Everett Williams Just Might Be Good

In case you hadn't noticed, our boy Everett Williams is off to a solid start in the Arizona League.

Here is his line over his first 18 professional at-bats:

7-18, 2 dobles, a triple, a run scored, 6 ribeyes, a walk and two bags.

That's a .389 average, .421 OBP and 1.032 OPS.

I'm on board.

Bolts Lose Late To The Falcs

Two quick-hit thoughts after watching tonight's 27-24 loss to the Falcons:

1. The Chargers offense will average over 30 points a game this season.

2. We should prepare ourselves for more tight losses in the last minutes of games.

I know that this was a preseason game and the starters only played a half. But I still fear that the Bolts are a 13-3 team that may finish 10-6 because of mishaps and decisions that let teams stay in the game.

Sometimes I wish Norv was the Chargers offensive coordinator and someone like Bobby Ross was the head coach. Or maybe Sid Gilman.

Not that Norv can't lead the Bolts to a Super Bowl. I'm just saying there might be a few more close games than necessary this season.

I'm also drunk right now.

Always Have A Back Up Plan

Together with my advisors Tatt Mareeco, Geleaux and Father D.P. McGillicutty, I was planning on taking the subway out to Yankee Stadium tonight for a little Mark Buehrle - CC Sabathia action. Alas, the forecast is calling for heavy rains throughout the evening.

Luckily, the Yankee game isn't the only thing happening in New York City. Instead of slogging out to the Stadium, we have decided to hit a few midtown watering holes, followed by a dinner consisting of red meat, potatoes and a token green vegetable. You know, stuff you can only do in Manhattan.

I'll try to monitor our boy Kevin Correia's start against the Mahlins, but I can't make any promises.

I can guarantee, however, full attention to tomorrow night's Bolts-Falcons pre-season tilt. That's going to be choice.

Tatt Mareeco Gets Published

It's no secret that in recent years the Big Ten Conference has taken a few beatings in the Rose Bowl. Most notably, the outstanding 2007 Illini squad led by Juice Williams, Rashard Mendenhall, Arrelious Benn, Vontae Davis and J Leman, had their butts handed to them by Pete Carroll's USC Trojans. The only upside of that game was that I was able to attend and spent 8 hours tailgating before the game.

Granted, that's some pretty high upside.

Last January was no different as USC pounded an overmatched Penn St. team.

These losses - and others like them - led many members of the media to criticize the Big Ten for having less talent than other marquee conferences, including the Pac 10.

Not so fast says my trusted advisor Tatt Mareeco. Using his keen college football analytical skills honed over 30+ years of studying college football, including 4 years at the University of Michigan, Tatt discovered a common trend among the Big Ten's recent Rose Bowl losses.

He then told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg about it and Rittenberg put Tatt's question in a "Big Ten mailblog." The Q&A is below.

Tatt from NYC writes: Adam,You and others have said the Big Ten needs to win the Rose Bowl to regain its reputation. I've also seen talk that our problems stem from the fact tha we constantly get two teams in the BCS so all of our teams have to play up in competition. Really, I think our problems stem from USC getting screwed out of the championship game every year. Let someone else play them and the Big Ten can take on number two in the Pac 10. I think you'd see the Big Ten do just fine then. It's not like I see any SEC schools chomping at the bit to play the Trojans. Lord knows those guys will schedule anyone, where as Florida won't leave the state of Florida.

Adam Rittenberg: Good assessment, Matt. No team in the country wants to play USC in a meaningful game, and the Big Ten has seen the Trojans four times in the Rose Bowl this decade. I can't imagine the Big Ten's Rose Bowl losing streak would be what it is had the opponent been Oregon, Cal or Oregon State. Having only one BCS team would improve the league's overall bowl prospects, but the Big Ten wants its teams on the biggest stages with the biggest payouts. Two BCS victories after the 2005 season certainly helped, and the Big Ten could make a similar breakthrough this year, if the matchups fall right.

