Trying to remember the 2010 San Diego Padres: Game 5 (clowns on the field... twice)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind... and to be truthful... I'm feelin'... golden.

If you were at this game all by your lonesome say hello in the comments section. To do otherwise would be anti-social, a behavior we cannot tolerate. The tree is falling in the woods... prove that it makes a sound.

For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 5 of 18
May 17th, 2010
Padres v Giants @Petco Park
(Monday/Park Pass)

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

I went to this game with my brother and his fiance on park passes. Our goal was to sneak down to some Field Reserved seats since it was a Monday night and the Padres still lacked Believers... not that it would change drastically in the coming months. The Brother and Missus were successful in their attempts to hijack Jeffrey Moorad's seats. I failed.

***
I watched the game from behind the plate in the standing room area. This is a fantastic spot to watch a game. A great perspective exists for everything but a view of the Jumbo tron in LF. Not a big deal but I like replays and examining player slash lines and numbers.

I stood next to a Giants fan and his girlfriend. She was very attractive and I could only think to myself, "Boy, did this fella in orange do well for himself." By year's end he could claim both the girl and a championship... a life complete! But on that night we talked baseball with special mention of the Padres recent dominance of his Giants. I would have the last laugh... that night anyways.

***
The Padres won this game. I believe the hard luck loser for SF was Matt Cain as always. I think he pitched well giving up but a couple runs. Final score of 3-1, perhaps? The method of scoring is mysterious to me.

***
Heath Bell raced in from the bullpen to Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away and proceeded to get his mind blown... by TWO SEPARATE incidents of clowns jumping on to the field to disrupt the game in the 9th inning. The second incident was especially memorable because the crowd dutifully began chanting, "Tase him, Tase him, Tase him." It's a unique moment when the laid back denizens of San Diego begin to beg for a fellow human being to get the taser treatment from security. I loved it. I could tell that Heath was bothered by the events, his delicate rhythm as a closer being disrupted. Ultimately the Giants got him for a run before shutting the door (I think).

***
Memorable moment: this was the game where Chris Denorfia got his first AB as a Padre. He would drive a single to CF to the right side of the second base bag and then steal second (maybe). Back to the hit... it was only a single... but it had that thunderous crack that resonates through a park leaving an indelible mark on your mind. A mere single. I liked Denorfia from that moment forward.

Source: The memory of clowns on a field... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

Yes! I was correct. The final score was a 3-1 victory for the Padres. Clayton Richard got the win, improving his record to 3-2. Richard pitched 7 innings, surrendering 1 run on 3 hits. He walked 3 and K'd 5.

Matt Cain was the loser. He dropped to 2-3 on the season. Cain only gave up 2 runs but he walked 5. C'mon fella!

***
Heath Bell got the save, his 11th in 13 opportunities. I was wrong about him giving up a run though. He did give up a hit and struck out 2. I was correct about the clowns on the field... I guess the inning was so long it altered my memory.

***

Adrian Gonzalez put the Padres ahead in the 1st on a towering blast to dead CF. It was his 8th of the year. He was 1 for 2 (HR/ 1 RBI/ 1 Run) with two walks.

***
The go ahead (and winning) run came in the 5th when Chase Headley knocked a single to RF plating David Eckstein. An insurance run was tacked on in the 7th when Kyle Blanks was HBP resulting in the third run by... that man David Eckstein.

***
Attendance: 20, 558. I guess that's decent for a Monday night game in May....

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

No GAB (Gregerson/Adams/Bell) during this game but there was an AB sighting. I prefer this anyway. I think a starter should work at least 7 innings... preserve the 'pen a bit and leave yourself with more options when needed. Adams (8th) and Bell (9th) is preferable if it means the starter went 7 innings. There will always be work for Luke Gregerson.

***
This win over the Giants was a big one as the Padres had just been swept by the Dodgers over the weekend at Petco. The Padres brought their season tally to 7-0 against the Giants and 11-3 dating back to 2009. Surprisingly, with a chance to move to 8-0 the following night, Latos couldn't get the win. He was on track however, until the wheels fell off in the 8th and the Padres lost in 12 innings.

