And He's Outta There...

Bochy makes a Giant decision. Who now for the Padres?

Sticky Situation...

Did you see the smudge in Game 2? What WAS that on Tigers pitcher Kenny Rogers' hand? Many said it looks like pine tar. Bill Plaschke of LATimes.com explores why none of the pine tar charges stuck. Of Rogers, he writes:

Since October, in three postseason starts, he has gone 3-0 with an 0.00 ERA in 23 innings.

You read that right. He has gone from possessing one of the worst records in postseason history to owning the third-longest scoreless innings streak in postseason history.

He has gone from a guy castigated for shoving a cameraman to a guy celebrating for punching the air in triumph.

Maturing? Not quite. At 41, he becomes the oldest starting pitcher to win a World Series game in history.

Cheating? Who knows? Even after the evidence was as blatant as dozens of wild Cardinals swings, it is a question that amazingly nobody wanted to broach.

The rest of his musing can be read here.

They're BAAAACK...

The splinter team from the work softball team is back. OK, they've been back for several weeks now. But the pix from the trip are available on Scott's Flickr account.

New Rules of the Club

OK, so when I go to work out, I expect a minimum of decorum. Granted, we're all running around in sweats and Spandex. And today's excursion to the club reminded me of some things. I saw an Asian verison of actor Alan Cumming, dressed up like his character in the "Threepenny Opera" and an old time-y weightlifter. You saw all his business coming and going--very unsettling.

But here are the basics:

• In classes, try to pick a stagger so there is mirror space for everyone
• Don't roll up close in another person's orbit
• If you hit, tap, scrape, graze or otherwise touch another person with weight equipment, it's probably well advised to politely apologize
• If you sweat, wipe it up--with a towel or other form of material (not just your hand)
• Wear deodorant
  

Not too demanding, right?

Some folks have a hard time with the basics though. That said, I had a nice workout (group weights) and a brief stint on the treadmill.

Sometimes Being a Rookie Is a Drag


Check out the photos of Padres rookies Cla Meredith, Josh Barfield, Rob Bowen, Jon Knott, Brian Sweeney...I think this photographer is a little hot for Cla and his "seriously nice legs."

Bye-Bye Bochy?


It looks as if Padres' skipper Bruce Bochy may be looking at a move from SD to SF. The SD Union Trib and SF Chronicle report that the Padres have given Bochy permission to talk to the team.

The Trib:

For the second consecutive autumn, an upper-level member of the Padres' management team will interview with a National League West rival less than six weeks after San Diego won the West.

The Chron:

Despite leading the Padres to two consecutive National League West titles, Bochy's future in San Diego has been cloudy since Sandy Alderson was hired as chief executive officer in 2004. Bochy, who has managed the Padres since 1995, has one year left on his contract and gotten no indication his deal will be extended or renewed.

On Padres player Dave Roberts' blog , he addresses the disappointment of their loss to the St. Louis Cardinals:

These are always the toughest days, when you watch it end and are filled with so much disappointment. It's an empty feeling after you've thrown yourself into something like this for so long.

We really believed we were a much better team than last year and destined for big things. We truly believed we were going to go deep into October. But it didn't happen, and now we go home and try to get over the disappointment.

This team played a lot of great baseball, inspired baseball. We never quit. It was a great group of guys to play with, in every way. I honestly don't think you could find 25 better guys on a ballclub. Everywhere you look in this clubhouse you see a good person, dedicated and selfless. And that's what makes it so difficult to see it all end.

You invest so much energy and passion, and just like that, it's over. Guys will go their separate ways, and you just don't know what next season will bring.

And whether he will spend next season with the Padres is also in question:

At this point, I'm not sure I'll be back. We'll just have to see how that plays out with my contract having expired.

Naturally, I'd love to come back. This is my hometown team, and these last two years in San Diego have been wonderful in every respect.

baseball Padres

Running log

TIME OF DAY TIME DISTANCE 6:40 a.m. 30 min 2.8 miles NOTES: The mornings are getting darker and cooler. I have to remember, as I did today, to wear a sweatshirt. I'm still having problems breathing. My legs are fine, though. I think I need to take an expectorant to help along the chest congestion. 53 days until the Reggae Marathon

Two Words...

Game Over.

That pretty much covers it. Game over for both SoCal teams in the race to get to the World Series.

So, uh, go Oakland?





baseball Padres Dodgers

Oh, Friars, Who Art in St. Louis...

So the SoCal claim on the NL is down to the Padres. The Dodgers loss last night to the Mets eliminated them from competition. A collective groan could be heard from baseball fans throughout Los Angeles.

Yesterday's win for the Padres was due in large part to the stellar pitching by Chris Young. He pitched 6 1/2 innings, allowing not a single hit.
Dave Roberts on the game:

Chris Young really wanted the ball. He was excited to pitch in this game. He's the nicest guy in the world, but on days he pitches, he turns into a different person; he's as tenacious as anyone. I can't say enough about the year he had -- and the way he responded to this challenge. He's right at the top of the list in so many statistical categories, and he showed why in the way he went after the Cardinals.

That sixth inning, when they had runners on first and second and Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds were coming up, that was a turning point in the game. Striking out Pujols was huge. I loved how C.Y. went after him.

Trevor Hoffman came in in the 9th and did his job--struck out three in a row. Bam bam bam!

Today's starting pitcher is Woody Williams. I guess Bochy is saving Peavy in the event there's a Game 5. On the future, Roberts says:

I'd like to see Trevor closing out another one on Sunday and push this series back home.