Very illuminating. No doubt Tatt is correct that Big Ten teams like '07 Illinois and '08 Penn State would have smoked the Cal, Oregon and Oregon States of the world. It's nice to see Rittenberg jump on board and agree with Tatty's expertise. It's also nice to see that the creampuff non-conference schedule Urban Meyer puts together every year at Florida is getting its proper ridicule.

I for one will look forward to additional insight from Tatt throughout the college football season.

Donavan Hurt His Pubic Bone

Word is Donavan Tate has a hurt pubic bone and won't be healthy in time to make his professional debut until 2010.

No rush, Donavan. A handful of at-bats in the Arizona League is not going to make or break your career.

I haven't heard exactly what injury Donavan has to his pubic bone, but if its osteitis pubis, that sounds painful. I wouldn't want that injury.

Avoiding injuries like that is why I chose not to become a professional athlete.

Oh, also, Mat Latos threw 7 scoreless innings tonight.

6 x $92

Now I know who I'm rooting for in 2015.

Beast Kid

Another stellar photo by K.C. Alfred.

Bolts beat the 'Zona Cardinals 17-6 in preseason game #2.

Kev Correia v. Chris Carpenter

Tonight the Padres send their, um, ace, Kevin Correia, against the Cardinals ace, Chris Carpenter.

Man that sentence had a lot of commas.

Kev, how 'bout sending a message to the playoff-bound Cardinals by outpitching their ace tonight? I would like that very much.

Tonight There Is A Padres Game

Clayton,

I've made a list of goals for you tonight:

- strikeout many Cardinals
- don't walk any Cardinals

That is the list.

Regards,
Bevormo

Stauffer's Huntin' Redbird

Tim,

In your last start against the Cardinals you threw 5 innings and allowed 7 hits and 4 runs, but also racked up 7 Ks. Victims of your K's included Ryan Ludwick (three times), Mark DeRosa (twice), Joel Piniero and Matt Holliday.

Those guys don't stand a chance against you tonight and neither do any of those other Cardinals.

You need to get through that first inning tonight. Last Saturday you gave up 3 runs to the Cards in the first inning. Granted, Pujols is, as always, looming there in the first inning, but I like your chances tonight of escaping the first frame unscathed. If you do that, I bet it'll be smooth sailing.

Actually, watch that second inning too. Teams are hitting .375 against you in the second inning this season. I bet if you survive the second inning tonight, it'll be smooth sailing the rest of the way.

But be careful of that 4th inning. Teams are smoking you to the tune of .333 in the 4th. But I bet tonight's different. Tonight you'll escape the 4th inning without a scratch and the rest will be smooth sailing.

Good luck out there tonight. Sailor.

Best,
Bevormo

Clay Nurse ... Potential Illini Sleeper Beast

I'll be writing more on the Illini as we approach the season opener against Mizzou, but I wanted to briefly point out a great article from today's St. Louis Dispatch. The article is by my boy Stu Durando (actually never met him) and is an excellent piece, the kind of piece sportswriters should write about players when not just reporting on the outcome of a game.

The subject is Clay Nurse, a junior Illini defensive end who looks to play a big role this season. I'll let you read the article to get all the key details, but let me give you this taste: Clay didn't start playing football until his sophomore year of high school. He didn't even know how to put on the pads.

It's guys like that - guys who come to the game late - who make huge leaps late in their collegiate careers and all of a sudden you see them playing Sunday afternoons and wonder, "Where did this monster beast come from?"

Clay Nurse might just be that monster beast you wonder about some Sunday afternoon in the future.

And if anyone asks, now you can tell them: he came from Illinois.

Latos Is Getting The Rook Treatment

Matty got squeezed tonight against the Cubinskies.

I'm thinking particularly of the stretch of batters he faced with 2 outs in the 4th: Ryan Theriot, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee. Mat was putting fastballs on corners and dropping breaking stuff right over the plate, but got zero calls from home plate umpire CB Bucknor. The result? Walk, Walk, RBI double, Latos done.

Don't worry about it, Mat. Chalk it up to jealousy on the part of others.

That's what I do when things don't go my way.