***
Chase Headley was hitting clean-up with an OPS (.723) lower than #2 hitter David Eckstein (.724). In the bottom of the eighth, with Chris Denorfia on 3rd (I was wrong... no SB for Deno... he was sacrificed and advance on a ground-out) the Giants opted to walk AGon to get to Chase Headley. Chase couldn't pick up the runner and popped out to RF.

No more of those sign graphics. Fun while they lasted.

***
The Giants outfield on May 17th (Andres Torres, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz) was significantly different than the one that logged the majority of innings during the Division clinching game on October 3rd (Pat Burrel and (PH) Cody Ross / Andres Torres/ Jose Guillen and (PH) Nate Schierholz)

***
Juan Uribe struck out 3 times which I enjoyed. Because he's a fat shortstop. My mind is engineered to hate fat middle infielders who swing out of their shoes. Sue me. Enjoy LA, fat fella.

Source: Baseball Reference and Padres.com

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

It was fun beating up on the Giants but clearly they were a different looking team come October. By that time they were playing us more competitively... and then they won the World Series.

***
I've seen Matt Cain pitch a lot and he always pitches well... and he always loses. It's great. I think my Cain winning streak dates back to this memorable game. Watch it here.

***
I'm perfectly fine watching a game by myself. I am secure.

***
That's 5 games in the books and the Padres are 3-0 (Storm 1-1). Winners are grinners.

Thirteen to go!

Over at The Fro: The PCL Padres and a New Deal

I've written a column at RJ's Fro in which the birth of the San Diego Padres is both examined and celebrated. You see, today marks the official announcement that San Diego would be receiving entrance into the Pacific Coast League. So it's a birthday story of sorts. And who do we have to thank for suffering these pangs of child birth? The answer may surprise you.

To continue the celebration..... AJM and RJ's Fro.

Padres Uniform Decisions In A Vacuum

I'm not saying the Padres need to use a vacuum to clean up the mess that is their new road gray uniform; although there are others who would gladly volunteer for the job. The title of said job could be called, Sucker of Suck.

Hmmm...... maybe I would volunteer for this fantasy job. Whoa, this analogy is coming undone at the seams. Let us move on...

The new away gray jersey is actually pretty awesome looking... if I were living in a vacuum... void of any real context of the game of baseball or the geography of southern California and its teams.

Sometimes I think Jeff Moorad et al. make their decisions while living in this vacuum. He has talked before of this desire to see people traversing the grounds of Petco dressed in Padre Blue.  

"Padre Blue" is actually a euphemism for "Good morning. Allow me to throw monkey feces at you!" Doesn't make any sense does it? Nor does the idea of Padre Blue because it is Padres who are brown and Dodgers who are in fact blue.

Moorad is so hellbent on this notion of Padre Blue that he introduced a nice looking away jersey that fails to consider the miserable similarity to our rivals in Los Angeles.

I have unfortunate news for Mr. Moorad. Many other teams in Major League Baseball wear blue uniforms including our next door neighbors... who we tend to LOATHE!

I love the color blue but when it comes to the Padres I am more than willing to concede to the team residing in Los Angeles. The Dodgers can have blue. As a franchise their history is more steeped in tradition than ours and we should defer to them on the matter of uniforms (I will make no other concessions to this franchise, however). Let them have blue. It's theirs.

Let us have brown. It is ours.

***
I never had a big issue with the away Sand uniforms. I didn't think they made the Padres look like they had urinated on themselves like others have suggested. But I do understand the desire to be traditional and gray is nothing if not traditional.

***
Here's some commentary(and pictures) of the other uniform changes in San Diego this week, courtesy of RJ's Fro.

***
Everyone had given an opinion on the uniforms this week and this is mine, for what it's worth. I am like Jeff Moorad in that I appreciate tradition. It is respect for tradition which always brings me back to the Padres inaugural uniform of 1969. Enough brown to establish a connection to a Padre/Friar without being too over-the-top. Let's save the over-the-top for Throwback Thursday's... another tradition of which I am fond.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 4 (the rehab assignment)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind....and my mind is becoming stronger with each exercise. All of my neurons are functioning smoothly...

If you were at any of these games of which I speak or remember watching them to an Enberg/Grant soundtrack then I suggest you test yourself too. There are a number of ways to can do this. Begin by closing your eyes. Then grit your teeth. Now think. When you're finished start reading. I'm going for a glass of water.

