Interleague schedule favors Padres

When it comes to interleague play, the Padres have it much easier than their two California rivals in the NL West.

The Padres get to play Seattle each year as their “natural rival.” The Los Angeles Dodgers must face the Anaheim Angels; while the San Francisco Giants are matched up against the Oakland Athletics.

Think about it for a minute. The Padres play a Seattle team that traditionally battles Texas for last place. The Dodgers and Giants are playing the year-in and year-out top two teams in the AL West.

Let the interleague numbers tell the story:

The Padres are 26-24 vs. the Mariners; 48-63 vs. the rest of the American League.
The Dodgers are 26-30 vs. the Angels; 54-51 vs. the rest of the AL.
The Giants are 27-29 vs. Oakland; 59-46 vs. the rest of the AL.

Broken down, the Padres have a winning record against Seattle and losing record against the rest of the AL. The Dodgers and Giants have losing records vs. their “natural rivals,” but winning records against the remainder of the AL.

The next time the Padres complain about their schedule, it could be worse. They could be playing the Angels or Athletics every year in interleague action.

Padres suffer power outage

If pitching and defense win championships, the Padres may be in luck.

But if it comes down to power, the Padres may be in the tank.

Why? Five of the eight position players in their starting line-up during last night’s 3-2 win over Cincinnati have not hit a home run in May.

Mike Cameron did homer May 8 against Atlanta. Adrian Gonzalez homered May 9 against the Braves and Khalil Greene hit a round-tripper May 11 against St. Louis.

The remainder of the starting eight?

Brian Giles has not homered in 104 at bats since April 14.
Marcus Giles has not homered in 84 at bats since April 16.
Kevin Kouzmanoff has not homered in 59 at bats since April 14.
Jose Cruz Jr. has not homered in 48 at bats since April 27.
Josh Bard has not homered in 40 at bats since April 30.

Mike Piazza, where are you? (Or for that matter, where are Jack Cust … and Phil Nevin?)

Fabiani, be quiet!

Mark Fabiani, learn when to keep your mouth shut.

You always talk about how San Diego City Manager Mike Aguirre opens his mouth too much. Well, do yourself a favor and take a look in the mirror.

As spin doctor for the Chargers, you made the following statement when National City bowed out last week as a potential site for a new Chargers’ stadium:

“National City found out the same thing we've been finding out for five years – it's difficult to get the city of San Diego and other partners to engage in a meaningful issue,” you told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mr. Fabiani, let me remind you of a couple “meaningful issues.” San Diego police officers just received their first raise in three years. Firefighters were denied a raise for the third straight year.

Yes, the city of San Diego has some serious financial problems that were created long before the current city council took office. Subsidizing a football team of millionaires owned by a near-billionaire just isn’t a priority.

If your house is ever on fire or you need police help, let’s just hope the police and firefighters don’t treat you with the same disdain that you demonstrate toward them.

Padres get 'sludged'

General Manager Kevin Towers has made himself a reputation with the Padres as the “sludge merchant.”

Well, it looks like the so-called sludge merchant has gotten sludged on his latest move.

Or, did you not notice that Jack Cust of the Oakland Athletics has been named American League co-Player of the Week for the period ending May 13?

Cust was traded by the Padres to Oakland on May 3 for a reported $100,000.

In his first 26 at bats with Oakland, Cust pounded out six home runs and 14 RBIs. During the first 39 games of the season, the Padres had just one player with more than six home runs and three with more than 14 RBIs.

You don’t think they could use Cust’s bat in their power-deficient line-up, do you?

Of course, the Padres said they did not think Cust measured up defensively in left field. That being said, did you see Terrmel Sledge drop a fly ball and misplay a line drive in the same inning during last Saturday’s 5-0 loss to St. Louis?

The Padres haven’t made up for the power loss of Mike Piazza to Oakland as a free agent this past offseason. Consider it a double whammy with Cust going to the Athletics.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

Chad Paronto of the Atlanta Braves is stupid.

Make that stupid, stupid, stupid!

With two outs and nobody on base in the sixth inning Monday night, Paronto decided to (seemingly) hit Padres pitcher Chris Young on purpose. Young then went on to score and give San Diego a 4-2 lead, its final margin of victory.

