The Giants Won Again ... Here We Go

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Winner.

Illini Need To Notch Another W

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

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

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

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.

A Few Thoughts On Illinois - SIU

The Salukis come to Champaign-Urbana tonight for a primetime showdown with the Illini. I don't have many thoughts on the game, but I have a few:

1. Pressure from Nurse and Liuget. The Illini defense looked solid for most of last week's game against Mizzou. Only a few small hiccups in the second half allowed Gabbert to get touchdowns on the board. But now starting Bandit Michael Buchanan is suspended for underage boozing and driving, and the secondary is still depleted with injuries to Supo Sanni and Terry Hawthorne. That's all the more reason why pressure from Clay Nurse, who will take over at Bandit, and Corey Liuget, the Illini's best defensive lineman, is critical to stopping the Saluki offense.

2. O-Line Improvement. Hugh Thornton and the rest of the offensive line looked like a swinging door for much of the second half last week. Nathan Scheelhaase was scampering for his life, resulting in errant and poorly timed throws. Hugh and the boys need to give Nathan a semblance of time so he can relax and make some throws from the pocket.

3. Scheelhaase's touch. This relates to point 2, but Nathan needs to put the ball in his receiver's hands. He missed Eddie McGee twice in the second half last week on crucial third-down plays. We know Nathan can run, but completing those third-and-short pass plays can make all the difference between winning and losing. Between LIVING AND DYING!

4. Halftime adjustments. It might not matter much tonight, but once the Big Ten starts, Zook, Koenning, Petrino and the rest of the coaches can't keep getting out-strategized at halftime. Gary Pinkel watched the first half last week, made adjustments, and came up with a plan that completely shutdown the Illini in the second half. Zook and his team need to counter those moves going forward.

Kickoff at 7:30 EDT. Big Ten Network.

Karma Bomb: Bruce Pearl May Be Dirty

In a shocking development, it was revealed today that Bruce Pearl may be a dirty cheat.

Yep. It looks like the man who tried to bring down the Illini basketball program out of nothing more than spite and jealousy, might finally get his comeuppance.

Until Calipari gets caught, this couldn't happen to a bigger blowhard.

[Update: Bruce Pearl is a dirty cheat.]

Padres Meet The Giants For Four Huge Games

The Rockies won again today in dramatic fashion, which is highly annoying, but won't matter much if the Padres can continue to win ballgames. And an opportunity to win four critical games against the second-place Giants starts tonight out in San Diego.

I'll be watching this series with rapt fascination, in particular paying attention to the following storylines:

1. Which Padres bullpen will show up? All season long the Padres bullpen has been the best in the league. But over their 10-game losing streak, the bullpen looked vulnerable, relinquishing leads or failing to keep games close in the late innings. The last three days, during the sweep of the Dodgers, the bullpen was back in form. The Padres need the bullpen to be in top form if they hope to win the series.

2. Don't let the Giants go yard. The Giants lineup isn't all that power-laden, but they have a knack for timely bombs. The Padres must neutralize the likes of Juan Uribe, Buster Posey and Aubrey Huff, especially with runners on base, and especially in the late innings.

3. The Lincecum - Latos showdown. On Sunday afternoon, Mat Latos faces off against Tim Lincecum in a matchup of pure beasts. We don't know now where the series will stand going into this game, but at a minimum, this is a statement game. If Latos can win this game, he'll have faced off and beaten two of the top aces in division - Clayton Kershaw and Tim Lincecum - in back-to-back games. That would be ever so choice.

Series starts in about an hour.

Whither Luke Gregerson?

The Padres won yesterday for the first time in 10 games, defeating the Hated Dadgers 4-2 at Petco Park. A number of Padres played well in the game - Nick Hundley, Aaron Cunningham, Mike Adams, and Heath Bell come to mind - but Luke Gregerson again struggled to get outs.

Luke has not been effective so far in September. In his 3 appearances in the month, Luke has faced 13 batters and recorded only 3 outs, amounting to 1 full inning pitched. Over that inning, he's given up 6 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walked 3, struckout only 1 and given up 2 homeruns. Bud Black pulled Luke last night after only 8 pitches, handing the ball over to Mike Adams to get the final two outs of the 7th inning.

