this game. We couldn't tell what level it was, but it appeared to be a Babe Ruth League game (does that still exist?) - maybe 14 to 16 year olds. They didn't look like varsity high-schoolers. I think this kid made the final out of the game when the ump called strike three on a ball a foot off the plate. Surprisingly, my drunken calls of "Blue, what are you doin'!" didn't change the call.

One of the great things about visiting Cooperstown is perusing all the memorabilia shops. They have some incredible stuff in these stores, often juxtaposing old jerseys and other memorabilia of stars of different eras in cool ways. For example, this store window showed off one of the greatest baseball players of all time. And Derek Jeter.

Like I said, I love the random groupings of gear from great players that otherwise wouldn't be grouped together. Here you have jerseys for Koufax, Clemente, and Musial, three of my top 5 favorite players of all time, hanging on the wall side-by-side. Unless you happened to be touring the locker room of the Ryan's Favorite Player All Stars, I don't know where else you'd see these jerseys hanging together. Except here, in Cooperstown.

The first World Series I remember watching was the 1982 Series between the Cardinals and Brewers. For that reason, even though I'm no fan of either franchise, I've always had a fondness for those two particular teams. These Cardinal colors worn by the '82 team - a team that featured former Padres Ozzie Smith, Gene Tenace, George Hendrick, and Steve Mura in prominent roles - are colors I'll always associate with early 80s baseball, a great, but often underrated time to grow up and learn about the game.

Really liked this Gwynn jersey except for one thing: when did the Padres ever wear a black jersey? Was this from an All Star Game? Was Tony secretly on the Pirates for awhile? Am I colorblind? Neither Teatro nor I could figure it out. Granted, we'd had 8 beers each at Ommegang, but still ...

Respect.

Another choice grouping. What's fun about these groupings, other than just being cool to look at, is that you can imagine these guys playing together. For example, let's say I get Mantle, Koufax, and Schmidt on my team. Then I let you go ahead and pick your entire team and you take, oh I don't know, Bench, Gehrig, Morgan, Ozzie, Brooks Robinson, Teddy Ballgame, Mays, and Aaron. And Bob Gibson to pitch. But then I fill out my team with Bill Dickey, Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Robin Yount, Barry Bonds, and Babe Ruth. I don't know who wins that game, but I'd probably buy a ticket to watch it.

High comedy. You know I love Tony, but I'm not paying $149 for his signed anything (okay, maybe that's too far; I could see buying a game-worn jersey from the '84 Series or one of his game-used bats maybe). But that's obviously not the funny part. $99.95 for an Ozzie Guillen signature? $69.95 for Travis Hafner? I mean you couldn't make this up.

The next day we started early at the Hall of Fame. I didn't take photos of everything; no one could. There's just too much good stuff. I did take some photos of things that caught my eye, or that had special meaning to me, and it started with this Christy Mathewson jersey. Christy has always been one of my favorite players based on his exploits in the 1905 World Series, and he wore this jersey, if I remember correctly, during a tour of Japan.

Here's a stretched animal hide commemorating the Red Sox 1915 World Series victory. Why don't teams issue commeorative animal hides anymore? Baseball should really get back to that.

Look at Babe load his swing. If you're like me, even though you've read all the stories and seen all the numbers, you still look at the old Babe footage and wonder sometimes how he could have been as good as he was. But then I see a photo like this and realize it was probably because he had ridiculous hand-eye coordination, a ton of strength, very quick hands through the zone, and perhaps most of all, loaded his swing like a slingshot. I know he's just messing around here, but wasn't he always?

Musial's stirrups. Now I can say I saw them.

The Hall of Fame celebrates moments as much as it does individual players. Here you have George Brett's bat from the pine tar incident. I thought the presentation was done well because they included Brett's jersey - the classy Royals blue and white - and his glove, and didn't just make it about the bat. Brett was a monster whose career was memorable for so much more than that one moment.

A jersey Dave Winfield wore with the Padres. It must have been one of his last seasons in San Diego because I didn't know the Padres had moved to this lettering until after Winfield left town. But more importantly, you should have seen what other items shared space in this glass showcase. There was a Red Sox jersey that Pudge Fisk wore in '76, the bat and ball Jim Rice used to get his 400th total base in '78, the glove Gary Carter wore in his NL record-breaking 1,862nd game behind the plate, Wade Boggs' bat and batting glove from '89, his 7th consecutive year tallying 200+ hits, the bat Cal Ripken used to hit a bomb in the '91 All Star Game, the jersey and helmet Robin Yount wore when he got his 3000th hit, and the hat, glove and ticket stub from Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout game.

I'm just a humble baseball fan, but I'd say that's one heck of a glass showcase.

Here is the uniform Eddie Gaedel wore during his famous at bat for Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns in 1951. I took the photo in honor of Kyle Gaedele, Eddie's grand-nephew, who the Padres had drafted a few weeks earlier. Incidentally, I'm currently reading Bill Veeck's autobiography - Veeck: As In Wreck - and the opening chapter is a solid firsthand account of the events leading up to the Gaedel at bat. I hightly recommend it.

After touring the museum upstairs, we went downstairs to the Plaque Gallery. As good as the presentation is upstairs, I still love the plaques the best. You could read these all day long, literally. Goose's plaque is great. I loved this line: "Incredibly durable, posted 52 saves of at least seven outs." From the vantage point of being a fan in 2011, that's an incredible statistic.

"An artisan with a bat ...."

The Artisan in close up.

I'd either forgotten or never knew that Clemente led the NL in batting four times, and finished his career with a .317 average. There really was nothing he couldn't do on a ball field.

I'd grin like a goofball too if my nickname was "The Man."

And the end of the hallway housing the Plaque Gallery is a place of honor for the First Five Hall of Fame inductees: Ruth, Mathewson, Wagner, Cobb, and Walter Johnson. It's all very well done.

Here's a wide view of the First Five and some of the more recent inductees that surround them. Tony Gwynn's plaque is to the left of the First Five.

Here's the glass ceiling that lets in sunlight on the First Five and other recent inductees. The sky that day was perfect. Look at how the clouds are reflected in the marble.

Two lefties that would have no trouble hitting at Petco.

This was genius. In the gift shop you have to pass through to leave the Hall they have these sets of 50 random cards for each team. They cost $9.50 each so obviously I purchased a Padres set without even hesitating.

Finally, I couldn't leave the Hall without snapping a photo of these three statues honoring Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. The statues are placed so they greet you when you enter the Hall, and wish you well on your way out. There probably aren't three better ballplayers they could have chosen for this duty. Again, well done.

The Kevin Quackenbush/Colin Rea/Matt Andriese All Stars: A Look At The Padres 2011 Draft

2011-08-13T15:14:00.001-04:00

The Padres drafted 53 young ballplayers in June.

Where are they and what are they doing as of today, August 13, 2011, three days prior to the signing deadline?

1s. Cory Spangenberg - 2B crushed Eugene, coming around at FW
1. Joseph Ross - RHP, a UCLA commit, still has not signed
1s. Michael Kelly - RHP, a Florida commit, still has not signed
1s. Brett Austin - C, an N.C. St. commit, still has not signed
1s. Jace Peterson - .246/.362/.325 at Eugene
2. Austin Hedges - C, a UCLA commit, still has not signed
3. Matthew Andriese - 1.59 ERA in 8 starts for Eugene
4. Cody Hebner - 4.15 ERA in 7 apps (3 starts) for Eugene
5. Mark Pope - 4.24 ERA in 6 relief apps for Eugene
6. Kyle Gaedele - OF hitting .213/.340/.279 for Eugene
7. Matthew Wisler - signed last week, first appy disaster for AZL
8. Kevin Quackenbush - 0.32 ERA, 14.3 K/9 in 24 apps for Ems/FW
9. Justin Hancock - 7 apps, 4 starts, 5.50 ERA for AZL
10. Robert Kral - C, nice start (.424 OBP) in first 33 PAs for AZL
11. Casey McElroy - 5 hits (2 2Bs) in first 13 PAs for AZL
12. Colin Rea - 0.88 ERA in 11 starts for Eugene
13. Lee Orr - .231/.381/.410 as primary RF in Eugene
14. Burch Smith - Junior RHP from OU is unsigned
15. Greg Gonzalez -1.42 ERA in 12 relief apps for Eugene
16. Jeremy Rodriguez - 26 walks, only 14 Ks (.413 OBP), C at Eugene
17. Matthew Stites - 1.33 ERA in 16 relief apps for AZL and Eugene
18. Mike Gallic - OF raked with Eugene, now struggling with FW
19. Jeremy Gigliotti - 3.68 ERA, 12.3 K/BB, 19 relief apps for Eugene
20. Christopher Haney - shelled in 12 relief apps for Eugene/FW
21. Zach Kometani - mediocre start for 1B w/ Ems (.258/.342/.375)
22. Matthew Colantonio - part-time C at Eugene, more BBs than Ks
23. Robert Eisenbach - 2.62 ERA in 13 apps (3 starts) for AZL
24. Erick Fedde - Vegas high schooler, UNLV commit, not signed
25. Paul Karmas - 1B, mediocre start at AZL (.263/.368/.394)
26. Roberto Suppa - Canadian RHP, Cornell commit, not signed
27. Arby Fields - JC OF prospect, LSU commit, not signed
28. Rashad Ingram - .257/.373/.329 for 2B/SS at AZL/Ems
29. Vimael Machin - P.R. high-school SS, VCU commit, not signed
30. Justin Miller - 2B, crushing ball at AZL/Eugene (.388/.463/.526)
31. Clint Moore - Army grad, 3B, avg start for Ems (.226/.317/.434)
32. Kyle Brule - pitched well in AZL, RHP not doing well at Eugene
33. James Jones - primary closer for AZL, 3.80 ERA 5 saves 20 appys
34. Dennis O'Grady - Duke grad, 4.50 ERA in 8 starts at AZL/FW
35. Travis Whitmore - Eugene 3B/DH hitting well (.306/.398/.408)
36. Andrew Rash - draft-eligible soph at VA Tech, not signed
37. Cody Semler - Texas high-school SS, not signed
38. Patrick Connaughton - baseball/hoops schollies to ND, not signed
39. Josh Pond - Junior RHP Cal St. San Bernardino, not signed
40. Taylor Murphy - IF Torrey Pines H.S., Pacific commit, unsigned
41. Dante Flores - high-school 2B, and USC commit, has not signed
42. Garrett Boulware - H.S. C, Clemson commit, not signed
43. Cody Gabella - 2B, rocky start at AZL (.111/.220/.358)
44. Spenser Linney - LHP, Stanford commit, not signed
45. William Goss - CF from Tupelo, no college commit, not signed
46. Eddie Salomon - H.S. 2B, may have signed in July, no stats
47. Vincent Voiro - rising Senior RHP from UPenn has not signed
48. Kent Rollins - H.S. from GA, going to Air Force to play football
49. Ryan Hutchison - Junior RF from W. Ky, not signed

The deadline approaches. Deals must get done.

An Evening At Citi Field With The San Diego Padres

2011-08-12T14:06:00.015-04:00

On Wednesday night I went to Citi Field in Queens, NY, home of the Mets, to watch the Padres-Metsies game. Solid ballpark, great night. Not only did the Padres win 9-5, but there were a fair amount of strong performances, historic moments (if you consider James Darnell's first big league hit "historic," which I do), and even a little drama in the 9th (Heath Bell did pitch after all).

If you don't mind, I think I'll show you some photos.

I thought it was nice of this Mets fan to recognize former Padres first-round pick, and current Mets minor-leaguer, Allan Dykstra. I mean he hasn't even made his big league debut yet and this guy already has an Allan Dykstra jersey. That's supporting the system!

I attended the game with noted Metsies fan, and guest of this blog, Father D.P. McGillicutty. We began the game sitting in right field just beyond the foul pole, a few yards into foul territory. This is not a bad spot to watch the game. You have a clear view of the field and, on nice nights, you can see a bit of the sunset above the stadium lights. The sun shines in your eyes for a few innings, as the photo above proves, but I'd still recommend this spot if you're looking for a good outfield seat.

How good was that '86 Mets squad? In addition to this photo of Keith Hernandez, Doc Gooden, and Darryl Strawberry, the Mets also showed a montage of Gary Carter highlights on the big screen that made me want to clasp hands in a manly way with my worst enemy. What a pack of monsters. Seeing the billboard above, it made me wonder what similar billboard the Padres could hang at Petco. It would have to be three guys from one of our best teams - probably the '84 or '98 squad - and you'd need a stud pitcher, a stud HR hitter, and one of the team leaders. They wouldn't all have to be home-grown players (Hernandez was drafted by the Cardinals), but it would be nice if 2 of the 3 guys were drafted and developed by the team.

So obviously, Tony Gwynn is on the billboard in the middle spot occupied in the photo above by Keith Hernandez. Then, if we're doing an homage to the '84 team, let's put up home-grown kid Kevin McReynolds in the Strawberry spot (ironically McReynolds played with all these guys on the Mets a few years later), and let's put Eric Show on the board in the Gooden spot. Arguably Goose or Dravecky or Lefferts could take that spot, but I'm putting the spotlight on Eric. It's my imaginary billboard after all. (Ed. note: the '98 billboard of Gwynn, Cammy, and Kevin Brown wouldn't suck, nor would the '05 billboard of Peavy, Giles, and Trevor, not to mention the '78 billboard of Winfield, Ozzie, and Gaylord Perry. Let's get these hung at Petco immediately.)

Check out this action shot of former-Padre Mike Baxter warming up between innings. Baxter is a Queens native so he's living the dream at the moment. At least that's my guess. I haven't actually talked with him about it. In this game he went 1-3 with two walks, which means, if my math is correct, he was on base three times. Not bad for a youngish guy trying to break in with his hometown team. When Alderson and DePodesta claimed him off waivers a few weeks ago, I thought it was a dirty sneaky move, but I totally respected it. And maybe now Mike will get a good shot to prove himself at the big league level over the next 6 weeks. Good luck to him.

I posted this slightly blurry photo from right field merely for comedic purposes. You can't really tell from the photo, but that's Cameron Maybin jogging down the first-base line back toward the dugout. Moments before taking this photo I had turned to McGillicutty and said, "Watch Maybin go yard here." Then, with that statement barely out of my mouth, Maybin hit a dribbler four feet in front of the plate and was thrown out at first. And then I took this photo.

