I have no idea if Padres newcomers Miguel Tejada or Ryan Ludwick -- acquired Saturday from the Cardinals for two minor league pitchers -- will propel the Friars to the playoffs or not, but I congratulate GM Jed Hoyer for making the effort, for not standing pat while the offense struggles.
Tejada and Ludwick are similar in that their numbers have declined the past couple of years as we go into the hopefully clean era of baseball. There is a good chance that neither will produce much in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. But they might. Who at the end of July 1998 would have predicted Jim Leyritz and Sterling Hitchcock would have carried the Padres to the World Series? Ludwick has significant post-season experience. You make the best deals you can and turn the players lose. It's all a GM can do.
There is something about the deals I like and something about the Ludwick trade I'm not thrilled with. I like that for both Tejada and Ludwick, the Padres didn't give up any of the name minor leaguers they've been developing. Both come relatively cheaply.
I'm not so sure about allowing the Cardinals to be stronger. The Saturday deal included the Indians, who got one of the Padres young hurlers and sent P Jake Westbrook to St. Louis. I'd hate to be battling with them for a wildcard spot knowing you helped them out earlier.
The Padres players did not want team chemistry to be disturbed by a makeover, and I think Hoyer gave them plenty of chances for their good feelings for each other to pay dividends. The past couple of weeks have shown no improvement in the offense, however, and he needed to make moves. I'm glad he did.
Now go looking for your own starting pitcher in August. I noted in the newspaper that three potential targets for Hoyer were not my guesses in my previous post. Saturday's dealings took two of the three out of the picture -- Westbrook and Ted Lilly who went from the Cubs to the Dodgers.
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If you didn't hear the radio interview by Scott Kaplan and Billy Ray Smith of Chargers TE Antonio Gates a few days ago, it's worth going to their Web site and downloading it. Gates has it totally together as a player and person, and he essentially agreed with the hosts that holdouts WR Vincent Jackson, T Marcus McNeill and LB Shawne Merriman were being selfish and didn't have their priorities straight.
Some of the reporting on their contract negotiations in recent months seems to give the players' stands some legitimacy, so it was an interesting take on his part. The interview left me wondering about past, current and particularly future locker room dissension among the players.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Padres Moves in August, Aztecs Changes Are Real
The Padres aren't done with the trade market. Thursday's acquisition of Miguel Tejada from the Orioles will enhance their playoff chances. The next step will be to win in the post-season, and for that they're going to want another strong starting pitcher.
Note that I used the word "want" instead of "need." I don't think another starting pitcher will be necessary for playoff success, but I still worry about sending Wade LeBlanc up against the Phillies lineup with Roy Oswalt on the mound. Maybe LeBlanc or Jon Garland gets hot, but I'd rather not take my chances with doing nothing.
I might be putting the cart before the horse, but a look at the standings shows the Padres are well-positioned to make the playoffs. They're five games in front of the Phils and Cardinals in a potential wildcard race, six games in the all-important loss column. That is by no means safe, but of all the contenders, I see the two-time defending NL champs as the only team likely to get hot down the stretch. Also, the Padres have shown a great knack of avoiding slumps, so I think they're in the race to the wire.
So the Padres don't need to get their big starter quite yet. In August, you can still trade for players as long as they clear waivers, and there are indications that other teams aren't going to be messing with the waiver wire next month.
The question is who? GM Jed Hoyer might be able to pry Brett Myers (8-6, 3.10 in a hitter's park) out of Houston or Livan Hernandez (7-7, 3.22) out of Washington. Maybe Ryan Dempster (8-7, 3.71) can be taken from the Cubs. But that's about it. As bad as their teams are, I can't see the Mariners giving up Felix Hernandez or the Royals parting with Zach Greinke for anything other than a king's ransom. The good pitchers are with the good teams. So talking about acquiring a solid starter for the playoffs is much easier than actually getting once.
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Changes are afoot with the San Diego State football program. I attended an event Thursday night in which coach Brady Hoke talked and he said the players are all bigger and stronger thanks to dedicated off-season conditioning -- stuff we hear every year about this time.
Here's what convinces me that improvement is coming at SDSU. I talked with a longtime local high school football coach who deals with plenty of Division 1 prospects and he told me the difference between the current staff and the previous one is "night and day." That is good to hear because, ultimately, to have a good football program you need the best players. If local football coaches are comfortable in recommending the Aztecs to their kids, then Hoke is going to start bringing in high-quality recruits.
Previous SDSU coach Chuck Long spoke frequently of putting a fence around San Diego, but it turned out to be so much lip service. You'd hear comments every so often from people connected to area high school powers that they never saw Long or his staff. Hoke and his guys actually go out and do something about it.
I don't know if the change will show up in this year's won-loss record. I still hold to challenging for a 6-6 bowl. But the program finally appears to be on the right track. Let's hope local fans take notice and start showing up again.
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I like Torrey Pines High's Nick Kerr committing to the USD basketball team. The son of longtime NBA star Steve Kerr was not a high-profile recruit, but the Toreros have been very successful with three-point sharpshooters in the past. Here's hoping Kerr becomes the best of them.
Note that I used the word "want" instead of "need." I don't think another starting pitcher will be necessary for playoff success, but I still worry about sending Wade LeBlanc up against the Phillies lineup with Roy Oswalt on the mound. Maybe LeBlanc or Jon Garland gets hot, but I'd rather not take my chances with doing nothing.
I might be putting the cart before the horse, but a look at the standings shows the Padres are well-positioned to make the playoffs. They're five games in front of the Phils and Cardinals in a potential wildcard race, six games in the all-important loss column. That is by no means safe, but of all the contenders, I see the two-time defending NL champs as the only team likely to get hot down the stretch. Also, the Padres have shown a great knack of avoiding slumps, so I think they're in the race to the wire.
So the Padres don't need to get their big starter quite yet. In August, you can still trade for players as long as they clear waivers, and there are indications that other teams aren't going to be messing with the waiver wire next month.
The question is who? GM Jed Hoyer might be able to pry Brett Myers (8-6, 3.10 in a hitter's park) out of Houston or Livan Hernandez (7-7, 3.22) out of Washington. Maybe Ryan Dempster (8-7, 3.71) can be taken from the Cubs. But that's about it. As bad as their teams are, I can't see the Mariners giving up Felix Hernandez or the Royals parting with Zach Greinke for anything other than a king's ransom. The good pitchers are with the good teams. So talking about acquiring a solid starter for the playoffs is much easier than actually getting once.
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Changes are afoot with the San Diego State football program. I attended an event Thursday night in which coach Brady Hoke talked and he said the players are all bigger and stronger thanks to dedicated off-season conditioning -- stuff we hear every year about this time.
Here's what convinces me that improvement is coming at SDSU. I talked with a longtime local high school football coach who deals with plenty of Division 1 prospects and he told me the difference between the current staff and the previous one is "night and day." That is good to hear because, ultimately, to have a good football program you need the best players. If local football coaches are comfortable in recommending the Aztecs to their kids, then Hoke is going to start bringing in high-quality recruits.
Previous SDSU coach Chuck Long spoke frequently of putting a fence around San Diego, but it turned out to be so much lip service. You'd hear comments every so often from people connected to area high school powers that they never saw Long or his staff. Hoke and his guys actually go out and do something about it.
I don't know if the change will show up in this year's won-loss record. I still hold to challenging for a 6-6 bowl. But the program finally appears to be on the right track. Let's hope local fans take notice and start showing up again.
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I like Torrey Pines High's Nick Kerr committing to the USD basketball team. The son of longtime NBA star Steve Kerr was not a high-profile recruit, but the Toreros have been very successful with three-point sharpshooters in the past. Here's hoping Kerr becomes the best of them.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Padres Get Tejada
The news breaking Thursday is that the Padres traded for Orioles SS Miguel Tejada, a former slugger who is batting .269 with 7 HR and 39 RBI. The lineup around him is bad and he would probably be a poster child for the post-steroid era, not that I'm insinuating anything.
My reaction is hmmmm. I wish I could say more. The Tejada of a few years ago might have excited me. His lineup around him in San Diego will be just as bad as that in Baltimore. He will be playing in a pitcher's park. On the other hand, he will be better than Everth Cabrera and the change of scenery and participation in a pennant race might do him some good.
It sounds like the Orioles, with the worst record in baseball, were looking to add by subtracting an under-performing veteran. They accepted from the Padres, in return, AA P Wynn Pelzer, and sent cash to help pay Tejada's inflated salary. Pelzer, 24, was 6-9, 4.20 in San Antonio. Fortunately, the Padres didn't spend too much to get him, so they could still be in the market for a staring pitcher. If there is anything to say about the trade, its that shortstop has improved from well below-average to mediocre.
By the way, I'm highly disturbed that the Dodgers stole Scott Podsednik from KC for next to nothing. The Padres could have had him and I know he's productive. Podsednik is a guy I targeted early, and I'm disappointed he will be playing for a key rival.
My reaction is hmmmm. I wish I could say more. The Tejada of a few years ago might have excited me. His lineup around him in San Diego will be just as bad as that in Baltimore. He will be playing in a pitcher's park. On the other hand, he will be better than Everth Cabrera and the change of scenery and participation in a pennant race might do him some good.
It sounds like the Orioles, with the worst record in baseball, were looking to add by subtracting an under-performing veteran. They accepted from the Padres, in return, AA P Wynn Pelzer, and sent cash to help pay Tejada's inflated salary. Pelzer, 24, was 6-9, 4.20 in San Antonio. Fortunately, the Padres didn't spend too much to get him, so they could still be in the market for a staring pitcher. If there is anything to say about the trade, its that shortstop has improved from well below-average to mediocre.
By the way, I'm highly disturbed that the Dodgers stole Scott Podsednik from KC for next to nothing. The Padres could have had him and I know he's productive. Podsednik is a guy I targeted early, and I'm disappointed he will be playing for a key rival.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Aztec Jinx Holds on for Dear Life, Strasburg and Latos
That dark cloud that hovers over San Diego State athletics is showing renewed strength this week after word of two key injuries to star players and two others becoming academic casualties.
It is typical SDSU that a team heads into a season with high hopes, only to be knee-capped by injury, poor schoolwork or criminal misconduct. That has happened to women's soccer, which will enter the Fall 2010 semester with high hopes following a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA playoff victory. Cat Walker, the scoring sensation entering her senior season as a team leader, tore the ACL in her right knee earlier this month and is scheduled for surgery in early-August to determine the extent of the damage, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. There remains hope the midfielder can rest for now and play some in her final season, but I think by now we know where this story is going to go.
The Aztecs have high hopes for 2010 and accordingly fashioned a strong schedule that includes defending national champion North Carolina on the Aztec Sports Deck on Sept. 12 and perennially strong Santa Clara. The Aztecs return seven starters, but it would be nice to have their clutch goal-scorer among them.
The other injury -- breaking news credit goes to Internet message boards and Facebook, not the U-T -- was also a knee injury to incoming freshman footballer JJ Whittaker, the Oceanside High star who was snatched by coach Brady Hoke out of Arizona's grasp. Whittaker was one of the two or three recruiting coups of February's class, a Pac-10 quality receiver or cornerback who might have contributed this fall as a true freshman. The word is Whittaker's knee was ripped up so badly that there is no way he plays in 2010.
JC transfer offensive lineman Joe Unga failed to quality academically and there's talk that an incoming freshman receiver also didn't make the grade.
Now, soccer teams and football squads lose players to injuries and academics. It's the nature of the sports and college life. Isn't it typical for SDSU, though, that the dagger falls on such critical members of the rosters? I've written in the past that whatever dark cloud hangs over Montezuma Mesa appears to be dissipating, but it is not entirely gone.
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The media that covers the MWC figures Hoke's bunch will finish sixth in the upcoming season. That's a safe choice. I understand being rated behind TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. From there, it is a bit of a crap-shoot.
The preseason poll lists Wyoming fifth before SDSU, with Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico bringing up the rear. The Cowboys get the Aztecs in Laramie, giving them an advantage in the head-to-head match, but the Pokes could be beat-up before the Red & Black arrives because of a difficult early-season schedule. Plus, SDSU will have vengeance on their minds after the Cowboy's comeback win at Qualcomm Stadium last year all but knocked them out of bowl consideration.
I still see the Aztecs as challenging for a 6-6 bowl game but they're still a year away from a major turnaround. Anything better will be dessert.
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The shoulder inflammation suffered by former Aztec Stephen Strasburg before his start Tuesday for the Nationals against the Braves should serve as a warning for the Padres brass, which planned going into this season to limit the innings thrown by P Mat Latos.
The prized Padres youngster has pitched just once since the All-Star break thanks to the infamous stifled sneeze -- I've got some property in East Village to sell you if you believe that one -- and is set to throw Thursday and Tuesday against the Dodgers. He is currently on pace for more than 200 innings, when manager Bud Black and GM Jed Hoyer had planned to keep him to around 180 frames or less.
It's tempting to keep throwing your best starter out there every six days when you're in a race for a division title but word of Strasburg's injury is going to give them pause.
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Lefty P Joe Thatcher was ready in the bullpen when Andre Ethier stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Thatcher has allowed left-handed hitters a .152 batting average this season, compared to the .274 mark of starter Jon Garland. Ethier is batting .234 against southpaws. Why Black left Garland in the game is beyond me.
It is typical SDSU that a team heads into a season with high hopes, only to be knee-capped by injury, poor schoolwork or criminal misconduct. That has happened to women's soccer, which will enter the Fall 2010 semester with high hopes following a Mountain West Conference Tournament championship and NCAA playoff victory. Cat Walker, the scoring sensation entering her senior season as a team leader, tore the ACL in her right knee earlier this month and is scheduled for surgery in early-August to determine the extent of the damage, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. There remains hope the midfielder can rest for now and play some in her final season, but I think by now we know where this story is going to go.
The Aztecs have high hopes for 2010 and accordingly fashioned a strong schedule that includes defending national champion North Carolina on the Aztec Sports Deck on Sept. 12 and perennially strong Santa Clara. The Aztecs return seven starters, but it would be nice to have their clutch goal-scorer among them.
The other injury -- breaking news credit goes to Internet message boards and Facebook, not the U-T -- was also a knee injury to incoming freshman footballer JJ Whittaker, the Oceanside High star who was snatched by coach Brady Hoke out of Arizona's grasp. Whittaker was one of the two or three recruiting coups of February's class, a Pac-10 quality receiver or cornerback who might have contributed this fall as a true freshman. The word is Whittaker's knee was ripped up so badly that there is no way he plays in 2010.
JC transfer offensive lineman Joe Unga failed to quality academically and there's talk that an incoming freshman receiver also didn't make the grade.
Now, soccer teams and football squads lose players to injuries and academics. It's the nature of the sports and college life. Isn't it typical for SDSU, though, that the dagger falls on such critical members of the rosters? I've written in the past that whatever dark cloud hangs over Montezuma Mesa appears to be dissipating, but it is not entirely gone.
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The media that covers the MWC figures Hoke's bunch will finish sixth in the upcoming season. That's a safe choice. I understand being rated behind TCU, Utah, BYU and Air Force. From there, it is a bit of a crap-shoot.
The preseason poll lists Wyoming fifth before SDSU, with Colorado State, UNLV and New Mexico bringing up the rear. The Cowboys get the Aztecs in Laramie, giving them an advantage in the head-to-head match, but the Pokes could be beat-up before the Red & Black arrives because of a difficult early-season schedule. Plus, SDSU will have vengeance on their minds after the Cowboy's comeback win at Qualcomm Stadium last year all but knocked them out of bowl consideration.
I still see the Aztecs as challenging for a 6-6 bowl game but they're still a year away from a major turnaround. Anything better will be dessert.
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The shoulder inflammation suffered by former Aztec Stephen Strasburg before his start Tuesday for the Nationals against the Braves should serve as a warning for the Padres brass, which planned going into this season to limit the innings thrown by P Mat Latos.
The prized Padres youngster has pitched just once since the All-Star break thanks to the infamous stifled sneeze -- I've got some property in East Village to sell you if you believe that one -- and is set to throw Thursday and Tuesday against the Dodgers. He is currently on pace for more than 200 innings, when manager Bud Black and GM Jed Hoyer had planned to keep him to around 180 frames or less.
It's tempting to keep throwing your best starter out there every six days when you're in a race for a division title but word of Strasburg's injury is going to give them pause.
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Lefty P Joe Thatcher was ready in the bullpen when Andre Ethier stepped up to the plate in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's 2-0 loss to the Dodgers. Thatcher has allowed left-handed hitters a .152 batting average this season, compared to the .274 mark of starter Jon Garland. Ethier is batting .234 against southpaws. Why Black left Garland in the game is beyond me.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Chargers, Padres, Aztecs
AJ Smith and Norv Turner would have you believe that the Chargers can compete for a Super Bowl this season without most of their best players from last year. As training camp opens, I wonder just how stupid they think we are. The answer is probably "very," because fans will continue to sell-out Qualcomm Stadium and take time out of their valuable Sunday afternoons to watch on television -- just like always. So they're probably justified. As long as we're willing to pay, either in person or TV ratings, they're successful in operating their business.
I just don't see how this team will be as good when your best receiver, best offensive tackle and most disruptive defender are sitting out. That's on top of losing a running back and nose tackle who were arguably the decade's best at their positions, and a cornerback who was inconsistent but often made game-changing plays. I understand that with LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Williams all good things must eventually come to an end, and I think rookie Ryan Mathews has a chance to be a very solid ball-carrier in LT's sted. A second season of the "Make Shift" in place of Williams, however, doesn't thrill me. Antoine Cason for Antonio Cromartie doesn't do much for me, either.