For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 4 of 18
May 6th, 2010
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) v. Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers) @ The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, Ca.

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

Of my first four games in 2010 two of them were at Lake Elsinore. This was also my last Storm (Padres) game and as such I have little difficulty recalling the details.

***
I went to this game with Friarhood Steve and Cheri Bell. Once there we met up with Peter Friberg and a friend met through Twitter named Chris (aka @Sportsbrain). Going to games with particular people and meeting others there helps to frame a game, gives it those peripheral details needed to bring the picture into focus.

***
You know what else helps to frame a game? A promotion like Thirsty Thursday where beers are sold for a buck until the 7th inning. I love minor league promotions.

***

Minor league baseball games have another great feature; the rehabilitation assignment. And it was on this Thirsty Thursday in early May when the Storm faced the 66ers that fans were treated to an appearance by Manny Ramirez. Heckling is so appealing.

***
The Diamond was loaded with Dodger fans which was actually pretty cool; they got to witness firsthand a strikeout and a base running blunder from their fading star... and a loss.

***
The Storm won in what was a close game until a late inning explosion by the Storm.

***
Nick Schmidt (2007 1st round pick) started again but did not figure into the decision. I don't remember the exact score but I'm pretty sure the 8th inning lasted an 1:45. No joke.

Source: Extra helpings of blueberries... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Storm's Nick Schmidt threw 6 innings. He gave up 3 runs (2 ER) while striking out 4 and walking 4. Tough to get a win that way.

***
The Storm defeated the 66ers 11-7  by pounding away on IE with 13 hits. After overcoming a 7-3 deficit in the 8th by scoring 8 runs things got dicey in the top of the 9th.

***
Closer Brad Brach came on in the 9th to get the last out and the save.

***
Pitcher Zachary Herr got the win after a fortuitous entry in the top of the 8th. No evidence exists to support the idea that he is the offspring of the old Cardinals' 2nd baseman, Tommy Herr.

***
Beer concession figures were unavailable.

***
Attendance--3,833

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

Brad Brach earned the save and would go on to set the California League record with 41 saves in 2010. Brach was a 42nd round draft pick out of Monmouth University by the Padres in 2008.


***
Third basemen Vincent Belnome went 2 for 2 with 3 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Belnome was a 28th round draft pick out of West Virginia University in 2009.


***
Catcher Michael Collins went 3 for 5 including a double and an RBI. Collins is from Australia.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

So, what is it that I take from my two games of minor league ball? Pretty simple really. A team like the Storm is a conduit for 1st rounders to one day (hopefully) make their way to San Diego. These top picks came with accolades but most importantly they arrived with projections. For 1st round picks it's the projections that matter; they procure the big time bonus checks that secure a future while they toil away in the Cal, Texas, and Pacific Coast leagues.

Not all are as fortunate. The Notable Omissions I mentioned above (Brach, Belnome, and Collins), were acquired by the Padres for a specific but entirely different type of purpose; they're needed to fill out a roster so the 1st rounders can play and develop*. They are not projected to be the future in San Diego.

But during the time I watched the Storm play during 2010 these Notable Omissions were the stars.

***
 Go see some minor league ball because you never know who'll end up in San Diego one day. I got dibs on the discovery of Vincent Belnome!

Source: Lake Elsinore Storm website

*I recently finished The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst so I may have just borrowed his phrasing on the subject.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 3 (Houston... we have a Beerfest?)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind... and it is about to seriously unravel.

If you were at any of the games I've been rehashing or remember watching them on the tube then join my little Irish Wake and splash the comment section with your alcohol laden commemorations! For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 3 of 18
April 30th, 2010
Padres v. Brewers @ Petco Park


WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

Beerfest?

***
There are serious recollection issues on this one, friends. Let me see...

I believe this particular game was a part of the brilliantly conceived but poorly executed Beerfest hosted by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. I'm basing this quasi-gut-feeling on the opponent. I seem to recall the comedic connection between having a Beer Fest prior to a game against the Brewers. I guess it's not really that funny.

***
Like I said, great concept for Beerfest, but it was a logistical snafu right off the bat. I arrived with my buddy Al but we shunned the lines, instead settling for a Petco Park beverage over the choice microbrews of San Diego. There was just no denting the lines. We cursed Tom Garfinkel!

