Adrian's Patented Opposite Field Bomb Swing

Adrian,

Above, in all its glory, is your patented opposite field bomb swing. This photo was taken in the first inning of last night's dagger 8-7 loss to the Rockies. You jetted a 3-run bomb to left field off the Rockies' Jason Hammel.

David Zalubowski of the Associated Press caught the tail-end of your bomb swing. Looking at your body language in the photo, you obviously know it's gone at this point.

What a beast.

I submit that over the first two months of the 2009 season your opposite field bomb swing represents the best opposite field bomb swing ever. That is, of all time. That is, it's the best opposite field bomb swing in the history of baseball.

If the Padres ever erect a statue of you in the Park at the Park I submit that this should be your pose.

Win today against Colorado.

Best,
Bevormo

CY In The Mountains

CY,

Tonight you throw down with the Rockies at Coors Field. I'm pretty excited for this game because I have a hunch you're going to be at your gangly best and will toss one of those rare pitching gems in the mountains.

Like Han Solo, I'm sure you never want to be told the odds, but here are your career numbers at Coors Field: 3-2, 6.00 ERA, 33 IP over 7 starts, with 17 walks and 26 strikeouts. Your WHIP is 1.55.

Basically, what I'm telling you is that I'm bucking the odds and going with my gut tonight.

And my gut says, "grbglblrglf." (That's "Chris Young will win tonight" in gut.)

Best,
Bevormo

ps - I met your wife once in Pittsburgh but I only talked to her for a second and it was before you were married and there wasn't much chemistry anyway. Not that she's not hot. Because she is. But I wouldn't touch her. Not that she's not hot enough to touch, it's just that I wouldn't. Because we're boys. There, now you know. I'm sorry.

Numbers Of A Contender

Take a look at these numbers:

.190 2 19 .285
.239 0 14 .318
.326 5 20 .386
.285 18 34 .385
.234 4 19 .290
.237 4 19 .310
.219 1 4 .286
.182 3 6 .262
.095 0 0 .136

What is this list of numbers? It's the batting average, bombs, ribeyes and on-base percentage of the Padres starting lineup in yesterday's 8-5 win over the D'Slacks.

In order:

Giles
Eckstein
Hairston
Adrian
Kouz
Headley
Burke
Blanco
Peavy

What a pack o' beasts.

I smell Wild Card.

Comeuppance Is A Comin'

Derrick,

Well, it was only a matter of time I guess. The Karma Gods already slayed Kelvin Sampson for being a shady bastege at Indiana, and now it looks like they are on the prowl for your alma mater, possibly in connection with your recruitment.

Of course you and your ex-coach, Slimipari, are probably untouchable in the investigation leaving Memphis and its new coach, Josh Pastner, to bear the penance for your actions. Not that I really care. That whole program reeked of shadiness the last few years so I hope the NCAA takes a flamethrower to the place, Colonel Frank Slade-style.

With Kelvin long gone, the investigation of Memphis underway and the Tim Floyd-O.J. Mayo debacle unfolding over on the Left Coast, pretty soon the only guy left standing will be Bruce Weber, the White Knight, standing on a hilltop, the sun setting behind him, ready to dispense fair play on the land.

What a beast Bruce Weber is, eh Derrick?

Too bad you were never man enough to play for him.

Too bad you'll never be the caliber of player of Deron Williams.

Sweet dreams.

Best,
Bevormo

ps - After further research it appears the current Memphis team will not face penalties for the past violations. Instead, Memphis might just have to forfeit its victories and Final Four appearance during the '07-'08 season. With what happened at UMass back in the day, Calipari might never get to a Final Four that counts.

Power Rankings For Fools

ESPN released their mid-May NFL Power Rankings today.

Here are their top 7 teams.

1. Stillers
2. Patsies
3. Gints
4. Iggles
5. Scrolts
6. Ravinians
7. BOLTS

What a load of horse puckey.

ESPN honestly thinks the Chargers are only the seventh best team in football? Is that some sort of joke?

Let's look at the teams ESPN thinks are better than the Bolts and see if they pass muster.

1. the Steelers: they won the Super Bowl and have most everybody back. They lost a deep-threat receiver and it'll be interesting to see if my boy Mendenhall is any good and if Ben Roethlisboober has any drive to win this season with the extra ring weighing him down, but generally I'm fine with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

2. the Patriots: Brady is back and they're good with Brady, but there are questions about his knee and some questions about the defensive secondary. I'm marginally okay with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

3. the Giants: They get Umeniyora back but Plax is gone. Just like Felipe Rios is better than Eli Manning, the Chargers are better than the Giants. I'm not okay with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

4. the Iggles: Everyone is fawning over their offensive pickups. Okay, so let's see them on the field before we blindly decide they're going to integrate seamlessly into the offense. Also, don't forget defensive genius Jim Johnson is taking a leave of absence. I'm not okay with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

5. the Colts: What a joke. How many times do the Chargers have to beat on these guys before people realize they aren't as good as the Bolts. They are working with an entirely new coaching staff and Peyton no longer has Marvin and Reggie in their primes. People can wish that Anthony Gonzalez is a fitting replacement for those beasts but he isn't. And their defense has a total of two good players both of whom are always injured. I'm not okay with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

6. the Ravens: I just vomited up my spaghetti dinner all over my sofa. Luckily my sofa is 8 years old and was free. The average age of the Ravens defense is 46 years old, they lost their defensive coordinator, they have a tougher schedule next season and Flacco is only entering his second - i.e. sophomore - season. They might win 8 games. Might. I'm not okay with them being ranked ahead of the Chargers.

