Get To Camp!

Shawne,

I know you're a total monster, man, but for goshsakes ... get ye to camp!

Best regards,

Bevormo

Don't Like Losing To The DBacks

Losing to the DBacks always leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not a huge fan of all things desert, and DBacks announcer, Deron Sutton, is insufferable. And I can't stand Kirk Gibson, the DBacks current manager, for obvious reasons.

Tonight is a must-win game for the Padres. They can't lose to Rodrigo Lopez and this heinous DBacks team twice in a row.

Clayton will pitch well, of that I have no doubt. But let's get the bats rolling - I'm looking at you Ludwick and Tejada - and put these Snakes in their place.

Sixto's '82 Season

I think this photo of Sixto Lezcano sums up baseball, and life, in the late 1970s.

But that's a discussion for another day. Today I'd like to talk about Sixto's 1982 season with the San Diego Padres.

Sixto came to the Padres on December 10, 1981, in one of the more fateful trades of baseball's modern era. The St. Louis Cardinals traded Sixto, Garry Templeton and a PTBNL (Luis DeLeon) to the Drinos for Steve Mura, a PTBNL (Al Olmstead) and Ozzie Smith. Ozzie obviously became a Hall of Famer and helped lead the Cardinals to a World Series title, two other World Series appearances, and countless franchising opportunities. Mura, though he'd only pitch three more seasons, started thirty games for the Cardinals' '82 World Series team. Al Olmstead sucked.

On the Padres side of the deal, Templeton, and to a lesser extent, DeLeon, helped the team to the '84 World Series, but Templeton, a pure monster in his first few seasons with St. Louis, never recaptured the All-Star potential he flashed in those early Redbird years. DeLeon pitched well in '82 and '83, less so in '84 and '85, and left to the Orioles as a free agent after the '85 season.

But what of Sixto?

He only played 1 1/2 seasons with the Drinos - shipped off in the middle of '83 ostensibly, I believe, to make room in the outfield for a couple of beasts named Kevin McReynolds and Tony Gwynn - but that one full season was a quietly beastish year that I won't soon forget. (I don't really remember it as it happened - '82 was my first cognizant summer - but it looks pretty beastish in retrospect.)

Playing RF and batting primarily fourth or fifth in the lineup, Sixto put together a solid season for a .500 ballclub. In 470 ABs, he triple slashed at .289/.388/.472, knocking 16 bombs and plating 84 ribeyes. He walked more than he struck out - always a nice little stat to feature - and even tripled 6 times. He crushed lefties to the tune of .326, but could also hit tough right-handers, batting .287 against right-handed starters. At 28 and in his prime, he was, to use Baseball-Reference's Similarity Scores, a lot like Dwight Evans.

Looking at the game logs on Baseball-Reference, I'm particulary enamored of his 4-6, 2 bomb, 4 ribeye game on April 23 against the eventual NL West Champion Braves. Sixto's 3-run bomb in the top of the 12th off Rick Camp provided the margin of victory. (Note: his first bomb of that game was a 4th inning smoker off HOFer Phil Niekro who happened to go 17-4 in '82.) Also worth mentioning is his work in a doubleheader sweep of the Reds on July 31. Sixto went 6-7 over the two games, hitting 3 bombs with 7 ribeyes. They're probably still talking about that in Cincinnati.

Finally, how many joints did Sixto smoke before taking this picture:


What a beast.

Gary "Big Hands" Johnson ... Pour One Out For Him

Sadly, Gary "Big Hands" Johnson died yesterday of a heart attack. He was 57.

I haven't put together a Chargers All-Time Team in awhile, but I'm fairly certain we'd run a 4-3 and Big Hands would start at one of the defensive tackle positions. (I'd probably put Jamal Williams at the other DT spot, though I may keep Jamal in reserve as a NT if we use a 3-4 formation on certain downs.)

"Big Hands" anchored the Bolts defensive line during some of the greatest years in franchise history - the stretch from '79 to '82. Along with Louie Kelcher, Leroy Jones and Fred Dean, the group formed the "Bruise Brothers" in 1980, leading the League in both sacks and general mayhem.

They were one of the more imposing frontlines in the history of the League that's never really talked about.

As Chargers fans we don't often speak of defense - a few of the Seau-Rodney Harrison units excepted - but Big Hands was one of the great ones.

Pour one out for him. And make it a tallboy.

Latos At The Ravine

Mat just gave up a two-run double to Russell Martin.

Eeeew.

But Miggy T did hit a bomb.

2-1 Dadgers in the 4th.

(And the Gints are smoking the Rockies 7-0 in the 7th.)

Padres Go To L.A. For Four

The Dadgers are on the precipice, hanging on for dear life in the NL playoff picture. I like to imagine them balancing on the thin edge of the "D" in the Hollywood sign, ready to spill forward and plunge down the escarpment at the slightest push.

I hope tonight the Padres - led by our boy Clay Richard - can get that nudging started with a win at Chavez Ravine. Tonight's game starts a four game set that, if the Padres sweep or take three out of four, could knock the Dodgers out cold.

On the other hand, the Dadgers could salvage their season if they win three of the four, a move they may be positioned to do with Kuroda, Ted Lilly and Chad Billingsley scheduled to pitch in the series.

Meanwhile, one casts a wary eye East, to Denver, where the Gints and the Rockies start a two game series tomorrow night. The Rockies have won four straight, while the Giants are winners of three in a row. Both teams fancy themselves competitors for the NL West lead the Padres have held since April.

Things could not be more critical these next four August nights.

Ludwick: Help Us Get A W Today

Luds,

After two straight losses to the Marlins, the Padres may need your bat even more than previously believed.

I eagerly anticipate your presence in the lineup this afternoon.

Best,

Bevormo