This is not the first time Luke has struggled this season. During his first four apperances of July, Luke faced 17 batters across 2.2 innings pitched and gave up 6 hits, 7 runs (all earned), walked 4, K'd only 1, and allowed 2 bombs. Almost a mirror image of his first three appearances this month.

I'm not ready to close the book on Luke for the season. Far from it. In fact, I'm optimistic he'll turn it around. After that dismal start to July, Luke came back with a huge inning-and-a-third scoreless performance against the Rockies right before the All-Star break. That kind of resolve in the face of tough circumstances - coupled with a dominant slider that will no doubt resurface - is why Luke will be clutch these next three weeks.

After all, Luke went to high school in Morton, IL, just across the Illinois River from my hometown of Peoria. They don't breed half-hearts and cowards out in Morton. They breed country boys who know how to get things dun.

I bet Luke starts getting it dun tonight.

"It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse."

You know that part in The Color of Money when Tom Cruise's character, Vincent Lauria, loses to veteran hustler Grady Seasons (played by real-life pool star Kevin McReady), and as Grady sinks shot after shot, he says to Vincent, "It's like a nightmare, isn't it? It just keeps getting worse and worse."

Of course you do. It's one of the great "hate-the-bad-guy" scenes in film history.

The Padres 10-game losing streak is the baseball equivalent of Grady Seasons running the table as Vincent sat on the side watching it happen, powerless to stop it.

All we can hope for at this point is that the Padres can pull off a trick shot and turn the tables on this losing streak. Like Vincent did to Grady.

Tonight against the Dodgers, Latos is Vincent. And his hair is perfect.

Nathan Scheelhaase And The Illini Play Today

Nathan,

I hope your quarterbacking skills are as good as your debate skills, because you're taking the field against Mizzou in about ten minutes time.

Get it dun today, Nate, and you'll be a hero to all.

Best,

Bevormo

Just Hours Away From Cory Luebke's Debut

Good thing my man Cory Luebke is starting tonight in a must-win game against the Rockies.

Otherwise I might be worried.

In all seriousness, though, I think Bud and Jed set this up well, giving Cory his first major-league start at home, in the best pitcher's park in baseball. That fact alone should cover up at least a few mistakes caused by early-inning jitters. The timing of Cory's start also gives the other five Padres starters an extra day of rest, setting them up to finish strong over the remaining games of this critical 10-game homestand.

Another factor working in Cory's favor tonight: the Rockies hitters don't know him or his stuff. Sure, they have scouting reports, but none of them have stepped in against Cory in a major league setting. The element of surprise might be the trick to cool down the potent Rockies bats.

Must-see ballgame. Tonight. At Petco.

"Dadgummitt"

My Dad is one of the world's longest-tenured Padres fans. He moved to San Diego to join the Navy in 1969, the first year of the Padres Major League existence, and lived in the city throughout the franchise's lean years in the 1970s. He was at the game where Ray Kroc apologized to fans over the public address microphone for the team's poor play. He swore he could play a better shortstop than Enzo Hernandez. He had hope when the Padres drafted Dave Winfield.

I'll never forget my Dad's line when, in 1984, Alan Wiggins stepped on second base for the force out that sent the Padres to the World Series. In our living room, quietly, he said, "I can't believe it. The Padres are in the World Series."

Another thing about my Dad: he studies the Civil War, and, in particular, admires the work of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, one of the Union heroes at Gettysburg. He and I have stood on the spot where Joshua made his bayonet charge down Little Round Top, over uneven ground and in the face of Confederate rifle fire.

So I wasn't surprised when last night, in the aftermath of the Padres 7th straight loss, I received the following e-mail from my Dad. The e-mail had the subject line "Dadgummitt" and attached the photo of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain you see above.

Bo

That's just about enough...tonight's 7th straight loss requires stern measures.

I'm just gonna relax and think about what Joshua did on Little Round Top.

We need to start playing like the '20th Maine'.

Day off Thursday...I suggest the lads go out and get blotto drunk.

Dad

I don't know if any of the Padres players or coaches read this blog, but that seems like pretty good advice to me.

Oh, The Horror

Brandon Allen just hit a grand slam off Luke Gregerson in the 8th inning and the Diamondbacks beat the Padres 5-2.

The Horror.