So that's that. The Chargers are a top 3 team in the League at worst. Any opinion to the contrary is a foolish opinion.

I hope nobody at ESPN showed Shawne Merriman these rankings. He'd eat their head off.

I've got no more use for this witness.

"Hey Ed, how many times did the Padres win during their homestand?"

"Nine times."




"Grace!"

A Strong To Quite Strong Night At Petco Park

Friday night was my first visit to Petco Park since June 2007, a span of nearly two years. While I am ashamed to admit that fact, I beg your pardon because I do live many many many miles away from San Diego. That's not a good excuse for missing Petco for nearly two full seasons of baseball, but it's the only excuse I have.

But Friday night was all that is good and true and great about Petco Park and downtown Drino baseball. Peavy threw a gem against a hated opponent, the Scubs, and a young man named Tony Gwynn, Jr. got on base three times, scoring twice. Also, the bullpen threw three shutout innings, Brian Giles knocked in two runs in classic Bri style and Adrian went yard with one of his patented opposite field bomb swings.

Not to mention, because this was 1984 NL Champions Weekend, they sprinkled videos of the '84 squad on the jumbtron throughout the game.

And there were fireworks after the game.

So choice.

So after my return to Petco for the first time in nearly two years, I had a few impressions/observations of the park. For those of you lucky enough to live in the Diego, this is not news. But here they are:

1. Petco Park is really coming into its own. The Padres are letting the hanging ivy grow in the concourses and it looks really choice. Kind of a like a botanical garden. It matches perfectly with the sand beach stucco of the Petco facade. Well played, Petco maintenance staff.

2. Downtown is really coming into its own. When I first went to Petco in April 2005, the view out to centerfield was a hodgepodge of cranes and half-built condos. That seemed to last even until 2007. Now, at least out to the centerfield view, most of the condos are finished and it seems that the views from the Park will be static for the foreseeable future. It's not as dramatic a view as PNC in Pittsburgh, but it is much better use of an urban stadium than, say, Natty Park in D.C. or the new Yankee Stadium, which has no views to nothin'.

3. Beers are 'spensive. Last week I went to the new Yanquis Stadium for the first time. Nine dollar beers. I expected that in the Bronx. Then I went to Petco on Friday and saw the price of a 16 oz. Coors Louie was $8.25. I almost spit up my Rubio's fish taco. And then proceeded to buy multiple Coors Louies.

4. Nate Kaeding. I'm pretty sure Nate Kaeding was sitting six rows ahead of me at the game with a few of his boys. Either it was Nate Kaeding or some mid-sized blonde dude. It's hard to tell with Nate. Given he went to Iowa, Nate is probably a Cub fan. I promise not to hold that against him as long as he is a beast kicker for the Chargers.

5. Tony Gwynn ... Jr.? Tony Gwynn, Jr. made his debut for the Padres on Thursday night. On Friday, the Padres were introducing Gwynn, Jr. as "Tony Gwynn" and the back of his jersey simply read "Gwynn." So shady.

More on Saturday night's game when I get the pictures downloaded.

Peavy Chooses Diego Over The South Side

Yeah, Jake. I'd have done the same thing.

Now that all this hullabaloo is behind us, I'll see you on the mound tomorrow night around 7:05 Pacific Time.

In a little place I like to call ... SAN DIAGO.

Best,
Bevormo

Tony Gwynn The Younger

Yeah, man. I'd be smiling too.

Welcome to the fold.

Getting To The Bottom of Gary Lucas' 1982 Season (Part 1)

I've written before about the greatness of the '83 Topps baseball card set, how it was the first summer I really collected baseball cards and the unbridled glee of opening a wax pack - usually purchased at the Convenient store where Gift and Loucks Avenues intersect with Sheridan Road in Peoria, IL while my Dad picked up a pack of Vantage cigarettes - and finding a brown, yellow and orange clad Padrino player staring up at me.

Like the Gary Lucas card above, for example.

No doubt I was mesmerized by Lucas's photo when I first saw it - for one, my Dad had a similar 'stache at the time - and, living in Peoria about 3 hours away from two of the best closers in the game - the Cubs' Lee Smith and Cardinals' Bruce Sutter - I had obviously asked my Dad who the Padres' "saves guy" was. He said Gary Lucas so I was instantly a fan.

But more than his photo and his closer status, what fascinated me about Gary Lucas were his '82 stats. He pitched in 65 games for the '82 Padres, finishing 39 of them. He posted a 3.24 ERA over 97.1 innings and racked up 16 saves. Not too bad for a lefty out of the pen.

But here is what stunned me.

His record was 1 - 10.

That's right. One win, ten losses. That discrepancy is hard to overlook, especially to a 6-year old who understands wins and losses more than any other stat. Looking at the card now I still can't get over the "1" in the W column juxtaposed with the "1" "0" in the L column. It's quite a sight.

