World Series Preview . . . with a 5 year-old

This is breaking my rule of posting anything over 201 characters but I think it was too good not to publish.

I'll preface this World Series discussion with my daughter by saying that I am guilty of indoctrination. I teach her to love the Padres and Chargers. I teach her to hate (in the context of sport) the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, Raiders and Patriots. On the Indoctrination Front that's absolutely it. There's no religion, politics, or jingoism. With the exception of choosing teams to root for I believe wholeheartedly in free thinking . . .

Daughter: Daddy, I want one of your Padres bobbleheads.

Me: How about I get you a bobblehead for Christmas.

Daughter: Yes, I want 100!

Me: Well we don't have enough money to get you 100 bobbleheads. But I'll see what I can do.

Daughter: Cool.

Me: But if I get you a bobblehead you have to do something for me. You  have to start watching more baseball.

Daughter: OK. When the season starts.

Me: No. It starts tonight. Game 1 of the Worlds Series. Giants versus the Tigers. The first one to win 4 games in the Champion. Tonight we watch and cheer AGAINST the Giants.

Daughter: Against?

Me: Yes. We're rooting AGAINST the Giants and FOR the Tigers. So we have to root for the Tigers tonight.

Daughter: Because they're America?

Me: Uh . . . yes. Because they're America.

Go Tigers. Do it for 'Merica!

Tales from AT&T Park: A trip to the restroom

Yesterday I finally linked up the story that chronicled my trip to San Francisco to see the Padres play a three game series at AT&T Park.

Three days in a city like San Francisco while watching three baseball games yields a lot of detail, so much so, that it's nearly impossible to write the entire experience. Here's a very short story about my trip to the bathroom on night one of the series.

The Padres had the lead and Corey Luebke held the Giants in check on an extremely cold Friday evening in the Bay. This would be Luebke's last game before discovering a torn ulnar collateral ligament. But that's not what made me have to pee.

Our seats were out in center field. It was late in the game, the temperature dropping quicker than the passing of each half inning, and a day of drinking in the city had caught up with me.

The closest restroom required me to exit the section, walk 20 yards past the Anchor Steam beer bonanza, and walk down a set of stairs. As I reached the bottom of the stairs I turned left and came upon a rookery of Giants fans.

They collectively stared, confused by the misplaced minority in Padres gear. Only one within the group had the temerity to address my presence, though. He was thin and stood about 6' 4" tall.

As he primed himself to speak he made a face -- a mocking upside down smile, puffing out a pouty lower lip. He then said these words exactly:

"Awwww . . . did someone lose a bet?"

This is not a picture of the 6'4" Giants fan. But it is how he had dressed himself.

I smiled and thought to myself, "Yes. Yes. It is I who lost the bet. I lost. Me. I'm the loser."

But I didn't need to say a word: His appearance was satisfaction enough.

I continued on my way to the AT&T Park commode basking in the glow of not only a Padres lead that would eventually bring a victory but the knowledge that I have a wife who would never let me leave the house looking like that particular Giants fan.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jersey

In the end of April I took a trip up to San Francisco to watch the Padres take on the Giants. Courtesy of Gaslamp Ball I was allowed to take the Dave Staton jersey along for the ride. Unfortunately I never got around to posting anything about it here at AJM. So without further ado . . .

Here's a snippet from the intro:

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Jersey is a Gaslamp Ball community project that will chronicle the 2012 Padres season through the lives of their greatest fans and an old jersey.

My first trip to Fenway Park culminated with a trip to a seedy gentleman's club and a mad dash during the early morning hours to find Thoreau's Walden Pond. We failed in our quest. It's bound to happen in the midst of a 12-hour bender when one depends on a tollbooth attendant for vital literary information.

What I came to find on that trip, or perhaps what I already knew, was that literature and baseball share an inextricable link . . .

 Go check out the rest of the story here and look in the sidebar at GLB for the other fantastic tales of the SotTJ.