What happens with the contracts for holdouts Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill and Shawne Merriman, I have no idea. To suggest that Jackson can be replaced by a ready-to-break-out Buster Davis after all these years is laughable. I don't think McNeill is more than a mid-level NFL left tackle, but he's what we have and I don't know if Tra Thomas can be an adequate replacement at the age of 35. Larry English is a better linebacker than an unhealthy Merriman, but if the incumbent is well it would be a shame to waste him for a season.
Some of the changes we lament were coming no matter what, so it's true when Smith and Turner say they have to move on with the players they have. The trouble is a lack of concern of what that means. This is a team that was physically beat-down at home by the Jets in their first playoff game, and there is nothing among the departures or arrivals that makes me think the 2009 performance will be improved upon this fall. They are lucky they perform in the AFC West, where the competition is still weak. They should make the playoffs and there probably won't be a major dropoff. However, it's doubtful they'll move deeper into the post-season.
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You've got to applaud the Padres for their 7-2 record and two series sweeps coming out of the All-Star break. The players have pleaded for some time now not to break them up in search of better hitting because they've formed a tight bond, and their work in the second-half of July lends them considerable credence. As much as I'd like a power bat in the lineup -- and as much as I've written about such a desire -- I'm no longer sure where GM Jed Hoyer would go to get one in this Year of the Pitcher. This team, for the most part, is working as is and shows it with a record now 19 games above .500.
My priorities for Hoyer are now:
1. Starting pitcher -- the brass wants to keep resting young Mat Latos, their lone stopper. Championships are won with such pitchers. If I'm allowed to think ahead to clinching the NL West and advancing in the playoffs, they need another guy to step up or Hoyer needs to acquire someone. I'd put Latos against anyone in the playoffs, but I'm not sure the other starters are ready to go up against a top opponent backed by a decent lineup. Remember 1998? They had a pure #1 in Kevin Brown, but the reason the Friars reached the World Series was because of Sterling Hitchcock. They need that second guy and can repeat the '98 excitement if they find him.
2. Shortstop -- It happened a few times in recent years in which the Padres got a Rule V player who looked sharp in his first season and then was like an over-his-head minor leaguer a year later. Everth Cabrera fits the mold. This position is now the weak link in the chain.
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San Diego State's football training camp doesn't begin until the first week of August, but coaches are gathering on campus for preparations beginning this week. Word from an insider is that everyone is healthy with the possible exception of DB Dey Juan Hemmings, who is coming along after suffering a severe injury last season, but not might be 100 percent yet. Also, RB Walter Kazee, who missed spring practice with an injury, is reported to be running at full speed.
I just don't see how this team will be as good when your best receiver, best offensive tackle and most disruptive defender are sitting out. That's on top of losing a running back and nose tackle who were arguably the decade's best at their positions, and a cornerback who was inconsistent but often made game-changing plays. I understand that with LaDainian Tomlinson and Jamal Williams all good things must eventually come to an end, and I think rookie Ryan Mathews has a chance to be a very solid ball-carrier in LT's sted. A second season of the "Make Shift" in place of Williams, however, doesn't thrill me. Antoine Cason for Antonio Cromartie doesn't do much for me, either.
What happens with the contracts for holdouts Vincent Jackson, Marcus McNeill and Shawne Merriman, I have no idea. To suggest that Jackson can be replaced by a ready-to-break-out Buster Davis after all these years is laughable. I don't think McNeill is more than a mid-level NFL left tackle, but he's what we have and I don't know if Tra Thomas can be an adequate replacement at the age of 35. Larry English is a better linebacker than an unhealthy Merriman, but if the incumbent is well it would be a shame to waste him for a season.
Some of the changes we lament were coming no matter what, so it's true when Smith and Turner say they have to move on with the players they have. The trouble is a lack of concern of what that means. This is a team that was physically beat-down at home by the Jets in their first playoff game, and there is nothing among the departures or arrivals that makes me think the 2009 performance will be improved upon this fall. They are lucky they perform in the AFC West, where the competition is still weak. They should make the playoffs and there probably won't be a major dropoff. However, it's doubtful they'll move deeper into the post-season.
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You've got to applaud the Padres for their 7-2 record and two series sweeps coming out of the All-Star break. The players have pleaded for some time now not to break them up in search of better hitting because they've formed a tight bond, and their work in the second-half of July lends them considerable credence. As much as I'd like a power bat in the lineup -- and as much as I've written about such a desire -- I'm no longer sure where GM Jed Hoyer would go to get one in this Year of the Pitcher. This team, for the most part, is working as is and shows it with a record now 19 games above .500.
My priorities for Hoyer are now:
1. Starting pitcher -- the brass wants to keep resting young Mat Latos, their lone stopper. Championships are won with such pitchers. If I'm allowed to think ahead to clinching the NL West and advancing in the playoffs, they need another guy to step up or Hoyer needs to acquire someone. I'd put Latos against anyone in the playoffs, but I'm not sure the other starters are ready to go up against a top opponent backed by a decent lineup. Remember 1998? They had a pure #1 in Kevin Brown, but the reason the Friars reached the World Series was because of Sterling Hitchcock. They need that second guy and can repeat the '98 excitement if they find him.
2. Shortstop -- It happened a few times in recent years in which the Padres got a Rule V player who looked sharp in his first season and then was like an over-his-head minor leaguer a year later. Everth Cabrera fits the mold. This position is now the weak link in the chain.
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San Diego State's football training camp doesn't begin until the first week of August, but coaches are gathering on campus for preparations beginning this week. Word from an insider is that everyone is healthy with the possible exception of DB Dey Juan Hemmings, who is coming along after suffering a severe injury last season, but not might be 100 percent yet. Also, RB Walter Kazee, who missed spring practice with an injury, is reported to be running at full speed.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Coryell Reminder, Padres at the Break
Just a reminder, the memorial service for former Aztecs and Chargers football coach Don Coryell is Monday at 2pm at Viejas Arena. Should be an interesting event with greats like John Madden, Joe Gibbs and Dan Fouts speaking.
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The Padres are more or less where I expected them to be at the All-Star break, contending for an NL West title behind strong pitching that carries a rather weak offense. That was a reasonable preseason prediction that I bet a lot of us made. However, I doubt any of us realized the won-loss record would be as good as the 51-37 mark that is just a game behind Atlanta as the best in the league, or that the pitching would be this strong or the hitting this bad.
Needless to say, with the Rockies heating up, I still think a hitter needs to be brought aboard, and pitching depth will be tested again because Mike Adams pulled on oblique muscle on Sunday. I don't know if we can expect the Friars to keep pulling out low-scoring games in the eighth or ninth innings the way they have so far.
Here are some quick mid-season grades:
1B Adrian Gonzalez gets an A for a .298-18-56 first half, powered by a month of June that saw him raise his batting average by 34 points.
2B David Eckstein also deserves an A for flawless fielding, literally, and clutch batting at the end of games that made the difference several times.
SS Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston rate a D, which mainly reflects the starters ineffectiveness at the plate and constant injuries. Hairston has actually done fairly well as a backup, but here might be a good position to add a hitter via trade. Yes, good luck with that.
3B Chase Headley gets a B- for his amazing April that had him hitting .340 by May Day and his solid fielding at the hot corner. However, he has only 6 HR and 29 RBI, numbers that need to be more than doubled if the Padres are to win the division.
In the OF, Kyle Blanks obviously gets an incomplete. I give a C to Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn and Will Venable because of their defense and late contributions to a few wins. Gwynn will never hit better than he does now, while Venable is too in-love with his power swing. I love minor league call-ups Aaron Cunningham, who should now start every day, and Chris Denorfia. Both are gamers.
C Todd Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba bring an A home to mama because if the pitching is that good, the guys behind the plate are doing a fine job. Hundley has won several of those games late with the bat, and Torrealba has at times been the only guy besides A-Gon who has a clue in the batter's box.
Pitchers get an A. Duh. We've received far more than expected from Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Luke Gregerson, probably not as much from the ill-fated Kevin Correia and Edward Mujica.
I was worried by the four-game losing streak before Sunday's 9-7 win in Denver that pushed the Rockies two games behind in the standings, but I think the Padres will hang in there well into September -- more so if GM Jed Hoyer brings in a bat. The Rockies, however, scare me. They've got the same mojo as the past couple of years, so this might not be just a race to the finish, but a very long sprint.
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The Padres are more or less where I expected them to be at the All-Star break, contending for an NL West title behind strong pitching that carries a rather weak offense. That was a reasonable preseason prediction that I bet a lot of us made. However, I doubt any of us realized the won-loss record would be as good as the 51-37 mark that is just a game behind Atlanta as the best in the league, or that the pitching would be this strong or the hitting this bad.
Needless to say, with the Rockies heating up, I still think a hitter needs to be brought aboard, and pitching depth will be tested again because Mike Adams pulled on oblique muscle on Sunday. I don't know if we can expect the Friars to keep pulling out low-scoring games in the eighth or ninth innings the way they have so far.
Here are some quick mid-season grades:
1B Adrian Gonzalez gets an A for a .298-18-56 first half, powered by a month of June that saw him raise his batting average by 34 points.
2B David Eckstein also deserves an A for flawless fielding, literally, and clutch batting at the end of games that made the difference several times.
SS Everth Cabrera and Jerry Hairston rate a D, which mainly reflects the starters ineffectiveness at the plate and constant injuries. Hairston has actually done fairly well as a backup, but here might be a good position to add a hitter via trade. Yes, good luck with that.
3B Chase Headley gets a B- for his amazing April that had him hitting .340 by May Day and his solid fielding at the hot corner. However, he has only 6 HR and 29 RBI, numbers that need to be more than doubled if the Padres are to win the division.
In the OF, Kyle Blanks obviously gets an incomplete. I give a C to Scott Hairston, Tony Gwynn and Will Venable because of their defense and late contributions to a few wins. Gwynn will never hit better than he does now, while Venable is too in-love with his power swing. I love minor league call-ups Aaron Cunningham, who should now start every day, and Chris Denorfia. Both are gamers.
C Todd Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba bring an A home to mama because if the pitching is that good, the guys behind the plate are doing a fine job. Hundley has won several of those games late with the bat, and Torrealba has at times been the only guy besides A-Gon who has a clue in the batter's box.
Pitchers get an A. Duh. We've received far more than expected from Mat Latos, Wade LeBlanc and Luke Gregerson, probably not as much from the ill-fated Kevin Correia and Edward Mujica.
I was worried by the four-game losing streak before Sunday's 9-7 win in Denver that pushed the Rockies two games behind in the standings, but I think the Padres will hang in there well into September -- more so if GM Jed Hoyer brings in a bat. The Rockies, however, scare me. They've got the same mojo as the past couple of years, so this might not be just a race to the finish, but a very long sprint.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Fight on for the Padres, Peavy, All-Stars
There's a time when a fight suddenly turns serious, going from taunting and shoving to outright fisticuffs. That point is where the Padres find themselves as they begin a three-game series at Colorado that will bring the first half of the 2010 major league baseball season to a close.
The Padres head to Denver after salvaging a win in DC with another Mat Latos gem. However, it has become apparent that Latos is the one stopper they have in a pitching rotation that is otherwise showing signs of fraying following poor starts by Jon Garland and Clayton Richard. Who knows if Kevin Correia's gem against Houston is the start of a trend or just his monthly quality start? Making things more worrisome is that management, for good reason, plans to limit Latos' work in the second half. Should they continue with such plans in the middle of a pennant race? Yes, they're all but obligated to for long-term reasons. But the plan is still a bit scary.
The Rockies are ready for a tumble. They have won eight of their last 10 games and took two of three from the Padres at Petco. You probably read about their amazing comebacks against the Cardinals. Those are the types of games they won during second-half runs the past few seasons. If they're getting into the same mode, watch out.
The series will begin with the Padres ahead by three games. Look at it as the last 30 seconds of a college basketball first half. Your team is leading the entire 19-plus minutes, then the opponents hit a three at the buzzer to tie it up at the break. What a letdown -- and what a pick-me-up for the other team. If the Rox sweep the Friars in Coors Field, it will be a tough All-Star break for the good guys.
The Rockies have gotten their shoves in, made their slurs against the wife and added a spit or two. They also have help lingering in the shadows in the form of the Dodgers. Time for the Padres to start fighting.
---
I'm re-thinking my position on the Jake Peavy trade.
My original thought was you don't trade a true #1 starter for prospects, because the #1 starter is really all you have to build around, and there are fewer of them than there are major league teams. My opinion solidified in the ensuing months as only Richard, of the four pitchers received, showed himself to be a major league contributor. This point hasn't changed, and I see Richard only as a middle-of-the-rotation guy even now (his record is 6-4, but the Friars are just 8-9 in the games he's started).
What has changed is my opinion of Peavy. He was damaged goods when sent to Chicago, another gimpy hurler unloaded on an unsuspecting sucker by former GM Kevin Towers. At least the Padres got for him someone capable of taking the mound every five days. Peavy was DL'd this week with a detached muscle in his shoulder. I'd never wish ill will on this solid person, but better it happen to the White Sox than the Padres. He actually pitched fairly well this season despite a high ERA. He had a pair of three-game winning streaks and was throwing deep into ballgames. But I'm getting a feeling that his injury problems are chronic. Sad for him and the fans who have good memories of his triumphs in San Diego, too bad for the White Sox.
---
The "Stephen Strasburg to the All-Star Game" push was a joke. The game is already tarnished with commercialism. Honestly, despite his struggles of the past week, Luke Gregerson deserves the trip to Anaheim next week over Heath Bell, but the Padres closer is a recognizable name-brand. Bell sells, so he's going and the kid no one north of Highway 76 knows about will rest his tiring arm. The Strasburg thing was all sensationalism.
In fact, I can think of three tender-young pitchers with local connections who deserved to make the team more than Strasburg. Start with Latos of the Padres, who won his 10th game Thursday and has been nearly unhittable the past two months. Then try Mike Leake (Fallbrook High), who is 6-1, 3.38 to help the Reds to the top of the NL Central and go to Trevor Cahill (Vista High), who is 8-3, 3.17 and will be in Anaheim. Since coming off the DL at the end of April, Oakland has won 10 of Cahill's 14 starts. Alas, he is slated to start Sunday and almost certainly will not actually play in the Mid-summer Classic.
What I and so many other people love about Strasburg is the solid head on his shoulders. He seemed to be bewildered about all the All-Star hype himself.
The Padres head to Denver after salvaging a win in DC with another Mat Latos gem. However, it has become apparent that Latos is the one stopper they have in a pitching rotation that is otherwise showing signs of fraying following poor starts by Jon Garland and Clayton Richard. Who knows if Kevin Correia's gem against Houston is the start of a trend or just his monthly quality start? Making things more worrisome is that management, for good reason, plans to limit Latos' work in the second half. Should they continue with such plans in the middle of a pennant race? Yes, they're all but obligated to for long-term reasons. But the plan is still a bit scary.
The Rockies are ready for a tumble. They have won eight of their last 10 games and took two of three from the Padres at Petco. You probably read about their amazing comebacks against the Cardinals. Those are the types of games they won during second-half runs the past few seasons. If they're getting into the same mode, watch out.
The series will begin with the Padres ahead by three games. Look at it as the last 30 seconds of a college basketball first half. Your team is leading the entire 19-plus minutes, then the opponents hit a three at the buzzer to tie it up at the break. What a letdown -- and what a pick-me-up for the other team. If the Rox sweep the Friars in Coors Field, it will be a tough All-Star break for the good guys.
The Rockies have gotten their shoves in, made their slurs against the wife and added a spit or two. They also have help lingering in the shadows in the form of the Dodgers. Time for the Padres to start fighting.
---
I'm re-thinking my position on the Jake Peavy trade.
My original thought was you don't trade a true #1 starter for prospects, because the #1 starter is really all you have to build around, and there are fewer of them than there are major league teams. My opinion solidified in the ensuing months as only Richard, of the four pitchers received, showed himself to be a major league contributor. This point hasn't changed, and I see Richard only as a middle-of-the-rotation guy even now (his record is 6-4, but the Friars are just 8-9 in the games he's started).
What has changed is my opinion of Peavy. He was damaged goods when sent to Chicago, another gimpy hurler unloaded on an unsuspecting sucker by former GM Kevin Towers. At least the Padres got for him someone capable of taking the mound every five days. Peavy was DL'd this week with a detached muscle in his shoulder. I'd never wish ill will on this solid person, but better it happen to the White Sox than the Padres. He actually pitched fairly well this season despite a high ERA. He had a pair of three-game winning streaks and was throwing deep into ballgames. But I'm getting a feeling that his injury problems are chronic. Sad for him and the fans who have good memories of his triumphs in San Diego, too bad for the White Sox.
---
The "Stephen Strasburg to the All-Star Game" push was a joke. The game is already tarnished with commercialism. Honestly, despite his struggles of the past week, Luke Gregerson deserves the trip to Anaheim next week over Heath Bell, but the Padres closer is a recognizable name-brand. Bell sells, so he's going and the kid no one north of Highway 76 knows about will rest his tiring arm. The Strasburg thing was all sensationalism.