***
Perhaps a Friarhood meet-up as well? If so, I seem to recall sitting with SDPads1 of RJ's Fro and also meeting Mel from The Sacrifice Bunt.

***
The Padres win this game for sure. I'm going with a 3-0 shutout of the vaunted Milwaukee offense of Braun, Fielder, Hart, et. al.

***
Weren't we starting to feel pretty good about the Padres at this point? I think the Milwaukee series saw the Padres staff begin to really assert itself allowing maybe just a couple of runs in a 4 game (?) series.

***
I have no idea how the Padres scored. I have no idea who pitched. Did I just make up a bunch of stuff?

Source: An overactive imagination... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

Phewwww! It was the Beerfest game! I guess I should be thankful that the opponent was the Brewers, giving me cause to connect the beer soaked dots.

***
The Padres did in fact win the game 3-0 with Clayton Richard (1-2) getting the "W" after throwing 6 innings and striking out 8. Dave Bush was the big loser.

***
With April coming to an end the Padres improved their record to 15-8 after blanking the Brewers in consecutive games by an aggregate score of 12-0. The Padres and Brewers would split the next two games; a 2-1 loss for Mat Latos but a series clinching win on Sunday for Jon Garland by a score of 8-0. Trevor Hoffman saved the lone win for the Brewers.

***
As I said, the Padres had taken the 1st two games of the series by scoring 12 runs. Care to guess who went 0 for 8 with 1 walk in those two wins? I think the Padres offense will survive in 2011.

***
Attendance-- 29,366. Pretty weak considering it was a Friday during a sustained run of success...with a BEERFEST promotion! Alas, it would be the attendance story of the season.

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

GAB: Gregerson (7th), Adams (8th), and Bell (9th) made quick work of the Brewers resulting in a speedy game time of 2:46.

***

BRO-B-I in full effect: in a 1-0 game in the 7th, Scott Hairston hit a pinch hit blast plating he and brother Jerry. The HR was vintage Hairston. Since his arrival from Arizona in 2007 he hit quite a few memorable homers at Petco that looked just like this one. Scotty was never afraid of Petco; too bad we couldn't have seen more of these.

Give it a look... it was a no doubter.

***
Shutout streak of 24 innings for Padres pitching staff.

***
This was the Padres 10th win in 11 games.

***
New Padres catcher Greg Zaun was behind the plate for the Brewers going 1 for 3 with a walk.

***
Tony Gwynn Jr., the evening's hitting star, went 2 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. TGJ finished April hitting .255 with a .758 OPS. However, Gwynn the Younger, could not maintain his torrid April pace; he now plies his trade in what I like to refer to as an Overcrowded Version of Hell (Los Angeles).

Sources: Baseball Reference & Padres.com

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

Shut outs are cool. An expertly planned Beerfest may have been even MORE cool. Going to games with friends and meeting more once there is the very definition of good times... and a hangover.

***
It's a beautiful day... let's play 15... more of these.

Evil 1987 Must Be Neutralized

Earlier this week, I learned that Tim Raines wanted to be a Padre back in 1987... and the Padres' brass said no. I categorize this belated news as Evil. 

All Evil Accounts from 1987 must be counteracted with Pure '87 Goodness.

Enjoy your Friday.

Recent Padres History and An Open Letter To Chad Qualls

Upon hearing of the Chad Qualls signing I thought I'd take the opportunity to welcome him to the home team.

Dear Chad
You have a great opportunity to join an established bullpen here in San Diego that may very well serve as the catalyst to a career revival. The tutelage of pitching coach Darren Balsley coupled with the spaciousness of Petco park should serve you well in 2011.


Giving due consideration to the above comments I'd be remiss if I did not point out that even 93 mph fastballs...

... can get knocked the f*ck out of a cavernous park like Petco by even the most diminutive of batters.

You know this... because David Eckstein wrecked you with one swing of the bat on June 7th, 2009... thus proving that even a midget with a propensity for choking up to the bat's fulcrum can best a pitcher in Petco Park.

David Eckstein, Chad. David "fricken" Eckstein.


Welcome to San Diego and the PENitentiary. Best of luck in 2011.


Sincerely
AJM

All in good fun.

The Mrs. and I were there and since I've been recapping games attended I though I'd make a few remarks about this particular one.

