Backs 3, Drinos 0

Lucky jabrone.

That's a bit harsh. Romero did use his speed to put himself in a position to rob Jody Gerut of a bases-clearing triple at the 400 nook in Far Far Right Centerfield. But the catch itself was pure luck.

And no one can tell me differently.

Drinos 8, Backs 5

Mr. Khalil,

Nice bomb last night. I knew you were still a beast.

How about an encore this evening off that rube Doug Davis?

Best,
Bevormo

Congratulations, Goose Gossage

Rich, nice work getting into the Hall. Very well deserved as far as I'm concerned. Putting aside that little bomb you gave up to Gibby in Game 5 of the '84 World Series, you were one heck of a Padre. Pairing you and Nettles and Garvey with a bunch of youngsters by the names of Gwynn, McReynolds, Wiggins and Martinez, and sprinkling in a few veterans with names like Kennedy and Templeton, worked out pretty well back in the day.

You were stellar in '84. 102-plus innings. 10 wins. 84 Ks. 25 saves. 2.90 ERA. Then, in the playoffs, you pitched a 2-inning save in the clinching Game 5 of the NLCS. Hello first World Series in Padres history. Forget that 8th inning in Game 4 (bygones) and the Series itself. You were a major reason the Padres made it to the playoffs at all. Don't ever forget that.

And '85 too, that team may have been even better than the '84 squad. In first place for 68 days before a horrendous July and a shaky September - not to mention Pedro Guerrero going ballistic for the Dadgers - upset the Drinos chances for a repeat pennant. Your line was again ridiculous. 79 innings, 26 saves, 1.82 ERA. Just huge. Assuredly you were one of the top free agent signings in Padres history.

So, congrats again, Goose. The Hall just got one better.

The Burgh

Another nice loss last night. This one featured back-to-back bombs by two former Padres (Bay and Nady), as well as a bomb by an All Star centerfielder (McLouth) the Padres may have been able to deal for in the offseasons if they were willing to part with Chase Headley.

Not that I wanted the Padres to trade Chase. I'm just sayin ...

The Padres are now 13 games back of first and show no signs of being able to win another baseball game all season.

But there is good news.

This afternoon I'm heading to the Burgh for three straight days of Padre-Bucco baseball at PNC park.

The last time I was at PNC I saw Vinny Castilla try to score from third on a ground out to first and was thrown out to end the game. That was the only game the Drinos lost on that trip to the Burgh.

Here's hoping they find that sort of success this weekend.

Reds and Pirates

Warren Beatty really put it to the Drinos those last two games in Cincy.


Let's hope the Padres have better luck against Johnny Depp.





Baseball in the Burgh in less than an hour!

Drinos 6, Reds 4

I don't know who to thank. Kevin Kouzmanoff? Or Jay Bruce?

So I'll just thank both of them.

Here you go, Jay.

Redbirds 11, Drinos 7

Jody, heckuva game last night. A bomb, a couple singles, 6 total bags, 2 ribeyes and 2 runs scored.

I think that knee may be healed.

Shame that bullpen couldn't hold off those Redbird hitters.

Redbirds 4, Drinos 3

Peavy gave up 4 bombs?

I don't believe it.

I saw it. I saw all 4 bombs leave the park. But I still don't believe it.

The last time Peavy gave up 4 bombs in a game - the only other time Peavy has given up 4 bombs in a game - was July 9, 2003, against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Peavy at that time was only 23 years old and in his first full season, making his 36th career start. That was a different Peavy. That Peavy hadn't pitched in two All Star games and won the pitching Triple Crown. That Peavy also didn't have a certain trophy with the names "Cy" and "Young" on his fireplace mantle.

But these things happen. On July 9, 2003, Peavy lost to Chris Capuano and gave up bombs to Steve Finley, Shea Hillenbrand, Craig Counsell and Luis Gonzalez. Those aren't bad hitters, and neither are Troy Glaus, Rick Ankiel and Joe Mather. Well, maybe Mather. Who is Mather, by the way?