I've often wondered about those 10 losses, especially since the Padres finished 81-81 in 1982. Given that record, Lucas probably pitched in some high-leverage situations, and some of those losses must've been daggers. Or so one might hypothesize.

Now, with the help of Baseball-Reference.com, I've decided to take a look at Gary Lucas' losses during the '82 season to see how each played out.

My bet is Gary was sometimes to blame, but not always to blame, and maybe sometimes he was only partly to blame.

Let's get started.

#1. April 28, 1982 - 5-4 loss to the Mets at the Murph in 15 innings: Gary enters in the top of the 12th and proceeds to throw 1-2-3 innings in the 12th, 13th and 14th. In the top of the 15th, however, Mookie Wilson leads off with a triple to right center and Bob Bailor follows up with a sac fly to put the Mets up 5-4. The legendary Pete Falcone then closes the game out for the Mets in the bottom half of the inning. Gary's line: 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K. Conclusion: Gary not to blame.

#2. May 7, 1982 - 5-2 loss to the Phillies at the Vet: The Pads lead 2-1 going to the bottom of the 9th. Eric Show starts the 9th and Gary enters with 1-out and a runner on second. Gary gives up a single to Ozzie Virgil, an RBI groundout to Bob Dernier that ties the game, and an intentional pass to Pete Rose. Dick Williams then brings on Luis DeLeon in relief and DeLeon promptly issues a 3-run walk-off jack to an unknown, flash-in-the pan named Mike Schmidt. Gary's line: .1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Conclusion: Gary partly to blame.

#3. May 10, 1982 - 3-2 loss to the Mets at Shea: The Pads go up 2-1 in the top of the 9th when a Terry Kennedy double plates Sixto Lezcano. In the bottom half of the 9th, Dick Williams brings in Show to start the inning (a common refrain in '82), and Show gives up a single to Ellis Valentine and K's Hubie Brooks. Dick then brings in Gary with 1-out and Ellis Valentine, the tying run, dancing off first. Gary gets Rusty Staub to ground out but Valentine moves up to second. After an intentional walk to pinch-hitter George Foster (the Mets, incidentally, had geriatrics Staub, Foster and Dave Kingman all on the roster in '82 ... I wonder how many Mets' fans knew then that they were only four years away from one of the great teams of all time), and with Wally Backman running for Foster, Bob Bailor strides to the plate and hits a 2-out, 2-run game-winning 2B, no doubt throwing the 9,670 Mets fans at the game (a Monday) into a frenzy. Gary's line: .1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K. Conclusion: Gary partly to blame. Bailor must be Gary's mortal enemy.

#4. May 30, 1982 - 6-5 loss to the Cardinals at Busch Stadium: A major dagger loss to the eventual World Champs. But what a game. The Pads lead 3-0 going to the bottom of the 9th. Gary comes on in the top of the 7th with a runner on second and K's Julio Gonzalez to end the inning. Then he works a mostly harmless bottom of the 8th against the likes of Darrell Green, Tito Landrum, Ozzie Smith and Willie McGee, no small feat, mind you. In the Padres half of the 9th, current Mets manager Jerry Manuel triples home Luis Salazar to give the Pads the 3-0 lead. Interestingly, to show how baseball has changed over the past 25 years, in the top of the 9th, after Manuel's triple, the Padres have Terry Kennedy up with 2-outs and a runner on third. Whitey Herzog orders an intentional walk to bring up Gary's spot in the lineup. What does Dick Williams do? He bats Gary who promptly K's to end the inning.

Which brings us to the bottom of the 9th where the wheels come off. Keith Hernandez singles, then George Hendrick singles, then Lonnie Smith doubles, all off our boy Gary. That makes it 3-1 Pads, runners on second and third, with nobody out. Gary next induces a groundout from Mike Ramsey that holds the runners, but then, on what must have been a crazy play, Julio Gonzalez grounds to third and there is an E5/interference called on Luis Salazar. The end result is that Hendrick scores and the Cards have runners on second and third with 1 out. Dick orders an intentional walk to Darrell Green to load the bases. With two outs and the bases juiced, Tommy Herr steps up and and hits a sac fly to tie the game. Gary then gets The Wizard to ground out to end the inning.

Extra innings. The Pads face Sutter in the top of the 10th. Alan Wiggins leads off with a single, followed by a Gene Richards single that allows Alan - what a speedster - to move to third. Then Joe Lefebvre hits a double to score Alan. After an intentional walk to Ruppert Jones to load the bases, Sixto hits a grounder to short and Ozzie Smith - former Padre and probably the best defensive SS of all time - throws home to force Gene at the plate. Huge play. Next up, Luis Salazar grounds out to score Lefebvre from third. After a Luis steal, with runners on second and third and 2 outs, Sutter K's Jerry Manuel to end the inning.

So we arrive at the bottom of the 10th with a 5-3 Padre lead. What really shoves the dagger in here is that Gary gets 2 quick outs - an Orlando Sanchez groundout and a Keith Hernandez lineout to Ruppert in center. But then Hendrick singles, Lonnie doubles him home and then Mike-effing-Ramsey singles Lonnie home to tie the game. Gary then plunks Julio Gonzalez (of course he does) and Dick replaces him with Floyd Chiffer with Gary's runners on first and second. Dane Iorg - yes, the same Dane Iorg who would help the Royals beat the Cards in the '85 Series - promptly hits a game-winning single. Gary's line: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Conclusion: Despite the Salazar error in the 9th, Gary to blame. You can't give up three straight hits to lead off the 9th and also give up another lead in the 10th.