In fact, I can think of three tender-young pitchers with local connections who deserved to make the team more than Strasburg. Start with Latos of the Padres, who won his 10th game Thursday and has been nearly unhittable the past two months. Then try Mike Leake (Fallbrook High), who is 6-1, 3.38 to help the Reds to the top of the NL Central and go to Trevor Cahill (Vista High), who is 8-3, 3.17 and will be in Anaheim. Since coming off the DL at the end of April, Oakland has won 10 of Cahill's 14 starts. Alas, he is slated to start Sunday and almost certainly will not actually play in the Mid-summer Classic.
What I and so many other people love about Strasburg is the solid head on his shoulders. He seemed to be bewildered about all the All-Star hype himself.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Coryell, Padres All-Stars
Don Coryell epitomized nostalgia in San Diego. The legendary football coach, who died Thursday at 85, took both San Diego State and the Chargers to great heights that, years later, left fans crying out for a return to the good old days.
Chargers fans had two waits of about a decade each, from Coryell's glory years of the beginning of the 1980s to coach Bobby Ross' Super Bowl season, and then again until coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner along with GM AJ Smith, brought about the relative success of recent seasons. Both waits through seasons of 1-15, 4-12 and 5-11, were extraordinarily frustrating.
It's been even worse for the remaining few SDSU fans who can remember undefeated seasons in the 1960s. Coryell turned over the reigns of the Aztecs in 1972 to Claude Gilbert, who mostly continued his predecessor's methods and took the program to arguably greater heights against far superior competition. But after SDSU football turned south in 1980, the nostalgia has gone mostly unrequited, save for a few bowl games and the Marshall Faulk excitement. SDSU frequently capitalized on Coryell's popularity by having him make special appearances at football games. If you can't win, bring back the coach who could, at least to say hello.
At both places, Coryell set the bar high, and his successors will always be measured against him. It is a blessing the Chargers are back at such levels. I worry that SDSU fans will sit on their hands and make coach Brady Hoke prove the Aztecs are back before they'll start coming to games again. I feel that way myself, even though I attend the home contests.
Now that he truly is Saint Don, we should all be thankful that he gave us such high standards to aspire to.
---
The Padres will have more than one member on the National League All-Star team. Who deserves to go?
1B Adrian Gonzalez is a no-brainer pick for manager Charlie Manuel. But the Phillies' boss' selection of Padres skipper Bud Black as a coach could be a signal that a couple other players are under consideration.
If I were Manuel, my picks would be 2B David Eckstein and P Luke Gregerson.
Eckstein is simply the heart and soul of the roster that claims first place in the National League West and the best record in the senior circuit. Throw out his pedestrian numbers. He's the guy who makes this team go. It doesn't hurt that he's played 68 games at second base and has not made an error. Defense is a big reason why the Friars have been successful so far in 2010.
Gregerson's statistics are mind-boggling. He has thrown in 37 games as of this writing, allowing 16 hits in 39-plus innings, mostly the seventh. The ratio for hits to innings pitched for most pitchers is usually in the neighborhood of 1-to-1. Gregerson's is less than half. Another stunning ratio is 51 strikeouts to four walks. That's four (4)! Needless to say, batters are hitting .121 against Gregerson, who has compiled an ERA of 1.60.
The numbers of eighth inning regular Mike Adams are nearly as good, although I have to admit whenever he comes in when I'm watching, he gets popped. Closer Heath Bell has also done well and is certainly the most nationally-recognizable GAB member, but he might be responsible for too many gray hairs.
I would also consider Mat Latos, he of the sterling 8-4 record and 2.85 ERA, but in this Year of the Pitcher, Manuel won't have any shortage of starters to choose from.
---
I had a couple of other items to throw in here today, but nothing else seems worthy all of a sudden, you know? Enjoy your July 4 weekend.
Chargers fans had two waits of about a decade each, from Coryell's glory years of the beginning of the 1980s to coach Bobby Ross' Super Bowl season, and then again until coaches Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner along with GM AJ Smith, brought about the relative success of recent seasons. Both waits through seasons of 1-15, 4-12 and 5-11, were extraordinarily frustrating.
It's been even worse for the remaining few SDSU fans who can remember undefeated seasons in the 1960s. Coryell turned over the reigns of the Aztecs in 1972 to Claude Gilbert, who mostly continued his predecessor's methods and took the program to arguably greater heights against far superior competition. But after SDSU football turned south in 1980, the nostalgia has gone mostly unrequited, save for a few bowl games and the Marshall Faulk excitement. SDSU frequently capitalized on Coryell's popularity by having him make special appearances at football games. If you can't win, bring back the coach who could, at least to say hello.
At both places, Coryell set the bar high, and his successors will always be measured against him. It is a blessing the Chargers are back at such levels. I worry that SDSU fans will sit on their hands and make coach Brady Hoke prove the Aztecs are back before they'll start coming to games again. I feel that way myself, even though I attend the home contests.
Now that he truly is Saint Don, we should all be thankful that he gave us such high standards to aspire to.
---
The Padres will have more than one member on the National League All-Star team. Who deserves to go?
1B Adrian Gonzalez is a no-brainer pick for manager Charlie Manuel. But the Phillies' boss' selection of Padres skipper Bud Black as a coach could be a signal that a couple other players are under consideration.
If I were Manuel, my picks would be 2B David Eckstein and P Luke Gregerson.
Eckstein is simply the heart and soul of the roster that claims first place in the National League West and the best record in the senior circuit. Throw out his pedestrian numbers. He's the guy who makes this team go. It doesn't hurt that he's played 68 games at second base and has not made an error. Defense is a big reason why the Friars have been successful so far in 2010.
Gregerson's statistics are mind-boggling. He has thrown in 37 games as of this writing, allowing 16 hits in 39-plus innings, mostly the seventh. The ratio for hits to innings pitched for most pitchers is usually in the neighborhood of 1-to-1. Gregerson's is less than half. Another stunning ratio is 51 strikeouts to four walks. That's four (4)! Needless to say, batters are hitting .121 against Gregerson, who has compiled an ERA of 1.60.
The numbers of eighth inning regular Mike Adams are nearly as good, although I have to admit whenever he comes in when I'm watching, he gets popped. Closer Heath Bell has also done well and is certainly the most nationally-recognizable GAB member, but he might be responsible for too many gray hairs.
I would also consider Mat Latos, he of the sterling 8-4 record and 2.85 ERA, but in this Year of the Pitcher, Manuel won't have any shortage of starters to choose from.
---
I had a couple of other items to throw in here today, but nothing else seems worthy all of a sudden, you know? Enjoy your July 4 weekend.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Correia, Strasburg, Zumaya, SDSU Recruiting
Let's start with the premise that your hook is quicker in a pennant race.
Agree? Good. Does that put Padres P Kevin Correia on the hot seat? I'm just asking, not advocating.
However, the Grossmont High grad went just five innings Monday night against the Rockies, allowing six earned runs, six walks and two home runs -- at Petco Park, not Coors Field. By my count, Correia has had one quality start in the past month, when he equaled the definition of the statistic by allowing three runs in six innings to the Mariners. His last win was May 31 against the Mets -- the game in which the Padres scored 18 runs and Correia allowed six.
Correia has rarely been dominating but he's usually consistent, yet he has made it out of the fifth frame just once in his last five starts.
You clearly don't want to push a panic button but a trend has set in here that is worth watching, especially with Tim Stauffer about ready to rejoin the team following his appendectomy.
In his favor: last year showed he can go a full year as a starter, so he's liable to work his way out of his slump. The Padres have won five of his last seven outings despite him.
---
So Stephen Strasburg is human, after all. His teammates are all too human.
The San Diego State alumnus had the audacity to three earned runs in six innings-plus at Atlanta, while his Washington teammates were unable to cobble together a single score. He did his part, even though he said he didn't have his best stuff and gave up on his curveball too early. He blanked the Braves through six innings. In the absolutely devastating seventh inning -- words I use in jest -- he was "rocked" by a walk, two bloop singles, an error and a sacrifice fly. He needs to return his signing bonus, obviously.
He's going to lose a lot of games like this, playing for the Nationals.
---
One of the saddest sights in the season so far was of Tigers flame-thrower Joel Zumaya in considerable pain with an elbow injury. The Bonita Vista High alumnus missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder injuries and worked his rear off trying to get back to health. He immediately went on the disabled list. His comeback season saw him with a 2-1 record and 2.58 ERA.
---
Back on the SDSU front, the recruiting Web sites are reporting two key commitments. One is mens basketball 6-foot-10-inch center Bryant Crowder, a well-traveled JC center who runs the court well. The other is football quarterback Chad Jeffries of Glendora High in the San Gabriel Valley, who didn't become a high-profile prospect until he started going to camps and coming away with MVP awards. He apparently wowed observers at SDSU's recent camp, and coach Brady Hoke offered him immediately. It should be said this is only a verbal, and Oregon State will probably pursue the kid.
Agree? Good. Does that put Padres P Kevin Correia on the hot seat? I'm just asking, not advocating.
However, the Grossmont High grad went just five innings Monday night against the Rockies, allowing six earned runs, six walks and two home runs -- at Petco Park, not Coors Field. By my count, Correia has had one quality start in the past month, when he equaled the definition of the statistic by allowing three runs in six innings to the Mariners. His last win was May 31 against the Mets -- the game in which the Padres scored 18 runs and Correia allowed six.
Correia has rarely been dominating but he's usually consistent, yet he has made it out of the fifth frame just once in his last five starts.
You clearly don't want to push a panic button but a trend has set in here that is worth watching, especially with Tim Stauffer about ready to rejoin the team following his appendectomy.
In his favor: last year showed he can go a full year as a starter, so he's liable to work his way out of his slump. The Padres have won five of his last seven outings despite him.
---
So Stephen Strasburg is human, after all. His teammates are all too human.
The San Diego State alumnus had the audacity to three earned runs in six innings-plus at Atlanta, while his Washington teammates were unable to cobble together a single score. He did his part, even though he said he didn't have his best stuff and gave up on his curveball too early. He blanked the Braves through six innings. In the absolutely devastating seventh inning -- words I use in jest -- he was "rocked" by a walk, two bloop singles, an error and a sacrifice fly. He needs to return his signing bonus, obviously.
He's going to lose a lot of games like this, playing for the Nationals.
---
One of the saddest sights in the season so far was of Tigers flame-thrower Joel Zumaya in considerable pain with an elbow injury. The Bonita Vista High alumnus missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder injuries and worked his rear off trying to get back to health. He immediately went on the disabled list. His comeback season saw him with a 2-1 record and 2.58 ERA.
---
Back on the SDSU front, the recruiting Web sites are reporting two key commitments. One is mens basketball 6-foot-10-inch center Bryant Crowder, a well-traveled JC center who runs the court well. The other is football quarterback Chad Jeffries of Glendora High in the San Gabriel Valley, who didn't become a high-profile prospect until he started going to camps and coming away with MVP awards. He apparently wowed observers at SDSU's recent camp, and coach Brady Hoke offered him immediately. It should be said this is only a verbal, and Oregon State will probably pursue the kid.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Padres Won-Loss, Soccer, Newspaper Coverage
Based on the last blog post and the subsequent 3-0 sweep of the Marlins, the Padres are now an amazing 45-30 on the season.
I again went through Baseball Reference and I could only find one better start in Padres history, 1998. You know what happened then. Even the World Series season of 1984 saw the Friars at 44-31 after 75 games.
What I really like is I think they've compiled their great mark without necessarily being their best. GM Jed Hoyer could add a hitter at some point. No one is playing above their heads. RF Will Venable is hot at the plate this past week -- what if it's a trend instead of a guy being streaky? What if SS Everth Cabrera makes up for his injury-plagued first half with a solid last three months? What if 3B Chase Headley recaptures his April form? Things can get even better.
It was interesting how this coincides with a newspaper article that wonders whether fans will start noticing. I think they will, particularly with the Rockies in this week. Attendance is down nearly 2 percent from last season. If you really want to see an attendance increase, add a hitter. Show the fans the franchise is serious about contending.
In fact, Venable's surge of the past week, in which he hit three tie-breaking, game-winning homers, shows just how important another hitter can be to the Padres. With their pitching, they only need a little more offense, not a lot. That's how close they are to maybe being favored in this race.
---
Did the World Cup really create that much excitement around here or is it just a media fiction?
I'm actually leaning toward the latter, seriously. I have yet to talk to, or overhear others in conversation, about the quadrennial soccer championship. Not once. Sure, people gather at sports bars to watch the games but they always do every four years. This is a big town, so there will be soccer fans and they'll be excited but that doesn't make it new. Those in the media who say the win over Algeria that put the USA in the knockout round was some sort of classic forget that NO ONE WAS ABLE TO SCORE until a rebound came out in front of Landon Donovan. Any U8 player in AYSO could have converted that goal opportunity.
I'm sorry, but the World Cup is an absolute waste of my time and I didn't buy into the over-hype of the past week.
---
Two things have me very concerned about what the restructuring of The San Diego Union-Tribune is going to mean to the future of local sports coverage.
1. The most recent round of layoffs included the sports editor and two reporters, Nicole Vargas, the lone remaining specialist in high school sports, and Hank Wesch, who handled USD basketball in addition to horse racing. I since saw a Wesch horse-racing column, so it was either something already in the can or he returned to the paper at half his former salary (an offer extended to several of those recently laid-off, and accepted by a few). Who is going to cover these important facets of the local sports scene now, and are they going to know what in the heck they're writing about?
2. The brass has sold their recent moves to the public with the line of "we're really going to offer extensive coverage of the main areas of interest in local sports -- the Padres and Chargers." What about San Diego State, which could have two ranked basketball teams and which could demonstrate this fall whether the football program is on the rise? What about the paradise sports of golf and tennis? The extreme sports popular with the younger audience?
Call me confused and worried.
---
Local tennis buffs should be concerned about Jelena Jankovic retiring from a Wimbledon match early Monday (our time) because of a back injury. The Serb, ranked third in the world, is the highest entrant so far in the Mercury Insurance Open at La Costa next month. Samantha Stosur is not going to sell tickets, no matter how well she played in Paris.
The list of player commitments has few recognizable names at this point and almost no Americans. The biggest missing name is that of Venus Williams, a frequent champion at La Costa in the tourney's older forms. I'm sure most of the big-name players are waiting to see how things play out at Wimbledon before committing to their summer schedules, which are basically precursors to the U.S. Open. Look for a lot of them, including one Williams sister, to be in Carlsbad by the end of July.
I again went through Baseball Reference and I could only find one better start in Padres history, 1998. You know what happened then. Even the World Series season of 1984 saw the Friars at 44-31 after 75 games.
What I really like is I think they've compiled their great mark without necessarily being their best. GM Jed Hoyer could add a hitter at some point. No one is playing above their heads. RF Will Venable is hot at the plate this past week -- what if it's a trend instead of a guy being streaky? What if SS Everth Cabrera makes up for his injury-plagued first half with a solid last three months? What if 3B Chase Headley recaptures his April form? Things can get even better.
It was interesting how this coincides with a newspaper article that wonders whether fans will start noticing. I think they will, particularly with the Rockies in this week. Attendance is down nearly 2 percent from last season. If you really want to see an attendance increase, add a hitter. Show the fans the franchise is serious about contending.
In fact, Venable's surge of the past week, in which he hit three tie-breaking, game-winning homers, shows just how important another hitter can be to the Padres. With their pitching, they only need a little more offense, not a lot. That's how close they are to maybe being favored in this race.
---
Did the World Cup really create that much excitement around here or is it just a media fiction?
I'm actually leaning toward the latter, seriously. I have yet to talk to, or overhear others in conversation, about the quadrennial soccer championship. Not once. Sure, people gather at sports bars to watch the games but they always do every four years. This is a big town, so there will be soccer fans and they'll be excited but that doesn't make it new. Those in the media who say the win over Algeria that put the USA in the knockout round was some sort of classic forget that NO ONE WAS ABLE TO SCORE until a rebound came out in front of Landon Donovan. Any U8 player in AYSO could have converted that goal opportunity.
I'm sorry, but the World Cup is an absolute waste of my time and I didn't buy into the over-hype of the past week.
---
Two things have me very concerned about what the restructuring of The San Diego Union-Tribune is going to mean to the future of local sports coverage.
1. The most recent round of layoffs included the sports editor and two reporters, Nicole Vargas, the lone remaining specialist in high school sports, and Hank Wesch, who handled USD basketball in addition to horse racing. I since saw a Wesch horse-racing column, so it was either something already in the can or he returned to the paper at half his former salary (an offer extended to several of those recently laid-off, and accepted by a few). Who is going to cover these important facets of the local sports scene now, and are they going to know what in the heck they're writing about?
2. The brass has sold their recent moves to the public with the line of "we're really going to offer extensive coverage of the main areas of interest in local sports -- the Padres and Chargers." What about San Diego State, which could have two ranked basketball teams and which could demonstrate this fall whether the football program is on the rise? What about the paradise sports of golf and tennis? The extreme sports popular with the younger audience?
Call me confused and worried.
---
Local tennis buffs should be concerned about Jelena Jankovic retiring from a Wimbledon match early Monday (our time) because of a back injury. The Serb, ranked third in the world, is the highest entrant so far in the Mercury Insurance Open at La Costa next month. Samantha Stosur is not going to sell tickets, no matter how well she played in Paris.
The list of player commitments has few recognizable names at this point and almost no Americans. The biggest missing name is that of Venus Williams, a frequent champion at La Costa in the tourney's older forms. I'm sure most of the big-name players are waiting to see how things play out at Wimbledon before committing to their summer schedules, which are basically precursors to the U.S. Open. Look for a lot of them, including one Williams sister, to be in Carlsbad by the end of July.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Padres Noise is Being Made
The Padres aren't going to budge.