Anyway, for fun, here is the lineup Bruce Bochy trotted out for the Drinos on that not-so-long-ago July night in Phoenix:

1. Gary Matthews, Jr. - CF
2. Mark Loretta - 2B
3. Rondell White - LF
4. Brian Buchanan - 1B
5. Sean Burroughs - 3B
6. Xavier Nady - RF
7. Lou Merloni - SS
8. Gary Bennett - C
9. Jake Peavy - P

It's like looking through a high school yearbook and being reminded of people you'd totally forgotten about.

All Star Red Carpet Parade

Living in New York City has its advantages. The pizza is good, you can buy beer 24/7, you have random celebrity sightings every few weeks or so (like the time Timothy Busfield was bombed and almost walked into me near Columbus Circle) and there are two baseball teams in town that have strong fan support, attract and can afford big name athletes and, occasionally, provide a great stage for some really great events.

This summer's All Star game at Yankee Stadium was one of the best examples of this New York routine.

Putting the game aside, which I deemed too pricey to attend in person, I happen to work on Sixth Avenue so the red carpet parade last Tuesday afternoon passed right in front of my building. And what kind of Padres blogger would I be if I didn't take the elevator down 43 flights, head outside, snap a few photos and make a few in-person observations. So that's exactly what I did.

The photo of Bud Black above is my favorite of the few I took. I think it sums up his outlook nicely. I'm not sure if Bud is all that great a manager, but he sure seems like a nice guy.

Here are some other obervations from the afternoon:

- All the players and coaches, including a bunch of Hall of Famers, came by sitting in the back of pick-up trucks. Most were with family members, a few notable loners were Reggie Jackson, Joe Mauer and Bud Black.

- Papi had a big crew with him, including what I'm sure were two bodyguards sitting on the back edge of the truck, each with one leg hanging over the side. They were laughing and hanging out but both were jacked.

- Eckersley was the only person I saw who was standing up in his truck. Looked like he just got out of the tanning bed before the parade.

- Youkilis had maybe the hottest wife of anyone.

- Milton Bradley was with a very pretty Asian woman - maybe Thai or Filipino - and both were holding little kids.

- Jetes was in a suit and riding with his mom and dad. He was sitting low in his truck and was all closed up, raising his arms only slightly to wave. Looked like he had the flu. He was the only guy I saw with two policeman walking alongside his truck.

- People kept yelling at Halladay to "come to New York, these parades happen every week," and at Kazmir, "Scott, come back, please come back."

- Ripken has a very attractive daughter.

- First all the HOFers went, then all the AL All Stars, then came Clint Hurdle to start the NLers, and then, between Hurdle and the rest of the NLers was Papelbon. Only Papelbon could mess that up. He was also smiling and showing off his WS ring amid a chorus of boos.

- Buddy Black seemed real friendly. He was smiling and waving and, as he passed by Radio City Music Hall and saw people sitting up on top of the sign he said, "Hey, that's a good seat up there."

- As Wright approached, a female usher from Radio City came sprinting by me and said, "Excuse me, I have to see my husband." Wright was sitting with three dudes who looked about his age and had the same gelled up hairstyle. It was like a scene from Entourage.

- Varitek was riding along with his mouth open just staring off into the distance. He had his daughter with him and she looked like she'd just been crying.

- Hanley was probably the biggest overall pimp, with a gray pinstripe suit, no tie, wraparound black sunglasses and a bling bling watch.

- Some of the players shared a truck with other players. For example, Ian Kinsler rode with Michael Young, Carlos Quentin with Joe Crede, etc. Another combo was Ernie Banks riding with Kosuke Fukudome. This surprised me. Fook's been in the bigs 3 months and they let him ride with Mr. Cub?

- A-Gon came by with his wife, Mrs. A-Gon. She looked sparkling. He was also the only person I saw with a video camera. I think I'm definitely in his video snapping a photo of him and his wife.

And here are a few more photos:

Thanks for your efforts, Tony Clark.

