I'm not real big on conspiracy theories or reading between the lines, but sometimes things just jump out at you, and something did upon learning that the Padres planned to release pitcher David Wells today.
It seems like it was just yesterday that I was reading that manager Bud Black planned to trot Boomer back out to the mound for his scheduled start Sunday in Cincinnati. Sometime after I read that news, Black and GM Kevin Towers were informing Wells of his retirement, apparently.
Rewind a couple of weeks ago. Reliever Scott Linebrink had a couple of rough outings, causing Black to say that he'd take the pitcher out of his normal eighth inning spot until he sorted out his problems with locating his pitches. That day, or the next one, Towers traded Linebrink to Milwaukee for three minor leaguers.
Sense a pattern here?
The Padres sent former manager Bruce Bochy packing last offseason because he was no longer on the same page with the front office. But there were never any obvious splits between Bochy and Towers of this sort that I can remember.
I wonder how Black will respond to media inquiries on struggling players from now on. "I don't know, ask KT?" Weird.
As far as Boomer himself goes, hearty hometown congratulations for a marvelous career and thanks for the years of entertainment. Hope you get picked up by a team, hope you don't beat the Friars if they're still in the race, and best wishes to you and your family.
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The news the other day that San Diego might host the Davis Cup finals this fall is good news for the struggling local tennis scene. However, I think it goes to prove my point. If we're good enough to host the finals of this prestigious tournament, then how come we no longer have a mens or womens tournament?
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Very curious to see how things go in this month's preseason football camp at San Diego State. The coaching staff in the offseason has seemed to push all the right buttons and say all the right things, which made the Aztecs' 3-9 record in 2006 seem so obtuse. In the months since, they recruited pretty well, picked up what appears to be a solid defensive end transfer from Ohio State, installed a 3-4 defense that reflects the recruiting realities of a non-BCS school, and increased summer workout participation to record levels. How that translates into the 2007 season will be interesting to watch.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Acura's End Exposes Local Tennis/Golf Shortcomings
The end of the 24-year run of what's currently known as the Acura Classic women's tennis tournament exposes a major shortcoming in the San Diego sports scene that is rarely discussed: the lack of major golf and tennis tournaments in this town.
The day I write and post this entry is the final day of this year's Acura tourney at La Costa. The tournament has been excellent, as always, with a quarterfinal upset of Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and surging new stars in Anna Chakvetadze and Patty Schnyder (pronounced Schnee-der, don't ask about the other one!). Yet the two women who run the event have sold it to the tour, which will use it's Tier 1 rating to begin a new tournament in China (players, bring your own toothpaste).
So now, among the most popular participation sports in the world, you have one regular tournament in San Diego, the Buick Invitational in men's golf. I've been in San Diego for decades and do not remember a women's golf tournament. The last men's tennis event in town was a special senior's tournament I covered in Rancho Bernardo that featured John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. It was a lot of fun, but no men's tourney followed. Now the Acura is gone.
The golf situation, I understand not at all. San Diego has a number of wonderful courses and to run a tournament, you really just need somewhere to put up a couple of large tents and have parking nearby. Our county is one of the top destinations for duffers. The PGA thinks highly enough of the area to place the US Open at Torrey Pines next year.
Yet, the World Match Play Championship, which has been at La Costa several times, has picked up and left a couple of times. And the women, who play a perfectly good brand of golf, haven't been here and, far as I can tell, aren't planning to come.
Tennis, I do kind of understand. Unlike golf, where you can throw up some tents and temporary grandstands around the last coupe holes, a major tennis tournament requires an actual stadium. In that regard, we fall short. As nice an environment as La Costa offers, center court is quite temporary in nature. Parking is expensive and a long walk from the court. The benches are very hard on the average bottom. Concessions are kind of scattered about.
Compare that to the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, which is where we'll have to drive now to see tennis. Even though it's about 20 years old now, the stadium is first-rate. It's what we need in San Diego.
There's always discussion in this town about building a downtown arena for a prospective NBA team or NHL squad. But those are pipe dreams. San Diego has lost two chances to support the NBA and only in the last couple years has given San Diego State solid backing. Ice hockey? Be serious.
Golf and tennis, however, are sports made for San Diego, and which have been embraced by San Diegans. Let's cut out the talk about hoops and hockey and let's do what we need to get some top notch ladies golf, and men's and women's tennis tournaments right here in America's Finest City.
The day I write and post this entry is the final day of this year's Acura tourney at La Costa. The tournament has been excellent, as always, with a quarterfinal upset of Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and surging new stars in Anna Chakvetadze and Patty Schnyder (pronounced Schnee-der, don't ask about the other one!). Yet the two women who run the event have sold it to the tour, which will use it's Tier 1 rating to begin a new tournament in China (players, bring your own toothpaste).
So now, among the most popular participation sports in the world, you have one regular tournament in San Diego, the Buick Invitational in men's golf. I've been in San Diego for decades and do not remember a women's golf tournament. The last men's tennis event in town was a special senior's tournament I covered in Rancho Bernardo that featured John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. It was a lot of fun, but no men's tourney followed. Now the Acura is gone.
The golf situation, I understand not at all. San Diego has a number of wonderful courses and to run a tournament, you really just need somewhere to put up a couple of large tents and have parking nearby. Our county is one of the top destinations for duffers. The PGA thinks highly enough of the area to place the US Open at Torrey Pines next year.
Yet, the World Match Play Championship, which has been at La Costa several times, has picked up and left a couple of times. And the women, who play a perfectly good brand of golf, haven't been here and, far as I can tell, aren't planning to come.
Tennis, I do kind of understand. Unlike golf, where you can throw up some tents and temporary grandstands around the last coupe holes, a major tennis tournament requires an actual stadium. In that regard, we fall short. As nice an environment as La Costa offers, center court is quite temporary in nature. Parking is expensive and a long walk from the court. The benches are very hard on the average bottom. Concessions are kind of scattered about.
Compare that to the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells, which is where we'll have to drive now to see tennis. Even though it's about 20 years old now, the stadium is first-rate. It's what we need in San Diego.
There's always discussion in this town about building a downtown arena for a prospective NBA team or NHL squad. But those are pipe dreams. San Diego has lost two chances to support the NBA and only in the last couple years has given San Diego State solid backing. Ice hockey? Be serious.
Golf and tennis, however, are sports made for San Diego, and which have been embraced by San Diegans. Let's cut out the talk about hoops and hockey and let's do what we need to get some top notch ladies golf, and men's and women's tennis tournaments right here in America's Finest City.
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