As I predicted before the season, the Padres pitching depth is keeping them in the National League West race and I don't see that changing as we near the season's halfway point. The Padres, indeed, are in first place with their 42-30 record. How that compares to previous successful seasons, courtesy of Pro Baseball Reference:
-- In their first year over .500, 1978, they were 35-37 at this point with a pitching staff that included Gaylord Perry, Bob Shirley and Rollie Fingers.
-- In the World Series season of 1984, they got out of the gate fast, stumbled in May and had their best month in June. After 72 games, they were 43-29 and four games in front in their division. That won-loss mark is just a game better than the current pace.
-- The exciting chase of the Giants in 1989 came up short in large part because of a serious June Swoon, leaving them with a 35-37 mark and eight games out of first place. The Friars dropped 11 back just days later, and were a season-worst 12 games out of first on July 25. From there, they went on a tear, closing to within 5 games of the Giants on Sept. 12. Alas, they got no closer for nearly two weeks and finished three games behind. That was the year Mark Davis won the Cy Young Award, only to sign a free agent contract with Kansas City, where his career collapsed.
-- 1996, the season of Chris Gwynn's division-winning double in Los Angeles, saw the Friars at 37-35.
-- In the World Series year of 1998, the Padres tore out of the gate again, were near the end of an 11-game winning streak, with a record of 47-25. That was just a great team that was light-years better than the current team from 1-25 on the roster, with the lone exception of first base.
While 1998 is an unfair comparison, this year's Padres compare reasonably well with those other teams in terms of performance. 1B Adrian Gonzalez is on a terrific streak at the plate -- maybe the best several weeks of his career -- and even whipping boy Will Venable shows signs of turning it around.
P Mat Latos is turning into a Number One starter who is dominating opposing hitters the same way a young Jake Peavy did and maybe better. The 7th/8th/9th innings combination of Luke Gregerson/Mike Adams/Heath Bell is unmatched in the major leagues.
However, there's no way I'm going to say the Padres will actually win the division, because there are plenty of concerns:
-- Tony Gwynn Jr.'s batting average is back under .230,
-- Nick Hundley's batting average has dropped 20 points in the past two weeks after Manager Bud Black began putting him higher up in the batting order.
-- That Hundley is hitting at cleanup lately is because Chase Headley's average is down to .257 following a torrid April.
-- Jon Garland has been shelled in three of his last four starts, Kevin Correia has one win over May and June, and Clayton Richard hasn't won a game in more than a month even though he's thrown fairly well.
The strain of needing nightly perfection could be placing a strain on the starting pitchers. The lineup has to start producing, no question.
That 40-32 mark translates to a .583 winning percentage. Over the course of a full season, that's 94 wins. Here's where that would have placed in the NL West in recent seasons:
2009- 2nd by one game,
2008- 1st by 10 games,
2007- 1st by 4 games,
2006- improve their own first-place finish by 6 games,
2005- improve their own division title by 12 games,
2004- 1st place by one game,
2003- 2nd by six games, and
2002- Third.
So they're in good shape. However, since baseball is a human game and the opposition is always striving to improve, the Padres must do the same in order to maintain the same pace of success. There is a lot to look forward to at the ballpark this summer.
---
Have you read enough "Mat Latos is Maturing" stories in the newspaper? Me, too. Someone, please, come up with something new.
As I predicted before the season, the Padres pitching depth is keeping them in the National League West race and I don't see that changing as we near the season's halfway point. The Padres, indeed, are in first place with their 42-30 record. How that compares to previous successful seasons, courtesy of Pro Baseball Reference:
-- In their first year over .500, 1978, they were 35-37 at this point with a pitching staff that included Gaylord Perry, Bob Shirley and Rollie Fingers.
-- In the World Series season of 1984, they got out of the gate fast, stumbled in May and had their best month in June. After 72 games, they were 43-29 and four games in front in their division. That won-loss mark is just a game better than the current pace.
-- The exciting chase of the Giants in 1989 came up short in large part because of a serious June Swoon, leaving them with a 35-37 mark and eight games out of first place. The Friars dropped 11 back just days later, and were a season-worst 12 games out of first on July 25. From there, they went on a tear, closing to within 5 games of the Giants on Sept. 12. Alas, they got no closer for nearly two weeks and finished three games behind. That was the year Mark Davis won the Cy Young Award, only to sign a free agent contract with Kansas City, where his career collapsed.
-- 1996, the season of Chris Gwynn's division-winning double in Los Angeles, saw the Friars at 37-35.
-- In the World Series year of 1998, the Padres tore out of the gate again, were near the end of an 11-game winning streak, with a record of 47-25. That was just a great team that was light-years better than the current team from 1-25 on the roster, with the lone exception of first base.
While 1998 is an unfair comparison, this year's Padres compare reasonably well with those other teams in terms of performance. 1B Adrian Gonzalez is on a terrific streak at the plate -- maybe the best several weeks of his career -- and even whipping boy Will Venable shows signs of turning it around.
P Mat Latos is turning into a Number One starter who is dominating opposing hitters the same way a young Jake Peavy did and maybe better. The 7th/8th/9th innings combination of Luke Gregerson/Mike Adams/Heath Bell is unmatched in the major leagues.
However, there's no way I'm going to say the Padres will actually win the division, because there are plenty of concerns:
-- Tony Gwynn Jr.'s batting average is back under .230,
-- Nick Hundley's batting average has dropped 20 points in the past two weeks after Manager Bud Black began putting him higher up in the batting order.
-- That Hundley is hitting at cleanup lately is because Chase Headley's average is down to .257 following a torrid April.
-- Jon Garland has been shelled in three of his last four starts, Kevin Correia has one win over May and June, and Clayton Richard hasn't won a game in more than a month even though he's thrown fairly well.
The strain of needing nightly perfection could be placing a strain on the starting pitchers. The lineup has to start producing, no question.
That 40-32 mark translates to a .583 winning percentage. Over the course of a full season, that's 94 wins. Here's where that would have placed in the NL West in recent seasons:
2009- 2nd by one game,
2008- 1st by 10 games,
2007- 1st by 4 games,
2006- improve their own first-place finish by 6 games,
2005- improve their own division title by 12 games,
2004- 1st place by one game,
2003- 2nd by six games, and
2002- Third.
So they're in good shape. However, since baseball is a human game and the opposition is always striving to improve, the Padres must do the same in order to maintain the same pace of success. There is a lot to look forward to at the ballpark this summer.
---
Have you read enough "Mat Latos is Maturing" stories in the newspaper? Me, too. Someone, please, come up with something new.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Torrealba's Truth, Leake, Utah
You've got to love a guy who speaks his mind, even when he knows it might cost him in the long run. Yorvit Torrealba is such a man.
After the Padres catcher was suspended for three games for inadvertently making contact with plate umpire Larry Vanover with the bill of his cap on Monday, he went off on the terrible state of officiating at major league baseball games this season.
Torrealba said Vanover was unfair and inconsistent with his strike zone, that umpires are baiting players and that this year has been by far the worst.
"This is the worst umpiring I've ever seen."
"I've never seen the umpiring so inconsistent."
"There is no strike zone. They make us swing at everything. No one knows what the strike zone is anymore." He went on to say that's the reason why hitters are struggling so much this season.
"I know there are some good umpires, but there are a lot of really, really bad umpires."
Torrealba is appealing his penalty and is wise enough to note that his comments might get his suspension increased, not lessened.
The thing is, he's right. You know. I don't have to go into detail. The blown call at first base that cost Tigers P Andres Galarraga a perfect game was only the tip of the iceberg. I watched a game on TV in April which was the worst home plate umpiring I've ever seen -- aside from an NL playoff game years ago -- confirmed by the pitch tracker graphic on the screen. Things apparently haven't improved since then.
---
That NL playoff game? A 1-0 shutout thrown by Cardinals P John Tudor against the Giants in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. Tudor, a junk artist, consistently threw the ball six inches outside all game long, and plate ump Bob Engel kept calling them strikes. Engel three years later was caught shoplifting baseball cards from two stores in Bakersfield and retired after pleading guilty.
---
Memo to Reds P Mike Leake, entitled: Get With the Program
Mike:
Congratulations on your fine start to your major league baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds. Like other San Diegans involved in America's pastime, we like to see the local kids do well. The Fallbrook HS community has a lot to be proud of.
However,
you don't go around beating everyone else and then losing to the Dodgers. Especially in a game in which LA might take over first place. Your job in such a situation is to beat them. Your six-inning, nine-hit, five-run performance came up rather short in that regard.
Let me make myself clear. You beat the Dodgers from now on. Understand?
Thank you and good luck the rest of the season.
Jim
---
In my view, San Diego State's relative position in the spectrum of collegiate athletics has slightly improved in the past 10 days or so of conference reorganization in which the Mountain West gained Boise State but lost Utah. Until the Pacific-10 invited the Utes to become its 12th member, the Aztecs appeared well on their way to being part of a BCS conference with the Broncos becoming the 10th MWC member. Now they're almost back to where they started, with slight improvements.
1. Boise puts the MWC slightly closer to BCS AQ status than what Utah provided.
2. Boise was successful in overwhelming the WAC year-in and year-out. What happens when the Broncos join in 2011 and finish second? And then come in third in 2012? Does the bloom come off this year's possible Rose Bowl? Utah was in a pretty dominant position as one of the MWC's Big Three. Boise will start at such a level but whether coach Chris Peterson can sustain that success in new digs, like Utah would have, is questionable.
3. Utah is always a threat in mens and womens basketball, while Boise State is not. One easier game for Steve Fisher and Beth Burns. The Broncos men were 15-17 last season with a 5-11 WAC mark that placed them second-to-last. Records the preceding three seasons were 19-13 and 9-7, the high-water mark of 25-7 and 12-4, and 17-14 and 8-8. One good season in four years. The women were 19-12 and 8-8 last season but did have a pair of 20-win seasons recently. Still, they're no Utah.
The next two reasons are potentially huge.
4. I'm not sure the Big 12 can deliver on the TV contract promises that enticed Texas and its loyal followers to remain with the conference. Kansas, K-State and Missouri are possibly in play again a couple of years down the line and you only need three teams to hit the magic 12 mark for a conference championship game. Plus, the Pac-10's quick trigger finger on Utah means if the Big 12 does collapse, there's one more attractive school available for the MWC to snag. That means BCS.
5. Call me crazy on this one but hear (read) me out. The invitation to Utah puts San Diego State a step closer to the decades-long dream of Pac-8 -10 -11 -12 membership. The conference leadership now has no qualms of inviting Mountain West schools to join. A lot of conferences have been talking expansion in order to cash in on the Big Ten model of cable television channel ownership, so getting TV markets is critical. The Pac-10 will probably go down the same route. However, can they really do such a thing with two giant holes in their so-called conference footprint? San Diego and Las Vegas are two of the larger TV markets in the country. Sure, both markets do well in watching Pac-10 football, but they don't really own the market with the hometown schools in another league. Intriguing. Here's to hoping coach Brady Hoke can return the Aztecs to competitiveness quickly.
After the Padres catcher was suspended for three games for inadvertently making contact with plate umpire Larry Vanover with the bill of his cap on Monday, he went off on the terrible state of officiating at major league baseball games this season.
Torrealba said Vanover was unfair and inconsistent with his strike zone, that umpires are baiting players and that this year has been by far the worst.
"This is the worst umpiring I've ever seen."
"I've never seen the umpiring so inconsistent."
"There is no strike zone. They make us swing at everything. No one knows what the strike zone is anymore." He went on to say that's the reason why hitters are struggling so much this season.
"I know there are some good umpires, but there are a lot of really, really bad umpires."
Torrealba is appealing his penalty and is wise enough to note that his comments might get his suspension increased, not lessened.
The thing is, he's right. You know. I don't have to go into detail. The blown call at first base that cost Tigers P Andres Galarraga a perfect game was only the tip of the iceberg. I watched a game on TV in April which was the worst home plate umpiring I've ever seen -- aside from an NL playoff game years ago -- confirmed by the pitch tracker graphic on the screen. Things apparently haven't improved since then.
---
That NL playoff game? A 1-0 shutout thrown by Cardinals P John Tudor against the Giants in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series. Tudor, a junk artist, consistently threw the ball six inches outside all game long, and plate ump Bob Engel kept calling them strikes. Engel three years later was caught shoplifting baseball cards from two stores in Bakersfield and retired after pleading guilty.
---
Memo to Reds P Mike Leake, entitled: Get With the Program
Mike:
Congratulations on your fine start to your major league baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds. Like other San Diegans involved in America's pastime, we like to see the local kids do well. The Fallbrook HS community has a lot to be proud of.
However,
you don't go around beating everyone else and then losing to the Dodgers. Especially in a game in which LA might take over first place. Your job in such a situation is to beat them. Your six-inning, nine-hit, five-run performance came up rather short in that regard.
Let me make myself clear. You beat the Dodgers from now on. Understand?
Thank you and good luck the rest of the season.
Jim
---
In my view, San Diego State's relative position in the spectrum of collegiate athletics has slightly improved in the past 10 days or so of conference reorganization in which the Mountain West gained Boise State but lost Utah. Until the Pacific-10 invited the Utes to become its 12th member, the Aztecs appeared well on their way to being part of a BCS conference with the Broncos becoming the 10th MWC member. Now they're almost back to where they started, with slight improvements.
1. Boise puts the MWC slightly closer to BCS AQ status than what Utah provided.
2. Boise was successful in overwhelming the WAC year-in and year-out. What happens when the Broncos join in 2011 and finish second? And then come in third in 2012? Does the bloom come off this year's possible Rose Bowl? Utah was in a pretty dominant position as one of the MWC's Big Three. Boise will start at such a level but whether coach Chris Peterson can sustain that success in new digs, like Utah would have, is questionable.
3. Utah is always a threat in mens and womens basketball, while Boise State is not. One easier game for Steve Fisher and Beth Burns. The Broncos men were 15-17 last season with a 5-11 WAC mark that placed them second-to-last. Records the preceding three seasons were 19-13 and 9-7, the high-water mark of 25-7 and 12-4, and 17-14 and 8-8. One good season in four years. The women were 19-12 and 8-8 last season but did have a pair of 20-win seasons recently. Still, they're no Utah.
The next two reasons are potentially huge.
4. I'm not sure the Big 12 can deliver on the TV contract promises that enticed Texas and its loyal followers to remain with the conference. Kansas, K-State and Missouri are possibly in play again a couple of years down the line and you only need three teams to hit the magic 12 mark for a conference championship game. Plus, the Pac-10's quick trigger finger on Utah means if the Big 12 does collapse, there's one more attractive school available for the MWC to snag. That means BCS.
5. Call me crazy on this one but hear (read) me out. The invitation to Utah puts San Diego State a step closer to the decades-long dream of Pac-8 -10 -11 -12 membership. The conference leadership now has no qualms of inviting Mountain West schools to join. A lot of conferences have been talking expansion in order to cash in on the Big Ten model of cable television channel ownership, so getting TV markets is critical. The Pac-10 will probably go down the same route. However, can they really do such a thing with two giant holes in their so-called conference footprint? San Diego and Las Vegas are two of the larger TV markets in the country. Sure, both markets do well in watching Pac-10 football, but they don't really own the market with the hometown schools in another league. Intriguing. Here's to hoping coach Brady Hoke can return the Aztecs to competitiveness quickly.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Padres Proving Theories
On a fairly regular basis this season, in a newspaper account of a midweek Padres game, there has been a phrase similar to: "in front of the third-smallest crowd in the history of Petco Park" or "witnessed by the second-smallest crowd of the season."
The Padres of 2010 have gone a long way to prove out two of my pet theories.
1. Petco Park is in a terribly inconvenient location for most baseball fans, so those 8-10 visits to Qualcomm Stadium per season for many people are dropping to three or four.
2. The generally held theory of San Diego sports fans only supporting a winner is not valid.
I've already harped on the inconvenience of Petco Park's location already this year (check San Diego's Best Sports Values by clicking on April under "Blog Archives" to the right). When I did traffic reporting years ago, the traffic flow patterns before and after Padres games showed the fan base was in the North County. If you live there, you're not going downtown any more than you have to. The transportation, walking, ticket prices, dinner in the Gaslamp, all make a Padres game a major event. People don't do major events 8-10 times a year. Maybe three or four, and they'll wait until summer when it's more convenient.
On supporting a winner, I've always responded that what San Diegans will support is a quality product. It might seem like semantics, but there is a difference. Is watching the team fun? Is there hope that the team will become a contender? Remember those really dull teams that won the NL West a few years ago? That's when the attendance began to dip. People around here are either sitting on their hands waiting for GM Jed Hoyer to acquire a hitter or waiting for the roof to cave in. Padres games aren't a lot of fun this year. I'm actually partial to well-pitched, low-scoring baseball games, but not because I know they can't hit. The joy of great pitching is that they're shutting down big bats. I can't admire someone striking out Will Venable because I know half the high schools in town have hurlers who can K the guy.
Some of San Diego State's biggest football attendance years came when they were mostly hovering around .500, because there were star attractions in Marshall Faulk and, to a lesser extent, Dan McGwire and Darnay Scott. Then they started fiddling around and losing in strange ways, and when coach Ted Tollner picked up the pieces and fielded teams that won 8 games and challenged for the WAC championship, the attendance was generally smaller. The Chargers have had little trouble selling out games whether in last year's 13-3 or 2008's 8-8 mark because they're fun to watch.