Oh Day Of Days Indeed

Quite a competition yesterday for "Best Moment of the Day":

1. Was it when I read Keyvius Sampson signed just before 1 PM eastern standard time?

2. Was it when Tam O'Flannell e-mailed me that Everett Williams, in my opinion the odd man out in terms of signability, was in the fold?

3. Was it when I heard Donavan Tate was trolling around Petco Park practicing his signature and - as we see in the photo above - getting fitted for a choice outfit?

4. Was it when Chase Headley tied the ballgame in the bottom of the 9th with a rope RBI double?

5. Was it when Kyle Blanks hit a monster 3-run walk off bomb to left center that left Mark Neely speechless?

6. Was it when I found out that my favorite Greek restaurant has take out and my wife kindly volunteered to walk the 12 blocks to pick up our order of lamb shanks, selection of Greek spreads, and a shrimp, orzo, spinach, tomato and feta salad?

7. Was it when I convinced myself, "Bevormo, you don't need to work out today"?

8. Or was it when I took a choice pre-dinner nap from 7:30 - 9 PM?

Man, this one might be too close to call.

The redemption of Cesar Carrillo begins in a few hours.

Oh Day Of Days

Well, here we are. With minor exceptions, the last day for Major League baseball teams to sign players selected in the June draft.

On the table for the Padres taking are three players - Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson - that have high high upside and could all become Major League stars. Or they could all flame out and never make the big leagues. Nobody knows what will happen at this point.

All we do know is that by the end of today the Padres will have either put all their chips in the pot and signed these three guys, or they will have sat back, shoved their money back in their pocket, and let potential greatness slip away once again.

I for one hope Moorad and the front office boys go all in.

A Few Old Friends Are Back After A Long Absence

LT, Vincent and the boys are back tonight in the first preseason game of the season, seven months since that fateful day on the frozen fields of the Burgh.

It's been far too long.

A few things to watch for tonight against the Seahawks:

- how will the first team defense look in passing situations, i.e. is the pass rush back and can the LBs cover tight ends;

- the running of Michael Bennett, Gartrell Johnson and Jacob Hester;

- will Buster Davis be a factor; and

- will Kevin Ellison make a move to replace Clinton Hart at starting safety.

Unfortunately I won't be tuning in live and will have to rely on postgame reports. It's a shame but it can't be avoided.

Let's get this season started.

Donavan Tate Is On The Verge, Reportedly

As you've no doubt heard by now, Donavan Tate has left UNC's campus and, according to reports, is very close to signing a deal with the Padres.

To me this is an easy decision for young Donavan. As I told my advisors Tam O'Flannell and Geleaux in an e-mail yesterday afternoon:

"To me this is a no-brainer. On the one hand, you could do two-a-days in the Carolina heat looking ahead to redshirting and taking some bs bio and English lit classes, or, on the other hand, you could pocket $6 million bucks, get the red carpet treatment at Petco, head to the Northwest League for some token games, and then fly to Peoria, AZ for a relaxed Fall of workouts (near Arizona State University by the way)."

As Padres fans, let's hope Donavan sees things the same way.

These Padres Just Win Baseball Games

Another win last night over the Brew Crew.

7 wins, 4 losses through 11 games in August.

I'm dizzy with all this success.

More Than 20 Hits In One Game?

Yep.

A Conference Room In Stamford, Connecticut

Where was I yesterday afternoon? Answer: in a windowless conference room in the Stamford, Connecticut Marriott, dressed in a suit, taking a deposition in an insurance coverage litigation involving issues of policy exhaustion and pro rata time on the risk allocation across an extended coverage bloc.

Now I don't have the time to explain what any of that means, nor do I really know myself, but trust me, it's not a preferred way to spend a Sunday. The only redeeming factor of the day was that the USA Dart Classic was being held in Salons A, B and C of the Marriott. Imagine a carpeted hotel ballroom lined with portable dartboards and filled with pinpoint dart throwers swilling bottles of Bud and eating corn dogs. I walked into the ballroom during a break in the deposition and one guy staggered over and said in a high-pitched voice, "Hey, nice tie man. Nice tie."

Needless to say I felt out of place.

My point in telling you all this is that I was not pleased with my lot in life yesterday and, feeling that way, wanted to post a blog entry that captured that mood.