[Trivia Interlude: According to Baseball Reference, this was Jerry Manuel's final game. He only played 2 games for the '82 Padres and his only hit was the triple in the top of the 9th against Bruce Sutter.]

#5. June 22, 1982 - 7-5 loss to the Reds at Riverfront Stadium: Gary enters with 1-out in the bottom of the 7th with the tying run on second base. He gives up a tying double to Eddie Milner. He then gets Rafael Landestoy to ground out but Dan Driessen draws a 2-out walk. Dick then removes Gary in place of Floyd. The inning is extended and a run scores on an E5 (thanks again, Luis). Floyd gives up another single, scoring another unearned run (though Cesar Cedeno was out at home on what was no doubt a laser by Ruppert from centerfield). The Padres never recover and go on to lose the game. Gary's line: .1 IP, 1 H 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, O K. Conclusion: Gary mostly to blame. The double to Milner is not good, nor is the two-out walk to Driessen. The E5 made Gary's runs unearned but he allowed the inherited runner to score which you never like to see.

So there you have Gary Lucas' first five losses of the '82 season. I'll examine the next 5 losses in another post sometime in the next few days.

Until then, think Padre thoughts.

Get R Dun!

Nice photo, Sean M. Haffey.

Also, nice game Heath and Nick.

Might I propose a new slogan:

The 2009 Padres.

Getting. It. Dun.

Weber To Get More Caysh

Bruce,

Let me say congratulations in advance on your upcoming pay raise. I know you've had some recruiting disappointments the past few years, and the first-round tourney losses in 2007 and 2009 still sting a bit (the Chester injury still chaps me), but I like the way you run a program.

Here are a few reasons why I think you deserve the extra 500K a year:

- You know how to effing coach the Xs and Os. You had Trent Meacham and Chester Frazier as a starting backcourt this season and still won well over 20 games and earned a 5-seed in the tourney. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Trent and Chester, but they don't see the floor if you had guys like Frankie and Cory or Deron and Dee on the roster. I saw what you can do with that kind of talent. I'm looking forward to seeing you do it again.

- The recruiting train is running again. D.J. Richardson and Chris Paul are going to be monsters at the guard positions and I think people are underrating Joseph Bertrand. Not to mention Tyler Griffey as a big man. Then in 2010 we have Jereme, Crandall and Meyers Leonard, all added in with Demetri, Mike T. and - in one of your sneakier recruiting snakes - Mike Davis. Pencil yourself in for a few 30-win seasons, my good man.

- The program is squeaky clean. Obviously Bill Self is likely probably dirty, and I'm not sure about Lon Kruger (I doubt it, but Lon is so sly who really knows). Lou may or may not have been dicey. I don't know. But if anyone ever said your program is dirty I would bust a kidney laughing. You get things done the right way, Bruce, and for that you are a beast. I know you're going to break the shady union of AAU and high school coaches in Chicago and - as you already are with with the 2009 and 2010 classes - get the best in-state kids to play in Champaign. There will always be shady Calipari types to deal with, but I know you'll persevere and come out on top. That's what winners do.

So I'm glad you're getting paid, Bruce. You deserve it, as does your outstanding assistant, Jerrance Howard.

Get r dun.

Best,
Bevormo

Good Pitching Cures Hangovers

Jake,

Stellar game today at home against Cincy. You pitched a complete game 4-hitter with 9 Ks, the only real blemish a 6th inning bomb you relinquished to somebody on the Reds named Dickerson. That kid just got lucky. You were dominant today. I don't recall your pitches looking so unhittable, at least not this season. I see your ERA dropping into the 2s before long with stuff like that.

I feel bad though because I didn't watch every pitch. I was on the sofa in my living room napping off a margarita/red wine hangover (that's a dangerous mix, my friend) and would go in-and-out of sleep while the game played on the television. It seemed like every time I woke up one of your sliders was breaking off at a ridiculously late moment as it passed over the plate, or one of your fastballs was painting a corner of the plate for a sweet called strike. Absolutely nasty.

Needless to say it was one of the best naps I've ever had.

You're probably pumped today from your performance, but I bet you're also stoked based on what the boys in the bullpen did in last night's dramatic 16-inning 6-5 win over the Redlegs. I missed the game because I chose to eat salami but from what I see in the box score, the bullpen was perfect. Just look at these numbers:

Joe Thatcher - .1 IP, 1 K
Greg Burke (MLB debut, sorry I missed it, Greg) - 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K
Cla Meredith - 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R
Heath Bell - 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K
Edward Mujica - 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K
Luke Gregerson - 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 Ks
Luis Perdomo - 3 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 K

I'm no mathemetician, Jake, but that looks to me like 10.1 innings of relief pitching, with 0 runs allowed and 8 Ks. I'm no chef either but that looks like a recipe for victory.

And all that relief pitching set up Nick Hundley's 2-out, walk-off bomb in the bottom of the 16th.