Here's what I think is going to happen. The Padres are going to mount a record charge from the depths of the division. They're going to take advantage of the continued struggles of the D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies and Giants, and move into a tie with the D-Backs for first place on the last day of the season. Then, facing the Rockies, the D-Backs are going to lose while the Padres beat the Buccos at PetCo Park to clinch the division and move on to the playoffs by one game.

And the difference?

It'll be that bomb T. Clark hit off Billy Wagner on a Sunday afternoon in San Diego in early June - his only bomb as a Padre - that put the Padres in the playoffs.

What a beast.

So good luck, Tony. Here's to hoping you do well with the D-Backs, but not well enough to help them win a lot of games.

And Evan Scribner, welcome to the Padres organization. You are now a beast in your own right. Carry on, son, and I hope you make the majors soon to help out the Big Club.

Dee to the Wizards

According to a July 10 Washington Post article, and a follow up article today in the San Francisco Examiner, the Wizards signed Dee Brown to an offer sheet for a two-year, partially guaranteed deal. The Utah Jazz had one week to match the offer but chose not to.

In the strange world of NBA contracts I don't know if this guarantees Dee will be on the Wizards next season or not, but regardless, this is good news for Dee. He got a bad shake in Utah and, apparently, wasn't paid all the money owed him by his team last season, the Turkish league Galatasary Cafe Crown.

Here's hoping he gets some PT for the Wiz and makes his mark. Is there anyone out there who doubts Dee isn't just as good as Rajon Rondo?

Braves 4, Drinos 1

Man, I wish I would have been at that game last night. They honored the 1998 team in a ceremony before the game, and about 20 members of the team were there, including Kevin Brown, Greg Vaughn, Andy Ashby and Q Veras. That was such a good team. I still rate the '84 team as my favorite Padres team because it was the first time they made the playoffs and only the second time in franchise history they had a winning record, not to mention the drama of their come-from-behind win over the Cubs in the LCS, but the '98 team was probably better overall. Their wins over the Astros and Braves were surprising, and exhilarating. My only regret was that they didn't take a few games from that all-time Yankees squad. The Padres had late leads in both Games 1 and 3. That Series was a lot closer than the 4-0 sweep indicates.

My other feeling after seeing the '98 team last night is that, under the leadership of Alderson and DePodesta (I'm leaving KT out of this critique - it's not clear to me how involved he is in the overall strategy), it looks like the Padres won't have a dominant team like that again anytime soon. Sure, they may be more of a competitive team year in and year out, and maybe sneak into a few more playoffs and maybe catch lightning and, like the '06 Cardinals, win an unexpected World Series. And believe me, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But I don't see any Alderson and DePodesta-built team winning 100 games and rolling to a National League pennant. In short, being a truly great baseball team.

Maybe that is a good trade off: sacrificing the chance to root for a truly great team one year in exchange for rooting for mostly competitive, sometimes frustrating teams year after year. I'm not saying yet that it's not. But, based on everything I'm hearing from Alderson and DePo, that's the path they have chosen so we're certainly going to find out over the next few years.

My fingers are crossed that their philosophy works.

Peavy Versus the Braves

Peav goes tonight against the Bravos.

Glancing quickly at baseball-reference.com I note that Jake hasn't had extreme success against the Bravos. In six starts he sports a 1-4 record and a 4.70 ERA over 38.1 innings. Though he has 52 Ks over those 38.1 innings, he has also ceded 10 bombs to Bravos hitters. The good news is that 3 of those losses happened during Peav's down year in '06 and 5 of those 10 bombs came in 2 starts against the Bravos during Peav's first full season in '03. The Bravos did not face Jake last year during his Cy Young season.

My point?

Atlanta has rarely seen Jake at his finest.

If I were the Braves' hitters I would be afraid. Very afraid.

Fish 5, Drinos 2

"Huh? ... What's that? ... Scott, who? ... What? ... Oh ... I see ... So, his name's not Jimmy? Really? I could've sworn it was Jimmy."

F.