The Padres were down 6-1 in the 9th to Arizona and naturally they decided to put forth an epic rally during a game in which I had an afternoon curfew (mother-in-law babysitting came with an expiration time).

So with two runners on base and a 6-3 score, up walked David Eckstein to pinch hit for Luis Perdomo. Eck jumped all over the first pitch from Qualls launching a 3 run bomb, tying the game at 6 a piece. Petco erupted and we were off to extras...

The Mrs. and I managed to push through 'til the top of the 13th... and then we did something that has happened precisely three times since 2004... we began our trek home without knowing the game's outcome.

After 18 innings the Padres had left a surprisingly low number of runners on base (7)... of course, this tends to happen when teams go 9 for 61 at the plate. I took solace in knowing that the climax of such an uninspired offensive performance was absorbed while nestled in the comfort of both couch and central air.


When the 54th out of the day was recorded the Padres were on the 9-6 losing end of a Getaway day marathon; victim to a 3-run HR in the top half of the 18th by Diamondback's 3rd baseman Mark Reynolds. The winning blast was surrendered by the 10th Padres pitcher of the day... light hitting short stop, Josh Wilson. Wilson's ERA would never recover that year.

Ironically it was the Diamondbacks who had waived Wilson only 3 weeks earlier leading to an audition with the Padres. The Padres then proceeded to waive Josh Wilson less than two weeks after his June 7th mound collapse. To the chagrin of Padres fans everywhere, Wilson was claimed forthwith by our despised arch-rivals to the north...

Know your Padres history.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 2 (quashing rebellions)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind. These are my memories of Padres games attended during the 2010 season.

The nature of these posts (being my own game experiences) may be of zero interest to you; therefore I understand any antipathy towards them.

However, if you were at any of these games or remember watching them on the tube then join the wake and eulogize/comment with some memories. For further explanation [go here]

GAME 2 of 18
April 25th, 2010
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) v. High Desert Mavericks (A's ???) @ The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, Ca.

 WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

Again, kind of easy to remember, as it was my first trip to Lake Elsinore to see the Padres High A team play. There were a few interesting wrinkles to this game that made it memorable...

***
This was a Sunday game scheduled as a double header due to a rain out a few days prior. In a quirky "this-is-minor-league-baseball" sort of thing, each game was scheduled to go 7 innings. The Storm lost each game but I only stayed for one.

***

By "I", I mean "We". 

I took one of the daughters to this game and it was only her second baseball game ever attended (the first being back in 2008 against the Twins at Petco). I was able to corral her into a seat until the 4th inning at which time an insurrection began.

Hot dogs and pretzels can contain tiny ones for only so long; thankfully The Diamond has a grass area down the RF line where the rebellions of children can be quelled. It's a great venue to catch a game with family.

***
First round draft picks, Nick Schmidt (2007) and Allan Dykstra (2008), were in action during this game. Neither was impressive. Dykstra however was impressive in that he looked like Jim Thome... his physique and swing... not the results it produced. Schmidt, a left hander, got the loss.

***
For the Storm, Vince Belnome homered as did Yefri Carvajal.

***
Storm Manager Carlos Lezcano was bounced late in the game on a bad call at 2B. It was AWESOME! He bounced his helmet off the turf about 20 feet into the air.

Source: My Beautiful Mind... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Storm lost to High Desert 4-2 in 7 innings. I did not stay for game 2 but it was also a loss for the Storm (10-2).

***
I was correct about the HRs from Vince Belnome and Yefri Carvajal.

***
Schmidt went 5 innings (4 runs/3 earned), struck out 4 and walked 3. Schmidt got the loss.


NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

The Mavericks are actually the High A team for the Seattle Mariners. Having said that, I can now recall my thoughts at the time... this is wear the seeds are sown for the most heated inter-league rivalry in MLB... The San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners. Blood feuds start early. Not sure if I explained this to the daughter.

***
Daniel Robertson had a couple of knocks (2 for 3)

***
Allan Dykstra went 1 for 3 boosting his average to .196 for the young season. Ouch!

***
Cole Figueroa started at SS for the Storm. Figueroa was a part of the recent Jason Bartlett trade. Bartlett, as a former Padre property, played for the Storm back in 2002. So in that sense... I feel like I saw Bartlett play in this game... in a 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon kind of way.