Paronto hit Young in the back of the knee as apparent retaliation for Young throwing a fastball near the head of Andruw Jones, then later hitting Jeff Francoeur. It marked the first time Young has hit a batter this year.

Here’s a clue for Paronto: Don’t hit the pitcher! Not to name names; but get the point across by throwing a pitch behind such players as Adrian Gonzalez or Brian Giles, who are probably going to reach base anyway.

Paronto may or may not have cost his team a potential win. But he did wake up the Padres ... not to mention the fact he fell asleep when it came to the best method of retaliation.

Atlanta's Cox a loser?

Bobby Cox is a loser.

The Atlanta Braves’ manager, who leads his team into a four-game series tonight against the Padres, simply can’t win in the postseason.

He’s been to the playoffs 14 times. He has just one World Series title and has lost four times in the Series.

Want me to take my tongue out of my cheek now?
Calling Cox a loser is similar to all the San Diego fans who referred to Marty Schottenheimer as a loser when he coached the Chargers.

Schottenheimer has never won ... or been to ... the Super Bowl in 13 postseason appearances. His history is to turn around rotten teams and lose in the playoffs; which is exactly what he did with the Chargers.

Schottenheimer has a .613 career winning percentage, compared to Cox’s .563 mark. Cox has been cited for spousal abuse before; Schottenheimer hasn’t.

The next time anyone in San Diego talks about Schottenheimer being a loser, then just think of the loser the Atlanta Braves have in Cox.

Wells needs to produce

With Clay Hensley on the disabled list, the Padres need to add a new starting pitcher.
Or is that two?

David Wells has not exactly been looking like Sandy Koufax lately … or David Wells, for that matter.

In his last two starts combined, Wells has surrendered nine runs on 17 hits and three home runs in 10 innings. He gave up just two runs in seven innings three starts ago, but was touched before that start for five runs on eight hits in 2 1/3 innings by the Dodgers.

Either this is just a blip on the radar, or a trend is starting to develop. If it’s a bump in the road, fine. If it’s a pattern, the Padres must reconsider their investment in a 43-year-old pitcher making $3 million in base salary this year.

Wells, making his sixth start of the season tonight at Florida, is to be paid bonuses for his 11th through 27th starts this year. If all is met, he’ll make an extra $3 million.

This is the same Wells that the Padres let pitch on short rest the final day of 2004 to make a $250,000 bonus. It’s also the same Wells who walked away to the Boston Red Sox in 2005.

David Wells: Worth the investment? Let the next few starts unfold.

Padres aren't exactly a steal

While Mike Piazza was the primary catcher for the Padres in 2006, they allowed opponents to be successful on stolen bases an alarming 85 percent of the time.

Piazza has moved on to Oakland … but the percentage is even worse in San Diego this year. Through the first month of the season, the Padres have allowed an unbelievable 91 percent (31-of-34) of opponents to be safe on stolen base tries.

Ouch!

In comparison, the Padres aren’t exactly wearing out the basepaths, stealing 10 bases in 12 attempts.

Juan Pierre of the Dodgers has 12 steals by himself thus far. And these are the same Dodgers who were 6-for-6 in steal opportunities against San Diego last weekend.

The Padres probably aren’t going to run away in the NL West this season … and foot speed certainly has something to do with it!

Turner worth the risk to Chargers?

If the Chargers win the Super Bowl this year, keeping running back Michael Turner as back up to LaDainian Tomlinson was worth it.

If not, General Manager A.J. Smith might actually not be hailed as a genius on this one.

Heading into this weekend’s minicamp, the Chargers are delighted to have Turner on their premises. Whether keeping him is a genius move, we’ll let you know in January (or on Dec. 30, if the Chargers don’t make the playoffs.)

During the NFL draft last weekend, ESPN listed key additions and losses for each team. The Chargers were listed as “none” under key additions, because they believe keeping Turner and guard Kris Dielman made them a better team (even though those players were already on the roster.)

New England has certainly strengthened itself during the offseason. And these are the same Patriots who eliminated the Chargers in last year’s playoffs.

Is keeping Turner and Dielman around – without signing any free agents – enough to make the Chargers better than New England?

Good thing the games aren’t played on paper!

Bill Goldberg: Who's (What's) Next?

So where does Bill Goldberg hang out these days?

Try Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

If you have followed pro wrestling at all, you’ll certainly remember Goldberg. After all, who can forget him starting his career with a 173-0 record (please don’t tell me it was pre-determined!)