What a weekend of Padre baseball.

Best,
Bevormo

The Padres Are Making Me Angry

Dear Reader,

Yesterday, watching the Cubs pile on against the Padres en route to an 11-3 victory and a sweep of the three game series at Wrigley, I lost my composure a bit. There I was, mild-mannered Bevormo, sitting at my desk just typing away on some document, the mlb.com broadcast of the game playing on the computer, when all of a sudden the Padres sheer ineptitude sent me into a controlled rage.

I had to roll up the sleeves of my Michael Kors dress shirt I was so angry.

It was Duaner Sanchez that put me over the top. I sat there and watched him give up back-to-back-to-back doubles to the Cubs' murderers row of Bobby Scales, Aaron Miles and Ryan Dempster, and I just lost it. I immediately composed the following e-mail to my team of trusted advisors: Tam O'Flannel, Tatty Mareeco, Father D.B. McGillicutty and Geleaux.

The subject line was "Duaner Sanchez" and it continued

is no longer a big league pitcher.

Nor is anyone else on the Padres except for Peavy, Young and Bell.

You're probably already aware of this, but that is not a recipe for winning baseball games. Nor is cutting the payroll from 70 million to 40 million without any advanced pitching prospects. I hate Becky Moores and her intolerance for John Moores doing a little dukin' on the side. I really do.

I also hate the elbows of Cesar Carrillo, Nick Schmidt and Steve Garrison, and the shoulder of Tim Stauffer. And I hate the weak sauce of Cesar Ramos and Josh Geer, and the scouts who suggested using high draft picks on college pitchers with weak sauce.

I don't consider myself a "hater," and, to be honest, I don't hate anyone listed in the above e-mail. Nor do I know the true reasons for the Moores' divorce so I apologize for suggesting in any way that John was unfaithful to Becky and it was that that caused their split. I don't know the reasons, and the reasons themselves aren't any of my business (but really, why else would any couple end a marriage of 40 years unless one of them is duking people on the side ... I submit to you there is no other reason).

Truth be told, I'm not really this down on the Padres, but like any true fan I can't stand to sit there and watch my team get beat up over and over again without letting off a little steam. To his credit, Tatty Mareeco recognized this, and responded later in the day with this e-mail:

At least you've got A-Gon. That guy is a Beast. Maybe you can trade him to the Sox for two of Buchholz, Bowden and Masterson and then bring up that 1B prospect you've got. They've got plenty of pitching and might like the bat to replace the artist formerly known as Big Papi.

Yes, at least the Padres have A-Gon. What an absolute monster. He's like Pujols if Pujols was a Mexican-American who played in a pitchers ballpark and had a brother who also played in the major leagues. I can't imagine a Padres team right now without Adrian, which is why I responded to Tatty as follows:

If any team wants AGon and his 45 bombs a year for the next four years at less than 6 million per, they're going to have to give up a treasure trove of top pitching/middle infield prospects. I'm not sure any team has the package necessary to get AGon from the Padres. He's young, has an affordable contract, might be the best power hitter in baseball, and is a San Diegan with Mexican heritage who is the only everyday player anyone in San Diego would consider coming to Petco to see play. Scott Hairston aside.

That's right, I love me some Scotty Hairston. But this post isn't about Scotty, it's about Adrian. There isn't a package of prospects in the world right now the Padres should trade Adrian for, unless maybe Robin Yount, Mike Schmidt and Doc Gooden all of a sudden happened to be prospects again and some team wanted to trade them straight up for him. Then I'd maybe say Moorad should greenlight a deal.

Maybe.

Anyway, I'm already feeling a little better about the Padres after writing this blog post. Blogging is like a warm bath in that you still feel dirty when you're done, but you also feel a lot more relaxed. In that way it's also like a happy ending massage. Or so I've heard.

I sense a win against Cincy tonight.

Best,
Bevormo

Win Today, Pretty Please

C'mon, Padres.

Win one today for ... the Outlaw Josey Wales.

(That has to work.)

Win Tonight, Por Favor

C'mon, Padres.

Win one tonight for ... 1970's Jack Nicholson.

(Let's see if that works.)

Underway In Chicago

The Padres and Cubs are underway at Wrigley tonight with the Padres holding a 2-0 lead on Adrian Gonzalez's first inning 2-run bomb. Jake has pitched well and Kouz made a sweet diving stop to preserve the shutout through 4.

Growing up in Peoria, Illinois, about 3 hours south of Chicago, the (then) bi-annual visit by the Padres to Wrigley was always my favorite time of the season. You'd get to watch the Padres on WGN with the legendary Harry Caray and the great Steve Stone announcing (that is, if you weren't at school ... no Tivo or night games at Wrigley in those hallowed days), and at least once a year my Dad would drive us up to Wrigley for one of the games.

(F. Soriano just doubled home Geovany Soto.)

One of the most memorable moments during those trips involved Leon "Bull" Durham. Before a game in the mid-80s (not sure the exact year), Leon was taking a break from batting practice to sign autographs along the brick wall near the Cubs dugout. A long line of fans weaved up the concrete steps. My Dad and I were near the back of the line but we waited it out and, finally, made it to the point where we were next.

Leon signed an autograph for the guy in front of me and then, stunningly, turned to walk back toward home plate.