See, isn't that hilarious?

Check out that moon. Reminded of a moon I once saw in Pittsburgh.

If anyone ever tells you I wasn't at the game where James Darnell got his first big league hit, they are wrong. Remember that. Could come in handy in a bar bet someday.

Shake Shack is one of New York's best spots to get a burger. Very trendy but also very tasty. They put up a location in the outfield at Citi and the Mets put a sweet neon skyline of New York above the sign. This is kind of a haphazard photo of it, but you get the idea. I'm a fan of the whole presentation.

And here's a last final shot of Citi Field from outside the stadium. That's the back of the centerfield scoreboard. You can see the small green sign for McFadden's toward the bottom of the photo. That's a sports bar that's on the Citi Field grounds that is a good spot to go if it's past the 7th inning, the game is fairly meaningless, and you stupidly run out of beers. One caveat: you can't get back into the stadium once you walk into McFadden's.

Padres Road Splits: A Study In Raking (More Or Less)

2011-08-11T21:32:00.007-04:00

It's no secret that Petco Park is a place where hits rarely happen. It is a cavernous place where fly balls stop dead against the dense ocean air. It's a place where hitters go mad, and pitchers careers are saved. It's a place where even the game's best hitters - Adrian Gonzalez for one - beg and plead to leave. You have to feel sorry for hitters who have 81-games worth of at bats in a place like Petco Park. (At least as sorry as you can feel for someone who gets to play big league baseball and spend most of his time in the Diego.)

But what of those hitters when they are out on the road hitting in other, more friendly parks? Do they start raking uncontrollably, putting up monster numbers?

I'm gonna go ahead and say yes.

Here are the road splits for Padres "starters" as of today:

C - Rob Johnson: .247/.293/.365 .658 OPS

1B - Jesus Guzman: .296/.305/.457 .762 OPS (only guy hitting better at Petco)

2B - Orlando Hudson: .270/.391/.351 .743 OPS

SS - Jason Bartlett: .265/.324/.327 .651 OPS

3B - Chase Headley: .333/.404/.470 .874 OPS

LF - Kyle Blanks: .361/.425/.667 1.092 OPS

CF - Cameron Maybin: .320/.367/.485 .852 OPS

RF - Will Venable: .312/.364/.475 .839 OPS

Yes, Blanks is working on a small sample, but even after things even out, I'm certain his numbers will be better on the road than at Petco. (Incidentally, even Ryan Ludwick was almost marginally average on the road: .269/.314/.398 .712 OPS.)

So what I'm seeing is four guys with an OPS north of .800, and three guys with OBPs over .390. I'm particularly impressed by Orlando de la Noche's numbers. A .391 OBP? Who knew? Makes you wonder what kind of season he'd be putting together if he was on, say, the DBacks, Astros, or Brewers, all teams that play in hitters havens.

And how about Headley and Maybin? As my advisor Tam O'Flannell said today, Maybin is putting up near star-quality numbers, but you'd never know it because he plays half his games at Petco. I'd add that Headley also falls into that category. Maybe not "star" category, but certainly a player to be reckoned with.

And come to think of it that's a pretty good way to judge a team. How many guys do they put up there that need to be reckoned with? To put it another way, how many guys do they put up there that can't be ignored? I'd say on the road the Padres have 6-7 of those guys, arguably one or two more. That's a team that can be a winner.

Guest Post: In Defense of Rexy

2011-08-05T11:28:00.003-04:00

Note to our reader: From time to time this humble blog will have guest posts written by true sports fans who also happen to be friends or acquaintances of mine (essentially the same premise as Grantland). These posts could touch on any topic, but will most likely address some aspect of the guest writer's favorite teams. Today, in response to N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica's recent criticism of Jets coach Rex "Bootsy" Ryan, I am proud to offer this guest post by lifelong Jets fan, and champion of all those who are financially privileged yet still chintz (inside joke), Father D.P. McGillicutty.

Let's get one thing straight. I'm no fan of Mike Lupica. He is by all accounts unbearably smug. The Donald is somewhere right now complaining about the smugness of Lupica. The head shot Lupica rolls with at the top of his column -- the one with the look of barely restrained disgust -- leaves no room for doubt. He is smarter than you, and he wants, nay needs, you to know it. If you don't believe me, just watch any episode of Sports Reporters that he ever appeared on. Ever. (Incidentally, I am 100% confident that he takes credit for the success of PTI, Rome Is Burning (why is Rome so good on radio and so terrible on television?), Around the Horn (I want to punch that host in the face), and every other sports television show featuring sports writers.) And whoever at the Daily News let Mark Cuban's dwarf brother start writing political op-eds needs to die a horrible, horrible death. All of that said, Lupica's column yesterday about Jets HC Rex Ryan caught my interest -- not so much for what it says, but for what it portends.

The gist is that Lupica's sick of Rex Ryan boasting about everything without delivering a championship. Fuck you, Lupica. Wait, that's supposed to be the end of the column. Anyway, his daily dose of sanctimonious drivel was notable to me because I'm a Jets fan. Have been my whole life. (Yes, I have seen that draft video on YouTube. I also watched my team in the AFC championship game the last two years, jagoff.) But here's the point: I admit that Rexy got a bit of a pass his first year as Jets HC. At the end of the day, he didn't need it, but whether or not the Jetsies made the AFC Championship game, he was going to finish the year on the media's good side simply because he was not Eric Mangini. (Full disclosure: I was FULLY on board with hiring Mangini at the time -- what a mess.) And maybe he did get a pass on the whole foot fetish saga, though it wasn't exactly a Marv Albert scenario. But it's clear the tide is turning.

With the new found competency of the Mets front office and the Yankees looking playoff bound as always, the sports writers need themselves a target. And let's face it, another hit piece on Tom Coughlin isn't selling any papers. So that puts Rexy in the cross-hairs. But here's the problem with that: in two years, the guy has twice managed to plow through loaded AFC playoff fields to get to the conference championship game with the 'Chize (ed. note: Jets QB1 Mark Sanchez) at the helm. So everybody calm down. The guy has gotten my team to perform at a higher level than any Jets HC in my lifetime (including Parcells - my fingers just burst into flames). As far as I'm concerned, he can say whatever the hell he wants. Also, and I'm not saying it's necessarily intentional, but I see some genius in Rexy's approach. Think about it. Is there any coach of the league (with the possible exception of that chicken-shit turncoat in New England (ed. note: Patriots coach Bill Belichick)) who actually gives the media less meaningful information than Rexy? He talks and talks and talks, but what insights can you really draw from a guy that says nothing but good things about every player on his roster and constantly predicts victory. None. So if Lupica and his hair hat really want to bitch about something, maybe they should bitch about what Rexy ISN'T saying.

"Hi, I was part of a starting Padres double-play combo. Nice to meet you."

2011-08-03T20:32:00.006-04:00

With the recent improved play of Jeudy Valdez and Jonathan Galvez - the primary double-play combo this season for the Padres High-A affiliate Lake Elsinore Storm - it got me thinking about Padres double-play combos of the past.

So, without further ado, I present to you a list of Padres starting double-play combos from 1969 to present day. Note: this list has not been edited or manipulated in any way. Special effects have not been used to pretty up this list. These actually were the primary double-play combos (in terms of games played at 2B and SS) for each Padres team.

1969: Jose Arcia and Tommy Dean
1970: Dave Campbell and Tommy Dean
1971: Don Mason and Enzo Hernandez
1972: Derrel Thomas and Enzo Hernandez
1973: Rich Morales and Derrel Thomas
1974: Derrel Thomas and Enzo Hernandez
1975: Tito Fuentes and Enzo Hernandez
1976: Tito Fuentes and Enzo Hernandez
1977: Mike Champion and Bill Almon
1978: Fernando Gonzalez and Ozzie Smith
1979: Fernando Gonzalez and Ozzie Smith
1980: Dave Cash and Ozzie Smith
1981: Juan Bonilla and Ozzie Smith
1982: Tim Flannery and Garry Templeton
1983: Juan Bonilla and Garry Templeton
1984: Alan Wiggins and Garry Templeton
1985: Tim Flannery and Garry Templeton
1986: Tim Flannery and Garry Templeton
1987: Tim Flannery and Garry Templeton
1988: Roberto Alomar and Garry Templeton
1989: Roberto Alomar and Garry Templeton
1990: Roberto Alomar and Garry Templeton
1991: Bip Roberts and Tony Fernandez
1992: Kurt Stillwell and Tony Fernandez
1993: Jeff Gardner and Ricky Gutierrez
1994: Bip Roberts and Ricky Gutierrez
1995: Jody Reed and Andujar Cedeno
1996: Jody Reed and Chris Gomez
1997: Quilvio Veras and Chris Gomez
1998: Quilvio Veras and Chris Gomez
1999: Quilvio Veras and Damian Jackson
2000: Bret Boone and Damian Jackson
2001: Damian Jackson and D'Angelo Jimenez
2002: Ramon Vazquez and Deivi Cruz
2003: Mark Loretta and Ramon Vazquez
2004: Mark Loretta and Khalil Greene
2005: Mark Loretta and Khalil Greene
2006: Josh Barfield and Khalil Greene
2007: Marcus Giles and Khalil Greene
2008: Tadahito Iguchi and Khalil Greene
2009: David Eckstein and Everth Cabrera
2010: David Eckstein and Miguel Tejada
2011: Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett

Now, if you were to say, "Hey Ryan, that's a nice list, but what are your top five?" Well, I'd answer like this:

1. Wiggins and Templeton '84 - you can't top the first World Series in team history
2. Loretta and Khalil '04 - the promise of a young Khalil teamed with Loretta's career year
3. Veras and Gomez '98 - bootstrapped because they were part of a World Series team, but still a sneaky solid tandem
4. Gonzalez and Smith '78 - the dp combo on the first winning team in franchise history, one of whom might be the best defensive SS of all time
5. Eckstein and Cabrera '09 - mostly because I wanted to get Eck on this list; if you build a team with a few studs and then toss in Eck at 2B you've got a good chance at a winner

And my five least favorites?

5. Ramon Vazquez and Deivi Cruz '02 - nothing against these guys but I just don't remember them at all
4. Iguchi and Greene '98 - such a disappointing season that spiraled out of control after Trevor blew some early-season saves; also, Iguchi and Khalil were useless
3. Reed and Cedeno '95 - this one is personal; when the Padres acquired Cedeno everyone told me how good he was going to be; thanks, guys
2. Hudson and Bartlett '11 - I'm well past tired of these guys; not that they aren't okay players, but I'd like to see Forsythe and Everth get some ABs immediately
1. Any combo with Enzo Hernandez '71-'71, '74-'76 - I know it's not fair, but when I imagine Enzo's time in San Diego in the 1970s, I picture him cruising around the city, speaking a lot of Spanish, not caring about his peformance on the field, surrounded at all times by a cloud of marijuana smoke; basically I imagine a Cheech and Chong film

With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 3

2011-06-23T13:34:00.011-04:00

I knew it couldn't last. Two perfect summer days in Boston had to be followed by a cloudy, drizzly day. This isn't San Diego, after all. Consistent perfection is just not attainable.

We arrived to our seats just as the Fenway grounds crew removed the tarp. The start of the game was delayed about 30 minutes (the first of four rain delays).

MLB really wanted to get the game in yesterday, for the obvious reason that rescheduling a game between two teams in separate leagues on opposite coasts would be a logistical nightmare. They pulled the tarp while it was still sprinkling and the teams played through a steady drizzle all afternoon.

Unfortunately the steady drizzle prevented me from ever sitting in my seats. You see, I attended yesterday's game with my wife and 3 1/2-month old daughter (her first Padres game!), and apparently, at least according to my wife, it is a "bad idea" to have a "baby" "sit out in the rain" for an extended period of time.

Who knew?

This gives you a good idea of the soggy conditions. A few minutes before the first pitch and the fans still had their umbrellas up. You also never see this many empty seats at Fenway a few minutes before the first pitch.

"But Da', you said we'd sit close to the field so I could show off my pink Padres shirt and see Chase Headley field ground balls. Instead, we're standing in this hallway with loud echoes. I don't know about this baseball stuff."

Patience, young one. That was not a representative experience. Don't judge it just on that one encounter alone.

The underbelly of Fenway. Deceptively spacious and with good crowd flow.

It's not evident from the photo, but this was moments after Will Venable led off the game with a bomb. Had I been in my seats, I would have had a great view. Incidentally, the groan from Red Sox fans after Lackey gave up the bomb was palpable. They really dislike that guy.

The rain was not letting up so we left in the third inning, just before the second rain delay, and found a seat at the Cask 'n Flagon, a well-known bar next to the ballpark. Here's a view looking out the side door of the bar on Landsdowne Street.

Looking down Landsdowne St., those are the famed Monster Seats on the right. On a related note, this was as close as I got to sitting in the famed Monster Seats.

And my final view of the game on the many TVs at the Cask 'n Flagon. Clay Richard is everywhere, and nowhere. (Mind blown.)

And this is a photo of my shirt on the train ride home at the moment I heard the Padres won 5-1.

Go Padres!

With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 2

2011-06-22T00:47:00.022-04:00

Game 2 of the Padres series in Boston ended a 5-4 Drinos win. Like last night, the game was mostly close, tonight's difference being that the Sox didn't explode for a 10-run inning. I'm telling you, if the Padres played the Red Sox in a 7-game series, and the Sox were forced to start Andrew Miller and Alfredo Aceves in games 1 and 2, the Padres just might pull that sucker out.

Among the notable events tonight was that Rizzo again hit a rocket to the deepest part of the ballpark, nearly 420 feet away from home plate. Tonight, however, Jacoby Ellsbury ran it down so it will read on the scorecard as a measly F8. Rizzo also doubled off the monster in the third and knocked in the winning run in the 7th on a groundout to Adrian Gonzalez. He - Rizzo - is a quality baseball player.

I walked to the game again tonight and passed by the Boston Common. This picture doesn't do it justice, but the Common is a broad green expanse with walking paths, tennis courts, park benches, statues, and what not. A very nice place.

My walk was down Boylston St. toward Fenway Park. I'm a big fan of buildings that reflect other buildings, but then again, who isn't?

Latos striding (lollygagging?) out to the bullpen before his start.