Goldberg, a San Diego resident, was spotted at Petco Park earlier this week talking with several members of the USS Ronald Reagan. He looked very casual in jeans, a T-shirt and sunglasses on a cloudy evening.

He doesn’t appear to be nearly as “buff” as he was during his wrestling days … draw your own conclusion on that one.

Who can ever forget Goldberg during that 173-win streak? You could count on numerous signs in the audience proclaiming, “Who’s next?”

The question now concerns what’s next for Goldberg. He’s been dabbling in some acting, and there are rumors he could return to wrestling in either TNA (most likely) or the WWE (unlikely.)

Let’s hope Goldberg makes a comeback. Few wrestlers can ignite a crowd like him.

Who’s next?

USD baseball looking beautiful

When it comes to college baseball, people often wonder why San Diego can’t have a Top 10 team nationally.

After all, the weather is perfect for year-round baseball, and the talent is certainly in the area.

It hasn’t happened with coach Tony Gwynn at San Diego State, but the honor is being celebrated across town.

Congratulations go out to the University of San Diego Toreros for being ranked No. 9 in the latest Baseball America top-25 poll, and at No. 10 in the latest Collegiate Baseball top-30 poll. This is the second time in history the Toreros have been ranked in the Top 10.

“We look at these things kind of like a beauty pageant,” USD coach Rich Hill said on CSTV.

To top off the honor, the Toreros completed a three-game sweep of Pepperdine for the first time in 22 years Monday with a 7-3 win.

Even with Gwynn (who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer) at SDSU; local high school baseball players continue to flock to USD, where Hill has built the best collegiate baseball team by far in a hotbed of baseball prospects.

The Toreros are setting a standard that can only be envied by SDSU, a school that has not even been invited to the NCAA playoffs in 16 years.

Double Headers are nowhere to be found

What ever happened to the double header in Major League Baseball?

If you have a game snowed out in Cleveland or rained out in Pittsburgh, you’re likely to see a double header scheduled.

Otherwise, you’re going to notice the double header has gone the way of the dinosaur.

Why? The answer is simple: money.

Now that the average player makes well over $2 million annually, owners can’t afford to offer two games for the price of one. The best you’ll get, if you’re lucky, are two-for-one hot dogs once or twice a season.

In fact, instead of the double header, you’ll get what are called "premium" games. For the San Diego Padres, these games include opening night, weekends with the Los Angeles Dodgers or weekends with the Boston Red Sox.

Simply put, a premium game in San Diego means you will pay $7 more than normal for most tickets.

That being the case, why not have a "non-premium" game? Those could occur when teams such as the Washington Nationals (who come in next Monday-Wednesday) are in town.

If the price goes up for the Dodgers, it should go down for the Nationals. The anticipated crowds of 15,000 or so for the Washington games next week will speak loudly for the need of non-premium games, as well as premium games.

Will that ever happen? Chances for non-premium games are about as likely as ever seeing a double header on the original schedule for a Major League Baseball season.

Peavy looking like an All-Star

You heard it here first: Jake Peavy will be the National League’s starting pitcher in the 2007 All-Star Game.

Peavy is on fire now for the San Diego Padres.

In his last start, he tied a team record (his own) with 16 strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Only a questionable call on a check-swing kept Peavy from tying Tom Seaver’s all-time Major League Baseball record of 10 consecutive strikeouts, set against the Padres in 1970.

Peavy is no one-game wonder in 2007. He definitely has a trend going.

In four of his five starts, he has allowed just two runs total in 27 innings. During the other start, he gave up five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings of an 11-5 win over Arizona. Peavy had a shutout through four innings, and then ran out of gas after running the bases on a triple with a head-first slide. He also doubled in the game.

His record thus far? Three wins, no losses and an ERA of 1.67. His 36 strikeouts are second in the NL to Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels, who has 37.

Peavy, an All-Star is 2005, is coming off a sub-par 2006 season when he went 11-14 with a 4.09 ERA. He was never completely right physically last season after pushing himself too hard in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

If Peavy has a fault, it is forcing himself to go harder than the situation dictates. That’s certainly what happened in the 2006 World Baseball Classic; and it cost him earlier this year with the unnecessary head-first slide into third base.