I was speechless and my youthful heart, which was pounding in my chest at being that close to a big league ballplayer, almost stopped. I didn't know what to do.

My Dad didn't hesitate.

He yelled out, "Leon! Hey Leon!"

Leon paused his massive frame, looked over his shoulder, and then turned and walked back toward us. He signed my program, then stayed and signed a few more autographs before walking back to get a few more hacks in.

(F. Milton Bradley just crushed a 2-run bomb off Peavy in the bottom of the 6th.)

Leon, for this I will always remember you as a true beast. Thanks, man.

(Notice I didn't mention the error you made in the 7th inning of Game 5 of the 1984 NLCS. You're a beast for that too.)

Better Days

Kev,

The Padres could have used you and Cammy and Wally and Quilvio and Trevor and Tony and Greg and Steve this weekend in Houston.

You were good in Houston.

Best,
Bevormo

A Bit Of Travel

Reader,

I'm heading to Wilmington, NC today to visit friends for the weekend. The downside of this is that I'll likely miss the Padres games tonight and tomorrow afternoon. And I also won't blog tomorrow.

For this I apologize to you, Reader.

I'll bring you back some seashells from Wilmington.

Best,
Bevormo

Get R Dun, Juice!

Juice,

I just heard that you got engaged to be married. Way to get after it, man. I've been married for just over a year and I'm not even a beast quarterback. You'll probably be really good at marriage.

Something else caught my eye in that article mentioning your engagement. It said, and I quote, "Williams will likely end his Illinois career as the school's leader in passing and total offense. If he has a big season, he can pass Drew Brees as the Big Ten's career total offense leader."

Really? The Big Ten's career total offense leader? Surpassing Drew Brees? That's big stuff, Juice. Anytime you pass Drew Brees - incidentally, what a beast - you know you're doing something right.

I sense good things for your senior season. And for your life.

Best,
Bevormo

The Cult Of The 1-Run Ballgame

David,

Nice bases-loaded walk-off single yesterday to help the Padres beat the D-knacks 4-3 and thus bring an ignominious end to Bob Melvin's managing career (at least for now). You've been around a while, and you're a clutch guy, so this is probably old hat to you, but I'm sure you still get a few goosebumps stepping to the plate in these situations, even if the Petco crowd is a paltry 18,921.

You never played before so few in Anaheim or St. Louis, I'd venture.

On a related point, Dave, how are you taking to these Petco Park ballgames? In other words, very close ballgames that, in order to win, depend on clutch hitting and near-perfect work by the guys out of the bullpen. They're exciting, right? Stressful? Annoying? All of the above?

I'm sure you've noted that of the Padres 13 wins this season, eight were decided by 1-run, and three of those on walk-off hits at Petco (two by Brian and one, as noted above, by you). Granted, not all these 1-run wins were at Petco (two were in New York, one was in Philly and one was in Denver), but I think you'll find that as the season progresses, a lot of Padre home games will be tight contests heading into the later innings. I figure with a guy like you around the Padres have a better chance to come out ahead in those games than they would otherwise.

I'm sure you agree.

But let me also make a quick observation about this Padres team whether it is playing at Petco or on the road. And the observation is this: I like this team. They've shown mettle in a few sweet comeback wins (April 9 against the Dadgers, April 16 against the Mets and April 17 against the Phils come immediately to mind), and have been competitive in a number of their losses (four of which have come by 1-run, including two dagger losses at the hated Dadgers last weekend). If the middle relief and the clutch hitting improves even just a little bit, this Padres team will play better than .500 ball. I know that's not necessarily something to scream from the rooftops, but it could make for a season full of tight, 1-run ballgames, that the Padres win more than half the time.

Think about that sentence for a second. It actually does make sense if you read it enough times.

The bottom line is that the Padres might end up with 75 - 85 wins, and Heath Bell might have 6o-plus saves.

Not that you care much about all this, David. You just want to win ballgames.

Good luck tonight in Houston.

Best,
Bevormo

ps - That's a pretty nice photo by K.C. Alfred I posted above, don't you think? K.C. recently took a sweet photo of Kevin Ellison during the Chargers minicamp. I have no idea who K.C. is, or even if it is a guy or a girl, but he/she can take one heck of a photo.

Chandler Whitmer ... Another Snake By The Zooker

Chandler,

Just heard today that you gave a verbal to the Illini and added your name to the Zooker's 2010 recruiting class.

I don't you know you well - not at all, actually - but based on just this information alone I can tell you've got a good head on your shoulders. You're a Chicago kid after all and you put all the mularkey from out-of-state schools aside and said, "Hey, I'm going to the state school because I love my state and it's a great school and Ron Zook is a beast." I mean you didn't actually say that - I'm imagining what you probably said to someone, or at least thought to yourself at some point - but that to me shows a mature streak not often seen in high school junior.

On top of all that you had an offer from Stanford of all places. Basically you're like John Elway if John Elway had decided to go to Illinois.

I like that.

The way I see it, because Zook is such a recruiting beast, when you arrive at Camp Rantoul in August 2010, you'll be in competition with a few stud QBs already. Guys like Eddie McGee, Jacob Charest and Nathan Scheelhase. All those guys look to be beasts for the next few years for the Illini. I'm sure you'll learn from them and then, say in September 2012 or 2013 or thereabouts, you'll be ready to lead the Illini to the promised land.