Sources: LE Storm website

Join me... at least 16 more times.

Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 1 (walk-offs are nice)

I recently read a book where the two principal characters discussed memories of their fathers taking them to their first baseball games. I took a moment to think about this and came to a simple conclusion; I can hardly remember last season let alone the details of a game as a child. 

So...the following series of posts will serve as an experiment... an experiment designed to test my memory of Padres games attended during 2010.

The nature of these posts, being my own game experiences, may be of zero interest to you; therefore I understand any antipathy towards them.

However, if you were at any of these games or remember watching them on the tube then join the wake and eulogize/comment with some memories.

GAME 1 of 18
April 16th, 2010
Padres v. D-backs @ Petco Park



WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

The bookend games are always the easiest to remember.

***
This was the 1st weekend game of the 1st home-stand of the season. I received a free in game program, the first of its kind in San Diego (Blue Print), and promptly discarded it because I had no idea what it was. I later retrieved a copy to complete my set of Blue Prints for the 2010 season. The program name, Blue Print, sounds good; as opposed to Brown Print. Nice work Moorad and Garfinkel.

***

The Padres won on a walk-off HR by Chase Headley. Headley delivered the 3 run walk-off bomb from the left side of the plate after David Eckstein had tied the game on a 2-bagger over the head of a nameless Arizona LF. I had a close up of the Eckstein hit as my seats were down the 3rd base line right below the Jerome's Chair.

I was expecting to hear Pennywise's "Bro Hymn" after the Headley HR but I'm pretty sure I had to settle for Macy Gray.

***
I attended this game with a large group of people and I recall missing some of the nuances of the game because of it. It was a fast game with little action until the later innings. I couldn't say who pitched for Arizona but the pace seems to indicate that Clayton Richard was on the hill for San Diego.

***
It feels good to win... even if it is only April.

Source: My ticket stub and (sometimes) steel trap of a mind.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The final score was 6-3 after the Padres scored 4 in the bottom half of the 9th. Headley's HR came with 2 outs after Adrian Gonzalez had been intentionally walked. I can now recall the conversations surrounding the decision to walk A-Gon and how Chase was going to need to make teams pay for the transgressions. Incidentally... Adrian Gonzalez is no longer a Padre.

***
Heath Bell got the win after entering in the 9th and holding Arizona scoreless. Did they play Breaking Benjamin's Blow Me Away? I would guess not since the Padres were down a couple.

***
It was actually Jon Garland who pitched and the game lagged along finishing in 3:20. Something was telling me that it was actually Garland who pitched but the minute I mentioned the game was at a quick pace I eliminated the possibility of Garland being the starter. I guess my perception of game time was skewed by attending in a more social atmosphere.

***
Attendance--26,632

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

Arizona's starter was Edwin Jackson but Juan Gutierrez got the loss after blowing the save.

***
San Diego threw Garland, Mujica, Russell, and Bell. Only Bell remains as part of the Padres' staff.

***
Kyle Blanks went 2 for 3, finishing the game with a stellar batting average of ...<> .229... this may have been a high water mark for young Kyle Blanks during 2010. He did hit a booming double though and eventually scored... something my memory is now starting to reconstruct.

***
David Eckstein was a key contributor to both the 8th and 9th inning rallies. Scrappy is also one of the departed Padres in 2011.

Source: Baseball Reference & Padres.com

This was fun... let's do it 17 more times!

A Terrible Trevor Hoffman fan?

So it ends.

After 601 saves Trevor Hoffman hung up his spikes and fans we're left to reflect on a remarkable career. I have begun to think of the successes and failures, but perhaps most importantly, what he has meant to San Diego.

Sorry... but that last one there... I think about it a lot.

As a city without championships San Diegans are often left with little else than the memories of individual players and their place in our community. In that sense the names Gwynn and Hoffman are synonymous; players who enjoyed tremendous on-field success, became trademarks of the Padres organization and pillars of our community---guys who we were proud to call our own.

As I reflected yesterday on the consistency and greatness of Trevor's career I began to sift through and sort his most memorable performances. These were the ones that my mind jigsawed back together:
(click "Read More" to continue)

•  October 20th 1998--After a season of absolute dominance and 53 saved games, Trevor surrendered a lead in game 3 of the World Series when he allowed a 3-run HR to Yankees 3rd baseman, Scott Brosius. The blown save would lead to a game 3 loss that evening and the series would end abruptly the following night (television).