How better to do that than with links to video of three of the more heinous moments in Padre history.

First, Alan Trammell's second bomb in Game 4 of the 1984 World Series. Is it me or does Eric Show look like he is frightened of his own shadow. Granted, he was in Detroit and that's a scary place, but you'd think he could have presented a more imposing presence on such a grand stage.

Second, Kirk Gibson's 8th inning blast off of Goose Gossage in Game 5 of the '84 World Series after Goose convinced Dick Williams not to intentionally walk Gibson. Not a good decision. But seriously though, could that d-bag Gibson have trotted around the bases any slower?

And third, Mark Langston's strike out of Tino Martinez in Game 1 of the 1998 World Series that the umpire missed, leading directly to Tino hitting a go-ahead grand slam. Take a look at Mark's pitch at the 40 second mark. Only one word can describe that pitch: strike.

Hope I didn't depress anyone with this list but not everyday can be happy go lucky. I will say though that the day ended on a positive uptick as I watched the Red Sox-Yanquis game from a suite at the New Stade Fascist. Free hot dogs, mac and cheese and draft Coors Louies.

I guess it wasn't that bad a Sunday after all.

Sir Everth The Mighty, And Brave

That's what I call a screenshot.

When Everth Cabrera hit that game-winning grand slam off K-Rod last night, I wasn't watching. You see, I had it as a goal yesterday to finish the last 5 episodes of Season 1 of Mad Men, and I am happy to report that I completed that task with aplomb.

It is nice for one to meet one's goals.

Tonight, however, I am setting Mad Men Season 2 aside (picked up for 60% off yesterday at B&N) and devoting my attention to Mat Latos and the boys as they go for three straight against the Metsies.

If I know Mat, he won't let me down.

Beat The Mets

Something about the New York Mets always makes me think of the 1960s. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact the Mets began as a franchise in 1962, were terrible, and then turned it all around and had a World Championship in the bag by 1969.

If that turnaround doesn't lay claim to consideration as Team of the Decade, I don't know what will.

Of course the assocation with the '60s might also come from my many trips to Shea Stadium the past five years. That old park was built in 1964 and, until it was torn down earlier this year, always felt a bit like walking into a time machine each time I passed through its gates.

Not that any of this nostalgia changes the main point I want to convey this evening.

That is, I hope Kevin Correia dominates the Mets tonight and Kyle Blanks, Adrian Gonzalez and the boys send our old friend OP to an early shower.

Game on.

Clayton Richard ... On The Mound ... Soon

My boy Clayton Richard takes the mound tonight for the Padres against the ultra-soft lineup of the New York Metropolitans.

I smell a gem.

To whet our collective appetites, let's take a quick look at Clayton's last 3 starts across the two leagues:

July 21 v. Tampa Bay: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 7 Ks

July 26 at Detroit: 8.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 Ks

August 1 v. Milwaukee: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 Ks

In a word, nice. For those playing along at home, that averages out to 7.1 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 5 Ks per start. That's a .14 ERA and a .85 WHIP.

I shouldn't have to tell you that the Ray, Tiger and Brewer lineups are not peopled with slouches.

Ger r dun, Clayton.

The Rumors Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

And you thought I might never return. So silly of you.

Anyway, yes, I am back and will now begin posting regularly as I have been, with minor exceptions, since January.

Should be a good time.

I'll let you know where I was and why I had to take a few weeks off in an upcoming post, but in the meantime, let me say that the Padrinos tee off against the Bravos in a few minutes time. Our boy Tim Stauffer takes the hill and looks to continue his legendary comeback season.

Let me also mention that in the few moments I've been able to watch the Padres over the past few weeks, I've liked what I've seen. Especially the play of Kyle Blanks, Will Venable, Everth Cabrera and wunderkind Mat Latos. And I'm not the only one. Geoff Young is so stoked by these guys that he invented a "modified box score" system specifically to track their performance the remainder of the season. Geoff's system seems a lot like my own highly scientific system of "watch the games and see if these guys do anything good."

Both systems are equally accurate measures of performance.

Go Padres! Tonight! Against the Braves!