At Vesuvio in North Beach

Joe Thatcher disagrees with my assertions

What are these assertions I speak of and why does Joe Thatcher* stand staunchly in opposition to them?

*I can only assume that Joe Thatcher would disagree with me. But I haven't talked to him.

 I assert that Giants SS Brandon Crawford, while wielding a moderately luke-warm bat in July, sucks to high heaven as a major league ball striker.

I assert that Padres LHP Joe Thatcher, while wielding outstanding splits against lefties, sucks to high heaven as a major league ball hurler.

I assert that it would have been way funnier if this game would have ended on a wild pitch. At 15.0 games out of first place in the NL West I want weird*!

*Would this even be considered weird for Thatcher? Me thinks not. 

Joe Thatcher debuted for the Padres on July 26th, 2007 after arriving from Milwaukee as part of the Scott Linebrink trade. By the summer of '07 I had come to despise Scott Linebrink and welcomed the trade. Thatcher stayed in the Padres bullpen for the remainder of the season which ended catastrophically in Colorado during the shitshow that was -- the one hundred and sixty third game of the season. 

I point out these details to hurt you. To twist the knife into your weary soul. And to call attention to the fact that when Chase Headley* gets traded, Joe Thatcher will be the San Diego Padres most tenured player. Eat that, Wednesday!

* Chase Headley debuted on June 15th, 2007 in Chicago during the series in which Chris Young punched Derek Lee in the face. Or the series in which Chris Young missed Derek Lee's face when he tried to punch Derek Lee in the face. Chase Headley also went 1 for 1 in Game 163. Again . . . eat that, Wednesday!

A Universal Distress Signal For Padres Fans

As I waded through the crowds during Spring Training I had a thought. I've found thoughts to be a dangerous thing. If I'm left to my own devices and given moments for revery I tend to fixate on those thoughts. Ultimately I have no choice but to write about them in an effort to purge myself of the erratic nonsense pinging around the tin-can that is my mind.

Having said that, this is my thought on a method for Padres fans to signal distress during the most dire of times . . .

Crowds can be distressing but this is not about crowds per se. It is about the accompanying diversity of baseball fans that is found within the crowd.

During Spring Training these crowds descended upon the greater Phoenix area and provided me with a sense of dis-ease. It was Spring Training for God's sake, and for the most part I felt great! There I was amongst friends, under a near perfect sky, and with the return of baseball imminent, I felt . . . distressed.

Sometimes we see our nation's flag flown upside down from individuals who are protesting a perceived injustice. To fly a flag upside down however is formally meant as a military distress signal.

On account of the San Francisco Giants fans tramping around Peoria, still adorned in 2010 World Series gear during the year 2012, and as a fan of the San Diego Padres, I felt there needed to be some sort of distress signal for our ilk.

One can only bear so many reminders of how the team you support (the Padres) collapsed to a divisional rival (the Giants) and then that miserable rival went on to win a championship (f&*k!). The new jerseys with World Series patches, and the hats with . . . trophies, I guess . . . they're distressing to say the least.

As fans of the Padres we need advance warning that these types are permeating an area so we can take proper action. Whether it involves leaving the area all together or simply staring at the ground as you meander through the crowd, a distress signal must be provided for no other reason than to quell an overactive imagination (see: me).

I present to Padres fans a Universal Distress Signal:

I don't know how this will work. Feel free to run with it though -- T-shirts, flags, banners -- knock yourself out.

Crap, this is a terrible idea. Look,  I just don't want to see this phallic trophies anymore . . . is that so wrong?

Gwynn Thoughts: The 1989 Batting Race

After hearing that Tony Gwynn was going for another round of cancer surgery in his cheek my mind started spinning, registering my fondest moments of Tony Gwynn over the years. Fortunately, after 14 hours, the surgery sounds like it was a success. 

As I pondered Gwynn's mortality this was one of my thoughts . . .