Chase stopped to sign a few autographs on his way out to stretch before the game. The more I learn about Chase, the more I realize that the only real flaw in his character, other than being a Steelers fan, is that he has no home run power whatsoever. Still, he was on base three more times tonight, pushing his season OBP is up to .392.

What on Earth were the Red Sox thinking with their logo in the 1950s?

Wachusett Brewing Company's own Green Monsta IPA. There are worse ways to spend $7.50.

This is the view from the Standing Room Only spots near the Pavilion Boxes along the first base line. I think these run for $20 face and you have a ledge to rest your food and adult beverages.

This Tony Gwynn fan was loving the SRO spot. He was a good guy. He saw I was wearing a Padres shirt of my own at one point - not nearly as beastly as his Gwynn jersey - and said, "Go Padres." To which I said, "You too," which made absolutely no sense then or now.

Latos deals through the sun rays.

I took this photo because I like the colors, but also because I think it says that Chase's career batting average with the bases loaded is .150. Huh? Can that be right? I thought it was easier to hit when the bases were loaded because pitchers have to throw strikes. I think we've found another flaw with Chase Headley!

It's always a bit sad when the sun sets on the longest day of the year. Now every day gets shorter for the next six months. #buzzkill

I was going to make a "why is Adrian doing Blue Steel?" joke, but the more I look at the photo, the less it reminds me of Zoolander, and the more it reminds me of just a scary looking person with an intense glare.

Just a random, poetic shot of the Monster.

The blessed sight (and site) of a Padres victory.

Finally, on my way out of the stadium I stopped and took this photo from behind Grandstand section 16. I really like the Grandstand sections around the infield, especially the last row near the concourse. If you can get a seat in the last row on the aisle you can avoid the tight rows and have easy ingress (and egress) to get beers and food and hit the restrooms during the game. And the views are solid, and old-timey. Baseball at its finest.

With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 1

2011-06-21T01:24:00.032-04:00

The Padres are playing three games at Fenway this week, and, for better or worse, I decided to take the train up from New York for the series. Today was Game 1 of the series and suffice to say it didn't end well for the Padres.

Most people will forget this when looking at the final score for tonight's game, but other than the Red Sox half of the 7th, it was an evenly played, exciting contest, with both sides threatening to score nearly every inning. Orlando Hudson's bomb was an absolute rocket, and for nearly three full innings Cory Luebke looked unhittable.

But then came the bottom of the 7th and the better team used hustle, elite batting eyes, and just plain skillful hitting to start a rally, and then pile on once the Padres young relief pitchers (well, young, other than Pat Neshek) got flustered.

But despite the end result it was a good night at the ballpark. I had incredible seats, the weather was perfect, and, as Hemingway might say, the Monstah IPA flowed pure and true.

To the photos.

It was weird but I didn't see any Red Sox fans wearing Eric Patterson jerseys.

Here was the view from my seats a few minutes before the first pitch. Apparently the Sox allow some people to stand on the field behind home plate before the game.

The Sox also have installed TVs in the base of the wall facing the expensive seats. They are wholly unnecessary but do allow the Sox to charge more for the seats.

Buddence Black handed over the lineup card before the game to someone who was decidedly not Terry Francona. I think the manager should always be the one to exchange the lineup card. I know managers sometimes allow their coaches to do it as some kind of honor, but I'm not a fan of that tradition.

Adrian roped a line single to left in his first at bat. Seeing Adrian's patented opposite-field swing work so well tonight made me realize that Tony Gwynn would have batted .468 in this ballpark.

Big Papi during his 14-pitch at bat in the first inning. It started 0-2 and Papi fouled off pitch after pitch. The radio guy during my cab ride back to the hotel said it was the most pitches Papi had ever seen in a single at bat.

Anthony Rizzo waits on deck for his first at bat at Fenway Park.

Andrew Miller deals to - I believe - Cameron Maybin. Maybin's a player, though his 0-4 with a walk tonight didn't really show it.

A sweet view to the right field roof deck. I sat up there once during a cold, rainy doubleheader between the Sox and Rangers. Tonight was better.

That for sure is Maybin. I think I took a lot of photos in a row at this point in the game.

And here is Rizzo at the plate. Great stance. Has the Batting Stance Guy done Rizzo yet? Because he should.

Adrian K'd to end the 4th, the first of 5 straight Ks by Luebke. The Padres would tie the game on Orlando's 3-run bomb during that stretch and things were indeed looking up.

This is Luebke during his stretch of Ks. He'll be a starter on the Padres pretty soon, especially if Jed can deal Harang and/or Moseley for some mid-range prospects in the next few weeks.

During the 7th inning stretch, mere minutes before the wheels came off for the Padres, I turned and admired the grandstand and press boxes rising up behind me. One of the best views in baseball.

This is Rizzo's final at bat in the top of the 8th where he hit a high fly ball to J.D. Drew in right. In his previous at bat Rizzo hit the hardest hit ball of the night - yes, harder than O Dog's bomb and harder than Jesus Guzman's triple - that hit the 420 sign on the fly for a double. Rizzo's going to be a very good hitter in this league. (Incidentally, it bears mentioning that the Padres had the three hardest hit balls of the night and still lost by 9 runs).

After the Red Sox opened up the game in the 7th, I'm pretty sure Terry Francona moved up to the Field Boxes to take in the rest of the game with a cool beverage.

Here's Yawkey Way after the game. For those who don't know, Yawkey Way is a street that borders Fenway that is closed off during the game and basically becomes part of the stadium and you can just wander around, booze, eat, shop for baseball gear, and basically live the dream. I've seen worse set ups.

And to close, this was cool. After the game I was standing on Yawkey Way eating a sausage and noticed a group of people standing around all wearing Rizzo shirts. I thought I recognized a couple of them as Rizzo's parents because Channel 4 showed them sitting in the stands about 47 times during Rizzo's first few games at Petco. Sure enough, a few minutes later, I hear the group start cheering and there was Rizzo walking out of the stadium toward them. He gave them all hugs and shrugged as if to say, "Yeah, I did hit that laser off the 420 sign, but we really got pounded. I'd rather get a W."

Anyway, the Rizzos seem like good people who are very proud of their son, and are prepared to support him and the Padres even on nights that don't end up so well for the team. I'm happy to have Anthony and the rest of the Rizzos on board for the inevitable Padres World Series victory in 2015.

Anthony Rizzo's Odd Beginning

2011-06-15T16:03:00.003-04:00

Through his first 25 plate appearances, Anthony Rizzo is hitting .176 ... with a .440 OBP and a .529 SLG.

Has anyone ever batted under .200 and had an OPS over .950?

#spangenberg

2011-06-09T10:25:00.001-04:00

Sean Burroughs Is Back!

2011-05-18T17:26:00.003-04:00

Say what you will about Sean Burroughs' lifetime .280/.340/.358 line (wait, that's not that bad! why didn't they just move him to second base!) as a Padre, but I will never forget his 2-out, 2-run, 9th-inning double off Armando Benitez late in the '05 season that helped clinch the division.

I was listening to the radio broadcast in my office and immediately sent this one-word e-mail to my friends: "Burrrrrrrrroooouggggggghhhhsss!"

(Or something close to that. The original may have had less "r"s.)

I wish him well with the DBacks. So long as it doesn't interfere with the Padres interests.

The Return of Brad Hawpe

2011-05-16T11:06:00.005-04:00

I won't soon forget where I was when Brad Hawpe hit a go-ahead two-run bomb Saturday afternoon against the Rockies.

I was sitting on my sofa, my 3-month old daughter crying in my lap, the underrated Jay Baruchel film She's Out of My League on the television, the Padres game playing silently on the computer in front of me.

I look up as the count goes to two strikes on Hawpe (and, coincidentally, as Alice Eve walks across the TV screen). I look down and Hawpe is rounding the bases.

One of the more unexpected, outstanding bombs I can remember.

Hawpe's demise appears to have been greatly exaggerated. For the month of May, Hawpe is hitting .385/.455/.615, with 2 bombs and 8 ribeyes. Over the last 28 days, basically a full month according to my calendar, Hawpe is hitting a respectable .290/.347/.449.

Hawpe - and the Padres - have more work to do, but things are progressing nicely.

Not The Pitching Too ...

2011-05-11T11:35:00.003-04:00

The Padres lost again last night to the Brewers, this time 8-6 in a game that at one point the Brewers led 8-0.

Small consolation.

Still, if the Padres win this afternoon, they'll be at .500 for the month, and no worse than 6 games back of first. That's not bad considering they have the worst hitting in the league. Nor is it bad considering their starting pitching, one of the team's few strengths in April, has been up and down this month.

Let's look at the starters numbers through the first 10 days of May (April ERA in parens):

Aaron Harang: 1-1 4.50 (3.90)
Tim Stauffer: 0-0 0.00 (3.12)
Dustin Moseley: 1-1 3.75 (1.99)
Clayton Richard: 0-2 8.64 (3.82)
Mat Latos: 0-1 4.63 (4.98)

After today every starter will have made two starts this month. But other than Tim's choice start against the DBacks last Friday, none of the guys has improved on his April numbers (Mat's middling improvement can hardly be counted). Aaron had a good start against the DBacks on Sunday, but that has to be paired with a disastrous outing against Pittsburgh on May 2. Moseley likewise had a great outing on May 1 against the Dadgers, only to be rocked Saturday against Arizona. And Clayton has been just bad, albeit the victim of some poor defense in his May 4 start against the Buccos.

If this up-and-down trend continues, Tim may be due for a dicey performance today. But I hope that doesn't happen.

How's that for an inspirational pregame speech?

Rob. Johnson.

2011-05-04T15:49:00.005-04:00

So that's why Jed Hoyer brought in Rob Johnson. To win baseball games.

Rob pounded a go-ahead bomb in the bottom of the 8th, and then threw out the potential tying run at third in the 9th, to help lead the Padres to a 6-5 win over the Buccos.

What I especially liked about how Rob Johnson helped win the game for the Padres last night, was that he also very nearly helped lose it. In the top of the 6th, Mat Latos struck out Neil Walker but Rob couldn't handle the pitch and Neil reached base on the E2. Then, in the 9th, on the final strike of the game, Rob again mishandled a pitch but Ryan Doumit didn't immediately run to first base. Had Doumit run, he likely reaches the bag, the game isn't over, and the Buccos have the tying run at first. As it happened, Doumit hesitated and Rob had time to throw him out. Game over.

For now I'm calling this "The Rob Johnson Game." Hopefully that will change as Rob's heroics extend to other games, thus rendering this game just one in a long line of great Rob Johnson games, lowercase "g".

That would actually be a nice compliment for a ballplayer: "He's so good, they talk about him in lowercase."

Think about it. It works.

Nick Hundley: The Pitcher Whisperer?

2011-05-03T18:09:00.004-04:00

Yes, the Padres lost 4-3 to the Buccos last night, snapping a 9-game winning streak against the Pirates dating back to 2009. Yes, Aaron Harang had his second straight dicey outing, giving up two first inning home runs to the likes of Chris Snyder and Garrett "Improved Plate Discipline" Jones. And yes, the Padres only went 1-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding 7 runners on base and having a runner thrown out at home.

But I did see one thing I liked in last night's game.

In the top of the 9th with the Padres protecting a 1-run lead, Bud Black called Luke Gregerson out of the pen to replace Ernesto Frieri, who had walked three of the last 4 batters (the bases weren't loaded because in between those walks Nick Hundley threw out Lyle Overbay trying to steal, in my view not even the best thing Nick did in the inning.) Luke promptly walked the first batter he faced and threw a bad looking ball to the next batter, Steven Pearce. It was then that Nick Hundley stepped up. He walked out to the mound, said a few words to Luke, patted him on the ass, and went back to his spot behind the plate.

Luke struck out Pearce in three more pitches. Then he got McCutchen to ground out to end the inning.

So yes, the Padres didn't win the game, but I liked what I saw in the interaction between Nick and Luke. That bodes well for Nick's increasing ability to handle the Padres pitching staff.

The Inevitable Dustin Moseley Shutout Win

2011-05-02T13:05:00.002-04:00

What goes around comes around.

The Padres have been shutout 7 times this season, and only scored 1 run in Dustin Moseley's first four starts, but yesterday reversed the polarity of those two trends, and won 7-0 over the Hated Dadgers.

I wasn't able to watch the game, but in looking at the highlights, Dustin's pitches had a lot of bite. Most notably, he K'd Matt Kemp looking in the 7th with a pitch that bit at the absolute last moment over the outside corner of the plate. Pure nasty.

After six starts Dustin's ERA stands at 1.63, good for second in the National League, and fourth best in all of baseball, behind some no-namers like Josh Johnson, Jered Weaver, and Dan Haren. He's not doing it with gaudy peripherals, but like the saying I just made up goes, why worry about peripherals as long as you're keeping earned runners from scoring?

The First Annual Anthony Rizzo/Jaff Decker/James Darnell April 2011 Padres Minor League Honor Roll

2011-05-01T11:17:00.010-04:00

After last night's glorious 5-2 victory over the Hated Dadgers, the Padres finished April 10-17, 8 games back of the Colorado Rackies. From an offensive standpoint, they played about as poor as they could possibly play, finishing at the bottom of the NL in all three triple-slash categories. These are not numbers for the faint of heart: .211/.293/.308. But that's why I feel some optimism heading into May. The Padres can't continue to hit that poorly - they really can't - and they have 11 games this month against the Pirates, DBacks, and Nationals. Sure, they get the Rockies too, but I'm guessing they finish May just a few games under .500, poised to hit the ground running in June.

In the meantime, and speaking of optimism, let's take a look at the top Padres minor league performances in the month of April. A lot of guys swung some big time wood last month, and a few other guys pitched well, so it would be an oversight not to commend them.

Tucson Padres

1B - Anthony Rizzo: .400/.471/.744
3B - Jesus Guzman: .344/.439/.467
2B - Logan Forsythe: .313/.429/.525
RHP - Jon Leicester: 1-0, 2.84, 11/8, 1.16 WHIP

If Rizzo doesn't make the May Honor Roll, it's because he's raking in the Diago.