I think the Padres attendance will pick up markedly in the next homestand, which is at the end of this month. School will be out, so fans will come based on their own convenience. Someone will report that the locals are starting to believe in this team. Nice.
---
Local prep product P Sergio Mitre was quietly putting together a big year as a reliever --mainly -- for the Yankees before going on the disabled list this week with an oblique strain. He was 0-1 with a 2.88 ERA with just 16 hits allowed in 25 innings.
Monte Vista HS's Brooks Conrad is still performing heroically for the Braves, winning a game recently with a bunt single. He's at .275-3-12 in 51 at-bats, which is pretty good in this year of the pitcher.
Speaking of the Braves, Carlsbad HS's Troy Glaus is tied for second in the NL with 49 RBI and tied for eighth with 13 HR.
---
Not a local kid, but what will baseball be like without Conrad's and Glaus' teammate, Chipper Jones? He'll leave a void.
---
Note to Hoyer: the Diamondback's trade of disappointing OF Conor Jackson to the A's may have signaled the beginning of trade season.
The Padres of 2010 have gone a long way to prove out two of my pet theories.
1. Petco Park is in a terribly inconvenient location for most baseball fans, so those 8-10 visits to Qualcomm Stadium per season for many people are dropping to three or four.
2. The generally held theory of San Diego sports fans only supporting a winner is not valid.
I've already harped on the inconvenience of Petco Park's location already this year (check San Diego's Best Sports Values by clicking on April under "Blog Archives" to the right). When I did traffic reporting years ago, the traffic flow patterns before and after Padres games showed the fan base was in the North County. If you live there, you're not going downtown any more than you have to. The transportation, walking, ticket prices, dinner in the Gaslamp, all make a Padres game a major event. People don't do major events 8-10 times a year. Maybe three or four, and they'll wait until summer when it's more convenient.
On supporting a winner, I've always responded that what San Diegans will support is a quality product. It might seem like semantics, but there is a difference. Is watching the team fun? Is there hope that the team will become a contender? Remember those really dull teams that won the NL West a few years ago? That's when the attendance began to dip. People around here are either sitting on their hands waiting for GM Jed Hoyer to acquire a hitter or waiting for the roof to cave in. Padres games aren't a lot of fun this year. I'm actually partial to well-pitched, low-scoring baseball games, but not because I know they can't hit. The joy of great pitching is that they're shutting down big bats. I can't admire someone striking out Will Venable because I know half the high schools in town have hurlers who can K the guy.
Some of San Diego State's biggest football attendance years came when they were mostly hovering around .500, because there were star attractions in Marshall Faulk and, to a lesser extent, Dan McGwire and Darnay Scott. Then they started fiddling around and losing in strange ways, and when coach Ted Tollner picked up the pieces and fielded teams that won 8 games and challenged for the WAC championship, the attendance was generally smaller. The Chargers have had little trouble selling out games whether in last year's 13-3 or 2008's 8-8 mark because they're fun to watch.
I think the Padres attendance will pick up markedly in the next homestand, which is at the end of this month. School will be out, so fans will come based on their own convenience. Someone will report that the locals are starting to believe in this team. Nice.
---
Local prep product P Sergio Mitre was quietly putting together a big year as a reliever --mainly -- for the Yankees before going on the disabled list this week with an oblique strain. He was 0-1 with a 2.88 ERA with just 16 hits allowed in 25 innings.
Monte Vista HS's Brooks Conrad is still performing heroically for the Braves, winning a game recently with a bunt single. He's at .275-3-12 in 51 at-bats, which is pretty good in this year of the pitcher.
Speaking of the Braves, Carlsbad HS's Troy Glaus is tied for second in the NL with 49 RBI and tied for eighth with 13 HR.
---
Not a local kid, but what will baseball be like without Conrad's and Glaus' teammate, Chipper Jones? He'll leave a void.
---
Note to Hoyer: the Diamondback's trade of disappointing OF Conor Jackson to the A's may have signaled the beginning of trade season.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Realignment Okay For SDSU So Far, Cahill
So far, so good for San Diego State's athletic fortunes as of the middle of Friday morning. One domino fell Thursday -- Colorado to the Pac-10. One dropped Friday, Boise State to the Mountain West Conference. One likely to tip over Friday afternoon will be Nebraska to the Big Ten.
My initial reaction to all this is the Big 12 departures don't affect the Aztecs at all other than they might spark other moves.
Boise State to the MWC is a much bigger deal. SDSU is now in a 10-team league, which means that in football they will not play every conference mate every year. There's going to be someone who gets to play UNLV while avoiding BYU, or someone who has to take on all the big boys but misses Colorado State. There are a lot of leagues in which that's okay, where all the teams are of about the same quality, but in the case of the MWC, you have the big dogs and the wiener dogs.
Second, there has been a lot of talk about BYU, Texas Christian and/or Utah filling the Big 12's holes or, in the case of the Utes, joining the Buffaloes in the Pac-10. I'm not sure Boise would have come over to a new about-to-be eviscerated conference, so they must have received assurances that the Big Three will remain.
Third, Boise State puts the MWC over the top as far as BCS auto bid requirements go. That bar might be raised by realignment, but it will be hard to keep them out. Finally, after all these years, Aztecs coaches will be able to recruit on the same playing field as everyone else.
Fourth, as long as they're at 10 schools, they might as well go to 12 or 14 because that's where the other leagues are headed. If the Big 12 collapses, picking up Kansas and K-State is a no-brainer. Missouri is dicey because they're pretty slimy. Houston out of C-USA would be a good pickup, adding a Texas partner for the Horned Frogs.
Fifth, there is renewed talk Friday about a last-ditch effort to keep the Big 12 together, sans Colorado and Nebraska. If it works, there is no reason why the MWC couldn't invite Houston and Fresno State, or Houston and SMU.
There's still a chance things will turn sour. The top MWC teams could still leave and relegate SDSU back to a lower tier of competition. Stay tuned.
---
It's been such a great week for local pitching products. Add Vista HS's Trevor Cahill to the list. Cahill Thursday won his fourth straight start, 6-1 over the Angels. He threw a career-high 8 innings, scattered six hits and walked only one batter. He received a standing ovation on his way off the mound when he was finished. Cahill is now 5-2, 2.91.
My initial reaction to all this is the Big 12 departures don't affect the Aztecs at all other than they might spark other moves.
Boise State to the MWC is a much bigger deal. SDSU is now in a 10-team league, which means that in football they will not play every conference mate every year. There's going to be someone who gets to play UNLV while avoiding BYU, or someone who has to take on all the big boys but misses Colorado State. There are a lot of leagues in which that's okay, where all the teams are of about the same quality, but in the case of the MWC, you have the big dogs and the wiener dogs.
Second, there has been a lot of talk about BYU, Texas Christian and/or Utah filling the Big 12's holes or, in the case of the Utes, joining the Buffaloes in the Pac-10. I'm not sure Boise would have come over to a new about-to-be eviscerated conference, so they must have received assurances that the Big Three will remain.
Third, Boise State puts the MWC over the top as far as BCS auto bid requirements go. That bar might be raised by realignment, but it will be hard to keep them out. Finally, after all these years, Aztecs coaches will be able to recruit on the same playing field as everyone else.
Fourth, as long as they're at 10 schools, they might as well go to 12 or 14 because that's where the other leagues are headed. If the Big 12 collapses, picking up Kansas and K-State is a no-brainer. Missouri is dicey because they're pretty slimy. Houston out of C-USA would be a good pickup, adding a Texas partner for the Horned Frogs.
Fifth, there is renewed talk Friday about a last-ditch effort to keep the Big 12 together, sans Colorado and Nebraska. If it works, there is no reason why the MWC couldn't invite Houston and Fresno State, or Houston and SMU.
There's still a chance things will turn sour. The top MWC teams could still leave and relegate SDSU back to a lower tier of competition. Stay tuned.
---
It's been such a great week for local pitching products. Add Vista HS's Trevor Cahill to the list. Cahill Thursday won his fourth straight start, 6-1 over the Angels. He threw a career-high 8 innings, scattered six hits and walked only one batter. He received a standing ovation on his way off the mound when he was finished. Cahill is now 5-2, 2.91.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Reactions to Various Sports News
1. Chargers sign veteran LT Tra Thomas - No doubt a shot by general manager AJ Smith across the bow of holdout LT Marcus McNeill. Thomas was on the verge of retiring, so who knows what he has left physically and mentally. I've never been a huge fan of McNeill so I like the signing on its own merit, even if the incumbent starter was in the fold, just to see how the competition goes.
2. Stephen Strasburg wins major league debut - Quite a well-pitched game. The 14 strikeouts in seven innings only barely begins to tell the story of how well the West Hills HS, SDSU alumnus threw for the Nationals against the Pirates. The thing about Strasburg is there's no reason why he can't do this against everyone. Pitching is all about mechanics and the ability to repeat the proper motion on every pitch, hundreds upon thousands of times over the course of a year. If you're dominating college ball and the minors the way he was, you're also going to be a success in the bigs. Wish he were a Padre.
3. Don't forget Masterson and Harang - Heck of a week for San Diego State pitchers. Justin Masterson, of the Indians, tossed a two-hit shutout of the recently hot BoSox. Aaron Harang pitched the Reds over the Giants, allowing two runs in seven innings in following his worst outing of the season. Hopefully, it begins a trend for the former Patrick Henry HS star, who is now 5-5 but is saddled with a 5.17 ERA.
4. USC, Bush sanctioned by NCAA for violations - First, it's a long time coming. The NCAA will reportedly announce sometime Thursday that the Trojans will face a bowl ban and loss of scholarships for violations that took place during the coach Pete Carroll-Reggie Bush era. The Bush saga has been a sad one, in a way. He seemed like a nice kid from a normal family early in his high school years. Then stardom came and so did those trying to profit off him. He changed as time went on and got dazzled by the bright lights. I don't blame him as much as the people around him, but he made some unfortunate choices. Meanwhile, the U$C recruiting vacuum has been turned off, which should put Aztecs coach Brady Hoke and his boys on a more even footing, only to be impacted, for better or worse, by...
5. Impact of college athletics changes on SDSU - The first domino fell in the conference realignment scenarios Thursday morning when Colorado joined the Pac-10. I thought up to this morning that what will take place would be smaller than forecast, but I'm starting to think I might be wrong. Nebraska's regents meet Friday and will see Colorado's move as writing on the wall, so will reject pleas to stay and join the Big Ten. There are forces at work to keep the Big 12 together, which I thought until this morning would be successful at least for a year or two. There's two scenarios. One is that Texas joins the Pac-10 with Colorado and takes Tech and the Oklahoma schools with them. The other is that they don't (duh). The first is good for SDSU and the Mountain West Conference, as they will then cherry pick the remainder. The second is bad, because a still-strong Big 12 can invite the better MWC schools, which will accept because of the BCS auto-bid, making the MWC a second-rate conference again. My bet: Nebraska goes. The tipping point will be Missouri. If the Tigers flee, too, then the Texas hold 'em scenario crumbles.
6. Second-place Padres - I've seen all I need to see. I'm sure you have, too. This is a pretty good team that needs one more bat. If general manager Jed Hoyer can acquire an outfielder or shortstop who can hit, the Padres will compete for a National League West crown. If not, the Dodgers -- now winning the type of games they were losing at the beginning of the year -- will comfortably win another division title. I'm in no way suggesting the young position players be tossed on the slag heap, but too much is being left to chance in all these 1-0, 2-1 games.
7. The World Cup Starting - Yawn. Wake me when it's over.
2. Stephen Strasburg wins major league debut - Quite a well-pitched game. The 14 strikeouts in seven innings only barely begins to tell the story of how well the West Hills HS, SDSU alumnus threw for the Nationals against the Pirates. The thing about Strasburg is there's no reason why he can't do this against everyone. Pitching is all about mechanics and the ability to repeat the proper motion on every pitch, hundreds upon thousands of times over the course of a year. If you're dominating college ball and the minors the way he was, you're also going to be a success in the bigs. Wish he were a Padre.
3. Don't forget Masterson and Harang - Heck of a week for San Diego State pitchers. Justin Masterson, of the Indians, tossed a two-hit shutout of the recently hot BoSox. Aaron Harang pitched the Reds over the Giants, allowing two runs in seven innings in following his worst outing of the season. Hopefully, it begins a trend for the former Patrick Henry HS star, who is now 5-5 but is saddled with a 5.17 ERA.
4. USC, Bush sanctioned by NCAA for violations - First, it's a long time coming. The NCAA will reportedly announce sometime Thursday that the Trojans will face a bowl ban and loss of scholarships for violations that took place during the coach Pete Carroll-Reggie Bush era. The Bush saga has been a sad one, in a way. He seemed like a nice kid from a normal family early in his high school years. Then stardom came and so did those trying to profit off him. He changed as time went on and got dazzled by the bright lights. I don't blame him as much as the people around him, but he made some unfortunate choices. Meanwhile, the U$C recruiting vacuum has been turned off, which should put Aztecs coach Brady Hoke and his boys on a more even footing, only to be impacted, for better or worse, by...
5. Impact of college athletics changes on SDSU - The first domino fell in the conference realignment scenarios Thursday morning when Colorado joined the Pac-10. I thought up to this morning that what will take place would be smaller than forecast, but I'm starting to think I might be wrong. Nebraska's regents meet Friday and will see Colorado's move as writing on the wall, so will reject pleas to stay and join the Big Ten. There are forces at work to keep the Big 12 together, which I thought until this morning would be successful at least for a year or two. There's two scenarios. One is that Texas joins the Pac-10 with Colorado and takes Tech and the Oklahoma schools with them. The other is that they don't (duh). The first is good for SDSU and the Mountain West Conference, as they will then cherry pick the remainder. The second is bad, because a still-strong Big 12 can invite the better MWC schools, which will accept because of the BCS auto-bid, making the MWC a second-rate conference again. My bet: Nebraska goes. The tipping point will be Missouri. If the Tigers flee, too, then the Texas hold 'em scenario crumbles.
6. Second-place Padres - I've seen all I need to see. I'm sure you have, too. This is a pretty good team that needs one more bat. If general manager Jed Hoyer can acquire an outfielder or shortstop who can hit, the Padres will compete for a National League West crown. If not, the Dodgers -- now winning the type of games they were losing at the beginning of the year -- will comfortably win another division title. I'm in no way suggesting the young position players be tossed on the slag heap, but too much is being left to chance in all these 1-0, 2-1 games.
7. The World Cup Starting - Yawn. Wake me when it's over.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Strasburg, Padres Notes
The dearly departed Washington Nationals announced Monday that former San Diego State P Stephen Strasburg will make his long-awaited major league debut against Pittsburgh on June 8, barring rainouts. The timing of his first big league start has been the subject of considerable discussion, and this date has been rumored for about a week. Now it’s as confirmed as it ever will be. Kind of funny that now only an act of God could derail the debut of someone the good Lord has so gifted.
---
It was interesting reading the letters to the sports editor in the San Diego Union-Tribune Sunday, which expressed opposing views on whether the local baseball franchise was interesting to watch. One writer claimed the punchless Padres were boring, and another stated that Little Ball was fun to see.
My take is somewhere in the middle. I think Little Ball is indeed a lot of fun if executed well. The Friars execute Little Ball terribly. Except for David Eckstein and, in some cases, Tony Gwynn, these guys are only good on the basepaths. But it's more than running to execute Little Ball. Part II is at the plate, where they can't bunt or execute the hit-and-run. Sure, the guy on first might steal second, but the hitter can’t put wood on the ball for hit-and-run plays, sac flies or grounders to the right side of the infield.
I like the basic idea of Little Ball, but it's only fun if well-played.
---
Before LF Kyle Blanks got hurt there was a lot of talk about whether he should be returned to AAA to regain his swing. My choice for a ticket to Portland after the weekend is RF Will Venable, who refuses to take the outside pitch the other way. He tries to pull EVERYTHING. In Sunday's game, he came up with runners on second and third and one out, and the National's pitcher fed him a steady diet of baseballs on the outside part of the plate and he was totally unable to poke anything toward left field. Sure, a grounder that direction might not have scored a run, but it could have.
Since that 4-for-5 game at LA that made such a big splash, he's 6-for-35, just under .200, with no extra base hits.
---
My favorite Padre now, behind Eckstein, is OF Chris Denorfia. This guy is a gamer -- and a keeper. In about the same time period, he has three more hits than Venable, including a pair of doubles, and three more RBI. With Scott Hairston possibly coming off the DL in a couple of days, the Padres are going to have a big decision to make.
---
Nick Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba are the co-MVP's of this team, by the way.
---
Yes, I wrote that I wanted GM Jed Hoyer to start working to bring in an outfielder who can actually hit, and that remains the case. But it should also be noted that scoring and hitting is way off all around the major leagues, from the Phillies being shut out by the Mets three games in a row to the Padres doing nearly the same to the Giants every series and the two perfect games in about three weeks.
---
It was interesting reading the letters to the sports editor in the San Diego Union-Tribune Sunday, which expressed opposing views on whether the local baseball franchise was interesting to watch. One writer claimed the punchless Padres were boring, and another stated that Little Ball was fun to see.