In 1989 I was still a new edition to Padre fandom. I didn't hate LA or the San Francisco quite yet and it was evidenced by my excitement to see Will Clark and the Giants visit San Diego on the last weekend of the season. The Padres had just been mathematically eliminated but the batting title was not yet decided. The race featured Will Clark and a guy who was fast becoming one of my favorite players: Tony Gwynn.

I attended the Saturday game on September 30th. It was Flan Appreciation Night. While even a novice like myself appreciated the way Tim Flannery played San Diego was there to see Gwynn and Clark. Gwynn entered the Saturday evening contest in front of 47, 787 fans hitting .331 after going 1 for 5 on Friday evening. Will Clark went 2 for 4 in that Giants win on September 29th and stood at .334 entering Saturday's contest.

In a game that featured Mark "Mudcat" Grant* on the hill for the Padres and the hefty Rick Reuschel throwing for the Giants both Gwynn and Clark went to work.

*Mud entered the game in the 5th inning. He worked a long five innings of relief to get the win and move his record to 8-2. As Mud would say, "That's Some Kinda Nice."



When the dust settled the Padres had won 11-5, chasing 17 game winner Rick Reuschel after 4 innings. Will Clark's 1 for 4 left him remaining static (.334) but Tony Gwynn had made his move. Gwynn's 3 for 4 night had raised his average to .333.

I had attended this game with my best friend, Rob. As the game turned into a laugher and the crowd began to dissipate we stealthily maneuvered to field level seats behind home plate. We both witnessed the last ABs of Gwynn and Clark as close as anyone possibly could that night.

The next afternoon (October 1st, 1989) would see Gwynn bang out another 3 hits in a 3-0 Padres win. Gwynn's effort was too much for Will Clark who could only manage another 1 for 4 dropping his average to .333. After a 3 for 4 game on consecutive days Tony Gwynn's average stood complete at .336 good enough for his 4th batting title.

I left Flan Appreciation night with a pin and an indelible memory of Tony Gwynn's determination and craftsmanship at the plate.

19 Reasons: The Gwynn Opener and Miserable Giants Fans

The introduction to 19 Reasons can be read here. Here's reason One and reason Two. And Three. And Four. And Five. And Six. Officially, this is Reason Seven.

Opening day in 2011 was awesome. The celebration of baseball's return from a long winter*. But under the advice of Tony Gwynn I chose to also attend the second game of 2011. I dubbed this particular game The Gwynn Opener -- the game attended by fans who aren't consumed by the spectacle that is opening day.

*We don't really have winter in San Diego, relatively speaking. It's more like wummer which is some occasional rain and wind interspersed with beautiful days of sunshine. It's wummer.

Last season's Gwynn Opener was absolutely brutal. Padres fans dissipated after the celebration of Opening Day and I was left to watch the game with a preponderance of drunk-with-championship Giants fans. The Padres also got hammered as Tim Lincecum pitched a gem.

The game was miserable but I have unabashedly included it as one of the 19 reasons that the season was awesome. Why? Because hopefully I've started a tradition of attending both Opening Day and The Gwynn Opener.

What's in store for those who attend The Gwynn Opener in 2012? Purely distilled misery.

This season the Padres get the Dodgers in the opening series and we all know how much Dodgers fans hate Los Angeles and jump at every opportunity to make the sojourn to San Diego.

It is with a fair amount of certainty that I say Padres fans will at least be matched in attendance by our illegitimate Californian brethren form the north. But this game should still be attended, for it is . . . The Gwynn Opener*!

*And if the Padres win the game there's nothing quite like seeing Dodgers fans scurry out of PETCO with their tail between their legs. And, God willing, their knives still sheathed and secure on their person.

19 Reasons: Corrupting Alexander Pope

The introduction to 19 Reasons can be read here. Here's reason One and reason Two. And Three. And Four. And Five. Officially, this is Reason Six.

In 1734 Alexander Pope penned the following line in his poem An Essay On Man:

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;

The words intended to convey a sense of optimism for mankind -- an attempt to offer a rationale for God's plan. Enlightenment thinkers like Voltaire and Rousseau would later hold Pope's sentiments in high esteem.