San Antonio Missions

3B - James Darnell: .410/.520/.705
CF - Blake Tekotte: .375/.474/.675
OF - Jaff Decker: .316/.449/.759
LF - Dan Robertson: .270/.405/.460
1B - Cody Decker: .298/.337/.714
RF - Sawyer Carroll: .333/.377/.579
C - Kyle Phillips: .344/.362/.500
SS - Beamer Weems: .324/.390/.500
RHP - Anthony Bass: 3-1, 3.45, 18/7, 1.15 WHIP
RHP - Casey Kelly: 2-0, 4.10, 19/9, 1.48 WHIP
RHP - Brad Brach: 7 saves, 3.97, 19/1, .97 WHIP

Who plays second base for the Missions? That guy needs to get his act together (just kidding: it's usually Vinny Belnome who just missed making the April Honor Roll).

Lake Elsinore Storm

3B - Jedd Gyorko: .380/.442/.652
3B - Edinson Rincon: .369/.419/.524
CF - Reymond Fuentes: .306/.344/.400
RHP - Chris Fetter: 1-2, 3.32, 22/2, 1.29 WHIP
RHP - Jerry Sullivan: 3-1, 3.32, 13/8, 1.58 WHIP
RHP - Matt Lollis: 1-4, 5.13, 29/8, 1.14 WHIP
RHP - Erik Hamren, 4 holds, 1.69, 15/1, .66 WHIP

Fuentes: feel free to go ahead and start flashing some power anytime you're ready.

Fort Wayne TinCaps

3B - Jake Blackwood: .321/.360/.631
C - Tommy Medica: .323/.397/.523
RHP - Keyvius Sampson: 3-1, 1.29, 28/8, .67 WHIP
LHP - Mark Hardy: 1-3. 2.31, 13/7, 1.07 WHIP
LHP - Andrew Werner: 1-3, 3.27, 21/6, 1.09 WHIP

The lack of name prospects in the everyday lineup when Tate and Williams are injured is startling. But all hail Keyvius, and a shout out to Peorian Andrew Werner.

The relentless progression of time continues. May starts today.

Oh. My. Goodness.

2011-04-30T13:08:00.001-04:00

A.J. did it.

He really did it.

Will A.J. Go Liuget?

2011-04-28T11:03:00.007-04:00

What a headline. I'm sure no one else around the country thought of writing something like that.

Looking past yesterday's Padres game, in which Mat Latos was served with his 9th consecutive loss, tonight is the first round of the NFL Draft. I expect big things out of A.J. Smith and the Chargers.

The draft is deep with powerful DE and OLB types, precisely the position the Chargers need. But if I can make a quick plea to A.J.: take Corey Liuget, good sir. You won't regret it. He has the speed, strength, and mean streak to immediately add to the Bolts defense that which they have lacked since the demise of Shawne Merriman, namely the inspiration of fear and dread in opposing offenses.

It's time for the Chargers to draft a monster. Corey is that beast.

Meyers Leonard Saying Some Good Things

2011-04-27T11:28:00.005-04:00

As I avoid thinking about the Padres 8-2 loss last night to the Braves, I wanted to highlight an article in today's Peoria Journal Star on Meyers Leonard.

Talk is just talk, and ultimately anything one says must be backed up with actions, but Meyers has a lot of good quotes in this article. He says the kind of things you want to hear as a fan, as a coach, and I'd gather, as a teammate.

Among the more notable things Meyers said:

- “I was kind of childish last year, to be completely honest,” Leonard said Tuesday following a workout at the Ubben Basketball Complex. “I thought I was better than I really was. It was harder than I expected. I think I’m growing up."

- “This year, I finally came around and realized it will take a lot of hard work to start winning here and hopefully continue my career in basketball. I’m starting to listen to coach (Bruce) Weber more. I’m starting to learn quicker and get the concepts.”

- “I know that I have to be good next year in order for us to be good,” he said.

- On learning to play as a big man: “Setting screens, being physical, all the little things big men do to help the team win, and rebound,” Leonard said. “Be a center. Be a beast.”

The Illini face a lot of challenges next season. Ohio St. gets back Jared Sullinger and another solid recruiting class, Indiana will improve with Tyler Zeller, Michigan will likely return everyone from a rapidly improving team, Izzo will have Michigan St. competitive again after a down year, Purdue will likely return a healthy Robbie Hummel, and Wisconsin will win its share of games.

If the Illini want to finish in the top half of the Big Ten, Meyers will, indeed, have to "be a beast."

Luddence Von Ludwick III

2011-04-26T12:20:00.006-04:00

Ryan Ludwick hit due bombs last night (I mean due here as in the Italian word for "two," pronounced doo-ay, but I also like the connotation of the English word "due," as in "Ludwick was due to hit some frickin' bombs"), including a walk-off shot in the bottom of the 13th, to lead the Padres to a 5-3 victory over the Braves. Chris Denorfia made an astounding clutch diving grab in the top of the 13th to preserve the tie and set up Ludwick's walk off.

Let's talk Ludwick for a moment. He now has four HRs on the season and ten overall as a Padre. Most notably, in addition to last night's walk off, he had a go-ahead bomb in the top of the 9th in a big game against the Cardinals last September, and a huge bomb off Matt Cain in the second inning of the first game of the final three-game series last October in San Francisco. The Padres ultimately came up short in that series, but Luddy's bomb in the Friday night game started the momentum that would keep the season alive two extra days. (And I know of what I speak since, you know, I was there and all.)

Much is made of Ludwick's underachieving hitting since becoming a Padre, but I prefer to focus on some of the clutch bombs he's hit, and trust that there will be many more as the season unfolds.

Incidentally, Ludwick rakes on Derek Lowe. Ludwick's first homer last night was the fourth he's hit in his career off Lowe, the most he's hit off any pitcher (current teammate Aaraon Harang is second with three).

Padres: Making Opposing Pitchers Look Really Really Good

2011-04-25T09:12:00.004-04:00

The Padres lost again yesterday 3-1 to the Phillies. So despite having the best ERA in the National League, they are 6.5 games back in the NL West and haven't won back-to-back games since the first two games of the season.

The reason, of course, for the Padres poor win-loss record is their shameful hitting. Facing Roy Halladay yesterday, probably the best pitcher in baseball, the woes continued. Doc K'd 14 Padres and generally made the hitters look foolish. Even so, because Wade LeBlanc and other Padres pitchers are so quality, the game was there for the taking in the 9th, but once again the team couldn't get a big hit when it was needed.

It should surprise no one that 5 of the top 12 individual pitching performances in the NL this season have come against the Padres. There was Jaime Garcia on April 3 (86 game score), Tim Lincecum on April 6 (80), Carlos Zambrano on April 18 (85), Cole Hamels on April 22 (79), and Roy Halladay (83) yesterday afternoon. No question these are all good pitchers, including in Lincecum and Halladay perhaps the two best overall pitchers in baseball, but that is not a statistic the Padres should be proud of.

With Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, and Tommy Hanson all slated to face the Padres at Petco in the next three days, I don't see how this gets turned around anytime soon.

At Least The Padres Have Mark Grant

2011-04-24T14:08:00.004-04:00

Another night, another close loss by the Padres.

But I'd rather not talk about that. I'd like to talk about Mark Grant. Listening to the Padres broadcasts night after night, it's clear to me that the Padres are lucky to have Grant as their color man. He is consistently funny, knowledgeable, nice, and a great partner for Dick Enberg. Over the last few years Grant has had to adapt to a constantly changing partner in the booth - first Matty Vasgersian, then Mark Neely and Steve Quis, and now Enberg - and has handled it all with humor and professionalism.

That's why I was so pleased to come across Mark Grant's '90 Donruss card last night. My advisor Tom Teatro was throwing away some of his old baseball cards (who throws away baseball cards?) and kept all his Padres to give to me. Included in the stack he handed me was Grant's card pictured above (yes, that's Ghostbusters 2 in the background).

The back of the card, as all great baseball cards do, contains a bunch of great facts about Grant:

- he was acquired via a trade with the Giants on July 4, 1987, with Mark Davis, Chris Brown and Keith Comstock, for Kevin Mitchell, Dave Dravecky, and Craig Lefferts;

- he served as a right-handed middle relief man for the Padres in '89, ranking 5th on the club in ERA;

- he led the PCL in victories, complete games, and shutouts at Phoenix in '86;

- he led the Midwest League in wins, strikeouts, and innings at Clinton in '82; and

- the Giants made him the 1oth player taken overall in the June '81 amateur draft.

So choice.

Shutout Shutout Shutout ... Shutout Shutout Shutout

2011-04-23T13:36:00.003-04:00

One mistake pitch to Ryan Howard was all that separated Clayton Richard's loss from Cole Hamels' win last night. In effect, Clayton had the better performance. After all, he had to pitch to the Phillies lineup while Cole just had to toss batting practice balls to the Padres AAAA lineup.

The good news is that, according to Baseball Reference, the Padres are 8th of 16 NL teams in attendance this season. So at least a reasonable number of folks are going to the games.

Shutout Shutout Shutout

2011-04-22T09:55:00.005-04:00

If you're new to baseball, and have on your list of goals to see a shutout in a major league game, I'd recommend watching the Padres play this season.

After last night's 3-0 loss to the Phillies, the Padres have been shutout 5 times in 19 games. They have an NL-low .217 batting average, to go with an NL-low 60 runs, mixed in with an NL-low .326 slugging percentage. But they do have an NL-high 27 bags, so there's that.

Incidentally, the Padres are leading the NL walks but have the third-lowest team OBP in the league. That's astounding.

April Is Football Weather At Wrigley Field

2011-04-21T11:56:00.005-04:00

Game-time temperature of Padres-Cubs Game 1 yesterday at Wrigley: 42 degrees Fahrenheit.

Game-time temperature of Illinois-Northwestern football game last November at Wrigley: 43 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Padres won Game 2 to split the doubleheader. Ryan Ludwick went 5-8 with 2 doubles on the day. His batting average after 70 plate appearances is an even .200.

My Pick For Top Padres Uniform

2011-04-20T10:27:00.006-04:00

As we wait for today's doubleheader in Chicago to start, I cast my eye briefly to fashion. I've been following ESPN's four-part series on Padres uniforms through the years. It's a well-written piece with a lot of great photos of sharply-dressed Drinos past and present.

Somewhat surprising to me was that my favorite uniform - and the uni I hope the Padres eventually return to - is the kit (soccer term!) worn in 1975. Willie McCovey models it in the photo above. I like the brown and yellow trim and the lettering of San Diego across the chest. Plus the uniform keeps the classic brown and yellow helmet with the interlocking "SD".

The 1975 uniform narrowly beats the classic brown, yellow, and orange uniform the Padres wore from 1980 to 1984, the halcyon days that saw them draft and develop Tony Gwynn and appear in their first World Series. I love the crisp brown look of the jersey with the sweet brown undershirt and the yellow wristbands worn near the elbow by Garry Templeton in the photo below.

No one should ever say that Garry Templeton lacked style.

Night Games At Wrigley Are Rarely Good

2011-04-19T10:24:00.003-04:00

Growing up in Peoria, IL, about three hours drive south of Chicago, Wrigley Field was my family's go to spot for major league baseball games. My Dad would take me to at least one Padres-Cubs game a season, and those trips are some of the best memories any kid could possibly have.

Also, every single one of those games my Dad took me to was a day game. Wrigley didn't add lights until 1988 when I was 11 years old, and even then, they played only a handful of night games a season.

Since then, the few times I have gone to a night game at Wrigley (this game comes to mind), it is cold, wet, windy, and worst of all, feels a lot like every other stadium in baseball. It's nothing like the warm sunny days I knew growing up.

So if it was up to me the Cubs would only play day games at Wrigley. And, if they did play any night games, they certainly wouldn't beat the Padres 1-0 in ten innings in any of those games.

Jorge "Georgey" Cantu Goes Yard For First Time As Padre

2011-04-18T13:44:00.006-04:00

According to Baseball Reference, the biggest play of yesterday's game was Will Venable's two-run single in the top of the 8th to turn a 6-5 Padres deficit into a 7-6 Padres lead. The Padres would never look back and, despite some drama by Heath Bell in the ninth, finished the day with a victory.

No doubt Will's hit was big. But for my money I'll take Jorge Cantu's monster 2-run jack off Brett Myers in the top of the 5th. At that point the Astros held a 4-1 lead and, with their ace on the mound and with the anemic way the Padres have hit this young season, that lead felt insurmountable. Jorge's blast brought the Padres back to within a run and rallied a cry of hope down from the mountaintops.

All in all a big hit.

Two Nights In Houston

2011-04-17T10:43:00.008-04:00

Kudos to Ryan Ludwick for his big 2-run single on Friday night And to Chris Denorfia for hitting a home-run and a double. Those hits, and solid performances by Aaron Harang and the bullpen, led to a 4-2 victory over the Stros.

Last night things didn't break so well for the Padres. Mat Latos only gave up 4 hits over 6.1 innings but one of those hits was a two-run bomb to Chris Johnson. Another was a reaching swing by Hunter Pence that fell for a double scoring Michael Bourn who had reached on an infield single. Trouble also arose when Bud Black sent Latos back out in the 6th and, after striking out Brett Wallace, he walked back-to-back batters that would both later score. Another in a line of winnable losses by the 2011 Padres.

And, as we look ahead to this afternoon's games, I'll leave you with this list of Padres and their current batting averages:

Brad Hawpe - .143
Jason Bartlett - .132
Ryan Ludwick - .116
Will Venable - .146
Jorge Cantu - .167

If You Can't Score Runs At Minute Maid Park, Maybe You Can't Score Runs

2011-04-15T12:31:00.005-04:00

The title of this post is negative, but the post itself will focus on the positive from yesterday's 1-0 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Houston.

Here's what I liked from yesterday's game:

- Orlando de la Noche's continued run of impressive at bats. Orlando walked twice and singled yesterday (and stole his 6th bag of the season) to raise his average to .326. He couldn't drive in the tying run with a runner on third and one out in the 8th, but you still have to like Orlando's approach so far this season.

- Ryan Ludwick's catch and throw to double up Brett Wallace at second base in the second. Ludwick had misplayed a Brett Wallace double on the play before, but he made up for it by catching Bill E. Hall's liner and firing a strike to second to double up Wallace. Doesn't quite make up for his 0-4, 3 K performance, but still, a nice play.