My take is somewhere in the middle. I think Little Ball is indeed a lot of fun if executed well. The Friars execute Little Ball terribly. Except for David Eckstein and, in some cases, Tony Gwynn, these guys are only good on the basepaths. But it's more than running to execute Little Ball. Part II is at the plate, where they can't bunt or execute the hit-and-run. Sure, the guy on first might steal second, but the hitter can’t put wood on the ball for hit-and-run plays, sac flies or grounders to the right side of the infield.
I like the basic idea of Little Ball, but it's only fun if well-played.
---
Before LF Kyle Blanks got hurt there was a lot of talk about whether he should be returned to AAA to regain his swing. My choice for a ticket to Portland after the weekend is RF Will Venable, who refuses to take the outside pitch the other way. He tries to pull EVERYTHING. In Sunday's game, he came up with runners on second and third and one out, and the National's pitcher fed him a steady diet of baseballs on the outside part of the plate and he was totally unable to poke anything toward left field. Sure, a grounder that direction might not have scored a run, but it could have.
Since that 4-for-5 game at LA that made such a big splash, he's 6-for-35, just under .200, with no extra base hits.
---
My favorite Padre now, behind Eckstein, is OF Chris Denorfia. This guy is a gamer -- and a keeper. In about the same time period, he has three more hits than Venable, including a pair of doubles, and three more RBI. With Scott Hairston possibly coming off the DL in a couple of days, the Padres are going to have a big decision to make.
---
Nick Hundley and Yorvit Torrealba are the co-MVP's of this team, by the way.
---
Yes, I wrote that I wanted GM Jed Hoyer to start working to bring in an outfielder who can actually hit, and that remains the case. But it should also be noted that scoring and hitting is way off all around the major leagues, from the Phillies being shut out by the Mets three games in a row to the Padres doing nearly the same to the Giants every series and the two perfect games in about three weeks.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Aztec Baseball Ends, Ellison
It wouldn't be proper for me to ignore the end of the San Diego State baseball season this week. The Aztecs were bombed by Utah and BYU in the double-elimination Mountain West Conference Tournament they hosted to finish the year 28-28.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that manager Tony Gwynn needs to be given a mulligan for this season because of a ridiculous spate of injuries to pitchers that no team would have survived. The run of bad luck included a horrifying line drive that cracked the skull of freshman starter Bryan Crabb, just about the only bright spot on the mound this season.
I still hold my position on Gwynn.
That said, I hope the local baseball legend takes a hard look at himself and his baseball program and is able to make an honest assessment. In eight seasons at the SDSU helm, he has taken his Aztecs to the NCAA Regionals just once -- when he rode the golden arm of Stephen Strasburg -- and is only seven games above .500 overall. He entered the 2009 season 11 games under .500 and got to the correct side of the ledger with a darn good 41-23 mark. His record is despite playing in a mediocre conference that nearly guarantees numerous wins over Air Force, arguably the least competitive major college team in any significant sport.
I have no hopes that Gwynn will make such an assessment and decide to resign. This year was this year, with all its lumps and warts. I'm concerned about next year and the year after. Does he think he's the right guy to lead the program? Would the program be on track if all the injuries hadn't taken place? Will 2011 be more like 2009? Gwynn could honestly answer "yes" to all three questions and that would be fine. If he can't, he needs to step aside because no one needs to go through the pain of firing someone of his status. And I have no doubt that nearly anyone else in Gwynn's current position would be fired as soon as his tournament hosting duties were over. He, however, deserves extra consideration and will receive it. I just hope the backers of the program and its participants receive the same consideration from him.
---
Are you confused as much as I am about the relationship between the Chargers and S Kevin Ellison? It's weird. He starts the last month or so of 2009 but is now in danger of being released, a situation apparently developing well before his recent arrest on suspicion of possessing 100 Vicodin pills in Redondo Beach.
The Bolts brass reacted like it does in any other player's criminal arrest. The thing is, Ellison is not accused of possession for sale, transportation for sale, or any other serious criminal conduct. It's akin to an administrative violation for a pain killer that he planned to use during the season. He wasn't toting an ounce of cocaine or selling heroin.
If he's so bad he's in danger of being released, then why was he playing so much last season? All I can come up with is that management doesn't like the guy personally. Maybe he's inattentive at meetings or doesn't listen to teammates. Bad locker room guy. I have no idea. What's happening to him fuels speculation, however. It would be more fair to everyone for management to come clean on their thinking.
---
I hate Vicodin, by the way. I've needed it twice, once during an illness and once after surgery. More than anything during those times, my absolute number one goal was to get off the Vicodin. I would rather put up with some pain than take more of the stuff. It was just awful.
---
Since Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez was reported to be back to his usual level of productivity, he has gone 3-for-17 with one game in which he struck out in all four plate appearances. And the Padres won each game.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that manager Tony Gwynn needs to be given a mulligan for this season because of a ridiculous spate of injuries to pitchers that no team would have survived. The run of bad luck included a horrifying line drive that cracked the skull of freshman starter Bryan Crabb, just about the only bright spot on the mound this season.
I still hold my position on Gwynn.
That said, I hope the local baseball legend takes a hard look at himself and his baseball program and is able to make an honest assessment. In eight seasons at the SDSU helm, he has taken his Aztecs to the NCAA Regionals just once -- when he rode the golden arm of Stephen Strasburg -- and is only seven games above .500 overall. He entered the 2009 season 11 games under .500 and got to the correct side of the ledger with a darn good 41-23 mark. His record is despite playing in a mediocre conference that nearly guarantees numerous wins over Air Force, arguably the least competitive major college team in any significant sport.
I have no hopes that Gwynn will make such an assessment and decide to resign. This year was this year, with all its lumps and warts. I'm concerned about next year and the year after. Does he think he's the right guy to lead the program? Would the program be on track if all the injuries hadn't taken place? Will 2011 be more like 2009? Gwynn could honestly answer "yes" to all three questions and that would be fine. If he can't, he needs to step aside because no one needs to go through the pain of firing someone of his status. And I have no doubt that nearly anyone else in Gwynn's current position would be fired as soon as his tournament hosting duties were over. He, however, deserves extra consideration and will receive it. I just hope the backers of the program and its participants receive the same consideration from him.
---
Are you confused as much as I am about the relationship between the Chargers and S Kevin Ellison? It's weird. He starts the last month or so of 2009 but is now in danger of being released, a situation apparently developing well before his recent arrest on suspicion of possessing 100 Vicodin pills in Redondo Beach.
The Bolts brass reacted like it does in any other player's criminal arrest. The thing is, Ellison is not accused of possession for sale, transportation for sale, or any other serious criminal conduct. It's akin to an administrative violation for a pain killer that he planned to use during the season. He wasn't toting an ounce of cocaine or selling heroin.
If he's so bad he's in danger of being released, then why was he playing so much last season? All I can come up with is that management doesn't like the guy personally. Maybe he's inattentive at meetings or doesn't listen to teammates. Bad locker room guy. I have no idea. What's happening to him fuels speculation, however. It would be more fair to everyone for management to come clean on their thinking.
---
I hate Vicodin, by the way. I've needed it twice, once during an illness and once after surgery. More than anything during those times, my absolute number one goal was to get off the Vicodin. I would rather put up with some pain than take more of the stuff. It was just awful.
---
Since Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez was reported to be back to his usual level of productivity, he has gone 3-for-17 with one game in which he struck out in all four plate appearances. And the Padres won each game.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Strasburg, Thames, Expansion
While it remains unlikely that Washington will promote P Stephen Strasburg from AAA in time to pitch at Petco Park on Saturday, you might want to keep your schedule open that day, just in case.
The ex-SDSU phenom has dominated the opposition in nine minor league starts and the consensus is that he will make one more start for the Syracuse Chiefs before being promoted by the Nationals. That would make it after the Nats pass through Strasburg's hometown of an Diego. Most of the Beltway population has claimed a ticket for June 4, the date of his presumptive debut.
But, maybe not. Strasburg went just 5 innings in his most recent start for Syracuse. The Nationals' P Scott Olsen, whose turn in the rotation comes up next on Saturday at Petco, just went on the disabled list with stiffness in his left shoulder. More roster moves are needed because C Ivan Rodriguez is also going on the DL. And, while Strasburg apparently told reporters that it didn't matter where he made his big league debut, who knows what he told the front office. My bet is that if he told team President Stan Kasten to dance, you'd see a nice pirouette in the Nationals clubhouse.
It's enough to make you go "hmmm." I doubt it will happen, but I'm keeping Saturday open, just in case.
---
Here's a sign of the rise of San Diego State's basketball program and of the Mountain West as a hoops power. SDSU just announced it brought in transfer Xavier Thames from Washington State, a Pac-10 school, in order to provide depth at point guard. Not to be the point guard, but just to provide depth and some rest for incoming high school recruit LaBradford Franklin. Thames will have to wait a year, by which time DJ Gay will be an alumnus and Franklin should, barring a calamity, be an entrenched starter. My, how times of changed.
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Former Aztec Jene Morris scored her first two threes and collected 12 points in a win for the WNBA's Indiana Fever on Sunday. According to the Web site Swish Appeal, the Fever's starters have been sloppy, which could mean more playing time for Morris.
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I hope you're not on pins-and-needles over conference expansion and what it might mean to the MWC and SDSU in particular. I really don't think much is going to happen, outside the MWC inviting Boise State next month -- and I'm not really sure that's such a great move in that the Broncos will prove to be a drag in all other sports. We're in kind of a dead zone for college sports since no one cares about this level of baseball until the remaining eight schools arrive in Omaha, so a lot of writers are making stuff up out of whole cloth. I'll wait and see.
---
The high school baseball playoffs begin Tuesday with play-in games. The double-elimination tournament gets going Wednesday. This is something you should care about. There's almost nothing better in local sports each year. Definitely worth checking out.
The ex-SDSU phenom has dominated the opposition in nine minor league starts and the consensus is that he will make one more start for the Syracuse Chiefs before being promoted by the Nationals. That would make it after the Nats pass through Strasburg's hometown of an Diego. Most of the Beltway population has claimed a ticket for June 4, the date of his presumptive debut.
But, maybe not. Strasburg went just 5 innings in his most recent start for Syracuse. The Nationals' P Scott Olsen, whose turn in the rotation comes up next on Saturday at Petco, just went on the disabled list with stiffness in his left shoulder. More roster moves are needed because C Ivan Rodriguez is also going on the DL. And, while Strasburg apparently told reporters that it didn't matter where he made his big league debut, who knows what he told the front office. My bet is that if he told team President Stan Kasten to dance, you'd see a nice pirouette in the Nationals clubhouse.
It's enough to make you go "hmmm." I doubt it will happen, but I'm keeping Saturday open, just in case.
---
Here's a sign of the rise of San Diego State's basketball program and of the Mountain West as a hoops power. SDSU just announced it brought in transfer Xavier Thames from Washington State, a Pac-10 school, in order to provide depth at point guard. Not to be the point guard, but just to provide depth and some rest for incoming high school recruit LaBradford Franklin. Thames will have to wait a year, by which time DJ Gay will be an alumnus and Franklin should, barring a calamity, be an entrenched starter. My, how times of changed.
---
Former Aztec Jene Morris scored her first two threes and collected 12 points in a win for the WNBA's Indiana Fever on Sunday. According to the Web site Swish Appeal, the Fever's starters have been sloppy, which could mean more playing time for Morris.
---
I hope you're not on pins-and-needles over conference expansion and what it might mean to the MWC and SDSU in particular. I really don't think much is going to happen, outside the MWC inviting Boise State next month -- and I'm not really sure that's such a great move in that the Broncos will prove to be a drag in all other sports. We're in kind of a dead zone for college sports since no one cares about this level of baseball until the remaining eight schools arrive in Omaha, so a lot of writers are making stuff up out of whole cloth. I'll wait and see.
---
The high school baseball playoffs begin Tuesday with play-in games. The double-elimination tournament gets going Wednesday. This is something you should care about. There's almost nothing better in local sports each year. Definitely worth checking out.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Breitbard
I had a few dealings with Bob Breitbard, the dean of the local sports community who died Monday at the age of 91. One stood out, and it really showed what kind of guy he was.
I have an entrepreneurial bent, in case you haven't noticed, and I had an idea quite a few years ago that I want to run by him so he could judge its worth. I think it would have been in the early 1990s. He was still heavily involved in his business, California Linen Supply, which provided laundry services for hotel towels and bedding -- quite a lucrative slice of this town's thriving tourism industry.
He was only too happy to meet with me. He invited me up to his office right there in his downtown plant. We must have met for a half-hour and he gave me some encouragement and the advice I sought. This gentleman who was more used to hanging out with baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams had no problem taking time out of his day to listen to some guy he'd never met before.
Ultimately, the idea didn't go anywhere, but it wasn't because of Bob Breitbard. This man, who was among those who brought the Chargers to San Diego, promoted the Padres from AAA to the major leagues and established the Holiday Bowl, graciously led me to the next step in the process.
When I operated Sandiegosportstown.com years later I tried to repay the favor by publicizing events at the sports museum Breitbard founded, the San Diego Hall of Champions. He is one of those guys who might now be gone, but the results of his works will remain with us for a long time to come.
---
I sure hope San Diego State football coach Brady Hoke is getting his program on track. In 2010, the non-conference schedule will be embarrassingly easy with home games against Nicholls State and Utah State, and road contests at New Mexico State and Missouri. Only one loss there.
But 2011 will be much different. It was announced Tuesday that SDSU will make its second appearance in the Big House with a game at Michigan. A home game against Washington State is also on the docket, as is another roadie at Army. The season opens at The Q against Chuck Long-nemesis Cal Poly-SLO.
The slate in 2012 includes an opening road game at Cincinnati and home contests vs. Army, North Dakota and San Jose State. It wouldn't shock me to see the Fighting Sioux replaced by someone more interesting, as it looks like Hoke might be up for the challenge that scared his predecessor.
I have an entrepreneurial bent, in case you haven't noticed, and I had an idea quite a few years ago that I want to run by him so he could judge its worth. I think it would have been in the early 1990s. He was still heavily involved in his business, California Linen Supply, which provided laundry services for hotel towels and bedding -- quite a lucrative slice of this town's thriving tourism industry.
He was only too happy to meet with me. He invited me up to his office right there in his downtown plant. We must have met for a half-hour and he gave me some encouragement and the advice I sought. This gentleman who was more used to hanging out with baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams had no problem taking time out of his day to listen to some guy he'd never met before.
Ultimately, the idea didn't go anywhere, but it wasn't because of Bob Breitbard. This man, who was among those who brought the Chargers to San Diego, promoted the Padres from AAA to the major leagues and established the Holiday Bowl, graciously led me to the next step in the process.
When I operated Sandiegosportstown.com years later I tried to repay the favor by publicizing events at the sports museum Breitbard founded, the San Diego Hall of Champions. He is one of those guys who might now be gone, but the results of his works will remain with us for a long time to come.
---
I sure hope San Diego State football coach Brady Hoke is getting his program on track. In 2010, the non-conference schedule will be embarrassingly easy with home games against Nicholls State and Utah State, and road contests at New Mexico State and Missouri. Only one loss there.
But 2011 will be much different. It was announced Tuesday that SDSU will make its second appearance in the Big House with a game at Michigan. A home game against Washington State is also on the docket, as is another roadie at Army. The season opens at The Q against Chuck Long-nemesis Cal Poly-SLO.
The slate in 2012 includes an opening road game at Cincinnati and home contests vs. Army, North Dakota and San Jose State. It wouldn't shock me to see the Fighting Sioux replaced by someone more interesting, as it looks like Hoke might be up for the challenge that scared his predecessor.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Outfielders Update, Jene Morris
When the newspaper ran a sports section column on Padres GM Jed Hoyer evaluating whether to bring in an outfielder who can actually hit major league pitching, I counseled patience--at least through the weekend. That would give us time to see how Kyle Blanks, Tony Gwynn, Scott Hairston and Will Venable did against the rival Dodgers and Giants.
The Padres swept SF but were in turn swept by LA. It's not time to hit the panic button but, with the wins at AT&T Park coming almost entirely because of pitching, the way to lean is obvious. Thinking time is over. Doing something should be the new mode. As has already been reported, AAA is basically devoid of outfield talent because they're all up here -- and hitting like minor leaguers. Ouch!
The options are to sign someone who is currently not on a roster, which comes down to former White Sox OF Jermaine Dye, or trade surplus pitching. Signing Dye might be a quick process but it would be several days to get him ready to play a game. A trade could take days or weeks, and it is something you'd rather get right than wrong.
Here are how the current four outfielders fared over those big six games against the rivals:
Blanks - 0-for-11, 5 strikeouts
Gwynn - 2-for-15, 3 strikeouts and just 2 runs scored
Hairston - 3-for-11, 1 RBI and 1 run
Venable - 2-for-10, 4 strikeouts and an RBI
Now, it is unfair to judge players based on one week's worth of games, but this is actually just a microcosm of what's been happening over the past month with these players. Blanks had no hits and struck out in nearly half his at-bats. Gwynn struck out more times than he was safe on a batted ball -- not exactly living up to the family name -- and as a leadoff hitter he scored only twice. Hairston scored just once. Venable's .200 mark looked pretty good in comparison.
If you fault my analysis, then you're not only seeing things differently than me but also with manager Bud Black. In the past week, he gave three outfield starts to backup infielder Oscar Salazar and one to aging pinch hitter Matt Stairs. In the Bay Area finale, Hairston played all three outfield spots as Black juggled his unproductive lineup during the game.
In all fairness, the rest of the lineup didn't produce, either. 3B Chase Headley was 3-for-24 over that period and 1B Adrian Gonzalez was 4-for-23 with just 1 RBI on Friday's home run.