It is on the shoulders of these giants, that baseball fans have stood, in trying to explain each April, how their teams surely could. 

Sorry . . .

In the circles of Major League Baseball, Alexander Pope's words have become cliche.

We have corrupted the work of Pope, as we all do each and every spring. We fans of the have-nots in Major League Baseball: the Kansas Citys, the Pitsburghs, the . . . San Diegos. It is our attempt to rationalize following a team who has little chance to reach the heights we dream for it. But we turn out anyways because, as Pope says, "hope springs eternal."

This sense that Pope spoke of accompanied every Padres fan to PETCO Park on April 5th, 2011. Arriving home after taking the opening series in St. Louis (2-1) the Padres opened to a sell-out crowd against the 2010 Champion San Francisco Giants.

With Adrian Gonzalez gone fans tried to convince themselves that this edition of the San Diego team was more balanced than the one that played meaningful games until the 162nd game of the 2010 season. An attempt to rationalize? Regardless, it was our collective hope as fans.

We witnessed valuable contributions by newcomers, Aaron Harang, Jorge Cantu, Jason Bartlett, and Orlando Hudson. And 2010 holdovers, Ryan Ludwick and Chase Headley, stole away Madison Bumgarner's hope when they worked the young Giant for back-to-back walks on 18 total pitches.

At the end of that 3rd inning the Padres would hold a 3-1 lead over the defending champions and as the game progressed Padres fans sensed that the score would continue to idle.

The familiar troika of Gregerson, Adams, and Bell would come in to close out the game for a 3-1 win and on this day a pervasive feeling of hope sustained Padres fans.

As we took in the festivities, the pomp of a Padres home opener, we all held hope that things would continue to go well for the team. We smiled, enjoying the atmosphere and a defeat of the Giants. And we did it amongst friends.

The Padres record, like the opening day score, stood at 3-1 --- .750 baseball. And fans would never see the likes of it again in 2011. Spring doesn't last forever.

Padres, Diamondbacks, and Fan-Tanking

Tonight the surging Padres open up a three game set with the first place Diamondbacks of Arizona. According to Baseball Prospectus, the Padres are all but eliminated while the D-Backs cling to a 3 game lead over the faltering San Francisco Giants.

Ethical Dilemmas

It was mentioned on twitter that it might be preferred to see the Padres get swept by Arizona on account of the detrimental effects that the San Francisco Giants would absorb under this scenario. So do we root for our Hometown 9 to lose this weekend just to savor Giant failure?


Will Leitch, the creator of Deadspin, wrote a book called God Save The Fan in which he opines on the ethics of fans rooting against their own team to improve upon draft position. You'll have to purchase the book to get the full rationale but, in short, he's against it. As a fan you have one responsibility... to cheer for your team to win! 

I am in agreement with Leitch. To wit, I rooted for the Chargers to win their final game last year even though there was nothing to be gained but pride. A loss however would have bumped the Chargers up in the drafting queue. Forget that. Wins are what matter.

But what about rooting against the Padres to win a series... or to get swept for that matter? Is this ethically acceptable? I do not believe it is.

However it pains me to say that I would not be opposed to the Padres getting swept this weekend if it meant that the San Francisco Giants would get screwed because of it. I will not actively root against the Padres tonight or on any night and it is my hope to see positive gains from the young players moving forward . . .

But it's nice to have silver-linings available as August comes to a close.

Matt Cain And Dustin Mosely Are Like The Same

Well not really.

They do have one thing in common though. Their respective teams give them very little run support. Just look at that photoshop... it says it all right there.

Matt Cain seems to always pitch well against the Padres but with little reward for the effort. No decisions and losses always mount when pitted against San Diego. I'm glad it is this way.