- Dustin Moseley's outing. Dustin pitched 6.2 innings and gave up 1 run. He only struckout 1 guy, but he limited walks and induced 18 ground balls (as opposed to 8 fly balls), a very important statistic at a place like Minute Maid. On the season Dustin is 0-3 with a 1.83 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. If he finishes the year 0-18 but with a sub-2.00 ERA, you have to give him a Cy Young vote, right?

Orlando "De La Noche" Gets Walk-Off Hit

2011-04-14T11:11:00.004-04:00

I've always thought the best nickname you can give a guy is "de la Noche." In Spanish it means, literally, "of the night." If you append "de la Noche" to someone's name it connotes daring, adventure, fearlessness, guts, a wee bit of recklessness, and a cocksure attitude that, to use a tired but apt phrase, gets things done.

After Orlando Hudson's performance last night I'm now going to call him Orlando de la Noche. In the 8th, Orlando reached on a fielder's choice, stole a bag, and scored the tying run on a Jorge Cantu groundout. Then, in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, he singled in the winning run to complete the Padres 3-2 comeback victory.

I'd say those are acts worthy of the "de la Noche" name.

Life Lesson: If You Don't Win When You Have A Chance To Win, You Will Lose

2011-04-13T16:47:00.005-04:00

Last night the Padres had many many chances to beat the Reds. But an inability to get big hits with the bases loaded in the 9th and 10th innings, a crucial throwing error by Clayton Richard that led to a Reds run, and two outstanding Reds defensive plays (one by Scott Rolen and one by Brandon Phillips that, incidentally, was one of the best plays I've ever seen by a second baseman), conspired to defeat the Padres in a game they really should have won.

The Padres have now lost 5 of their last 6 and are in danger of being swept away by the Reds later this afternoon.

It's up to Timothy James Stauffer to right the ship. I for one think he can do it.

Ramon Hernandez And His Right Arm Beat The Padres

2011-04-12T11:08:00.005-04:00

I remember when I liked Ramon Hernandez. I remember when he was the best-hitting catcher the Padres had since Benny Santiago. I remember when he hit five clutch bombs in the stretch playoff run of September 2005, including a walk-off 12th inning jack against the Nattys and a go-ahead grand slam against Los Gigantes de San Francisco. I remember when Sandy Alderson criticized his toughness behind the plate and my first thought was, "Geez, Sandy, stop being a dick. Ramon can rake. No one else on the team can hit other than Giles so stop annoying Ramon and just let him swing the bat."

But all that seems like eons ago now. Last night Ramon threw out three Padres baserunners to help preserve a taut 3-2 Reds victory over the Padres. On a night when ESPN televised a poorly played contest between the last place Rays and the last place Red Sox, the Padres and Reds - two of the top teams in the NL a year ago and both off to good starts this season - played the day's best game out in the Diago.

Tonight should be more of the same with the Deacon Clay Richard taking the hill for the Drinos. Let's hope Ramon's arm is sore.

If You Are A Dodger Fan, You Didn't Like Yesterday's Bomb Show at Petco

2011-04-11T13:00:00.005-04:00

Nick Hundley, Ryan Ludwick, and Cameron Maybin all went yard yesterday afternoon to lead the Padres to a 7-2 beatdown of the Hated Dadgers.

Maybe the Padres should play all their home games at 1:05 PM when, as Mark Grant put it, there's a "jet stream" blowing out to left center.

Incidentally, I love the above photo taken by my boy Dilip Vishwanat. Nick Hundley should love it too. It actually makes him look fast and athletic.

Anytime You Can Lose To The Dodgers Twice In One Day, You Have To Do It

2011-04-10T13:20:00.005-04:00

Because Friday night's game was suspended due to rain, the Padres and Dodgers finished two games yesterday evening. The Padres lost both, in no small part due to Tony Gwynn, Jr.'s offensive and defensive heroics. At the conclusion of the first game, Gwynn singled in the winning run in the top of the 11th, and, in the bottom half of the inning, cut off Nick Hundley's apparent lead off double and held Nick to a long single. Nick would be doubled up at second a few pitches later. Then, in the first inning of the second game, Gwynn doubled and came around to score the first run of the game, the only run the Dadgers would need in a 4-0 shutout win.

Gwynn Jr., with about 1/100th the hitting talent of his father, strikes me as a below-average hitter who, when he is motivated to focus and concentrate, rises almost to the level of average hitter. Unfortunately, his moments of focus and concentration are few and far between, seemingly arising only when he wants to show someone up, such as the team that cut him in the offseason. Or, as when he tripled off Trever Hoffman during the final weekend of the 2007 season, against the team his Dad played for but that never drafted the son. Perhaps that is a trait borne of a privileged upbringing and a famous last name that has provided him more chances than he otherwise would have been given. Or maybe it's just hard to lock in with consistency when you have middling talent. I don't know.

All I do know is that Gwynn Jr. is becoming a Padre killer.

Lincecum Rides Padres Hard, Puts Them Away Wet

2011-04-07T15:41:00.004-04:00

My Dad sent me the above photo this morning and said simply this: "Lincecum - 13 Ks - wow."

Hard to argue with that assessment.

In more positive news, the minor leagues start tonight! The Padres four affiliates are throwing Wade LeBlanc (Tucson), Anthony Bass (San Antonio), Matt Lollis (Lake Elsinore), and Keyvius Sampson (Fort Wayne) as Opening Day starters.

I sense four victories and many firework displays.

"Looking Good, Padres." "Feeling Good, Ryan."

2011-04-06T12:01:00.008-04:00

That was the hypothetical conversation I had last night with the Padres. It's based on the famous last line of dialogue from Trading Places ("Looking good, Billy Ray!" "Feeling good, Clarence."). I thought those words were apropos considering the Padres solid start to the season.

Indeed, after the first four games of the 2011 season, the Padres sit at 3-1, highlighted by yesterday's win in the home opener against the San Francisco Giants (with honorable mention to Chase's 4 ribeye game Saturday in St. Louis - pictured above). Aaron Harang overcame some early wildness to shut down the Gints over six innings, paving the way for worry-free relief work from Luke, Mike, and Heath.

The only downside was that I couldn't be there in person to watch Trevor throw out the first pitch. What a moment.

"They call me Mister Double Play."

2011-04-02T13:56:00.007-04:00

I can't say enough about Albert Pujols and his three double-play performance on Opening Day. I also can't say enough about Cameron Maybin's two-out game-tying homer in the ninth, or Tim Stauffer's solid start, or Pat Neshek's crafty relief performance.

And, now that I've said that I can't say enough, I think I'll sign off and get ready for today's rematch. Clay Richard goes against Jake Westbrook.

(Also, great photo by Chris Lee of the Post-Dispatch. People do things well in St. Louis.)

A Very Brief Look At The Padres 2011 Opening Day Roster

2011-03-30T14:27:00.016-04:00

The Padres announced their 2011 Opening Day roster yesterday. The roster is likely to change considerably within a week - Mat Latos, Eric Patterson, Wade LeBlanc, and Joe Thatcher all seem destined to join the club soon - but for tomorrow afternoon's opener in St. Louis, this is the squad.

Pitchers

37 - Mike Adams: set-up reliever extroardinaire, has closer mentality

21 - Heath Bell: NL's best closer, period

43 - Samuel Deduno: Rockies cast-off, doubtful he'll be around long

39 - Ernesto Frieri: just might pitch every game this season

57 - Luke Gregerson: has an incredible slide piece, will anchor 7th

41 - Aaron Harang: former Cincinnati ace looking to reclaim glory

52 - Cory Luebke: future member of rotation, for now a lefty in 'pen

26 - Dustin Moseley: Jed and Bud like this guy for some reason

34 - Pat Neshek: hope he's not this year's Duaner Sanchez

50 - Chad Qualls: hopefully Petco Park can help him

33 - Clayton Richard: the one good player the Padres got for Peavy

46 - Tim Stauffer: my favorite Padre now that CY is gone

Catchers

4 - Nick Hundley: a guy the Padres need to be good

32 - Rob Johnson: probably won't be as good as Yorvit Torrealba

Outfielders

13- Chris Denorfia: he'll play a bunch and play hard

18 - Cedric Hunter: likely only around until Patterson is healthy

47 - Ryan Ludwick: will he rekindle his St. Louis pop?

24 - Cameron Maybin: he's just like Willie Mays ... Hayes

25 - Will Venable: if he improves, team has a chance to compete

Infielders

8 - Jason Bartlett: I hope he hits like it's 2009

3 - Jorge Cantu: led team with 13 ribeyes in Spring Training

14 - Alberto Gonzalez: would prefer if he was Jerry Hairston, Jr.

11 - Brad Hawpe: much rides on his ability to regain stroke

7 - Chase Headley: biceps are huge, but does that = Petco power?

1 - Orlando Hudson: a good player, talks a whole lot

Who Had The Better Week: Cedric Hunter or Shaka Smart?

2011-03-28T20:02:00.005-04:00

When I heard the news today that Cedric Hunter made the Padres Opening Day roster, it occurred to me that he's having a pretty good week. Similarly, when VCU smashed Kansas in the mouth yesterday I thought to myself, "Man, you know who's having a good week? Shaka Smart."

So naturally today I wondered who is having the better week: Cedric Hunter or Shaka Smart?

I'll list the relevant facts and let you decide:

Cedric Hunter

- hit .435 in Spring Training earning a place on the Padres Opening Day Roster

- will make his Major League debut this week at the age of 23

- has a sweet first name that can be shortened to the nickname "Ced"

Shaka Smart

- led 11-seed VCU from play-in game to the Final Four

- will make his Final Four coaching debut at the age of 33

- has a sweet first name ... period

I guess I'd vote for Ced because, at the end of the day, I'd rather play baseball in the Bigs than coach in the Final Four. But it's close and I could certainly understand reasonable minds having a different opinion.

A View Of Spring Training

2011-03-24T18:13:00.003-04:00

The PCI Blog's intrepid reporter, JJ Geleaux, captured this photo yesterday afternoon at the Pittsburgh Pirates' Spring Training facility in Bradenton, FL.

And today the Pirates announced that Kevin Correia will be their Opening Day starter against the Cubs at Wrigley.

Things are all coming up Bucco!

Are You Ever Going To Blog About The Padres?

2011-03-23T21:08:00.009-04:00

I haven't written much about the Padres this Spring Training because, in part, I was once again drawn kicking and screaming into the Tragicomedy that was Illinois basketball during the reign of the 2011 senior class. But after last Sunday's loss to Kansas in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, the Mike Davis-Bill Cole-Demetri McCamey-Mike Tisdale era is over at the University of Illinois, and I can now avert my eyes toward the greatest baseball team in the history of known universe: the San Diego Padres.

Of course the Illini weren't the only thing occupying my attention this March. A few weeks ago, on March 7, my wife gave birth to our first child, a daughter we named Maia. "Maia" is a name of Greek origin. Neither my wife nor I are at all Greek but we liked the name. In Greek mythology, Maia was the eldest of the Pleiades. Until recently I never knew what the "Pleiades" referred to, but I now know they were the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione. Maia was the oldest and most beautiful of the daughters, and also the shyest. I like those traits.

In not as good news, Maia was apparently raped by that sonuvabitch Zeus and conceived the bastard son Hermes. Hermes went on to become the god of travelers, sports, and literature, three of my favorite things, as well as found a very successful high-fashion luxury goods company based in Paris, so the rape wasn't a complete disaster. But if I ever come across Zeus in a dark alley I'm going to shove a lightning bolt up his -

Maia is also identified with Maia Maiestas, an ancient Italic goddess of Spring. Maybe I'll call my daughter Maia Maiestas sometimes. I kind of like that idea. It also supports a long held theory of mine that the best goddesses are Italic goddesses.

Tolkien also created some denizens of Middle Earth called the Maiar (singular: Maia). They are lesser Ainur who entered Ea in the beginning of time, supporting another theory of mine that Tolkien was a weird weird dude. (Though apparenly Gandalf the Grey was Maiar so it doesn't get much better in terms of Middle Earth denizens than that.)

Given her connection to the gods it comes as no surprise that Maia is also the name of a star. It's in the Taurus constellation and is a blue giant, which means it's about 10x as bright as the Sun, give or take. Maia in particular is 5 1/2 times the size of the Sun and is best seen in the high Northern Hemisphere during autumn and winter. I've wanted to buy a telescope ever since I saw Can't Buy Me Love. Now I have an excuse that doesn't involve Pat Dempsey.

There is a football club in Portugal called F.C. Maia. I need to buy Maia an F.C. Maia t-shirt very soon. I'd do it online if the team had an online store (Man Utd. they are not), but since their official team website isn't even working, I might need to take a road trip to the Portugese town of Maia and pay a visit to club HQ.

Maia is also the name of a Colombian singer who has a song called "Nina Bonita." In English "nina bonita" means "pretty girl" which, coincidentally, describes my daughter. Maia the singer hails from Barranquilla, Colombia, also the hometown of Shakira, Sofia Vergara, and Edgar Renteria, proving that no matter the track record, not everyone from a city can be really really good looking.

Finally, MAIA stands for the Michigan Association of Insurance Agents, the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents, and the Martial Arts Industry Association. I can assure you she is named for none of those organizations, though she may learn a martial art, so she knows how to fight off Zeus.

Illini Threesome: Bruce Weber, Lon Kruger, and Bill Self

2011-03-14T11:35:00.006-04:00

Well, ladies, who would you rather have take you to the Dance?

Meltdown Leaves Illini On NCAA Bubble

2011-03-12T11:37:00.004-05:00

The Illini blew a 12-point lead in the second half to lose to Michigan and leave themselves, once again, at the whims of the NCAA Selection Committee.

The Illini were in disarray over the last 8 minutes of the game. They refused to push the ball inside, they stood around watching each other dribble, no one took matters into their own hands and drove to the basket, and, in a dazzling display of team ineptitude, Jereme Richmond, a freshman with one made three pointer during Big Ten conference play, was set up for a key three-pointer in the final minute. This on a team with four senior starters.

Jereme also had the ball in the last seconds and, down 5 with about 6 seconds to play, inexplicably passed up a three pointer and passed to Demetri McCamey who wasn't ready for the pass. The ball bounced to a Michigan player and the meltdown was complete.