Drinos 10, Fish 1

I probably could have gone with a photo of Chase Headley. Kid had a career night going 3-5 with 4 ribeyes, including a bases loaded, bases clearing double in the bottom of the 1st. I could have gone with another photo of Scotty Hairston, who just made the big board after Saturday's win over the D-Backs, because of his 3-5, 3 ribeye night that featured a mammoth bomb to left field.

Or, I could have gone with a photo of Randy Wolf, who rebounded nicely from a couple dubious outings to go 7 innings, strikeout 7 and give up only 1 run. Heck, I even could have gone with a photo of Luis Rodriguez who made a "some kinda nice" diving grab at shortstop in the bottom of the 6th, when the game was still only 4-1. Muy bien, Luis.

But no, I'm going with a photo of Brian Myrow, the 31 year-old journeyman first baseman who hit his first major league bomb last night pinch hitting for Wolf in the bottom of the 7th (thanks to the beasts at madfriars.com for the photo - I can't recommend their excellent site enough). Myrow has been absolutely raking at Portland the last two seasons (he hit .354 last season and was hitting .332 this year at the time of his call up yesterday) but is as blocked as anyone can possibly be with Adrian playing almost every inning of every game at first base for the big league club. But no matter, says Brian Myrow. He just kept raking to the point that KT and Grady and the rest of the front office boys couldn't ignore him any longer.

The bottom line is this: Myrow may be the best pinch hitter from the left side in the entire organization at this point. It's time to see what he can do.

Fish 3, Drinos 1

Nice throw last night, Luke. That'll teach teams to think twice about running on the Padres. I think you nailed Hanley at third later in the game too but the ump saw it the other way. Give it time. Soon umps will recognize the cannon that is your right arm and will give you the benefit of the doubt on close calls.

And don't worry about that buck fifty-three batting average. At least not to the extent that it detracts from your defense. Don't forget what got you here. Just keep perfecting that home-to-second time and your game-calling skills. I'm certain Peav, Maddux, Wolf, Banks, Baek and, when he returns, CY, will appreciate it.

Cro

After last night's Drinos loss to the Fish I just felt like putting this photo up.

Makes you feel good, doesn't it?

Bolts' training camp opens in t-minus 17 days.

Backs 3, Drinos 2

Tough loss by the Padres on Sunday. Randy Johnson came out of retirement to strike out 10 over 6 1/3 innings but, even with that retro outing by the Unpleasant One, the Padres were one timely hit in either the eighth or ninth inning of tying, and perhaps winning, that ballgame. And that was a huge game. It meant the difference between being 7 games back and 9 games back.

So I don't really want to talk about it.

I'd rather congratulate Rafa Nadal (pictured above) on a great win at Wimbledon and segue from that into a brief discussion of the great year for sports 2008 has already been. And, before you cower at the thought of me eliciting bad memories, don't worry. I'm not going to mention the Rose Bowl, the AFC Championship Game, the Illini basketball season or the first three months of the Padres' season.

It's only July 7 and here is the sports year we've already had: a classic Super Bowl where the Giants beat the undefeated Patriots 17-14; an incredible NCAA final where Mario Chalmers sank a prayer three to send the game to overtime where the Jayhawks' eventually prevailed; an NBA Finals between the Celtics and the Lakers that went to six games before the Celtics won in record-breaking fashion; a U.S. Open for the ages where Tiger Woods sank a putt on the 18th hole to send the tournament to a Monday playoff where he finally prevailed over Rocco Mediate; a Champions League final between Chelsea and Manchester United that went to PKs and Man U prevailed after John Terry missed a chance to clinch wide right; a Euro 2008 final where Spain defeated Germany 1-0, it's first Euro victory since 1964; and, now, on Sunday, a five-set Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles final between Nadal and Federer that John McEnroe said was the best match he's ever seen.

In the immortal words of Dick Enberg, "Oh my!"

Drinos 4, Backs 2

Peavy was masterful but when you hit two bombs you gotta get your picture up on the big board. Nice work, Scotty, ye of the legendary Hairston baseball clan.

The D'Backs' broadcast on FSN had a sweet camera angle of Hairston's first bomb hitting into the hot tub in right center. The camera appeared to be underwater inside the tub and showed the ball impact the surface and plunge, spinning, into the water. A very cool shot, no doubt.

