In The Belly Of The Beast: Padres Win Game One In San Francisco

I couldn't make it to San Diego to support the Padres earlier this week, so instead I came out to San Francisco - the belly of the beast - to root on the team in the final series of the regular season.

Tonight was the most intense baseball game I've ever seen in person.

A few observations:

- Even though he is in his late thirties and has a sore groin, I was still shocked Miguel Tejada was thrown out at home in the first inning. I swear the right fielder still had the ball when Miggy rounded third. Yet he was out by a three steps.

- The Ryan Ludwick, Adrian Gonzalez and Matt Stairs home runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, respectively, were three of the more satisfying moments in the history of non-playoff Padres baseball.

- AT&T Park was absolutely electric. Moreso than I've ever seen Petco. When the Giants rallied in the 6th, and had the tying run at the plate, it felt like the world was ending. At least from my point of view. I know the 8th inning got a little dicey, but the 6th inning was the most nerve-wracking inning I've watched in person. Having a big lead in the 6th inning is nice, but when a quality home team still has 12 outs to play with, and a raucous crowd behind them, the game is nowhere near over. The sixth inning was like my worst fears coming true. I thought Bud Black was making a mistake removing Thatcher after one batter, and replacing him with Gregerson, but to Bud's credit it worked out.

- All of Adrian's mishaps with the glove. I sincerely hope I never have to witness anything like that ever again.

- The ninth inning. Oh my. Just before Aubrey Huff hit his surefire double to deep right field, I'd glanced up and saw that Will Venable - who had shifted over from center - was playing very deep. I don't know who deserves credit for that defensive placement but it was brilliant. Venable ran down Huff's drive and then doubled up Freddy Sanchez who, thinking Huff had either homered or doubled, had already rounded second. The play happened so fast and was so awesome, I'm still not sure I actually saw it. Overheard from the Giant fan sitting next to me, "Oh my God that was deflating."

Plan for tomorrow: after a morning watching the Illini take on Ohio St. at Kezar Pub, it's back to AT&T for Game 2.

Jaysus.

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.

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.

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.

When Last I Saw The Padres In Frisco

It's no secret that, after Petco and PNC, Pac Bell is my favorite ballpark in baseball. The location downtown is choice, the views of the water are epic and the food and beverage options are plenty.

San Francisco is a fantastic town in general and I've had the luck to visit it often in the past few years, most recently in July 2009 when I took in a Buccos-Pirates game in between days of the California Bar Examination. Matt Cain and Zach Duke dueled in a 0-0 tie through 9 (Boch let Cain pitch the full 9 innings, 111 pitches) before the Gints won it on a Randy Winn single in the 10th. The stadium was packed and it was a gorgeous, sunny day.

Rewind about 22 months earlier when I was in town on a Monday night and my visit coincided with a Drinos roadtrip. If you'll recall September 2007, the Padres were in the midst of a pennant race and fielded an excellent team, but had just been swept by the Rockies at home (a haunting preview in retrospect), including, the day before, a loss in the infamous "Milton Bradley Game," where Bud Black accidentally tore up Milton's knee while trying to prevent him from murdering an umpire. Milton had homered in that game, his 11th in 169 plate appearances as a Padre, but would never bat again that season.

It was under that gloomy cloud that the Padres took the field at Pac Bell on Monday, September 24, 2007. My specific memories of the game aren't many, but I do recall a few details:

- Before the game I had a few beers at a sports bar near the park - I think it was O'Neil's, but it may have been Kate O'Brien's or even the Brickhouse - and watched the MNF pregame show. It was a Saints game and I remember thinking that Brees likely wouldn't lead the Saints any further than he had the previous season when the Saints lost to the Bears in the NFC Championship game. I remember having that exact thought. So much for predictions.

- Right before game time, I scalped three seats in the 200-level club section just to the right of home plate. The tickets cost surprisingly little and my two friends - both students at Berkeley at the time - were pleased with the price. We housed many gourmet food items throughout the game.