More painful news came later in the day when Penn St. beat Wisconsin in one of the worst-played games in basketball history, and Virginia Tech beat Florida St. when the refs waved off FSU's apparent game-winning shot in the final second. Penn St. and Va Tech are competing with the Illini for the last available spots in the NCAA tourney. The results were doubly worse because Va Tech beat PSU earlier in the season, and that win now gives Va Tech another RPI top-5o win because PSU moved into the top-5o with its win over Wisconsin.

Of course the Illini also have a win over Penn St. so factor that in as you will.

The whole situation would be humorous if it wasn't so infuriating.

Will Venable, Cameron Maybin, Ryan Ludwick: Monsters?

2011-03-02T19:47:00.003-05:00

Will Venable hit a 3-run bomb this afternoon in an early-Spring tuneup against the Rockies. That's a good sign because Will has a bead on starting in right field for the Padres this season, filling out an outfield that will also include Cameron Maybin and Ryan Ludwick.

Call me a wildly optimistic Padres fan, but I think this year's outfield has a chance to rival my favorite Padres outfield of the Petco Park Years: the '06 outfield of Dave Roberts, Mike Cameron, and Brian Giles.

Take a look at the numbers Roberts, Cameron, and Giles put up in '06:

Roberts: .293/.360/.393 ... 13 triples, 2 bombs, 49 bags
Cameron: .268/.355/.482 ... 22 bombs, 83 ribeyes, 25 bags
Giles: .263/.374/.397 ... 14 bombs, 83 ribeyes, 104 walks

I'll also add that all three had an OPS+ exceeding 100: 101 (Roberts), 121 (Cameron), 107 (Giles).

Meanwhile, here's how our three heroes, Venable, Maybin, and Ludwick, fared in '10:

Venable: .245/.324/.408 ... 13 bombs, 29 bags, 104 OPS+
Ludwick: .251/.325/.418 ... 17 bombs, 69 ribeyes, 104 OPS+
Maybin: .234/.302/.361 ... 8 bombs, 9 bags, 75 OPS+

Maybe I am overly optimistic. It will take quite a bit of improvement for these guys to match the '06 group. But I'm certain all three will improve over their performance in 2010.

The question is by how much.

At Least Brian Carlwell Is On A Winner

2011-02-23T18:59:00.003-05:00

Nothing went right for Brian Carlwell when he was at Illinois. In February 2007, halfway through his freshman year, he was the passenger in a car driven by Jamar Smith that careened out of control and crashed. Both Smith and Carlwell were drunk. Smith thought Carlwell was dead and left him in the car while he tried to figure out what to do. Jamar never played for the Illini again.

A season later, still feeling the effects of the accident, Carlwell tore a knee ligament, all but ending his sophomore season. He decided to transfer and ended up playing for Steve Fisher at San Diego St. In Carlwell's first season of eligibility, the Aztecs made the NCAA Tournament while his former Illini teammates settled for the NIT. This season the Aztecs have only one loss and are fighting for a #1 overall seed in the tournament. Meanwhile the Illini are again riding the bubble.

I'll be rooting for Carlwell and the Aztecs in the NCAA Tournament. And on a geographical note, hopefully Brian is enjoying the Diago and dominating beach volleyball games in his spare time.

They don't have beaches in Champaign.

Must Win Tonight At Ohio State?

2011-02-22T18:48:00.004-05:00

I wish Bruce would just say F everybody and wear this tux on the sidelines tonight when the Illini visit Ohio State.

I really don't know what other changes he could make to get a win tonight. The odds are seriously stacked against him and the Illini. The cummerbund could be our only hope.

The Day Spring Training Begins

2011-02-18T16:35:00.007-05:00

Today is the day all the Padres players report to Spring Training. The pitchers and catchers reported last week, and most of the position players already checked in, but today's the day they all have to be there. The team gives them physicals today, and then tomorrow they start workouts.

I once told my boss that I hoped to be in a position one day where I could just take off the entire month of March, go to Arizona, and watch Spring Training games. He sighed and said, me too. I appreciated that response because he just as easily could have said, "You want March off? Fine, take it. And take the rest of the year off too, without pay."

Here are the storylines I'll be following in Peoria:

1. Will Cameron Maybin offend every member of the Padres front office with his tweets?

2. Will the Red Sox prospects - Rizzo, Kelly - look noticeably better than all the Padres prospects?

3. Will any pitcher stake a clear claim to the #5 spot in the rotation?

4. Will Kyle Blanks demonstrate that he has any semblance of a hitting stroke back?

5. Will Aaran Harang look like he can be a dependable innings eater throughout the season?

I'm sure more stories will develop but this is what I'll be looking at in the first week or so.

What a glorious time of year.

Illini Squeak Out Home Win Against Lowly Michigan

2011-02-17T10:38:00.005-05:00

I can't wait until these two guys graduate.

Seriously. This senior crew - McCamey is the ringleader, and Bill Cole gets lumped in too - have brought me nothing but frustration, anxiety, and shame. Worse, they have brought me far too few wins. They simply don't know how to win, a point driven home last night where they eeked out a 54-52 home win over Michigan only because Michigan was ice cold from the field, including two missed chances at a game-winning three as time expired and the Illini defenders looked on helplessly.

For example, look at Tisdale in the above photo (by Chris Sweda of the Chicago Tribune). He has that look of, "Oh man, Mikey D. We survived and pulled out a tough victory. I'm satisfied. I mean, we weathered that storm and pulled out a tough victory. We should go celebrate."

Whereas what Tisdale should be doing is jogging off the court with his head down, thinking about what time tomorrow morning he'll be back in the gym working on post moves and finding his long-lost jump shot.

The Illini go at Michigan St. and at Ohio St. in the next 6 days. Are the seniors going to grab an edge and play with some ferocity? Or will they lollygag and do just enough not to get blown out?

I have literally no idea.

McCamey Benched, Leads Illini To Victory Over Minnesota

2011-02-11T11:04:00.003-05:00

Last night's win wasn't always pretty - the Gophers seemed to have a lot of shots rim in and out - but one takes what one can get in the wild and woolly world of college hoop.

The win moves the Illini to fourth place in the Big Ten ahead of Sunday's showdown with the second-place Purdue Boilermakers.

Until then I'll leave you with the following quote from Chris Hine's article in today's Chicago Tribune:

"The last couple of weeks, I let my play on offense affect my defense, my energy and being a vocal leader for this team," McCamey said. "My teammates called me out and told me I had to be better than that. I stepped up tonight to show them I'm still here, I'm not going anywhere."

McCamey. Finally getting it.

(At least for today.)

Another Illini Loss ... To Northwestern

2011-02-06T16:19:00.005-05:00

Yesterday's game wasn't televised in New York. That's just as well because it sounds like it was an absolutely frustrating loss, characterized by an up-and-down performance by Demetri McCamey, another disappearing act by D.J. Richardson, and a melt down at the end of the first half that resulted in 6 unanswered points for Northwestern.

I don't have any solutions for the way Illinois loses these games. How do you train players to have the mental toughness to avoid meltdowns, hold second-half leads, and play hard on every play? Is that just about recruiting the right type of mentally tough player? Or can that mental toughness be coached up? I have no idea. And what scares me is that Bruce Weber has no idea either.

J Leman Is A Bolt!

2011-02-03T19:31:00.007-05:00

I was just perusing the Chargers list of recent transactions and noticed that on January 12 they signed former Illini monster, J Leman, to a Reserve/Future contract. So choice.

What really blew my mind though is that this is J's third stint with the Bolts. I somehow missed that the Bolts signed J to the practice squad twice before, first in November 2009, and then again at the end of November 2010 for the duration of the season.

You know I love crossovers between and among the Padres, Chargers, and Illini, and J is the perfect ambassador between the teams. As the #6 all-time tackler in Illini history, and a captain on the 2007 Rose Bowl team, no doubt J has regaled his Bolts teammates with tales of Champaign and the Zooker's antics.

Well done, AJ. Well done.

S-S-S-Siiiigning Day!

2011-02-02T21:28:00.005-05:00

Quite a day.

A few late additions - Darrius Caldwell from Atlanta and Jon Davis from Louisville - to an already strong nucleus of quality players, including the above-pictured Reilly O'Toole, give Ron Zook a promising 2011 recruiting class.

The consensus among the recruiting sites, mainstream media, and bloggers is that Zook's class, while not one of the top rated in the country, fills a lot of the Illini needs and adds depth at every position.

The Illini have a great opportunity to win in 2011 with 8 home games, including their first five games of the season. They no longer play Mizzou and could be 5-0 before their first real challenge. Hopefully some of these freshmen will contribute to the cause.

Everything's Coming Up Zooker!

2011-02-01T17:21:00.006-05:00

Or at least I hope it is.

Tomorrow is signing day in the world of college football. Based on the list of players who have committed to play for the Illini, the Zooker's class ranks in the middle-to-lower half of the Big Ten. About 30th to 40th nationally depending on what recruiting site put together the rankings.

But why would anyone, let alone the Zooker, care about rankings? What's more important is getting coachable atheletes into the program that Petrino and Koenning and the boys can mold into stellar beasts.

A few recruits I'll be excited about when they send in their LOI's tomorrow include:

- Tony Durkin, a 6'3" 270 pound C from Tinley Park Andrew outside Chicago;

- Ralph Cooper, a mean-looking middle linebacker prospect from the great state of South Carolina;

- Reilly O'Toole, the QB who led Wheaton Warrenville South to two state championships; and

- Donovonn Young, an underrated running back prospect out of Katy, Texas.

I'm also real excited for Jordan Frysinger, an unheralded prospect out of Corning, New York who spent most of his high school career playing lacrosse and was not many (any?) recruiters' radar. I like him because I think Corning Incorporated, based in Corning, New York, is a solid company worth your investing dollars. But I also like him because you know who else was an unheralded prospect from upstate New York?

Jimmer Fredette.

I'm just saying.

Jorge Cantu Is Choice

2011-01-31T10:20:00.004-05:00

Anytime you can bring in a guy who once hit 28 bombs when he was just 23 years old, you have to do it.

True story: before I gave up Fantasy Baseball because I was bad at it and didn't want to hand cash over to my friends anymore, one of my best moves ever was drafting Jorge Cantu before the 2005 season. As a 23-year old he hit 28 bombs and knocked in 117 ribeyes. Of course my stupid fantasy league also counted statistics such as "walks," "triples," and "errors," so Cantu's value was marginal. Still, 28 bombs for a guy eligible at second base. Not bad.

I'm not often one to make predictions, but my prediction this season is Cantu reverts to form and gets some big hits as a Drino.

I Temporarily Recant My Negative Words About The Illini

2011-01-19T10:17:00.007-05:00

Heading into last night's game against Michigan St., I was very down on the Illini. They have talent but they are inconsistent in applying it. They seem to lack focus and effort at times. They drop their shoulders when faced with adversity, and can't close out when they have big leads.

Last night against Michigan St., particularly in performances by Brandon Paul and Jereme Richmond, the Illini set aside those issues and pulled out a clutch home win. They now sit in second place in the conference heading into Saturday afternoon's showdown with Ohio St.

True, had the Spartans shot better I might be in a very different mood this morning. But the Illini defense played at least a part in forcing the Spartans to settle for so many jump shots. And strong rebounding in the second half prevented at least a few Spartan put backs.

Bring on Sullinger, Lighty, Diebler and the rest.

Illinois Just Might Be Not Very Good

2011-01-16T11:51:00.002-05:00

What is the deal with the Illini basketball program?

Here's a quick list of things that annoy me about the team:

- the three seniors - Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis, and Mike Tisdale - are inconsistent and don't appear to have a winner's mentality;

- Tisdale can't stay on the court because of foul trouble;

- Davis, despite having innate rebounding talent, manages to have games where he only gets 1 rebound;

- Tyler Griffey doesn't get much playing time and then whines about it;

- Meyers Leonard looks like a goofy doofus, is often out of position, and looks like he's focused on dunking every play rather than improving his post presence on the offensive and defensive ends;

- D.J. Richardson hasn't made a basket in two games;

- Brandon Paul always seems to be knicked up or fighting a cold and isn't all that good on defense;

- Bill Cole should play for a mid-major;

- Jereme Richmond mysteriously missed practice last week and was benched for the Wisconsin game;

- the team in general relies too much on the three-point shot; and

- Bruce Weber yells all the time, calls out his players all the time in the press, and generally seems like a guy the players don't have a ton of respect for.

I say Bruce has two months to get this together. If Illinois isn't in the Sweet Sixteen in March I say we hand the program over to Jerrance Howard or Wayne McClain and start anew.

Adios to Mr. Liuget

2011-01-11T22:44:00.004-05:00

Corey Liuget is joining Martez Wilson and Mikel LeShoure and tossing his hat into the NFL Draft ring. It's a shame because the guy is a monster run-stuffer and dominant play-disrupter on the defensive line, but it is not a surprise. He looked like an NFL lineman in the Texas Bowl win over Baylor.

I've seen two early mock drafts that have him going in the first round (22nd to Indy or 25th to Seattle). Obviously that's very speculative - Seattle might not even pick in that spot - but Liuget likely will be a mid-to-late first rounder.

The Chargers draft in the middle of the first round. They need a defensive lineman with a mean streak.

Make it happen A.J.!

Martez and Mikel To The NFL

2011-01-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

Today Martez Wilson declared for the NFL Draft. Tomorrow Mikel Leshoure will follow suit.

Martez is an athletic freak who could have used another year of seasoning. Mikel is a dominant back who could have a similar career to former Illini Rashard Mendenhall.

I'll miss them both very much. I'd throw them a going away party if I knew them.

The Illini's Win Over Northwestern Was Impressive, Kind Of

2011-01-07T21:18:00.003-05:00

The Illini crushed Northwestern last night 88-63, shooting a school record 70.5% from the field. As I've read in a few places today, if the Illini are shooting well they can play with, and beat, any team in the country. The Duck Blue Devils included.

What interests me more though is that the team increased its lead at the outset of the second half. Letting up on teams and coasting is the Achilles heel of this group of Illini seniors, and I'm encouraged to see them show a killer instinct.

Apparently it's something the team has been practicing, as Mark Tupper noted in his blog post today:

He [Weber] seemed most pleased by the fact that after opening a 23-point lead at halftime, Illinois still came out strong and won the first five minutes of the second half. It’s something the team has been working on.