I recall watching Cain dominate the Padres back in August of 2007 only to be chased by a Geoff Blum single and then a Rob Makowiak double* in the 8th inning of a shutout. Leaving with a 3-0 lead and runners on 2nd and 3rd, pinch hitter Scott Hairston promptly deposited a 3 run bomb off the Western Metal Building. It was awesome. Hairston would later hit a walk-off HR in the 10th to win it for the Padres. Scott Hairston was a great pick-up in 2007 and I'll always remember him fondly. I will also remember that Matt Cain ALWAYS gets dealt a bad hand against San Diego.

But just how bad...

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

I	Year	W	L	W-L%	ERA	G	GF	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	WHIP
	2005	0	0		3.00	1	0	0	0	6.0	3	2	2	0	6	1	2	0	1.500
	2006	3	0	1.000	1.33	4	0	0	0	27.0	12	4	4	1	14	1	29	0	0.963
	2007	0	3	.000	2.41	6	0	0	0	41.0	24	13	11	5	10	0	42	1	0.829
	2008	0	2	.000	5.82	4	0	0	0	21.2	28	15	14	3	10	1	21	0	1.754
	2009	1	1	.500	2.84	3	0	0	0	12.2	19	4	4	0	1	0	12	1	1.579
	2010	1	3	.250	5.28	5	0	0	0	30.2	33	18	18	6	14	3	24	0	1.533
	2011	0	1	.000	6.43	1	0	0	0	7.0	7	5	5	0	1	0	6	0	1.143
	Career Total	5	10	.333	3.58	24	0	0	0	146.0	126	61	58	15	56	6	136	2	1.247

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 7/17/2011.

After dominating the Padres in 2006 with a 3-0 record and a 1.33 ERA Matt Cain has gone 2-10 against the San Diego Padres while seeing peripheral stats like K/9 decrease and WHIP increase. I'm not saying he doesn't still dominate Padre hitters but since his early conquests he misses from time to time (think this year and the season ending series in 2010).

Matt Cain always has the ability to go out and shut a team down but something just doesn't click when he plays against the Padres. This is something I can live with.

Today it's Mat Latos versus Matt Cain. It should be a legitimate pitchers duel

* Rob Makowiak is one of my favorite July 31st pickups of all time. He was no Joe Randa... but who is? Kevin Towers gave up a player you've never heard of so don't feel too bad about the deal.

Lost In The Shuffle: The Tim Lincecum Performance

Yesterday was tough.

Sadly, PETCO was filled to the gills with people wearing overtly offensive head-wear. The day was made worse when the Padres lost to the Giants by a final score of 8-4.

The Friars actually brought the tying run to the plate in the 9th, anticlimactically, in the form of back-up catcher Rob Johnson. If only Nick Hundley hadn't been lifted when the game was a laugher.

We all know the game wasn't as close as the score indicated. Tim Lincecum was on the bump.

It's difficult to watch greatness in action at the expense of the team you're cheering for but that's what we witnessed yesterday. Lincecum was dialed in. The Padres offense is nothing to write home about but watching The Freak's strikeout video footage it was pretty evident that he would not be denied on a dreary Wednesday afternoon. Of course Nick Hundley disagrees with my assessment.

So yeah! I saw a great pitcher pitch a great game. I can cross Tim Lincecum off my baseball bucket list.

// For the love of God... in two weeks the Padres get Halladay and Lee.

The Gwynn Opener: A Requirement For Fans

About a month ago I unpinned the wall calendar and set it on the table.

The time had come to map out the opening week of the baseball season which coincided fortuitously with my vacation.

I told the Mrs. that I wanted Opening Day against the Giants on April 5th but that of equal importance was the second home game the next day.

I didn't explain the importance of that second game. But in so many ways, it was far more important than the home opener. You see, this was The Gwynn Opener.


According to Gwynn the home opener was always a blast. The pomp and circumstance, the sellout crowd, the bunting. I mean, who doesn't love red white and blue bunting? Tony loved it. But he said it was not his favorite of days. Tony Gwynn loved the day after the opener.

