$20.4 Million Guaranteed

Imagine knowing that no matter what happens, you're getting paid $20.4 million dollars over the next 5 years.

And the odds are you're going to get quite a bit more than that. As much as $36 or so million.

I'd be down with that. Like Antonio in the photo above, I would definitely wear a flowy, unbuttoned, light blue dress shirt, with white pants, and strut around smiling.

I'd probably also get a nice house in La Jolla or Del Mar, nothing too flashy, but comfortable, with a view of the ocean.

Then I'd get an apartment in Manhattan for weekend trips to the Apple, just a small place of course, and a villa in either Spain or Italy. Not a huge place, like Clooney's pad on Lake Como, but something modest and nice, with a view of the mountains or a clear body of water.

I'd buy a car too. Probably a Mercedes SUV or a Range Rover. Nothing flashy like a Ferrari or Porsche. I wouldn't want to overdo it.

Of course I'd need to take a vacation to celebrate the fact I'm making all this money. Nothing extravagant. I've heard Brazil is nice, and I've always wanted to see Tibet and Thailand, but I'm not talking a Grand Tour with baggage handlers and sherpas and red carpets. Though that would be nice. I should check on the going rate for sherpas.

All in all, knowing you're making up to $7 million a year for the next 5 years wouldn't be a bad thing.

As long as you don't get all crazy with the spending.

Blanks Getting the Elbow Rebuilt

Our boy Blanksy is going under the knife to have his elbow repaired. Tommy John surgery for a leftfielder.

This a year after a foot injury kept him out of the last month of the season.

Makes you wonder if the big guy is a bit frail. Kind of like Chris Young. Or Yao Ming.

What this tells me is that the Padres need to sign Adrian stat. Give him the 8 years, win a Series, then ship him to the Yanks in Year 4 for a couple prospects.

Get it dun, Jed.

(Oh and go Padres tonight against the Dadgers.)

Pedro Guerrero Was Good

The first year I was cognizant of baseball was the Summer of '82 and I remember watching a Game of the Week and seeing this beast named Pedro Guerrero manning the outfield for the Dadgers.

My first thought was, "Why aren't the Padres ever on the Game of the Week?"

My second thought was, "Who is this monster beast in the Dodgers outfield and why don't the Padres have anyone remotely as badass as this guy?"

The envy I had for the Dadgers with a player like Guerrero wasn't diminished at all when his final numbers for '82 came in: 32 bombs, 100 ribeyes and a .304 batting average.

Though they were a solid squad, the '82 Padres didn't have any guys that reached even one of those benchmarks. Terry Kennedy led the team in all three major categories with a .295 21 97 line. Not at all shabby - especially for a catcher - but not quite the magical line of a .300 average, 30 bombs and 100 RBIs.

It shouldn't surprise you that with a beast like Guerrero the Dadgers had a better record than the Padres in '82 and finished the season only a game behind the first place Bravos.

At that point I never thought the Drinos would ever have any beasts like Guerrero.

But lo and behold just two seasons later the Padres fielded a roster with the likes of Tony Gwynn, Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles and Kevin McReynolds, all solid monsters who helped lead the team to the World Series.

Just goes to show you how quickly things can change. Last season the Dadgers were well ahead of the Drinos in terms of talent, wins and just about any other category one could think of. Now, less than a year later, it is the Padres who own first place in the NL West and - if they continue at their present pace - will taste the playoffs while the Dadgers sit out October and plan for Summer 2011.

The chance to stick a fork in the Dadgers begins tonight.

Let's get this dun.

Bolts Getting Started. Right. About. Now.

Lest I get too caught up in the Padres current stellarness, it bears mentioning that the Bolts start training camp this week out in the Diego.

Oh man this is going to be a wild NFL season.

Just look at the Bolts. They no longer have LT, Cromartie or Big Jamal. Sitting out are Vincent and Marcus and, for the time being, Merriman. Gone is perennial special teams monster Kassim Osgood.

I mean, that's a lot of beasts.

But they still have the firepower to win it all. Guys like Philip, Antonio, Malcolm, Legedu, Nick and Darren will lead the offense. While Luis, Larry, Antoine, Jacques, Quentin and Eric will pace the defense.

And let's not forget the rooks: Ryan, Donald, Darrell, Jonathan, Cam and Dedrick. I like them all, and all of them look like contributors.

So who knows how things will play out. I don't even have expectations.

I'm just going to kick back and enjoy the season.

Keyvius Sampson .... Getting It Dun In Eugene

Of the three marquee draft picks the Padres inked last Summer - Donavan Tate, Everett Williams and Keyvius Sampson - only Keyvius is having a sparkling start to his professional career.

Nagging injuries have limited Tate and Everett and kept them from building on flashes of potential.

Keyvius, on the other hand, is rolling along at a steady clip. Through 7 starts in the Northwest League, Keyvius is 7-0 and leads the league with a 1.87 ERA. He also leads the league with 46Ks and is second to teammate Matthew Lollis with a .98 WHIP. He even threw a 5-inning no no on July 14.

I don't profess to know the Padres' plans regarding Keyvius, but I think he's ready for Fort Wayne.

Ernesto Frieri ... Welcome (Back) To The Bigs

With recent injuries to Mike Adams and Mat Latos, the Drinos looked to bolster their bullpen for this weekend's series against the DBacks.

Ernesto Frieri, the Padres closer at AAA affiliate Portland, got the call.

Frieri's record this season speaks for itself - 34 appearances, 17 saves, 1.43 ERA, .85 WHIP, 11.7 SO/9 - but I like Ernesto for another reason .... he hails from Colombia.

Yep. Colombia. One of our globe's finest countries.

I lived in Cartagena back in the day and let me tell you, there may be no finer city in the world in terms of drop-dead beauty. Ernesto was born in Arjona which is in the same Department - Bolivar - as Cartagena. Probably a quick, and no doubt safe, bus ride.

So good luck, Ernesto. I'll be rooting for you tomorrow.

Jereme Richmond Comports Himself Well For USA

Well played, Jereme.

I see you played huge for the USA U18 basketball team a few weeks ago in San Antonio, helping the team to a 5-0 record and a championship game win over Brazil in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships. Your averages of 10.8 points in 19 minutes per game off the bench speak highly of your ability not only to be a game-changer, but also to accept a role as a super sub, which Bruce may have you do to start the Illini's '10-'11 season.

You're also saying all the right things during your first week on campus, complimenting Billy Cole, your competition for a starting spot, and noting that hard work is the key to success at the D-1 level.

Welcome to the Illini.

Best,
Bevormo