• September 29th, 2007-- (game 161) With an opportunity to clinch the division against the Milwaukee Brewers Trevor could not keep the light hitting Tony Gwynn Jr. from pulling an RBI triple down the line. TGJ's hit sent the game to extra innings where it would end in the 11th with a disheartening Padres loss. The son of the greatest player in the history of the Padres franchise had dashed our hopes while batting against perhaps the second most beloved player (television).

• October 1st, 2007-- (game 163) In the most heartbreaking game in my time as a Padres fan Trevor let open the floodgates against the Colorado Rockies in the 13th inning of game 163. The third, and winning, run scored when Matt Holiday's chin bounced off the Denver dirt and he was ruled safe by home plate umpire Tim McClelland (television).

• June 24th, 2008-- The Padres, mired in a miserable follow-up to the 2007 season, trotted out Trevor Hoffman during the 9th inning of a 1-1 tie. I told my wife that he never does well entering a game in the 8th or with runners on base... or during a tie game. After striking out the first two batters in the top half of the 9th he gave up two HRs in rapid succession. My wife, a calm and reasonable person, became vocal in her displeasure. I did something I rarely ever do... I booed. I booed Trevor Hoffman (attended).

As I took stock of my fanhood and recalled the most lucid moments in Trevor Hoffman's career I came to the only logical conclusion: I am a terrible Trevor Hoffman fan.

I beat myself up over it. How could a player who exhibited such greatness serve only as the tragic punchline to my most memorable pains as a Padres fan?

I sat and thought and was left with little reward for the effort. I could come up with no specific performances of greatness by Trevor. Sure, I could remember change-ups that dropped off the table leaving hitters baffled but there was no 1-2-3 inning requiring a mere 3 pitches. There was no 9 pitch inning of 3 batters coaxed into flailing swings at the famous change-up. Nor could I recall some great defensive stab whereupon Trevor wielded to second base for an inning ending double play.

There had to be something. While the Padres could never claim that memorable World Series moment where everyone mobbed the closer like the Mets did to Jesse Orosco* in the 1986 WS, there had to be something about a Trevor appearance that stood out...

And then the cobwebs began to clear from the deepest recesses of my mind and a smile appeared on my face. I began to remember.

In fact I began to remember every game I attended where Trevor Hoffman pitched... and then I began to remember his appearances I watched on television... and there was a similar artistry to them all. I had not forgotten a thing.

My memory was not limited to the scars that were produced so many years before. I recalled the rhythm to each and every one of Trevor's entrances. They were remarkably consistent in both appearance and performance.

As a fan I realized that I didn't need to remember anything more specific than the sound of Hells Bells playing over the PA or my imagination of the tune being played during the commercial break of a telecast watched at home. It didn't matter that Hells Bells was not played when Trevor had a save opportunity on the road.... because it automatically became my mind's soundtrack each and every time. 

 

If Hells Bells was played it meant Trevor Time... and if Trevor made his late inning appearance it was near certain the Padres would walk off the field with a win.

Trevor Hoffman walked off the field a winner almost 9 out of 10 times during his career... and for me, wins aren't too bad of a memory.

Thanks Trevor.

* The final out of the '86 series is one of my favorites. Jesse Orosco flipped his glove high into the New York sky after the final out of game 7; it was an action I would often imitate amongst friends at the ball field. Orosco would go on to pitch for another 20 years or so and during the latter stretch of his career he would go trick or treating at my parent's house. Actually he accompanied his children to my house on Halloween. Jesse Orosco was my neighbor for a short time here in San Diego but I never mustered the nerve to ask him to recreate that October night in 1986. That would have been cool.

More Baseball Music: The Ramones Take A Turn

Few people know that the Ramones' 1975 hit, Beat on the Brat (with a baseball bat), was actually a tribute to one of the greatest brawls in baseball history.

In 1965, San Francisco Giants pitcher Juan Marichal took umbrage with Los Angeles Dodgers Catcher John Roseboro after Roseboro had hummed a throw a little too close to Marichal's ear on a toss back to pitcher Sandy Koufax. Marichal proceeded to club Roseboro over the head with his bat igniting a bench clearing brawl in the midst of a pennant race.