I tried to search out an exact quote from Gwynn on this matter and sure enough it was referenced by none other than Tom Krasovic, today on his blog. While covering the game Kras came across #19 on his way to the broadcast booth. Kras writes:

The day after the Padres' home opener typically was Tony Gwynn's favorite day of the baseball year, so it was only appropriate that Mr. Padre walked into Petco Park on Wednesday afternoon, smile on face one day after San Diego sold out and won its home opener.

"This is my day, yeah, ha, ha, ha," he said. "You find out who's who. Sellout crowd yesterday, so we'll find out today who the real fans are."

Perhaps it is a bit harsh to say those who don't show-up the day after Opening Day aren't real fans. But I get the sentiment that Tony expressed, and if you were at today's game you would too.

As a Padre fan, today was an embarrassment. I knew it would be. There was black and there was orange. The cacophony of endless Giants chants coupled with an ambush of Padres starter Tim Stauffer conspired to beat me into submission. Today at PETCO was not dissimilar to the general disrespect that accompanies an unwanted house guest. Feet up on the table, loud.

Perhaps the unwanted house guest syndrome wouldn't be an issue if Padre fans chose to adhere to The Gwynn Opener as part of their opening week rituals.

It's difficult to make binding promises years in advance but I will make it a goal to always attend the Padres' home opener because it is a meaningful symbol of renewal each spring.

And even more importantly I will make the effort to attend The Gwynn Opener. I will attend as a show of respect to the greatest Padre of them all... but to also keep the riffraff at bay. I don't like the feet of house guests propped up on my furniture. And I certainly don't like orange.

Preview: Giants' defense, Brandon Belt, and the true contents of Brian Wilson's beard

The San Francisco Giants blog Splashing Pumpkins contacted me about doing a preview to the first series of 2011 between the Padres and Giants.  These teams battled all the way to game number 162 last year... how could I say no.

You may be asking, "What does our enemy need to know and, GOOD GOD, what did you tell them?!!!"

Calm down! Get a hold of yourself...


In summation, the inquiries revolved around pitching and the expectations for Cameron Maybin. But perhaps the most important question dealt with the wager that evolved between RJ's Fro and Splashing Pumpkins after the Mat Latos #balls fiasco.

The answers to these questions can be found at Splashing Pumpkins.

I also had three questions for Splashing Pumpkins. These are the questions that must be answered if the Padres are to get off on the right foot against the World Champs:

1. Everyone knows the Giants rotation is phenomenal but is the defense up to the task?

 Well, from what I saw in the Giants' opening series, I can't say the defense is up to task. That said, it's certainly got the potential to be an above-average defense, and I imagine it will be for most of the season. Andres Torres is one of the best defensive outfielders in the game, so when he's surrounded by Nate Schierholtz, Cody Ross -- and even Aubrey Huff in LF -- the Giants' outfield defense is more than adequate. Freddy Sanchez is aging, but I think he still carries a plus glove at 2B, and the Giants' infield corners (Sandoval with improved range, and Belt) and catcher -- Buster Posey -- are all pretty much up to task. The only big hole is at short, where Miguel Tejada completely lacks range. Given that the Giants don't induce groundballs at a high rate in general, I'm not too concerned about Tejada. So yes, they're up to task in general. But they haven't been playing like it...

2. Now that the Giants have committed to starting the season with him, will Brandon Belt have an impact similar to Buster Posey in 2011?

 Most certainly. Belt is the real deal, from what I've seen thus far. His biggest asset -- in my mind -- is his plate discipline. I think he'll be able to work walks at a high rate, as well as see a lot of pitches. That, in addition to his power to all sides of the fields, his ability to hit for average, and his plus glove at first, represents a very useful player. I definitely expect him to have a similar impact to that which Posey had as a rookie.

3. Do ninjas and traditional Irish dance girls really live in Brian Wilson's beard or do you suspect it to be some other form of magic?