- The game itself is murky, likely because the Padres got rolled. I do remember seeing Klesko in closeup on the jumbotron, and, looking at the boxscore now, he did have a solid game (2-5, 2 runs scored, a ribeye). For the Padres, of course Adrian doubled and had 3 hits, and Brady Clark, taking over for Milton Bradley, had 2 hits, one of them a double. I was probably hopeful at that point that Brady was the answer for the stretch run. So sad.

- CY got rocked in this game, which was not a good sign. I also see the Padres ran out Cla Meredith in relief. It's a nice feeling to know that, as marginally good as Cla was in his seasons with the Padres, he would be the worst relief pitcher on this year's squad. That thought gives me comfort the Padres can pull this thing out this season.

That's all I remember at the moment. I won't be in Frisco for the series this weekend, but I'm more or less certain the Drinos can get it dun without me. Tonight Clay Richard leads the charge against Jonathan Sanchez and crew.

It's safe to say that Sanchez will be eating his words by night's end.

A Weekend In The Burgh

To commemorate these next two games against the Buccos, I wanted to put up a few photos from my trip to Pittsburgh during the Bucco-Drino series at the end of July. Along with my advisor, JJ Geleaux, a trip to the Burgh for the Drinos series has become a biannual rite of summer. This marked our third trip in the last 6 seasons.

This year we definitely did it right. We stayed at the Omni William Penn Hotel which I highly recommend everyone should do when visiting the Burgh. We also frequented a number of excellent watering holes, including The Tap Room, the Oyster House, Primanti Bros. and Mullen's. It was stiflingly hot throughout the weekend so we made sure to keep the drinks flowing like wine, and hung out in spots where the air condition flowed like wine.

Here are a few photos from the trip. I hope you enjoy them.

The epic Roberto Clemente statue outside the stadium. Clemente was a favorite player of my Dad's, and he passed that admiration on to me. Seeing this statue makes me glad the Padres got the Tony Gwynn statue done. Both statues are similarly awesome.

Another shot as the sun peeked out from behind some clouds.

A final shot of the statue profiled against Clemente Bridge and the downtown skyline. Note the Drino fan with the big calves walking out of the picture. I don't know who the guy was, but like me, he was excited to get a photo of the statue.

Our seats for Friday night's game might be the best in all of baseball. For only $40 a pop we had Club access (a/c, beer sales until the final out of the game, a/c) and seats right above home plate. The view of the game is outstanding and when you couple in the stunning view of downtown Pittsburgh, there may not be a better seat in sports.

The view from our seats after sunset. How about that moon.

For Saturday night's game we splurged and bought Lexus Club seats. They're pricey - we paid $140 each - but the access and amenities are excellent. You can enter the stadium early and have access to a full bar and buffet dinner. Plus there's a/c. Oh and it basically feels like you're in the dugout.

Adrian warming up his bat.

I'm pretty sure that's Scotty Hairston, and not Jerry Hairston Jr., warming up before the game. I know I could look it up real easy, but I kind of like that I can't tell just by looking at the photo.

This was the first time I saw the Yoda backpack they make the junior guys in the bullpen wear each night. Fantastic idea. I'm on board.

The next manager of the Marlins?

Bud. Puffing out his chest like a proud father for his first-place ballclub.

Adrian in the on-deck circle.

Readying himself for battle.

Just fouling off a pitch.

The Bucco pitcher - I think it was Jeff Karstens - warming up before an inning.

Mat Latos. Dealing.

The mood surrounding the Buccos in the Burgh is not positive.

One of the best parts of the weekend: the Steve Miller Band played after the game on Saturday night. It started raining halfway through his set, but Steve gamely stayed on stage and played all of his recognizable hits. The fans loved it.

The rain in the spotlight.

Finally, let me leave you with this choice shot of a Padres fan roaming the club section at PNC. Rollie would be proud.