Meanwhile, aspiring musicians Joey and Dee Dee Ramone, sat in Queens, New York watching it all unfold. Both still held allegiances to the Giants despite the club's decision to move west less than a decade earlier. Each of these future punk rock pioneers cheered for Marichal that day with fervor not seen since the gladiatorial celebrations of Rome.

Joey and Dee Dee always viewed John Roseboro as a bit of a punk for what he did so they penned a three chord assault to commemorate an incident seared into their childhood memories. But rather than call him a punk (which, after all, was their preferred nom de guerre) they opted for the more derogatory term associated with whiny children: a brat.

Thus, a punk rock tune of legendary* status was born. I give you The Ramones...

This story is TRUE or FALSE?

*And by legendary I mean the song.

The Long Awaited Trip To Cooperstown

I completely blew it in 2007.

I was so consumed by hatred for the New England Patriots and a trip to Foxborough, MA to see the Chargers play that I never considered the only true touring option for 2007; a trip to Cooperstown, NY to see Tony Gwynn's induction into baseball's HOF*.

Like I said... I blew it.

So here's my chance (and yours) for atonement.

Assuming by the year 2016, HOF voters will have come around to the idea of electing Closers in to The Hall on the first ballot, Padres fans will have the opportunity to travel to New York and see Trevor Hoffman's induction.

It's never to early to start planning.

*I should really contact Tony Gwynn and apologize. He deserved to have all of San Diego there in New York to see his HOF induction, considering the sacrifices he made to spend his entire career here. A little support... is it too much to ask for?

More Baseball Music

How 'bout more baseball related music that doesn't include John Fogerty's Centerfield? Sweet, let's do it!

When I was listening to some Steve Poltz the other night on the YouTube I came across him doing a cover of Rick Springfield's Jesse's Girl. He did some weird lyrical improv and it was funny so I laughed. The laughter made me smile and as I smiled I noticed that the guy who sang the chorus with him had a name. The name was important enough to put into the title of the video but also memorable and distinct enough for me to be moved to perform a search. The name: Matt the Electrician.

Matt the Electrician is a musician based in Austin, Texas and I found myself staying up way past a good and proper bedtime listening to the sound. The weary Monday was worth it though because... well, call it the effect of good music... it's always worth it.

I enjoyed Matt the Electrician's music but I also found his stage presence and sense of humor equal to the sounds. And of course, he wrote a song about baseball...

It's funny what you think about as you get lost in music. I imagined myself going on a road trip to Texas this summer where I would see Matt the Electrician play a set in Austin sandwiched between a series in San Antonio to watch the Missions* play and visits to friends in Dallas and Houston.

The imagination has a way of making Texas seem just small enough to make such a trip plausible.

*The Missions should be fun this year. Promotions from Fort Wayne and all. And hey... on the way to San Antonio we (or you) could stop in Tucson to see the AAA Padres. This sounds all too perfect!

Editor's Note:
The T-shirt MtE is wearing is a Steve Poltz shirt. Watch some more of MtE's videos... it's one of the few shirts he owns. I'm not judging. I'm that way also. About socks.

Padres baseball and Silver Linings

Yesterday on Twitter I made a comment to San Diego musician Steve Poltz and he responded. The response has led me here... so listen to some music. It has a John Kruk reference. Which pretty much makes it a baseball song.

If I were going to think of things that are definitively "San Diego" I might say:

1. Zoo
2. Sea World
3. Wild Animal Park

Of course these are things more for the tourist in your life. Don't get me wrong, I go to all those places; duty often calls.

But if a San Diegan needed to reacquaint him/herself with the city, upon returning from a journey abroad, the "Definitively San Diego" list might go something like this:

1. Visit taco shop. Order a Carne Asada burrito and Horchata. Destroy it.
2. See a show at The Casbah or The Belly-Up.
3. Make sure Steve Poltz is playing at one of the above.

I imagine there are many ways you could go with such a list. Truthfully I've never even tried Horcahta... I just like to say it. But this is my list, and while I believe it to be accurate, it's subject to change.

Anyways... Steve Poltz is a big Padres fan. Over at Ducksnorts, Geoff did an interview with him a few years back. It's broken up into five parts. Check it out.