But that raised a question in my mind. It looks like, from watching FSN broadcasts of Backs games over the years, that people, both ladies and dudes, regularly hang out in the tub in swimsuits, splashing around, drinking and having a grand old time. So my question is this: just what is that underwater tub camera recording most of the time? It seems to me it would be recording a bunch of legs, bikini bottoms and other underwater hijinks.

FSN ... so shady.

Drinos 5, Backs 1

Baek had some really dazzling stuff last night. I say that because Mark Grace and Daron Sutton, admittedly two announcers, especially Sutton, who are at times insufferable, kept commenting on Baek's pitches, saying things like, "Wow, that was some pitch," and "That was some changeup by Baek." Grace and Sutton may not be the best announcers in the business, but Grace was one of the best hitters of the 90s and Sutton pitched for awhile in the minors and is the son of Hall of Famer Don Sutton. So these guys know a good pitch when they see it.

But even with Baek's great outing, the play of the game was Chase Headley's Chuck Connors impersonation to gun down Stephen Drew in the bottom of the sixth. On a base hit to left, Headley took the ball on one hop and fired a perfect low liner right into the glove of Nick Hundley. The ball went into Hundley's glove half a foot in front of the plate at the same moment Drew started his slide. Hundley held on to the ball with confidence - something Michael Barrett lacks when he tries to squeeze the ball into his mitt with a runner bearing down on him from third base - and met Drew's foot with leather.

As Mud Grant would - and probably did - say, "That's some kinda nice."

Independence Day

"You stay classy ... United States."

The Inevitable Aaron Cook Game (and a Thursday Debacle)

Aaron Cook had his annual dominant outing against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

It's becoming a tradition that Aaron Cook has one outing a season against the Drinos where, by pounding the strike zone and taking advantage of free swinging Padres' hitters, he gets a complete game victory in about two hours and with less than 80 pitches.

On July 25, 2007, Cook took 74 pitches (55 strikes) over 9 innings to beat the Padres 10-2 in 2:22 minutes on a Wednesday afternoon at Coors Field.

Then, on Tuesday night at Coors, Cook used all of 79 pitches (58 strikes) over 9 innings to shutout the Padres 4-0 in 1:58 minutes. Less than two hours. Only about twenty minutes longer than the running time for Hancock.

Just ridiculous.

Last year on Wednesday afternoon at Coors it was a getaway day and commenters criticized the Drino lineup for free swinging to quicken the game so they could get the game finished, get to the showers and get to their charter flight out of Denver to Houston.

This year, however, there is no apparent explanation short of Cook just dominating the Padres hitters. The Padres swung early and swung often but they were swinging at strikes and just not putting good wood on the ball. The credit goes to Aaron Cook.

Thursday Debacle: Rox 8, Drinos 1

I was at PD O'Hurley's near 72nd and Amsterdam in Manhattan drinking Carlsbergs so didn't watch the game. I saw the score updates scroll along the bottom of the Yankee game. First, I saw that Headley hit his fourth bomb. Then I saw that something like three Rox hitters already had multiple ribeyes ... in the fourth inning.

So much for that game.

"Another Carlsberg, please."

International Signing Day

Yes, apparently that is Randy Smith (photo credit: Rich Pilling/Getty Images via padres.com) the architect of the Drinos splash into the international free agent market today.

What a monster.

Pads 15, Rocks 7

Who is that? Errol Flynn?

What do you make of this Edgar Gonzalez guy? Edgar is showing he can hit big league pitching with authority, as his 4-5, 2 bomb performance against the Rocks on Monday night attests. And, not without importance, he is playing a solid second base.

In a word, the Brother of Adrian Gonzalez appears, in his own right, to be a beast.

If I might imagine for a moment the trajectory of the Gonzalez' brothers youth, I think, based on no information whatsoever, that it has played out something like this: Edgar is born first, followed a few years later by Adrian. As they grow up they are close and Adrian looks up to Edgar, his athletic, handsome older brother. Edgar picks on him a bit, as older brothers will do to their younger male siblings, but generally he likes the kid and takes him under his wing.

