Padres Win Citi Field Opener ... In Style

Jody,

McGee's. Midtown Manhattan. That's where I was last night when you smoked one of the more historic bombs in Major League history.

I had just finished a Guinness and was about to partake of a draft Stella Artois (served in an enticing glass goblet, mind you) when I looked up at the television screen to see you yank the third pitch in Citi Field history into the stands in right field. My first reaction was to set the Stella down on a nearby table (wouldn't want to spill any) and I then proceeded to walk the length of the bar with my two hands clenched in fists, not really pumping them but more so just shaking them in excitement. Geleaux, who was standing next to me at the time and has no love for the Metsies, could not stop laughing. My other buddy, McGally, a top Met fan, could only stare in dumb silence at the television screen as his beloved Metsies ushered in the Citi Field era in a most ignominious fashion.

Another notable event: about six minutes before your bomb I looked over at McGally, who was triple tasking trying to drink his Stella, watch the pre-game coverage and send work e-mails on his blackberry, and said, "How nervous are Metsie fans that the first game in Citi Field history ends with Duaner Sanchez getting a hold and Heath Bell closing it out for a save?"

I don't remember McGally's answer but I'm pretty sure he could already feel the footsteps. Sure enough, a few hours later, Duaner and Heath pitched perfect innings to preserve the Drinos 1-run lead and close out the victory.

What a night. Made even more perfect by solid episodes of House and How I Met Your Mother ....

Looking forward to Wednesday.

Best,
Bevormo

How The Padres Will Be Good in '09

Here is what needs to happen for the Padres to be good in 2009:

1. One of the young players (Venable, Headley, Antonelli) needs to step up and become a feared beast at the plate. Let's take Headley because he seemingly has the most potential, and is the furthest along. Headley needs to hit about .300 24 100.

2. Khalil needs a comeback season. He needs to hit like he did in 2007 or, at a minimum, somewhere between how he hit in 2007 and how he hit from 2004 - 2006.

3. Jody Gerut needs to put up the same numbers he did last season, except this time not get injured and miss the final month.

4. Peavy and CY need to both pitch like aces, and CY can't get injured.

5. Heath Bell needs to be a legit closer and at least one other guy has to emerge from the bullpen as a reliable stopper.

6. A-Gon, Kouz and Giles need to have similar seasons as they did in '08.

And there you have it. The Padres could also use some help from their 3-5 starters, a few more reliable bullpen arms, a decent hitting second baseman and a catcher who can throw guys out and hit over .200, but let's not get greedy. I'm not telling you what the Padres need to win a World Series, I'm just telling you what they need to be good.

Of course this post assumes Peavy, Khalil, Giles, etc. will be Padres come April. And that's a big assumption.

La Leyenda de Jody Gerut

I have three things to say about Jody's walk-off bomb last night.

First, nice job Jody. You put a rabid swing on that offering from Rauch and lined it out of the park well past the short porch in rightfield. After two bombs off Rauch in less than a week no doubt he curled his 6'10'' frame into a fetal position last night and wept like a babe.

Second, great call by Matty Vasgersian on the home run. As Rauch wound and fired Vasgersian said calmly, "Jody has homered against Rauch." Then, just as he was finishing his sentence and the ball was climbing on a line towards right, Vasgersian continued, hardly pausing but now at a veritable scream, "Jody has homered again against Rauch! Game winnerrrr!" Just stellar.

And third, you gotta love the rook Hayhurst's half-hearted, I'd-love-to-go-crazy-but-I'm-a-rook-and-know-my-place celebration at the plate after Jody's bomb. All the players mobbed Jody in a jumping, celebrating mass, and there's Hayhurst, at the periphery of the group, jumping slightly with a hand lightly on CY's back. Like he wanted to do something but wasn't sure how much he should do. What a monster.

The rook Reineke goes tonight against Webb. That's way better than watching a speech by Hillary Clinton.

Drinos 16, Mountains 7

That game on Sunday - a 16-7 bomb fest at Coors Field - had a lot to like, and some to not like.

What I Liked
- Gerut and Kouz continuing their hot streaks and going yard early with authority
- Livan Hernandez throwing up batting practice balls
- Giles' 2 doubles and bomb to show that he likes being a Padre
- A-Gon going 4-5 with 3 runs and 2 ribeyes
- Luke Carlin hitting his first major league bomb, a 3-run job that came two innings after the Rockies scored 7 runs to close the gap from 11-0 to 11-7

What I Didn't Like
- CY's fourth inning debacle, giving up 7 earned runs to let the Rockies back in the game (although arguably the official scorer could have hung an error on E Gon for that liner past his glove)

Drinos 4, Metsies 2

Look at that photo. You see that guy in the background on the right side, the figure with his back to us? That's Petey Martinez, future Hall of Famer, known headhunter with his fastball, a Red Sox legend, and currently an oft-injured pitcher for the New York Mets.

And now do you see that other guy in the photo? The one in the foreground, trotting professionally down the third base line towards home plate. That's Brian Giles. He's just hit a first inning bomb off Petey, staking the Drinos to a 2-0 lead over the Metsies.

That was a nice little bomb, Brian. You've been a good Padre. Here's hoping that mystery team that claimed you off waivers last night doesn't pull off a deal to get you on their squad. Or, at a minimum, they give up a choice prospect to do so. Or, failing that, the Drinos use the cash savings to sign Brett Mooneyham. Or, failing even that, use the money to pay off Becky Moores and stop her from filing more papers regarding her divorce from John Moores in public court.

Also, before I forget, those were nice little bombs by Jody and Chase last night too. Chase hadn't left the yard since July 13 against the Bravos. Nice to see him get off the bomb schnied.

The two teams start up again at Shea in less than two hours, under cloudless skies and in 75 degree temperatures. Meanwhile I'm only thirty minutes away but am sitting in an office building hunched over a keyboard in an internet trance having the life drained out of me by overhead flourescent light bulbs.

Love it.

Metsies 6, Drinos 5

Darn it, Mike. CY goes out and gives up 1 hit through 5.1 and then you come in and promptly give up the go-ahead three-run bomb to 'Nando Tatis. What a shame. It's too bad too because you've been an absolute monster this season. You've taken on the role of Sleeper Reliever Snaked by Kevin Towers, a role played in the past by the likes of Aki Otsuka, Scott Linebrink and Heath Bell, and performed admirably.

Until last night at Shea, that is.

But these things happen, and, indeed, I partially blame myself for last night's loss. You see, I was at a softball game in Central Park - got smoked 13-4 but that's another story - and missed the first five innings of the game. But then the team went to Brother Jimmy's at 81st and Amsterdam for post-game appetizers and pitchers of cold Coors Louie, and, as I walked in, saw that the Drinos were winning 2-1 and the Metsies had amassed only 1 hit. Of course I immediately bragged to one my softball teammates, a Met fan by the name of D.P. McGillicutty, that the Metsies could not handle CY. No sooner did those words escape my mouth than I look back at the television and see Tatis trotting around the bases and the score flip from Drinos 2-1 to Metsies 4-2.

What a disaster.

Jody - who can hit - almost brought the boys back in the ninth but Giles' rope didn't quite clear Beltran's head and thus the game ended, another loss for the Drinos.

Better luck tonight against Petey Martinez. Here's hoping the Pads pummel that old guy.