Bottom line is that success on offense in football starts at the quarterback position. And the Zooker, with a little help from Mike Schultz, has made sure that the Illini are stacked there for a good long time.

Welcome to the Illini.

Best,
Bevormo

Zach Herr ... And Other Top Padres Minor Leaguers

After the first month or so of the season, here is this humble blog's ranking of the top Padre minor league performers. Yesterday, we ranked the top hitters. Today, we rank the pitchers.

Looking over the list, I'll make a few introductory comments:

1. I'm not a huge fan of the Padres pitching prospects. The big problem is that the guys who were supposed to be the marquee guys - Cesar Carrillo, Nick Schmidt, Cesar Ramos - have succumbed to injury and/or are maxing out at AAA. Lower down the ladder there is intrigue with the likes of Mat Latos and Adys Portillo, but that's more a conversation about the 2012 Padres than anything else. I'd love for Simon Castro to join that group. I really would.

2. Are the Padres ever going to recover from losing Joakim Soria in the Rule V Draft? That was an absolute dagger to the organization. Along with the John Moores divorce and the Khalil Greene regression, nothing has hurt the Padres more than their bullpen failures last season and early this season. You need three solid/stud relievers to win in this league. A Padre bullpen with Soria, Bell and Hoffman (they could have paid him sans divorce) would be better than the current Meredith, Sanchez, Bell situation. Though that is no fault of Heath's. What a monster.

3. Greg Burke should be pitching for the Drinos any minute now. After another bullpen meltdown last night (3 walks Edwin? Really?) the Drinos need to try something new. Burke has earned a shot. (Incidentally, so have his Portland teammates Scott Patterson and Joe Thatcher. Look for a Drino bullpen shakeup in the next few weeks.)

Without further ado ...

1. Zach Herr, LHP, Fort Wayne: Coming out of the bullpen for the TinCaps, Herr has been perfect this season. He is 2-0 with a .45 WHIP and a, wait for it, 0.00 ERA. Add to that his 18 Ks in 11 innings (and 4 holds) and you see why I put a relief pitcher at the top of these rankings. These stats don't even include another perfect inning he threw last night, a little 1-2-3 work in the bottom of the 8th to help preserve the TinCaps 8-7 win. Nice work, Zach.

2. Corey Kluber, RHP, Lake Elsinore: Corey is off to a 3-1 start with a 2.51 ERA, a .94 WHIP and 25 Ks in 28.2 innings pitched. Not bad for another guy almost no national scouting service ever mentions as a legitimate prospect, and who BA dropped out of their top 30 Drino prospects this year. He was a fourth round draft pick in the pivotal 2007 Drino draft (where the Padres had 11 picks in the first four rounds) and is looking to turn a few heads and raise a few eyebrows this year.

3. Greg Burke, RHP, Portland: The Drinos AAA closer, Burke, as I noted above, is due for a call up. I'm ready to see what he's got and I figure the Drinos have nothing to lose. Is he really going to be any worse than Sanchez, Perdomo, Gregerson or Mujica? If he throws strikes I don't see how he could be. Burke is currently sitting at 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA and a .92 WHIP. He's K'd 13 in 12 innings and has 5 saves.

4. Anthony Bass, RHP, Fort Wayne: The Padres 5th round pick last June, Anthony is a sleeper out of Wayne State. He pitched well at short-season Eugene last summer and is continuing that success so far this season. He is 2-2 with a 2.19 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP, and has K'd 20 in 24 innings. I'd like to see the WHIP a bit lower and the Ks a bit higher but I could really say that about any pitcher. Just based on looking at his stats, Anthony seems to know how to pitch. That alone should carry him up to at least AA.

5. Jeremy McBryde, RHP, Lake Elsinore: Arguably Jeremy could have been ranked at the top of the list. His stuff is perhaps better than most guys in the Padre system not named Peavy, Young, Bell, Portillo or Latos. That said, he seems to be a bit hittable (yes, I know he threw a 6-inning, 8 K gem last night, yielding only 2 runs, but hear me out). He is sporting a 3.86 ERA so far which, if my math is correct, is getting close to 4.00. His WHIP is a stellar .79 and he has K'd 20 in 14 innings (remember, this doesn't include last night), but I don't like that ERA. If he continues to lower the number of runs he gives up, I'll be happy to move him up the list.

6. Evan Scribner, RHP, San Antonio: Evan was a nice snake last year in the deal that sent Tony Clark back to the D-slacks. On the season he is 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP out of the bullben for the Missions. He's also K'd 14 in his 10.2 innings, and racked up 4 saves. Evan should compete for a Drino bullpen slot in 2010, if he doesn't snake an audition with the big club later this season.

7. Nathan Culp, LHP, San Antonio: Until last night, Nathan was having a strong season. He was 1-1 with a 2.91 ERA and 1.06 WHIP pitching for the AA Missions. One concern was his only 11 Ks in 21.2 innings, and that may have exposed him a bit lat night. Nathan is not much of a prospect but his status as a lefty will earn him some looks this year and next. Especially if he can keep that WHIP in the low 1s.