If, indeed, Hoyer and the front office choose patience, then that could mean the baseball guys don't see anything seriously wrong with the outfielders other than they are in a slump and need seasoning. They could be right. Of course, they won't get much money from fans until they're proven correct, and their careers could be short-circuited if they're wrong.
The Padres host the Giants again and then go to LA, both for 2-game series. Then they go to Seattle against the equally punchless Mariners. After that it's crunch time: they face the Cardinals, surprising Nationals, Mets and Phillies in the following two weeks. The time to make changes maybe hasn't come, but the moment has absolutely arrived to get the ball rolling in that direction.
---
The beginning of the WNBA season hasn't been easy on former San Diego State G Jene Morris -- and boy, is it sad to include the "former" in front of her. In Indiana's season opener against Washington Saturday, the first-round draft choice played for more than 14 minutes, but missed her only two shots -- both threes -- and committed three turnovers. She also had a rebound and an assist.
In a 66-62 loss to Atlanta on Sunday, Morris played 5 minutes and 36 seconds, scored a hoop on her only shot, turned the ball over once and committed three fouls.
BTW, Morris made the roster in part by beating out Joy Cheek, the Duke forward who helped eliminate the Aztecs from the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Padres swept SF but were in turn swept by LA. It's not time to hit the panic button but, with the wins at AT&T Park coming almost entirely because of pitching, the way to lean is obvious. Thinking time is over. Doing something should be the new mode. As has already been reported, AAA is basically devoid of outfield talent because they're all up here -- and hitting like minor leaguers. Ouch!
The options are to sign someone who is currently not on a roster, which comes down to former White Sox OF Jermaine Dye, or trade surplus pitching. Signing Dye might be a quick process but it would be several days to get him ready to play a game. A trade could take days or weeks, and it is something you'd rather get right than wrong.
Here are how the current four outfielders fared over those big six games against the rivals:
Blanks - 0-for-11, 5 strikeouts
Gwynn - 2-for-15, 3 strikeouts and just 2 runs scored
Hairston - 3-for-11, 1 RBI and 1 run
Venable - 2-for-10, 4 strikeouts and an RBI
Now, it is unfair to judge players based on one week's worth of games, but this is actually just a microcosm of what's been happening over the past month with these players. Blanks had no hits and struck out in nearly half his at-bats. Gwynn struck out more times than he was safe on a batted ball -- not exactly living up to the family name -- and as a leadoff hitter he scored only twice. Hairston scored just once. Venable's .200 mark looked pretty good in comparison.
If you fault my analysis, then you're not only seeing things differently than me but also with manager Bud Black. In the past week, he gave three outfield starts to backup infielder Oscar Salazar and one to aging pinch hitter Matt Stairs. In the Bay Area finale, Hairston played all three outfield spots as Black juggled his unproductive lineup during the game.
In all fairness, the rest of the lineup didn't produce, either. 3B Chase Headley was 3-for-24 over that period and 1B Adrian Gonzalez was 4-for-23 with just 1 RBI on Friday's home run.
If, indeed, Hoyer and the front office choose patience, then that could mean the baseball guys don't see anything seriously wrong with the outfielders other than they are in a slump and need seasoning. They could be right. Of course, they won't get much money from fans until they're proven correct, and their careers could be short-circuited if they're wrong.
The Padres host the Giants again and then go to LA, both for 2-game series. Then they go to Seattle against the equally punchless Mariners. After that it's crunch time: they face the Cardinals, surprising Nationals, Mets and Phillies in the following two weeks. The time to make changes maybe hasn't come, but the moment has absolutely arrived to get the ball rolling in that direction.
---
The beginning of the WNBA season hasn't been easy on former San Diego State G Jene Morris -- and boy, is it sad to include the "former" in front of her. In Indiana's season opener against Washington Saturday, the first-round draft choice played for more than 14 minutes, but missed her only two shots -- both threes -- and committed three turnovers. She also had a rebound and an assist.
In a 66-62 loss to Atlanta on Sunday, Morris played 5 minutes and 36 seconds, scored a hoop on her only shot, turned the ball over once and committed three fouls.
BTW, Morris made the roster in part by beating out Joy Cheek, the Duke forward who helped eliminate the Aztecs from the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Time to Find Out What Moorad, Hoyer and Hoke Have
We're pretty soon going to find out what Padres incoming owner Jeff Moorad, GM Jed Hoyer and San Diego State football coach Brady Hoke are made of, thanks to two interesting items in the newspaper today. One is on the lagging hitting of Padres outfielders and the other is about the lack of strength among San Diego State football players when coach Brady Hoke arrived in December 2008.
Good articles on what's going on in local sports. Let me bump them up a bit with the stakes involved.
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On the Padres outfield, it is worth noting that from left to right, Kyle Blanks' stat line is a measly .180-3-14, Tony Gwynn is at .211 with just 8 runs scored and Will Venable is .220-4-12. Scott Hairston's line is .243-6-13, and he deserves considerable credit for Tuesday's 3-2 win at San Francisco with an 11-pitch leadoff at-bat that exposed Giants P Barry Zito's stuff for the rest of the lineup. Hairston himself didn't do too much the rest of the game, but the guy right behind him, 2B David Eckstein, went 2-for-2 with three walks. I don't think that's coincidence.
But the main point of the newspaper article is now that we're into mid-May and the outfielders aren't producing at the plate, Hoyer has to decide whether to stick with the young kids or make a trade for some hitting. Tuesday's Giants game shows perfectly the problem. Their pitchers issued 12 walks, yet the Friars only cashed in with 3 runs. That's a problem. Blanks, Gwynn and Hairston were a combined 0-for-7.
Clearly, the outfielders need to start hitting--the sooner the better. Or did you not notice the Dodgers creeping up in the standings after a rotten start? Either the guys who are there have to produce, or someone needs to be brought in who will. This is not merely a challenge to see if the new ownership is willing to open its wallet to win a division, though that's part of it. The issue for Hoyer and his baseball people is do he, and they, have the touch for knowing when to make a move and when to stand pat? The decision-making they're faced with is as much art as science, experience as raw data. No one said it would be easy.
Here's my thinking, if I'm in Hoyer's shoes.
1. I'm in my first series in San Francisco and I haven't played the Dodgers at all. Let's get through the weekend before I start to worry about this stuff. Hey, the Padres are 4-0 against the Giants, their closest pursuers at the moment. In the sweep of SF at Petco, my primary outfielders were 6-for-19, a .317 clip.
2. If I still have an issue next Monday, I look at whose been proven and who has not. Gwynn is in his fifth major league season with a career .256 batting average and no sock. I like his speed and defense, but there is no longer any expectation of improvement from him (I feel like I've really been bagging on the Gwynns lately, and I don't mean to, but facts are facts in a performance-based industry). Hairston is in his ninth season as a .252 career hitter. He is also as good as he is going to get.
3. Blanks and Venable are in only their second big league seasons, and Blanks missed a lot of last year with his foot injury. They're both babies, so to speak. They will need time to develop. The question is where? This is when the baseball people come in. It might be best to continue to work against major league pitchers. It might be better to send them to AAA Portland to fix flaws that have developed or restore their confidence. Or would a return to the minors shatter promising young players? Big questions here.
4. The newspaper article suggested signing former White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye, who is available after not being re-signed following a bad second half of last season. This is where Moorad comes in. Dye might be a cheap alternative. Or do you go big? The Padres have pitching depth that has given Portland six hurlers with major league experience, eight if you count Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell, who were called up as replacements for the grieving Kevin Correia and ailing Tim Stauffer. Are you willing to package some young pitchers in exchange for CF Adam Jones of struggling Baltimore? The Morse High product slugged 19 homers and swatted 22 doubles last year and plays superb defense for a lousy team. How about getting the experienced Scott Podsednik from Kansas City, who has rejuvenated his career and appears to be his old self again at the age of 34? Baltimore could use some pitching, but KC is desperate for it. Right now, I'd say those are the two CFs most likely to be available for trade and helpful to the Padres cause.
I think we're a bit premature on all this, but the article came out now so I thought I'd respond. Hopefully on Monday I can post a "never mind."
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For Hoke, he appeared at an Encinitas gabfest and repeated his quote that his Aztecs were woefully weak physically when he arrived on Montezuma Mesa and his players were ready to pack it in mentally after the 2009 season-opening 33-14 loss to UCLA.
Rome wasn't built in a day, so to expect significant change in size and strength in Hoke's first season was not realistic and it didn't happen. But by the time SDSU opens the 2010 campaign, it will have been nearly two calendar years since he and his supposedly wonderful strength coach, Aaron Wellman, stepped on campus. Serious change is due.
If the Aztecs are stronger in the lines, then they will be better than everyone in the Mountain West other than the Big Three of TCU, BYU and Utah; and might be at least close to as good as Air Force. They have a pretty decent QB in Ryan Lindley and the best receiving corps in the conference. They could score a lot of points on the weaker opposition.
If Hoke and Wellman are all that, we should see the results as early as this fall. I don't want to see lines pushed backward. I want to see the skill talent freed to make plays. I still think the overall talent level is 6-6ish, but that's a longer term issue than less than two years.
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As long as we're on Aztecs football, here's another challenge for Hoke. He and QB coach Brian Sipe have yet to match predecessor Chuck Long--God it pains me to write those last three words--in one area, QB recruiting. One of the few things Long got right was bringing in Lindley. I don't think incoming freshman Adam Dingwell of Rockwall, Texas, is of the same caliber, though I might be wrong. I'm talking about a major recruit here, and as star-crossed as Lindley's career has been, he was a major recruit.
I don't see SDSU being ready yet to compete for Top 10 quarterback recruits yet and they've only gotten or really challenged for a handful over the years anyway. But a 15-25 guy nationally, like Lindley, needs to come in here for this program to take off.
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Wednesday post on SDSU football on Yahoo!'s Dr. Saturday blog. Pretty fair assessment.
Good articles on what's going on in local sports. Let me bump them up a bit with the stakes involved.
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On the Padres outfield, it is worth noting that from left to right, Kyle Blanks' stat line is a measly .180-3-14, Tony Gwynn is at .211 with just 8 runs scored and Will Venable is .220-4-12. Scott Hairston's line is .243-6-13, and he deserves considerable credit for Tuesday's 3-2 win at San Francisco with an 11-pitch leadoff at-bat that exposed Giants P Barry Zito's stuff for the rest of the lineup. Hairston himself didn't do too much the rest of the game, but the guy right behind him, 2B David Eckstein, went 2-for-2 with three walks. I don't think that's coincidence.
But the main point of the newspaper article is now that we're into mid-May and the outfielders aren't producing at the plate, Hoyer has to decide whether to stick with the young kids or make a trade for some hitting. Tuesday's Giants game shows perfectly the problem. Their pitchers issued 12 walks, yet the Friars only cashed in with 3 runs. That's a problem. Blanks, Gwynn and Hairston were a combined 0-for-7.
Clearly, the outfielders need to start hitting--the sooner the better. Or did you not notice the Dodgers creeping up in the standings after a rotten start? Either the guys who are there have to produce, or someone needs to be brought in who will. This is not merely a challenge to see if the new ownership is willing to open its wallet to win a division, though that's part of it. The issue for Hoyer and his baseball people is do he, and they, have the touch for knowing when to make a move and when to stand pat? The decision-making they're faced with is as much art as science, experience as raw data. No one said it would be easy.
Here's my thinking, if I'm in Hoyer's shoes.
1. I'm in my first series in San Francisco and I haven't played the Dodgers at all. Let's get through the weekend before I start to worry about this stuff. Hey, the Padres are 4-0 against the Giants, their closest pursuers at the moment. In the sweep of SF at Petco, my primary outfielders were 6-for-19, a .317 clip.
2. If I still have an issue next Monday, I look at whose been proven and who has not. Gwynn is in his fifth major league season with a career .256 batting average and no sock. I like his speed and defense, but there is no longer any expectation of improvement from him (I feel like I've really been bagging on the Gwynns lately, and I don't mean to, but facts are facts in a performance-based industry). Hairston is in his ninth season as a .252 career hitter. He is also as good as he is going to get.
3. Blanks and Venable are in only their second big league seasons, and Blanks missed a lot of last year with his foot injury. They're both babies, so to speak. They will need time to develop. The question is where? This is when the baseball people come in. It might be best to continue to work against major league pitchers. It might be better to send them to AAA Portland to fix flaws that have developed or restore their confidence. Or would a return to the minors shatter promising young players? Big questions here.
4. The newspaper article suggested signing former White Sox slugger Jermaine Dye, who is available after not being re-signed following a bad second half of last season. This is where Moorad comes in. Dye might be a cheap alternative. Or do you go big? The Padres have pitching depth that has given Portland six hurlers with major league experience, eight if you count Cesar Ramos and Adam Russell, who were called up as replacements for the grieving Kevin Correia and ailing Tim Stauffer. Are you willing to package some young pitchers in exchange for CF Adam Jones of struggling Baltimore? The Morse High product slugged 19 homers and swatted 22 doubles last year and plays superb defense for a lousy team. How about getting the experienced Scott Podsednik from Kansas City, who has rejuvenated his career and appears to be his old self again at the age of 34? Baltimore could use some pitching, but KC is desperate for it. Right now, I'd say those are the two CFs most likely to be available for trade and helpful to the Padres cause.
I think we're a bit premature on all this, but the article came out now so I thought I'd respond. Hopefully on Monday I can post a "never mind."
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For Hoke, he appeared at an Encinitas gabfest and repeated his quote that his Aztecs were woefully weak physically when he arrived on Montezuma Mesa and his players were ready to pack it in mentally after the 2009 season-opening 33-14 loss to UCLA.
Rome wasn't built in a day, so to expect significant change in size and strength in Hoke's first season was not realistic and it didn't happen. But by the time SDSU opens the 2010 campaign, it will have been nearly two calendar years since he and his supposedly wonderful strength coach, Aaron Wellman, stepped on campus. Serious change is due.
If the Aztecs are stronger in the lines, then they will be better than everyone in the Mountain West other than the Big Three of TCU, BYU and Utah; and might be at least close to as good as Air Force. They have a pretty decent QB in Ryan Lindley and the best receiving corps in the conference. They could score a lot of points on the weaker opposition.
If Hoke and Wellman are all that, we should see the results as early as this fall. I don't want to see lines pushed backward. I want to see the skill talent freed to make plays. I still think the overall talent level is 6-6ish, but that's a longer term issue than less than two years.
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As long as we're on Aztecs football, here's another challenge for Hoke. He and QB coach Brian Sipe have yet to match predecessor Chuck Long--God it pains me to write those last three words--in one area, QB recruiting. One of the few things Long got right was bringing in Lindley. I don't think incoming freshman Adam Dingwell of Rockwall, Texas, is of the same caliber, though I might be wrong. I'm talking about a major recruit here, and as star-crossed as Lindley's career has been, he was a major recruit.
I don't see SDSU being ready yet to compete for Top 10 quarterback recruits yet and they've only gotten or really challenged for a handful over the years anyway. But a 15-25 guy nationally, like Lindley, needs to come in here for this program to take off.
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Wednesday post on SDSU football on Yahoo!'s Dr. Saturday blog. Pretty fair assessment.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Padres Rotation
In the span of hours, heck it could have been minutes, the Padres placed P Kevin Correia on the bereavement list and lost Tim Stauffer for an unknown amount of time after he had an emergency appendectomy in San Francisco (he must have gone for one of those lobsters at Fisherman's Wharf!).
That's on top of Chris Young being out. The latest is that Young will return by the All-Star break, but anything he produces at all in 2010 will be gravy.
All this comes as the Friars are preparing for the two biggest series in this young season, at San Francisco and home this weekend against LA. Yuck!
The latest scoop according to the Padres Web site is Stauffer went to bed with pains and had trouble sleeping before waking a trainer at 3am to go to a hospital. One report said he could be out six weeks. That would be extreme. I remember years ago, Dave Kingman of the Giants had such an operation and came back two days later to leg out a triple against the Dodgers.
Correia's brother apparently fell off a cliff on one of the Channel Islands--a real tragedy. The Padres think he might be back in time to make Saturday's start against the Dodgers. Meanwhile, lefty Cesar Ramos is making his way back to the team from AAA Portland.
That's on top of Chris Young being out. The latest is that Young will return by the All-Star break, but anything he produces at all in 2010 will be gravy.
All this comes as the Friars are preparing for the two biggest series in this young season, at San Francisco and home this weekend against LA. Yuck!
The latest scoop according to the Padres Web site is Stauffer went to bed with pains and had trouble sleeping before waking a trainer at 3am to go to a hospital. One report said he could be out six weeks. That would be extreme. I remember years ago, Dave Kingman of the Giants had such an operation and came back two days later to leg out a triple against the Dodgers.
Correia's brother apparently fell off a cliff on one of the Channel Islands--a real tragedy. The Padres think he might be back in time to make Saturday's start against the Dodgers. Meanwhile, lefty Cesar Ramos is making his way back to the team from AAA Portland.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Padres Concerns
It was a really bad ninth inning for the Padres on Sunday, especially if your name is Jerry Hairston Jr. But the Friars 4-3 loss at Houston disturbingly displayed their Achilles heel.
First, the inning, if you didn't see it. The Padres went into the ninth with a 3-2 lead thanks to a strong five-inning spot start by Tim Stauffer and the pitcher's own two-run double. After Edward Mujica allowed a pair of home runs in the sixth to make the game close, things went to hell in the final frame.
