An Evening At Citi Field With The San Diego Padres

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See, isn't that hilarious?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm gonna go ahead and say yes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With The Padres At Fenway: Vol. 1

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

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

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

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

To the photos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"They call me Mister Double Play."

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

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

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

Will Venable, Cameron Maybin, Ryan Ludwick: Monsters?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The question is by how much.

The Day Spring Training Begins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What a glorious time of year.