We know we're capable of doing that. We just have to go out and play the game and make good things happen.

Fingers crossed....

baseball Padres

Yank'd from Competition!!!

Is it wrong that I'm so excited that the Yankees have been eliminated?

It was the utter fanaticism of the New Yorkers that turned me completely off the team the two years I lived in NY. I know more than I ever thought I cared to about Joe Torre and his players. Then they won the World Series...over and over and over. Ugh!!!

Thank God the Bo-Sox beat 'em.

Well, kudos to the Tigers for yanking them from competition.

A Baseball Legend Dies...

Buck O'Neil, an All-Star first baseman and manager with the Kansas City Monarchs, died Friday in Kansas City, Mo. His name isn't familiar?

O'Neil, in his 16-year career, twice led the Negro American League in batting and eventually became the first black coach in major league baseball.

From the latimes.com story by Lonnie White:

O'Neil helped create the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, Mo. — he considered it the crowning achievement of his life — and always made time to talk about his life in baseball and the legacy of many of those who played in an era when baseball was racially segregated.

"I think we are the cause of the changes. Some of the changes that have been made were because of us," O'Neil said in Burns' documentary. "We did our duty. We did the groundwork for the Jackie Robinsons, the Willie Mayses, and the guys that are playing now. So why feel sorry for me? We did our part in our generation, and we turned it over to another generation, and it's still changing — which is the way it should be."

Don't weep for Buck By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports

Former Negro Leaguer O'Neil dies by Associated Press

Buck O’Neil dies By SAM MELLINGER, The Kansas City Star

photo from the Buck O'Neil collection, appears on latimes.com

Cali Is Still In It!!!

The Padres stick the 3-1 lead, with Hoffman racking up another save. We're around to play another day. Pitcher Chris Young is the player of the game, giving up no hits in the 6 1/2 innings he pitched.

All eyes on LA baseball now.

New Gameday Feature

MLB.com has made an upgrade of sorts to its Gameday flash interactive. This is the primary way I've watched the Padres during the 2006 season--since most stations ignore the 3rd SoCal baseball team.

The new "enhanced" version offers more of a focus on the pitches and the hitter's perspective. The "classic" version gives you a better view of the field, info on both the pitcher and the batter, a running commentary of the action, a view of who is on base and in the field. Yeah, the earlier version is a little lower-tech looking, but upgrades aren't always better. I'm trying to give it a chance since we often fear change.

Aaron, what do you think?

Dave Says...

From Dave Roberts' blog about today's game:

There’s no holding back now. You play this game, Game 3 of the NLDS, with everything you’ve got. You hold nothing back. You play with abandon, but you’re smart about it, too. Play hard, play smart, leave it all on the field. It’s the only way to approach a challenge like this.

Look Alive...

The Padres are showing signs of life!!! It's 3-0 SD moving into the bottom of the 6th. The Pads have put Khalil Greene at short.

SoCal baseball may actually still have a future! We'll stay tuned in to the Dodgers' first home game in post-season play.



p.s. The ESPN2 announcers sound as if they normally do golf. Yes, it's all on grass, like golf, but that style not really translating to baseball.

A Kid With His Own Theme Music

Duhn-nah-nah, Duhn-nah-nah. OK, that's SportsCenter, but check this out:

BILOXI, Miss. - Leann Real promised her husband, an avid sports fan, that if they ever had a son he'd get to pick the name. ESPN Montana Real was born this week at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

Rusty Real, of D'Iberville, chose ESPN (pronounced Espen) after the sports network and Montana after football legend Joe Montana.


The scary thing? He's not the only one.

Nooooomar!!

Nomar's quads have pulled him out of the lineup for Saturday's game.

Garciaparra Has Torn Quadriceps

Baseball Outlook

From Hardball Times...

On the Padres:
The whole picture is not nearly so rosy for San Diego. Chris Young may stack up nicely against Suppan, but as long as the Padres offense tries to redefine "pitcher's park" and Pujols is playing for the other guys, it'll be a hard road just to get back to Petco and Game 5.



On the Dodgers:
The Dodgers still haven't won a playoff game on the road since 1988, and they might not get another chance this year. After the New York Mets dumped the Dodgers for the second consecutive day, this time by a 4-1 score, the Dodgers are one loss away from winter hibernation.

Feeling Blue...

As we all have seen and experienced, just as our first junior high school crush filled us with joy and elation, only to ultimately abandon us, leaving us sitting in a shallow pool of our own sorrows...

Rocky Mountain High...

My work softball team made it to Colorado Springs. Our sun-kissed gang is getting a bit of the cold shoulder though. Shoulder, arms, legs, necks and noses, actually. It's a tad chillier than expected I hear. The buffet dinner served outside was unintentionally on ice with the cool air sort of defeating the purpose of cooking it, I suppose.

Thursday begins the game play--and the evening's theme is a mystery, as is the outcome of the day's activity.

Wishing them the best in Colorado.

Thursday Comebacks?

OK, it's time for California teams to make a better showing. Both the Padres (Tuesday) and the Dodgers (Wednesday) fell behind in the first game of the playoff series. The Padres' Dave Roberts has this to say about Game 2:

How do I feel about Game 2? Confident. I like our starting pitching every time out there, and this is no exception with David Wells. I look for a big game from Boomer -- and the rest of us.


Roberts is blogging during the playoffs. You can also check out Tommy Lasorda's blog.