As they get to be a few years older it's clear both are good athletes. Edgar succeeds first because he is older but Adrian is not far behind. Both are big men on campus in high school. But, by the time Adrian is maybe 15 or 16, maybe a little earlier, people start to notice something special about him. Whereas Edgar was a great hitter and could at times dominate games with his bat, Adrian's swing is perfect and fluid and the ball jumps off his bat with seemingly no effort. And in the field Edgar made a lot of the plays but not without some effort while Adrian looks like he was born with a glove on his right hand, so smooth. The differences between good and great that were at first subtle start to widen as Adrian nears his senior year and then, at the age of 18, is drafted #1 overall in the 2000 MLB draft, the same year Edgar, at age 22, gets his first contract and is assigned to the D-Rays' minor league affiliate in the Rookie Level Appalachian League.

So, if it wasn't before, by 2000 it's clear that Adrian, the #1 overall pick, is a potential star, while Edgar, the older brother, is at-best a marginal prospect. Not only are they separated by talent, but also by fanfare and the size of their signing bonuses.

Fast forward to 2008. Adrian is now one of the princes of San Diego. He has his contract. He has proven himself as the best hitter on a playoff-caliber team. He is still one of the younger starting first basemen in all of baseball. And Edgar? The older brother? He still hasn't made his major league debut and, though he spent 2007 raking for the Cardinals' AAA squad, still has no clear shot at a big league job.

Then, through some clever machinations wrought by Kevin Towers, Pablo DePodesta and the Other Mad Geniuses in the Padres front office, the Drinos sign Edgar and he starts the season in AAA Portland. Then, when Tad Iguchi goes down, Edgar gets his chance. He gets a call up, joins his brother on the right side of the Padres infield, and immediately starts raking. Not raking at Adrian levels, but raking nonetheless. .315 3 14 in 127 ABs as this is being written, none too shabby for a 30 year-old rook.

What will happen next? Query this: Edgar, who, let's be honest, is the better looking of the two, continues to hit and becomes the Drinos everyday second basemen. And not only does he continue to hit, but he hits at a .300 clip with some pop. And Adrian, well he's still Adrian, but now there is this rakish, Zorro-esque second basemen hitting .320 and playing right next to him on the diamond.

So query who becomes the better loved Gonzalez brother among the ladies of San Diego?

Query indeed.

While I Was in France ...

That is correct. I was in France last weekend for a wedding. Spent two nights at a chateau near Sens in Burgundy and then one night in St. Germain in Paris. Then, spent another night at the Pullman Hotel near Charles Da Gaulle because American canceled our flight. My wife and I were exhausted from the first three nights so were content to sit in the hotel room and watch television rather than roll back to Paris for more sightseeing. Probably should have stepped it up a notch and made use of the extra night by, for example, strolling the streets of Montmartre, but sometimes it's better to veg out in aircon and do absolutely nothing.

Speaking of doing absolutely nothing, how about a recap of the Padres games while I was across the Atlantic ...

On Wednesday night, the Padres lost 9-3 to the Twins, then on Thursday afternoon they lost 4-3 to the Twins, then, on Friday, they lost 5-2 to Seattle, and following that, on Saturday night, they lost 4-2 to Seattle and finally, on Sunday afternoon, they lost again to Seattle, 9-2.

The shameful part is had they won just two of those games they'd only be 7.5 back right now.

So, lacking much more to say about this run of futility, let me provide with you some brief travel advice: if you are ever in Paris I recommend staying at the three star La Perle on Rue Canettes. The hotel is reasonable, comfortable and in the perfect location to walk around St. Germain and pop in and out of great bars and restaurants. On Saturday, for example, the French were out in force watching a rugby match and the sounds of rugby chants lended great local color to the narrow, pedestrian-friendly streets. And it's not too far a walk to the Seine where you can cross over and walk to Notre Dame or the Louvre or just stand on one of the bridges spanning the river and watch the glass-roofed tour boats float past.