Looking for an insurance run for Heath Bell -- it would have been darned handy as it turned out -- David Eckstein lined a double to left and went to third on Nick Hundley's ground out. Hairston Jr. then tapped a weak grounder to short against a drawn-in infield, and Eckstein was thrown out at the plate. Hairston Jr., obviously hoping to make amends by getting into scoring position, was then thrown out stealing to end the inning -- and was visibly frustrated.
Well, that didn't go too well, but the Padres were still turning the ball over to Bell, so they seemed in good shape. Uh, no. Carlos Lee grounded a ball to Hairston Jr. at short, and he airmailed the ball well over first baseman Adrian Gonzalez' head, and Lee went to second base. A pinch runner was grounded to third and, as the Padres failed to do, was brought home by a sacrifice fly. That tied the game and the Astros went on to win in the 11th.
As bad as that ninth inning was, it's a display of how the Padres are in need of improvement as they head into a big pair of series against the Giants and Dodgers. Their lack of offense is keeping games like this close. Sure, they had to face Roy Oswalt, but you have to execute professionally when opportunity arises.
Four of the Padres past five games have been decided by one run, and they are 2-2 in those contests. You don't want so many close games where anything can happen. For the season, the Padres are 5-4 in games decided by a single point -- a winning mark but barely so.
You can look at the Padres scores so far and point to a few 8- and 7-run scoring outbursts, but check this out: Sunday, Stauffer drove in two of the three runs and scored the other. Friday, when they hung 7 on the 'stros, Mat Latos had an RBI double and scored later. It's nice to have the hurlers helping the hitters, but it's not good when they're carrying them.
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Condolences to Padres P Kevin Correia on the loss of his brother over the weekend. As of Monday the circumstances have not been reported, other than he was a student at UC Santa Barbara.
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A split for San Diego State's men's basketball team in terms of star opponents leaving for the NBA. Darington Hobson of New Mexico is gone, but BYU's Jimmer Fredette is staying for his senior season. The Lobos are adding quality depth to what had been a lean front line, so better for Aztecs fans that Hobson goes. But Fredette, long a thorn in SDSU's side, withdrew from the draft after he was reportedly injured in a workout late last week.
First, the inning, if you didn't see it. The Padres went into the ninth with a 3-2 lead thanks to a strong five-inning spot start by Tim Stauffer and the pitcher's own two-run double. After Edward Mujica allowed a pair of home runs in the sixth to make the game close, things went to hell in the final frame.
Looking for an insurance run for Heath Bell -- it would have been darned handy as it turned out -- David Eckstein lined a double to left and went to third on Nick Hundley's ground out. Hairston Jr. then tapped a weak grounder to short against a drawn-in infield, and Eckstein was thrown out at the plate. Hairston Jr., obviously hoping to make amends by getting into scoring position, was then thrown out stealing to end the inning -- and was visibly frustrated.
Well, that didn't go too well, but the Padres were still turning the ball over to Bell, so they seemed in good shape. Uh, no. Carlos Lee grounded a ball to Hairston Jr. at short, and he airmailed the ball well over first baseman Adrian Gonzalez' head, and Lee went to second base. A pinch runner was grounded to third and, as the Padres failed to do, was brought home by a sacrifice fly. That tied the game and the Astros went on to win in the 11th.
As bad as that ninth inning was, it's a display of how the Padres are in need of improvement as they head into a big pair of series against the Giants and Dodgers. Their lack of offense is keeping games like this close. Sure, they had to face Roy Oswalt, but you have to execute professionally when opportunity arises.
Four of the Padres past five games have been decided by one run, and they are 2-2 in those contests. You don't want so many close games where anything can happen. For the season, the Padres are 5-4 in games decided by a single point -- a winning mark but barely so.
You can look at the Padres scores so far and point to a few 8- and 7-run scoring outbursts, but check this out: Sunday, Stauffer drove in two of the three runs and scored the other. Friday, when they hung 7 on the 'stros, Mat Latos had an RBI double and scored later. It's nice to have the hurlers helping the hitters, but it's not good when they're carrying them.
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Condolences to Padres P Kevin Correia on the loss of his brother over the weekend. As of Monday the circumstances have not been reported, other than he was a student at UC Santa Barbara.
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A split for San Diego State's men's basketball team in terms of star opponents leaving for the NBA. Darington Hobson of New Mexico is gone, but BYU's Jimmer Fredette is staying for his senior season. The Lobos are adding quality depth to what had been a lean front line, so better for Aztecs fans that Hobson goes. But Fredette, long a thorn in SDSU's side, withdrew from the draft after he was reportedly injured in a workout late last week.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Padres Injuries
The news that Padres P Chris Young is battling shoulder soreness again should surprise no one. His string of injuries over the past couple of seasons just aren't going to be cured in a matter of month or even a year. If Young ever makes it back for full-time mound work, it would be exceptional. Thank God the Padres have plenty of pitching depth.
Which leads me to something I was thinking about the other day. Now that Young is gone and the Friars have proven they can win without SS Everth Cabrera -- there's a shock -- who is it that they can most ill-afford to lose? Which position player is the linchpin who, if he goes down for a couple of months, will be the reason why the season suddenly falls apart?
My choice is not Adrian Gonzalez -- surprise, surprise. Losing the left-handed slugger would be difficult, certainly, but his production can be streaky. In his last 10 games, Gonzo is barely batting over .200 with 1 HR, 5 RBI and more strikeouts than hits. The Padres are 6-4 over that span, not gang-busters but they aren't falling apart without his production. They scored four runs or more in half those games. In games they scored 8 and 9 runs, the first baseman was 0-for-5 both times.
It says here that the player the Padres simply can't lose is 3B Chase Headley. I came to the conclusion a day before his walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies. If he goes down, who will play third? Jerry Hairston Jr.? Please. He's a middle infielder/outfielder sub who is darn good at what he does, but I don't see him at the hot corner for more than a game or two. Oscar Salazar for two months?
There is no one else on the 40-man roster. The starting 3B at AAA Portland is Craig Stansberry, who is barely above the Mendoza line.
If Headley, with his clutch hitting and defense that's improving by the week, goes out for an extended period of time, the Padres tank in a flurry of 1-0, 2-1 losses.
Second on my list is C Nick Hundley. Mention his name before the season and you'd elicit a yawn. But someone is behind the plate calling all the shutouts the pitchers have been tossing, and Hundley is the guy. His hitting has been timely. Backup Yorvit Torrealba has been fine in his spot-starts, but Hundley and his battery-mates on the mound have something going.
Gonzalez ranks third of the position players they can't afford to lose. He is their power. However, what will happen if he goes down is that Kyle Blanks will move to first and that four-man OF rotation suddenly becomes Scott Hairston-Tony Gwynn-Will Venable every night. That might be do-able.
I like where the Padres are right now. They still need to hit more, no doubt. And they still haven't played the Dodgers, the Giants on the road or heavyweights like the Cardinals or Phillies. They get all in the next several weeks.
Which leads me to something I was thinking about the other day. Now that Young is gone and the Friars have proven they can win without SS Everth Cabrera -- there's a shock -- who is it that they can most ill-afford to lose? Which position player is the linchpin who, if he goes down for a couple of months, will be the reason why the season suddenly falls apart?
My choice is not Adrian Gonzalez -- surprise, surprise. Losing the left-handed slugger would be difficult, certainly, but his production can be streaky. In his last 10 games, Gonzo is barely batting over .200 with 1 HR, 5 RBI and more strikeouts than hits. The Padres are 6-4 over that span, not gang-busters but they aren't falling apart without his production. They scored four runs or more in half those games. In games they scored 8 and 9 runs, the first baseman was 0-for-5 both times.
It says here that the player the Padres simply can't lose is 3B Chase Headley. I came to the conclusion a day before his walk-off RBI single in the ninth inning of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies. If he goes down, who will play third? Jerry Hairston Jr.? Please. He's a middle infielder/outfielder sub who is darn good at what he does, but I don't see him at the hot corner for more than a game or two. Oscar Salazar for two months?
There is no one else on the 40-man roster. The starting 3B at AAA Portland is Craig Stansberry, who is barely above the Mendoza line.
If Headley, with his clutch hitting and defense that's improving by the week, goes out for an extended period of time, the Padres tank in a flurry of 1-0, 2-1 losses.
Second on my list is C Nick Hundley. Mention his name before the season and you'd elicit a yawn. But someone is behind the plate calling all the shutouts the pitchers have been tossing, and Hundley is the guy. His hitting has been timely. Backup Yorvit Torrealba has been fine in his spot-starts, but Hundley and his battery-mates on the mound have something going.
Gonzalez ranks third of the position players they can't afford to lose. He is their power. However, what will happen if he goes down is that Kyle Blanks will move to first and that four-man OF rotation suddenly becomes Scott Hairston-Tony Gwynn-Will Venable every night. That might be do-able.
I like where the Padres are right now. They still need to hit more, no doubt. And they still haven't played the Dodgers, the Giants on the road or heavyweights like the Cardinals or Phillies. They get all in the next several weeks.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Is Ice Thinning Under Gwynn?
Just a year after San Diego State's baseball team rode the magical arm and golden spikes of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg to its first appearance in the NCAA Regionals in the ungodly time period of nearly 20 years, the Aztecs sit a game under .500 both overall and in the Mountain West Conference.
The only chance at a second straight NCAA berth will be an upset run through the league tournament, something that looks increasingly unlikely after New Mexico took two of three from SDSU over the weekend. The Lobos scored 20 times in the finale, a stunning total at pitcher-friendly Tony Gwynn Stadium even on a Sunday.
In a post before the beginning of the season, I asked local baseball coaches to "show me what they got." Could Rich Hill of USD rebound after an injury-plagued off year? Could Gwynn maintain course without Strasburg? For Hill, the answer is yes. The Toreros are ranked 22nd in the latest Baseball America poll and are a perfect 12-0 in the West Coast Conference, which is at least as good as the Mountain West.
For Gwynn, the answer is no. His Aztecs are in fourth place in the MWC at 7-8. However, the problem does not entirely lie with him. He has lost several starting pitchers to injury and a number of true freshman have had to take on considerable playing time.
Yet some numbers are disturbing. The Aztecs have struck out 366 times this year, with the next team on the list, perennially horrible Air Force, whiffing 328 times. The Lobos have gone down on K's more than 130 fewer times. The team ERA is 5.17 with most games in confines nearly as friendly to pitchers as Petco Park. Fielding has been a major issue under Gwynn, and the Aztecs percentage of .961 is fifth out of seven teams, and they are second in the total number of errors committed.
Individually, only one player, Brandon Meredith, ranks in the league's Top 20 in batting average, at .374. If you know about the league, you understand there will never be many Aztecs among the leaders in the category, but ONE? Come on. No SDSU players appear in the league Top 10 for slugging percentage, RBI, doubles, home runs or total bases. That's after instruction from a Hall of Fame major league hitter.
Success and failure in baseball cannot always be defined by numbers. I have no idea what sort of drama might be taking place behind the scenes, if the players respect and support each other or consider their responsibilities to be drudgery. I don't if the replacement of pitching coach Rusty Filter with the equally respected Eric Valenzuela has gone poorly. I don't know why more players don't respond the Gwynn's batting instruction. I sure as heck don't understand why a program that can create a Strasburg can't make more who are at least similar to him -- yeah, he's one of a kind, but at least something close?
So, while I'm not advocating that Gwynn be done away with as head coach, I do think the time has come to bring up the issue. Keep in mind that SDSU has a new athletic director who was able to admire Gwynn the player and personality only from afar. Jim Sterk may not have a deep understanding of his coach's standing in the community.
Ultimately, the question Sterk will need to evaluate is this: does Gwynn's position as a status symbol and ability to bring attention to San Diego State University outweigh the fact that he has been unable to build a consistent winner in a non-revenue sport? For most of his tenure as coach, the answer was undeniably yes. But I also think that time is starting to run out, at least for the youngsters he needs to attract to Montezuma Mesa to build a winner. We're talking about kids who were in tee-ball when Gwynn retired. He still has considerable cache with adults who would be inclined to support the program, but year-after-year of losing is eroding even that backing.
I would hate to be in Sterk's shoes and have to decide whether his baseball program would be better off without a legendary coach. This year's injuries mean the new AD won't have to deal with the subject this year -- 2010 is a free pass. Next year, though, Tony Gwynn might be under closer scrutiny.
The only chance at a second straight NCAA berth will be an upset run through the league tournament, something that looks increasingly unlikely after New Mexico took two of three from SDSU over the weekend. The Lobos scored 20 times in the finale, a stunning total at pitcher-friendly Tony Gwynn Stadium even on a Sunday.
In a post before the beginning of the season, I asked local baseball coaches to "show me what they got." Could Rich Hill of USD rebound after an injury-plagued off year? Could Gwynn maintain course without Strasburg? For Hill, the answer is yes. The Toreros are ranked 22nd in the latest Baseball America poll and are a perfect 12-0 in the West Coast Conference, which is at least as good as the Mountain West.
For Gwynn, the answer is no. His Aztecs are in fourth place in the MWC at 7-8. However, the problem does not entirely lie with him. He has lost several starting pitchers to injury and a number of true freshman have had to take on considerable playing time.
Yet some numbers are disturbing. The Aztecs have struck out 366 times this year, with the next team on the list, perennially horrible Air Force, whiffing 328 times. The Lobos have gone down on K's more than 130 fewer times. The team ERA is 5.17 with most games in confines nearly as friendly to pitchers as Petco Park. Fielding has been a major issue under Gwynn, and the Aztecs percentage of .961 is fifth out of seven teams, and they are second in the total number of errors committed.
Individually, only one player, Brandon Meredith, ranks in the league's Top 20 in batting average, at .374. If you know about the league, you understand there will never be many Aztecs among the leaders in the category, but ONE? Come on. No SDSU players appear in the league Top 10 for slugging percentage, RBI, doubles, home runs or total bases. That's after instruction from a Hall of Fame major league hitter.
Success and failure in baseball cannot always be defined by numbers. I have no idea what sort of drama might be taking place behind the scenes, if the players respect and support each other or consider their responsibilities to be drudgery. I don't if the replacement of pitching coach Rusty Filter with the equally respected Eric Valenzuela has gone poorly. I don't know why more players don't respond the Gwynn's batting instruction. I sure as heck don't understand why a program that can create a Strasburg can't make more who are at least similar to him -- yeah, he's one of a kind, but at least something close?
So, while I'm not advocating that Gwynn be done away with as head coach, I do think the time has come to bring up the issue. Keep in mind that SDSU has a new athletic director who was able to admire Gwynn the player and personality only from afar. Jim Sterk may not have a deep understanding of his coach's standing in the community.
Ultimately, the question Sterk will need to evaluate is this: does Gwynn's position as a status symbol and ability to bring attention to San Diego State University outweigh the fact that he has been unable to build a consistent winner in a non-revenue sport? For most of his tenure as coach, the answer was undeniably yes. But I also think that time is starting to run out, at least for the youngsters he needs to attract to Montezuma Mesa to build a winner. We're talking about kids who were in tee-ball when Gwynn retired. He still has considerable cache with adults who would be inclined to support the program, but year-after-year of losing is eroding even that backing.
I would hate to be in Sterk's shoes and have to decide whether his baseball program would be better off without a legendary coach. This year's injuries mean the new AD won't have to deal with the subject this year -- 2010 is a free pass. Next year, though, Tony Gwynn might be under closer scrutiny.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Padres
When I wrote before the start of the season that the Padres would make noise, I didn't think it would be an explosion. I also didn't think opponents would be so silenced. The Brewers came into Petco Park as the highest-scoring team in the league, and have been blanked over 18 innings.
Some interesting things:
- The Padres are in the upper half of baseball in runs scored despite playing in a pitcher's park and having a mediocre team batting average. They are second in steals. Correlation? I think so. Pitching is only part of the equation because the Giants and Cardinals both have better team ERAs.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff is hitting .256 for Oakland with just 1 HR. I might be blind but I didn't find fielding stats on the source I was checking. Chase Headley is batting .322 and he, too, needs to improve on his 1 HR.
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Vista's Trevor Cahill was called up from AAA Sacramento to fill in for a suddenly battered A's starting rotation and was rocked by Toronto Friday to the tune of 6 earned runs in 5 innings.
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So you all get me excited about local horse Sidney's Candy being one of the Kentucky Derby favorites and wait until Friday to tell me he's never run in dirt? Nice. Not only will it be dirt, but it could very well be mud because of bad weather. We'll hope for the best.
Some interesting things:
- The Padres are in the upper half of baseball in runs scored despite playing in a pitcher's park and having a mediocre team batting average. They are second in steals. Correlation? I think so. Pitching is only part of the equation because the Giants and Cardinals both have better team ERAs.
- Kevin Kouzmanoff is hitting .256 for Oakland with just 1 HR. I might be blind but I didn't find fielding stats on the source I was checking. Chase Headley is batting .322 and he, too, needs to improve on his 1 HR.
---
Vista's Trevor Cahill was called up from AAA Sacramento to fill in for a suddenly battered A's starting rotation and was rocked by Toronto Friday to the tune of 6 earned runs in 5 innings.
---
So you all get me excited about local horse Sidney's Candy being one of the Kentucky Derby favorites and wait until Friday to tell me he's never run in dirt? Nice. Not only will it be dirt, but it could very well be mud because of bad weather. We'll hope for the best.
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