Brian Wilson's beard is still a mystery to me. I'm sure some mythical creature or whatnot lives in there. Whatever it is, you should definitely fear it. This video might be helpful.

I found the answer to question #3 to be outstanding. Mostly because I haven't been watching ESPN at all these days and this was my first time viewing it. I also choose to believe it is the truth.

Thanks to Splashing Pumpkins for the Intel.

Baseball's Opening Week And Bringing Back The Brown

I broke out the calendar the other day so as to properly document the hall passes I will be needing during the first week of April. The Padres open up against the Cardinals (3/31) in St. Louis and then return home to face the Giants (4/5 - 4/6) and Dodgers (4/8 - 4/10).

I submitted my requests and they were all approved. Given adequate notice most requests are granted without incident. I'll be attending both Giants games as well as the Friday night game against the Dodgers. This is extra special because I'll be on vacation during that week which will maximize the baseball experience. Speaking of extra special...

I also penciled in Sunday 4/3 when the Padres will be closing out their series in St. Louis. The general plan is to meet up at Randy Jones All American Grill to watch the game but to also kick off the Bring Back The Brown campaign. RJ may make an appearance but regardless of whether the Fro'd one appears, fun will be had.

Padres fans with an appreciation for the team's history and the color brown have the opportunity to meet-up, cheer, mingle, and collectively curse the color blue.*

More details will be forthcoming but take this as your invitation. Stop on by.

*The color blue is awesome unless used in conjunction with Padres uniforms or in discussing the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Since I was at Flan Appreciation Night in 1989... my annoyance is justified

From Andrew Baggarly's Friday evening column for the San Jose Mercury news:

Mere hours after the spirited third base coach returned to his home in North San Diego County over the winter, he ran a Giants flag up the pole in his yard.

"Just to let the neighbors know," said Flannery, who spent 23 years as a player, coach and broadcaster in the Padres system. "There's no doubt in people's minds that we're Giants now."

Love ya Flan. But your ideas of being San Diegan bother me.

Great Moments In Bulletin Board Material History: Mike Tyson to Mat Latos

Out of curiosity I took a look at the daily blog of Giants beat reporter Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. I wanted to see if the Latos #balls story had any legs at the Giants' Spring Training camp in Scottsdale, Arizona. Here's what I found:

The other day, I linked to a story about the “I hate SF” balls that Mat Latos autographed for charity. Well, the news found its way into the Giants clubhouse. As I walked through the room today, I noticed a photocopy of the internet photo on one of the tables.

Do the World Champs need bulletin board material? Well the #balls photocopy was on a table and not a bulletin board... so I guess not... but that is neither here nor there.

I bet the photocopy existed more for the sake of illustrating how the Giants will be a marked team this year rather than motivation to beat Latos and the Padres. In his video blog, Baggarly seemed to suggest a lightheartedness on behalf of the Giants regarding the incident as well. For material to be considered truly Bulletin-board-esque I think it has to be something like this... of course this would definitely do it.

But if the Giants were using it as motivation that would be great too. Then we'd know the Padres have entered their heads.

Any other Great Moments In Bulletin Board Material history? Throw 'em in the comments section.

Why The Mat Latos Hullabaloo Is A Good Thing

Mat Latos autographed three baseball with the inscription, I hate SF! These balls were to be sold with 50% of the proceeds earmarked for charity. San Francisco Giants fans were uproarious at the young ace's behavior and a firestorm between fans ensued via Twitter at the prompting of RJ's Fro and Splashing Pumpkins. Earlier this afternoon the story went national.

This is a good thing. Allow me to explain...

Fans are always critical of the players who play the game. It's what fans do best and we pay our hard earned money so by-god you better believe we're going to let 'em have it when we feel it's warranted.

What do we complain about the most? We accuse players of not caring when we see them smile during a losing effort. We condemn them when we get even an inkling that they don't care as much as we do about the outcome of a game. We volley claims of disloyalty when a player holds out for that last penny during negotiations and demonstrates a willingness to defect to an arch-rival to get it.