“We have actually practiced it by putting up the score. With 14 minutes to go we’re up by nine and we have to increase the lead in the next three minutes. If we don’t, we run. I’m trying to get them to understand playing with the lead. You can’t be relaxed and casual.”

If the Illini can learn how to put a foot on opponent's necks when they have them down, they could be a special team.

Roberto "Robby" Alomar Elected To The Hall of Fame Of The Sport Of Baseball

2011-01-05T23:58:00.000-05:00

Robby Alomar, or as I call him, Rumberto Alomar, was elected today to the Hall of Fame.

Alomar was signed by the Padres as an international free agent and spent his first three big league seasons - at ages 20, 21, and 22 - in San Diego. He didn't do too badly for a youngster:

1988: .266/.328/.382

1989: .295/.347/.376

1990: .287/.340/.381

Of course in later years Robby would become a complete and total monster both in the field and at the plate. He put together no less than 5 seasons with an OBP north of .400, nine seasons with a .300 or better batting average, and 8 seasons with 30-plus bags. He also had a little pop, hitting over 20 bombs three times.

If I had to pick a second baseman for my all-time team, I'd probably still take either Joe Morgan or Rogers Hornsby, or maybe Nap Lajoie or Eddie Collins, but I'd take Robby over more recent second-base monsters such as Ryne Sandberg and Rod Carew. Though Carew was barely a second baseman anyway.

But seriously though, how good was Rod Carew.

Baseball America's Projected 2011 Padres Starting Rotation And Closer ... Made In 2008

2011-01-04T23:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I listed Baseball America's projected lineup for the 2011 Padres as published in their 2008 Prospect Handbook. Today we look at BA's projected rotation and closer.

Starting Rotation

1. Jake Peavy

Kevin Towers, in what was likely his second greatest trade as Padres GM, dealt Peavy to the White Sox midway through the 2009 season in exchange for three pitchers, one of whom was Clayton Richard who has become a mainstay of the Padres rotation. As for Peavy, he made 17 mostly-mediocre starts for the White Sox last season before his right shoulder muscle detached from his back and his season abruptly ended. If he can approach a Peavy-esque season in 2011, the White Sox look to be favorites to win the AL Central.

2. Chris Young

If only the man could stay healthy. I loved the work CY did in his four starts - three during the ultimately unsuccessful stretch run - last season. Unfortunately it was just that: four starts. If CY and the Padres could somehow find it in their mutual hearts and pocketbooks to reunite for another season or two, he would immediately become my favorite Padre. I like his demeanor, his competitiveness, his work ethic, his overall beastliness. Make it happen, Jed. Bring CY back!

3. Mat Latos

Forget #3 starter. Latos, as a 23-year old, may be the #1. His stellar sophomore campaign - 14-10, 2.92 ERA, 189 Ks, 1.08 WHIP - included a remarkable 15-game stretch where he pitched at least 5 innings and did not allow more than 2 runs in any start. I also liked his gutty performance on the final day of the season in Frisco. Though the Padres lost that game 3-0, Latos manned up, attacked the Giants hitters, and kept the Padres within striking distance. The kid gets it.

4. Wade LeBlanc

Wade has a shot to make the rotation out of Spring Training, although if he does I imagine Jed will think something has gone wrong with his well-laid plans. I like Wade and think he is capable of success in short spurts, perhaps as a change of pace after a hard thrower like Latos, before hitters start to figure out his marginal stuff. The key to winning at Petco, however, is starting pitching depth, so Wade will play a role on the 2011 Padres, whether he makes the team coming out of Peoria or not.

5. Drew Miller

Another injury-plagued career. Drew pitched poorly in 2008 and then, as the '09 season began, underwent Tommy John surgery. A second surgery on his ulnar nerve followed later that summer. He finally made a comeback last season in Fort Wayne and gave up 5 hits and 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched. He did strikeout 5 of the 16 batters he faced. He retired voluntarily last May, a few days after his last outing.

Closer

Heath Bell

Well done, BA. Well done. What more can I say here about Heath? He was probably the best closer in baseball last season and I only wish he could have showcased his beastliness in the playoffs. The Padres will likely deal him at the trade deadline in 2011, gathering another haul of future monsters. Until that time I'm just going to enjoy watching him dominate the ninth inning for the Drinos.

Baseball America's Projected 2011 Padres Lineup ... Made In 2008

2011-01-03T21:58:00.006-05:00

I perused my copy of the 2008 Baseball America Prospect Handbook today and came across BA's projection of the 2011 Padres lineup.

Recognizing that it's no easy task to predict a ballclub's lineup three years out, it is still a rather humorous read.

I'll list out the projected lineup and let you know (as if you didn't already know) where they are now:

C - Mitch Canham

Mitch was drafted for his bat and that hasn't really come around. His best year was at Lake Elsinore in 2008 when he hit .285/.382/.434. The last two seasons, however, he's faltered a bit, showing very little pop (.316 slugging % last summer). He'll most likely start the season in AAA and perhaps the hitter-friendly conditions in Tucson will help him find his stroke.

1B - Adrian Gonzalez

In the most marquee deal of the offseason, Jed moved Adrian to Boston for three top prospects and Eric Patterson. Adrian has now taken his talents to the Fens.

2B - Matt Antonelli

In a move that surprised me a bit, the Padres released Antonelli in the offseason. He has since signed with the Nationals and will likely have a shot to make their major league roster out of Spring Training.

3B - Kevin Kouzmanoff

Jed shipped Kouz to the A's last January for Scotty "Bombs" Hairston. The move opened up a spot for Chase Headley at third base.

SS - Khalil Greene

A sad story for young Kal El. His social anxiety disorder has decimated his career. The Padres shipped him to the Cardinals two years ago for Luke Gregerson and Mark Worrell. After spending a rough season with St. Louis, he signed with Texas last January, only to decide he was not well enough to report to Spring Training. The Rangers voided his contract and, as best I can tell, Khalil is still a free agent.

LF - Chase Headley

Moved to third base following the Kouz trade. Only man in this projected lineup who is in the actual lineup.

CF - Drew Cumberland

BA's most interesting projection. Cumberland is a middle infield prospect that may have the athleticism to roam the Petco outfield. He in injury-prone, however, so a move to the outfield seems unlikely. He was having a break out year last summer until an injury ended his season. If he comes out raking in '11 the Padres might not be able to keep him on the farm.

RF - Cedric Hunter

One of the more curious prospects in the Drinos system. He was a high-school draft pick that has over 5 years of pro experience, is still only 22, and has hit at every level. Yet for whatever reason, perhaps an overly complicated swing and/or questionable pop, he is rarely mentioned among the best of the best of the Padres prospects. He hit .287/.342/.397 at AA and AAA last season. He should get a shot in the bigs at some point, maybe later this summer if the Padres are out of the race.

Tomorrow I'll look at BA's projected rotation and closer. It's all very fun to read.

No Playoffs For The Bolts

2011-01-02T15:49:00.002-05:00

I don't know who this guy is, but what I heard is he came home from Christmas vacation, a few days after the Bolts were eliminated from the playoffs, to find the playoff tickets he prepaid for in November in the mail.

Sure, he'll get his money refunded, but that's still cruel.

As for me, I'm still watching the Bolts - Broncos game today. A few pick sixes of Tim Tebow should cheer everyone up.

My Padres Lineup

2011-01-01T20:16:00.006-05:00

I'm fully on board with the recent moves Jed Hoyer has made to prepare the Padres for the 2011 season. In particular I love the Brad Hawpe signing. I fully expect him to approximate his career average line of .279/.373/.490. If he doesn't I'll be shocked.

Here's the lineup I'd like to see for the Drinos on Opening Day 2011, an afternoon tilt in St. Louis on March 31:

1. Will Venable - RF

2. Orlando Hudson - 2B

3. Brad Hawpe - 1B

4. Ryan Ludwick - LF

5. Chase Headley - 3B

6. Nick Hundley - C

7. Jason Bartlett - SS

8. Cameron Maybin - CF

I've seen some suggest that Bartlett should bat #2 with O Dog in the three hole, but I'd like a bit more pop from the #3 spot. If you want to switch Hundley and Bartlett in the six and seven spots, I'm fine with that.

And the rotation:

LHP - Clayton Richard

RHP - Mat Latos

RHP - Aaron Harang

RHP - Tim Stauffer

RHP - Chris Young

It's doubtful the Padres will sign CY, but I'd like to see them give him a two-year deal with choice incentives. CY must know Petco is his best shot at putting up good numbers so he should accept such an offer. If CY goes elsewhere I'd like to see Cory Luebke in the #5 spot. I like how he throws with a downward plane from the left side.

Happy New Year.

No Shortage Of News

2010-12-07T10:17:00.004-05:00

There's obviously been no shortage of news relevant to the PCI Blog of late.

- Adrian traded to the Red Sox;

- the Bolts rolling on a four-game win streak, only to be embarrassed at home against Oakland;

- the Illini hoops squad playing a couple games in Manhattan (I was there!), then sweeping North Carolina and Gonzaga last week; and

- the Illini football team not only playing the highest scoring game in Big Ten history at Ann Arbor (I was there!), but also playing at Wrigley where Mikel Leshoure rushed for 330 yards (I wasn't there!), and qualifying for a Texas Bowl matchup against Baylor.

Whew!

It's been a busy month and I haven't been here to write about it.

I may not be around much of the rest of December either, but know that the PCI Blog isn't going anywhere.

Have a great holiday!

Defending Norv Turner

2010-11-11T13:31:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, in the course of a discussion about football generally, my advisor Tam O'Flannell asked me this question: "This is a legit question ... not breaking balls at all ... why do you like Norv so much?"

I thought about the question for a few minutes and then sent him a response. Here, in full, is the response I sent:

It's not that I like him so much as I don't dislike him. I think he's a reasonably good coach who also happens to be an offensive genius. I tend to prefer offensive teams (as opposed to say, Stillers and Bears fans, who I think would mostly say they prefer strong defensive teams) and he can deliver that. The guy hasn't convinced me he can't get the team to the promised land.

His negatives all apparently have to do with motivating players which I think is mostly bs. Professional football players shouldn't need a loud fool like Rexy Ryan or a dirty cheat like Jeff Fisher to get them motivated to play. For that reason, I blame the slow starts each season on the players. The other part of his reputation as a bad coach were his stints with the Redskins and Raiders. Seriously, it was the Redskins and Raiders. Those teams are never good.

Also, other than last season's home loss to the Jets (which was fluky ... Norv can't teach Kaeding how to kick) they've had good success under Norv in the playoffs. They've beat the Colts twice, and beat the Titans, and their only other losses are on the road to eventual Super Bowl champions.

Finally, I think a lot of people don't like him because of his face, which is a bullying attitude that upsets me. Bullies are fools and deserve to get their comeuppance. I'll root for Norv against bullies any day.

CY!

2010-11-03T22:48:00.001-04:00

Wants to remain a Padre.

Merriman!

2010-11-02T21:34:00.004-04:00

Done as a Bolt.

Bochy!

2010-11-01T23:46:00.002-04:00

My Dad Is Optimistic About The Chargers

2010-10-18T11:48:00.003-04:00

My Dad sent me the above, depressing photo yesterday in the aftermath of the Bolts' horrendous loss to the Rams, but his accompanying message rang optimistic:

I don't know Bo, but for some reason 2 & 4 doesn't bother me.

I'm choosing patience.

We still have Richwoods and Boise State.

Dad

With age - sometimes - comes wisdom. I'll give my Dad the benefit of the doubt here and join in his patient outlook on the Bolts' season. After all, the Raiders, Broncos, and Chiefs also crashed and burned yesterday.

The Bolts are only one game back in the division!

p.s. No, I don't know why my Dad likes Boise St. We have no connection to that university, or the state of Idaho, or any player or coach connected to the team, as far as I know. I think he just likes their team colors of blue and orange.

Invading East Lansing

2010-10-16T11:11:00.007-04:00

The Illini take the field in East Lansing in about 45 minutes time.

Can the defense stop the MSU running game? Can Martez, Bussey, and the boys get to the MSU quarterback? Can the Illini corners protect against the deep ball? Can Scheelhaase complete the majority of his passes and limit turnovers? Can Dimke and Santella maintain their elite kicking games? Can the three-headed monster - Leshoure, Pollard, Ford - find running holes and gallop for huge chunks of yardage?

So many questions.

Let's get this dun.

Anthony Santella: Mid-Season All-American

2010-10-14T16:55:00.005-04:00

In the sport of American Football, the punter is the equivalent of the "cleaner," the guy killers send in to hide the evidence of a dead body. You don't necessarily want to see him involved, but if he does need to be out there, you hope to God he does his job well and erases any evidence of your mess. In Anthony Santella, the Illini have finally found their Winston Wolf.

Santella has been dominant this season. He is third in the nation in punting average at 47.9 yards per punt, and six of his punts have landed inside the 20-yard line. If not for the greasy hands of his coverage team, he would have had at least one more punt downed inside the 2-yard line last Saturday at Penn St. Santella's stellar performance was rewarded today when he was named to the Rivals.com Mid-Season All-America squad. That's well-deserved recognition.

As you well know, the all-time leader in Illini punting history is current Jets standout, Steve Weatherford. Steve finished his Illini career with a 43.5 average, including three of the top four best single-season punting averages in Illini history, his best being 45.4 in 2004. Anthony's current average would top that by over two yards per punt. He has some work to do catch Steve's career record - Anthony currently sits at 40.4 on his career - but if he keeps up his current pace, he will at least be known as one of the top 2 punters in Illini history.

No doubt he'll bring that big boot to East Lansing on Saturday.

Shawne Merriman: I Bid You Adieu

2010-10-13T22:07:00.004-04:00

The Chargers put Shawne Merriman on the injured-reserve list today. Once he is healthy - if that ever happens - they will release him and he will sign with another team.

It's a sad day here at PCI Blog HQ. Merriman has been one of my favorite players since he entered the league in 2005. Based on his first few seasons alone his play ranks him as the best Chargers defensive player ever, and that is a list that includes Junior Seau, Fred Dean, Earl Faison, Ernie Ladd and Rodney Harrison. He starred in one of the top two sports commercials of all time. His jersey is the only jersey I've ever purchased for my wife. I even taught her the "Lights Out" dance, though, despite several hundred attempts, she's never quite mastered it.

