Making A Case
Most people that follow baseball and are a particular fan of a team, will find a player to root for who is an underdog. The underdog will be someone who performs far above expectations, perhaps a player achieving that which …
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain
At the very least, once the Wizard of Oz was confronted by Dorothy and her pals and then discovered to be an ordinary man, he apologized and told them they all had what they needed all along. He apologized for …
Moorad to Withdraw Application
The Padres say Jeff Moorad will withdraw his application to complete ownership transfer, but will remain as CEO of the San Diego Padres. Moorad headed an owners group that had agreed to purchase the team from John Moores in 2009. …
Finding a Hole in the Wall
With due respect for what outfielder Will Venable did to a Yu Darvish fastball Wednesday afternoon - crushing it off of the tall wall in deep center field - outfielder/first baseman Kyle Blanks figured out how to one-up Venable. The …
Yu Might Want To Rephrase That
Thirty-six pitches were closely monitored by over 150 media members on Wednesday, making the Peoria Sports Complex unusually lopsided. Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish made his spring training debut for the Texas Rangers, throwing 2 innings of scoreless ball, striking out …
Sleeper
The middle girl is always the problem child. I love mine very much, but holy hell. She found out I'm writing about the Padres this evening. "Dad, they suck!" They don't suck, darling. They're under-appreciated. Underachieving. Underrated. 71 1/2 is …
Faith, Who Needs It?
You don't have to believe. No law is written in Western Civilization that commits anyone to a belief. Baseball was born here. That probably has a lot to do with a lot. Faith is something you don't have to get …
Cool Heat
Did Padres newly-acquired reliever Andrew Cashner really throw a baseball 103 mph yesterday afternoon in Peoria? Not likely. If it actually happened then it was by accident. The Padres didn't want for it. Neither did Cashner. No need to interview …
One More Game
Used to be, there was a winner in the National League and a winner in the American League, and that was it. The two teams then went on to play in the World Series. The box scores in the newspapers …
Will the Real Owner of the Padres Please Stand Up?
Pretending to set the opening day roster of the Padres is easy compared to solving the question of whether the ownership of the club will somehow become resolved before April. Technically, John Moores still owns the Padres, regardless of the …
The Critical Masses
The managers of major league baseball teams might be the most second-guessed people in the world that aren't involved in politics, network television programming, or particle physics. After each game on most days there is a manager's press conference (referred …
Who's on First?
Lately, first base for the Padres has been a revolving door for player after player, it seems that no one can latch onto that position for very long. Traditionally, first basemen are big guys with big power who are somewhat …
The Liar's Club
In early December of 2011, it was leaked that the National League's Most Valuable Player, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, had tested positive for a performance enhancing substance. His urine sample, according to "unnamed sources", showed an unusually high …
Million Dollar Arm
By his own admission, Andrew Cashner wasn't that tall in high school and so he didn't think much about playing basketball. Instead, he flashed a very nice glove and played shortstop for a while, until it became apparent that his …
Fun and Games
These days of spring training — in either the Arizona Cactus League or the Florida Grapefruit League — serve several purposes other than baseball training and conditioning. When the practice games start, in fact, there are times it can get …
Happy Campers
Meanwhile in Peoria, relief pitchers threw bullpen sessions today, ten to fifteen minutes each in most cases, mostly fastballs and change-ups and mostly just the beginning of an effort to loosen arms as needed. Tomorrow, the starters will do the …
Call To Arms
Pitchers and catchers both reported to Peoria Sunday, as ordered, and workouts in earnest begin Monday. Pitchers usually need a little more time to get up to speed than do position players, and it's difficult to pitch without a catcher. …
Kids at the Grown-Up Table
Some of the Padres prospects stand a good chance of looking back on March of 2012 in Peoria, Arizona as having been a great part of their salad days, to steal a wonderful and memorable phrase from a certain Coen …
Organizational Depth
Peoria, Arizona, is not at all a bad place to be in early March. West of Phoenix proper, Peoria offers your basic desert atmosphere; there is a nightlife, sunny and mild days (the nights can get a little chilly in …
Basic Training
Any brief occupation of Petco Park from a handful of players that came early for non-mandatory workouts and so on, will come to a close this week and everyone will be at the Padres spring training facility in Peoria either …