We get mad at these athletes because that's not how we would play the game. Their passion doesn't quite match-up to what we fans bring to the table.

So along comes Mat Latos with his 96 mph fastball and a rapid ascension to the top of the Padres pitching staff. He nearly throws a no hitter against the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants in 2010 and dominates their line-up on a few other occasions. When the Giants revamped their line-up through the course of the season, young Latos felt compelled to judge the Giants as a collection of players rather than a team like the Padres. That revamped team would go on to defeat Latos 3-0 in game 162 bringing an exciting but overachieving Padres season to an abrupt end.

Nearly five months later Latos signs a few balls for a charitable endeavor and goes on the record as hating the San Francisco Giants. Does he really hate the Giants? Hate is generally reserved for corrupt political ideologies, strong-man dictatorships and late 90s boy bands... not sports teams. Oh, we say we hate our rivals but all that really means is we just really, really dislike the opponent. We call it hate but it's not. Hate burns too much energy.

Could we say that Latos is not a fan of the team who ended his season in October? I think that's fair. So what's the problem? Latos is showing a passion for the game and a general disdain for losing which seems some what rare in sport today. With the transient nature of sports, due to free agency, we rarely see players stick around long enough to develop a dislike for the rivals they compete against.

The players of yesterday, who we all tend to glorify, did not have the luxury of free-agency and the promise of riches at contract's end. They scratched and they clawed to stomp their rivals into the ground and win games because if they didn't it could mean the loss of their job. For the ball players of yesterday, the consequences of not caring passionately about each and every game were to return to their winter jobs... for the rest of their lives. Today's player would scoff at the notion of needing to secure a second source of employment.

With the whole balls affair, Mat Latos has shown that the Giants are very much on his mind in 2011... and I don't know if there are too many better ways of showing that you give a crap than that.

We are beginning to see a rivalry manifest itself in the form of the Padres and Giants... something I never could have imagined up until last year. The Giants, with the exception of Barry Bonds, were in my view a fairly innocuous bunch; fans and players alike. But that began to change last year.

I began to hate the Giants because of their own pitching version of Mat Latos; the young and polarizing Jonathan Sanchez, who actually did throw a no-hitter against the Padres a couple years back. Like Latos, Sanchez is a fine young pitcher who is neither afraid of hitters or opening his mouth to give a sound bite. I hate him.

But let me tip my hat to Jonathan Sanchez... he put himself out there with some of his comments last season and showed a supreme confidence in his team to overtake the Padres... and that folks, shows Jonathan Sanchez also gives a crap.

While it pains me to compliment Jonathan Sanchez, as it would pain Giants fans to compliment Latos, I take solace in knowing the following heading into the 2011 season:

• Despite a late season collapse the Padres defeated the Giants 12 times in 18 games last year. It's no World Series Championship but it's our only good leg... and I'm gonna stand on it.

• Fully aware of the Giants true rivalry, I like the back and forth that has developed between both players and fans during the last year.

• Mat Latos gives a crap.

Let us also not forget the auxiliary benefits that are sure to come from the #balls episode: recognition. On the other side of the Rocky Mountains where discussion is usually reserved for Philadlephia, Boston and New York, national media outlets are discussing the upstart team that was forced to deal its star first baseman... and wait for it... the World Champion San Francisco Giants. Sorry Giants, but all I keep hearing is how the Phillies and Red Sox are the chosen ones... and that's not really fair. It's true what they say about bad publicity (that there's no such thing) so let's go ahead and soak this up and call it a win for shaking up the talking points for Baseball Tonight and the MLB Network.

Gaining recognition for teams out west is a nice aside but it all comes back to players like Mat Latos and Jonathan Sanchez showing genuine care for the game, their team and their city. 

If there were only more players who convinced fans on a daily basis of their burning desire to compete... that little something that says they give a crap...it would go a long way towards restoring our faith in the modern game.

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!