My favorite plays Shawne made were against the Colts. He pressured Peyton Manning on the clinching plays in both the '05 Week 14 upset over a then-undefeated Indy squad, and the divisional playoff "Billy Volek" game at Indy in '07. He also forced the game-changing fumble against the Titans in the Wild Card that same '07 playoffs.

Setting aside the steroid suspension and the chronic injuries of the last three seasons, the only real tragedy of Shawne's Bolts career was that the '06 squad - one of the great NFL teams of all time - didn't play in a Super Bowl.

Still, my memories of Shawne will always be positive. Shawne will probably catch on with another team, probably the Pats or another AFC contender, before the season is out. I wish him the best. To a point.

Marcus McNeill Will Be With Bolts For Awhile

2010-10-12T21:53:00.003-04:00

It looks as if Big Marcus and the Bolts are near agreement on a 5-year contract extension that, added to the one year Marcus still has remaining on his current contract, will keep him with the Bolts until 2015.

Details of the contract have not yet been released, but I'm betting the deal puts Marcus into the top 5 paid left tackles in the National Football League.

Now about those special teams ...

Illini Running Game, Defense A Saving Grace

2010-10-11T23:54:00.006-04:00

In a week of heinousness - the Padres don't make the playoffs, the Bolts lose to the Raiders, Tony Gwynn announces he has cancer - the Illini victory in State College was some kinda nice. Zook's boys dominated both sides of the ball on their way to a 33-13 drubbing of Joe Pa and his Nittany Lions.

Props especially go to the defense and the running game. On the D side, Nate Bussey had a choice pick at a key spot early in the 2nd quarter, and the defense as a whole held Penn St. freshman quarterback Robert Bolden to a 38.1 completion percentage. The team also picked up a couple sacks and held Evan Royster, soon to be Penn St.'s all-time leading rusher, to 35 yards on 11 carries.

And the running game was unstoppable. Mikel Leshoure ran 27 times for 119 yards, Nathan Scheelhaase 8 times for 61 yards, Troy Pollard 8 times for 55 yards, and Jason Ford 9 times for 47 yards. Even Bud Golden had a carry, finishing off the game with a 3-yard run. All told the Illini netted 282 yards rushing at 5.2 yards per rush.

Derek Dimke also deserves special mention. He was perfect on field goals in a hostile, "white-out" environment, hitting 4 out of 4 field goals, including a 50-yarder.

Oh and Scheelhaase, a redshirt-freshman starting in his first real road game, completed 15 of 19 passes for 151 yards and no picks. Clutch.

Many thanks to the Illini for doing their part to save the week.

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Lose Game Three In San Franciso, Miss Playoffs

2010-10-04T21:47:00.008-04:00

This was the only photo I could bring myself to take during yesterday's season finale in San Francisco. I don't know who this Padres fan was roaming AT&T Park, but he was definitely a beast. You can't see it, but he's dominating a hot dog in this photo. The Giants fans are top notch rooters, and heckled me quite a bit as I walked around the park the last few days. When I showed my wife the photo of this Padres fan, all she said was, "I bet he doesn't get heckled."

She's probably right.

I don't have much to say about the game because the more I think about it, the more I want to weep. A few things stand out in my mind: Adrian's line-out with two outs in the first, Ludwick striking out with two on in the third, Denorfia diving and missing Aubrey Huff's two-out double in the bottom half of the third, Torrealba's 5-4 double play after the Padres had the first two runners on in the top of the 6th, Tejada striking out on a full count with two on in the seventh, Durango working the count full to lead off the 9th before grounding out to short. Geoff Young has a much more thorough summary at Hardball Times.

I'll quote my wife again, as she was the one person I interviewed after the game: "They just got in a rut early, and the game just kept going forward, and they never pulled out of it."

My thought? The Padres didn't lose the season yesterday. They lost it during the three-game losing streak last Sunday to Tuesday, and then with the 1-0 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. Those losses just left too much ground to cover, even for a game Padres team.

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game Two In San Francisco

2010-10-03T02:19:00.007-04:00

A less palpable tension this afternoon in Frisco. Maybe it was the bright sunny day, or perhaps it was the fact that Tim Stauffer, who has been absolute money in the second half, was on the mound, but today didn't feel as intense as last night.

Don't get me wrong, the game was riveting, from Zito's first inning control problems, to Bruce Bochy getting tossed for arguing a called strike three on Buster Posey in the 6th inning, to the final double play Heath Bell induced in the last half of the ninth. But it felt like the Padres were more in control this afternoon, even with a slightly smaller lead, than last night. Again, strange as it sounds, I think daylight made a difference.

Tomorrow's game is also during the day. Mat Latos throws for the Padres against archenemy Jonathan Sanchez. At stake is merely the playoffs and freedom for humankind.

October!

In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game One In San Francisco

2010-10-02T03:06:00.007-04:00

I couldn't make it to San Diego to support the Padres earlier this week, so instead I came out to San Francisco - the belly of the beast - to root on the team in the final series of the regular season.

Tonight was the most intense baseball game I've ever seen in person.

A few observations:

- Even though he is in his late thirties and has a sore groin, I was still shocked Miguel Tejada was thrown out at home in the first inning. I swear the right fielder still had the ball when Miggy rounded third. Yet he was out by a three steps.

- The Ryan Ludwick, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Stairs home runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, respectively, were three of the more satisfying moments in the history of non-playoff Padres baseball.

- AT&T Park was absolutely electric. Moreso than I've ever seen Petco. When the Giants rallied in the 6th, and had the tying run at the plate, it felt like the world was ending. At least from my point of view. I know the 8th inning got a little dicey, but the 6th inning was the most nerve-wracking inning I've watched in person. Having a big lead in the 6th inning is nice, but when a quality home team still has 12 outs to play with, and a raucous crowd behind them, the game is nowhere near over. The sixth inning was like my worst fears coming true. I thought Bud Black was making a mistake removing Thatcher after one batter, and replacing him with Gregerson, but to Bud's credit it worked out.

- All of Adrian's mishaps with the glove. I sincerely hope I never have to witness anything like that ever again.

- The ninth inning. Oh my. Just before Aubrey Huff hit his surefire double to deep right field, I'd glanced up and saw that Will Venable - who had shifted over from center - was playing very deep. I don't know who deserves credit for that defensive placement but it was brilliant. Venable ran down Huff's drive and then doubled up Freddy Sanchez who, thinking Huff had either homered or doubled, had already rounded second. The play happened so fast and was so awesome, I'm still not sure I actually saw it. Overheard from the Giant fan sitting next to me, "Oh my God that was deflating."

Plan for tomorrow: after a morning watching the Illini take on Ohio St. at Kezar Pub, it's back to AT&T for Game 2.

Jaysus.

The Giants Won Again ... Here We Go

2010-09-30T18:21:00.004-04:00

Well, Bruce Bochy and the Giants got it dun again today, sweeping the Diamondbacks to drop their magic number to 2. That number could fall to 1 if the Padres don't win tonight against the Cubs.

Last night Will Venable went pure Superman to save the Drinos season. Tonight Bud Black sends Jon Garland to the mound to try to hold the line in the NL West and Wild Card races.

Things. Couldn't. Be. More. Dramatic.

Oh, and it's raining in the Diego so the first pitch is delayed.

Here we go.

The Padres Have Forced Me To Drink Heavily

2010-09-29T16:39:00.004-04:00

To prepare for last night's game I went to Three Monkeys and drank six Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPAs.

That was by far the highlight of my evening.

Tonight, Chris Young takes on the Cubs in merely the most important sporting event in the history of the universe.

Bar's open!

Rashard Mendenhall, Brandon Lloyd ... Former Illini Beasts

2010-09-28T09:50:00.006-04:00

I'm no fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and I may even hate the Denver Broncos, but when two former Illini monsters play for those two teams, I have to give them props.

As one of my advisors Adam Daleyoney pointed out to me this morning, Rashard is currently the #4 rusher in football, while Brandon is currently the #2 receiver. Rashard has 64 carries for 332 yards, good for a 5.2 yard-per-carry average, and Brandon has 14 catches for 339 yards, a robust 24.2 yards-per-catch. And that's with Kyle Orton as his quarterback.

Both players can thank dominant games last Sunday for their current statistical prowess. Brandon caught six balls for 169 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos loss to Indy. Meanwhile, 'Shard ran for 143 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries as the Stillers pounded Tampa Bay. Quite a Sunday for the ex-Illini.

Here's hoping that they continue to dominate while their current NFL teams falter and struggle.

I Really Hope The Padres Make The Playoffs

2010-09-27T22:51:00.002-04:00

My playoff tickets arrived today, including for a potential tiebreaker game at Petco Park. Looking at the strip of tickets has me equal parts excited and feeling like tossing my lunch.

The stretch run to the playoffs started about an hour ago out in the Diego against the Cubs. A win tonight moves the Padres into a first-place tie with the Giants. A loss moves them a full game back in the division race.

So ridiculous.

Miguel Tejada Has Me Stoked ... So Does Marcus McNeill

2010-09-25T15:12:00.005-04:00

Miguel Tejada's bases loaded, full-count, go-ahead single in the bottom of the 7th last night, had me fist pumping air in my windowless living room. Now, this afternoon, I learn Marcus McNeill, the Chargers' Pro Bowl left tackle, signed his tender and will report to the team to play some football.

What did I do to get so lucky?

McNeill can't play for three more games because he is on the Roster Exempt List, but I'm fine waiting on him. The Bolts will only be better with Marcus shoving dudes around. Tejada, however, I don't have to wait so long to see. He'll be at bat in less than an hour, helping the Padres notch another win against the Redsies.

Sports in September!

"Playoff Atmosphere" In The Diego ... And I'm Not There

2010-09-24T19:43:00.005-04:00

I couldn't be more disappointed that I'm not out in the Diego this weekend for the start of the Padres' critical 7-game homestand. Coupled with the Oktoberfest beer promotion, the playoff implications of tonight's game should have legions of Padres fans rocking Petco.

How choice will that be? Can't believe I'm missing it.

But there is good news. I was just able to talk my wife out of going to see The Town tonight in lieu of staying home and watching the Padres-Reds game on my computer.

Yep. Just another wild Friday night in Manhattan.

Go Padres.

Quite A Day For Current And Former San Diego GMs

2010-09-22T17:02:00.008-04:00

Quite a day, indeed. First, Kevin Towers is hired as the new general manager of the Diamondbacks, and then, a few hours later, A.J. Smith refuses to lower his demands for a Vincent Jackson trade, and is accused by rival GMs as being "the Lord of no rings."

To me, all this feels like a retread. Though he did not get the job at the time, KT interviewed for the DBacks job a few years ago. Nor is this the first time an agent or rival GM, spurned by A.J.'s tough negotiation tactics, has resorted to name calling. I'm pretty sure A.J. isn't weeping about it right now. He, and KT, are probably both celebrating jobs well done.

Though probably not together.

I Sure Wish Jerry Hairston, Jr.'s Tibia Wasn't Fractured

2010-09-21T19:56:00.003-04:00

This isn't good for business.

But we play on.

Tonight the Padres start the final 13-game stretch in L.A. against the Hated Dadgers. A win would be most welcome.

Antoine Cason Really Gets After It

2010-09-20T21:28:00.003-04:00

One of my rules is that anytime you get two picks and recover a fumble in the span of four series to help the Bolts win a football game, you become my friend.

Welcome to the club, Antoine. You're now part of the inner circle.

Ludwick Il Magnifico!

2010-09-19T01:19:00.004-04:00

Winner.

Illini Need To Notch Another W

2010-09-18T11:48:00.005-04:00

Today the Illini face Northern Illinois in a tough in-state matchup at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

The Illini can't sleep on the Huskies. Northern has a tradition of producing NFL-caliber beasts - current and former Bolts Larry English and Michael Turner come immediately to mind - and are more than capable of going back to DeKalb with in-state bragging rights.

I'm looking for a big game from Mikel Leshoure today. Through two games Mikel has 224 yards on 32 carries, averaging out to 6.4 yards per carry. He's a monster, folks, and just needs that one big game to get national notoriety. Today could be that day.

Kickoff in Champaign in about 5 minutes

Tonight's Game Makes Yesterday's Game Look Like The Past

2010-09-17T16:53:00.003-04:00

I can't imagine a more important sporting event than tonight's Padres-Cardinals tilt in St. Louis. The Padres must win or face falling 1.5 games behind the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. That would be no good.

Mat Latos toes the slab (incidentally, one of sport's grossest phrases) tonight for the Drinos. He has faced the Cardinals only once before and the outcome was not pretty. That game was August 14, 2009, also in St. Louis, and Mat went 4 innings, allowed 8 hits, 7 runs (all earned), walked 3, and K'd only 1 guy (Brendan Ryan). He also allowed a solo shot to the Cardinals pitcher, Adam Wainwright. Not a great night.

But tonight will be different. Tonight is when dreams come true and stars shoot like miracles across the sky.

Go get 'em, Mat.

Timmy Stauffer Facing Down The Redbirds

2010-09-16T17:33:00.005-04:00

In just a few hours time, our boy Tim Stauffer will take the mound in St. Louis against the usually-vaunted St. Louis Cardinals. At stake is merely the Padres continued presence in first place in the NL West. A loss tonight could drop the Padres out of first place for the first time since April.

I could not be more confident in Tim heading into tonight's game.

In 3 starts this season, Tim is 1-0 with a .067 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and 2.33 strikeout-to-walk ratio. That breaks down as 15 ininings pitched, 13 hits, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 walks, and 7 Ks. His one win came against division rival San Francisco last Saturday, a sparkling start in which he allowed zero runs over 6 innings. Just outstanding.

Plus, the game is on the MLB Network so I won't have to squint at the action on my computer screen.

What a night!

Heath Bell Is A Winner

2010-09-15T07:36:00.003-04:00

What can you say about Heath Bell?

In his own words, he didn't have "it" last night, but despite the lack of stuff, he still managed to pull off his 29th consecutive save. What really impressed me, however, was Heath's at bat in the top of the 9th. He worked the count full with the bases loaded, then hit a scorching liner that unfortunately went right to Seth Smith in right field. But the way he battled at the plate while the entire Padres team laughed and cheered him on from the top step of the dugout, was absolutely outstanding.

Well done, Heath. Another notch on the save belt for you. Another win for the Padres.