Okay, so that's the list. Let's hope May is a dominant month up and down the system.

I'm pretty sure it will be.

Logan Forsythe ... And Other Top Padres Minor Leaguers

After the first month or so of the baseball season, here is this humble blog's ranking of the top Padre minor league performers.

Looking over the list, I'll make a few introductory comments:

1. I'll be surprised if Will Venable isn't starting in RF for the Padres by mid-July. I think the Padres will trade Brian Giles and give Venable a shot to earn the starting RF or CF job for Opening Day 2010.

2. The Logan Forsythe-James Darnell cage match to determine the Padres top 3B prospect will be epic this season. I've got Logan in the lead but I expect it to be a back-and-forth, bloody battle all season long.

3. A Padres team in, say, 2011 with Luis Durango and Everth Cabrera would be quick. Not necessarily good, but definitely quick.

Without further ado ...

Hitters

1. Logan Forsythe, 3B Lake Elsinore: Logan is batting .321 with 2 bombs and 9 ribeyes. He has also walked 22 times. His numbers aren't quite as good as Jimmy Darnell's but I'm putting Logan #1 for the first ranking of the season because he shares a name with Wolverine. And we all know what a beast Wolverine is.

2. James Darnell, 3B, Fort Wayne: Jimmy D is only hitting .273 but he has walked 26 times already for an .OBP of .467 and an OPS of 1.013 (second best in the Padres minor league system). He has 3 bombs and 11 ribeyes.

3. Craig Cooper, 1B, San Antonio: If I were Craig Cooper I would beg Grady Fuson to let me learn 2B or C or trade me (actually I would never ask for a trade from the Padres ... who do you think I am?) because with AGon and Kyle Blanks ahead of him, and Felix Carrasco, Allan Dykstra and Matt Clark behind him, Craig has little shot to make the bigs with the Drinos. That said, Craig can hit a little. He's currently hitting .402 with a bomb and 12 RBI's. His OPS is 1.010, good for third in the Padres minor league system. It's not like Craig came out of nowhere (he was a 7th round pick in the 2006 draft), but I doubt he is a top developmental priority for the Drinos.

4. Lance Zawadzki, SS, Lake Elsinore: Along with Everth Cabrera and Drew Cumberland, Lance's presence gives the Padres three interesting - if not sure thing - MLB prospects at SS. I'm not saying the Padres shouldn't draft Grant Green this June, but these guys can all play a little (and this is not even mentioning Beamer Weems who has been an OBP machine this season). Lance is smoking the ball to the tune of .333 5 14 in only 40 or so at bats this season. He was a 4th rounder in '07 so he's got some talent.

5. Kyle Blanks, 1B-LF, Portland: Kyle is rolling right along, hitting .298 5 17 this season. His Ks are a bit high but I get the feeling he hasn't quite hit his groove yet. Look for the batting average to rise to about .320 by the end of May. And for the bombs to continue.

6. Will Venable, RF, Portland: Will can play. I'd say the Padres should call him up now if I didn't also like Jody, Scott, Chase and Brian so much. Of course, as I note above, Brian could be on his last days with the Padres. Will is hitting .278 5 14 so far this season.

7. Eric Sogard, 2B, San Antonio: Better than Antonelli? Maybe. Eric is lacing to the tune of .311 1 6, and with 19 walks his OPS is at .911. Not to shabby for a second baseman.

8. Drew Macias, CF, Portland: .318 2 6, .922 OPS, with a short stint on the big league club already this season. Bud Black seems to love Drew's defense and competitiveness so that bodes well for his call up potential. Personally, it's not that I don't like Drew, I just like Will more.

9. Luis Durango, LF-CF, San Antonio: The Fall of Ced Hunter is being well documented (he could be this year's Antonelli) and Durango so far has been there to step in. Luis is currently working on a .341 average with 15 bags and a .423 OBP. He has hit at every level, including .431 in a 72 at-bat stint at Lake Elsinore late last season (after hitting .300 in the pitchers haven that is the Midwest League). The Padres felt he didn't need a full season at High A and it looks like they were correct. CF on the Padres in 2010? Right now I'd say the job is wide open. Why not Luis?

Tomorrow the pitchers ...

Jack Kemp

What a beast.

Anytime You Get A USC Defensive Starter In The Sixth Round, That's A Good Thing

Kev,

You're so coy.

That over-the-shoulder look in the above photo is two parts playful, four parts menacing, all parts beast. The more I look at it the more I get scared for any wide receiver who dares catch a ball within five yards of you next season. I've never seen an actual decapitation in a football game, but I feel it could happen if you're on the field.

But back to that photo. What happened there? During minicamp yesterday did K.C. Alfred (the U-T photographer) say, "Hey Kevin," and you just turned around to see what punk was calling your name and, boom, K.C. snapped the photo? Or was this posed from the get go? Like K.C. said, "Kevin, wanna be immortal? Okay, here's what we're gonna do. Take two steps away from the camera, stop, then look over your right shoulder and give me a 'I'm gonna fuck your shit up' look."

Either way it's a choice photo. I was just curious as to how it went down.

Good luck in minicamp. I know those knees of yours are going to hold up and you'll be able to dish out the pain.

Best,
Bevormo