All Peavy has to do is keep himself under control through early July. If so, don’t be surprised to see No. 44 start on the mound during the All-Star game in San Francisco.

A.J. Smith: Genius or Not?

A.J. Smith is an absolute genius … or is he?

Smith is certainly given the most pats on the back for the San Diego Chargers’ impressive 35-13 record the past three regular seasons. But if that be the case, he’s also part of the team failing to win its playoff games in 2004 and 2006.

The team’s cornerstone players are LaDainian Tomlinson on offense and Jamal Williams on defense. Both players were with the Chargers before Smith became general manager.

Smith had a stellar draft in 2004.

Selecting quarterback Eli Manning in the first round and trading him to the New York Giants for QB Philip Rivers was a steal; considering the Chargers also received a third-round pick (kicker Nate Kaeding), and first-round selection in 2005 (linebacker Shawne Merriman).

San Diego’s 2004 draft was further bolstered by picking current starters Igor Olshansky (defensive end, second round), Nick Hardwick (center, third round) and Shaun Phillips (linebacker, fourth round.)

What about Smith’s other drafts? You might want to close your eyes on some.

2003: This draft yielded busts in two of the first three picks with defensive backs Sammy Davis and Terrence Kiel. However, it did yield current starters CB Drayton Florence (2nd), LB Matt Wilhelm (4th) and P Mike Scifres (5th).

2005: Besides Merriman, current starters DE Luis Castillo (1st) and WR Vincent Jackson (2nd) were also taken. Beyond that, none of the draftees figure to be starters this season.

2006: Starters were chosen in the first two rounds with CB Antonio Cromartie and OT Marcus McNeill. Once again, that’s where the starters stop among draft picks.

We’ll find out if Smith is a true architect in 2007. The Chargers did not sign any free agents from outside the organization, so they are certainly no stronger than the day they lost to New England in the playoffs with leading tackler Donnie Edwards (now a Kansas City Chief) at linebacker.

The Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer, at least in part, because he cannot win in the playoffs despite being one of the best regular-season coaches in NFL history. They might not have to worry about a playoff loss with new boss Norv Turner, who has failed to make the postseason in eight of his nine seasons as a head coach.

A.J. Smith: Genius or overrated? This year’s NFL draft could tell a lot about that question.

Chargers may select linebacker first

Virtually every “expert” expects the San Diego Chargers to pick a wide receiver or safety in the first round of this weekend’s NFL draft.

But what about a linebacker?

Now that Donnie Edwards has bolted the Chargers for Kansas City, San Diego is in desperate need of someone to step up inside.

It’s going to be hard for anybody to match Edwards’ production. Not only did he lead the Chargers in tackles each of the past five seasons, he also seemed to make the key interception whenever the team needed a game saver.

Can Matt Wilhelm or Stephen Cooper do the same when they likely start at inside linebacker in 2007? We’ll likely find out as Randall Godfrey (who started alongside Edwards the past three seasons) is also expected to move on.

Certainly, the Chargers are set at outside linebacker with Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. But back-up linebackers Carlos Polk, Marques Harris and Tim Dobbins are just that – back ups.

Without Edwards, the Chargers will go from a very strong linebacker group to a somewhat questionable one … at least depth-wise. Wilhelm and Cooper must step up in 2007 if the Chargers are to remain among the NFL’s elite at linebacker.

Talk all you want about the team needing to draft a wide receiver or Safety. However, don’t be surprised if General Manager A.J. Smith’s No. 1 pick is at linebacker.

After all, Smith is gambling that his personal feud with Edwards that caused the veteran linebacker to leave will not create a huge hole for the 2007 Chargers.

Randy Johnson: Is He Washed Up?

Is Randy Johnson washed up at age 43?
We’ll begin to find out tonight when Johnson makes his season debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the San Diego Padres.
You could argue that Johnson won 17 games each of the past two seasons for the New York Yankees. To counter that, consider that Johnson’s ERA has risen from 2.60 in 2004 with the Diamondbacks to 3.79 and 5.00 in the past two respective seasons with the Yankees.
Certainly, the Big Unit benefited from a Yankees lineup that is as potent as any around. He won’t enjoy the same luxury with an Arizona team that has lost four straight and scored three runs in its last three games.
Johnson made three rehabilitation starts in the minor leagues this year while working his way back from offseason back surgery. He’s a hero in Arizona, where he won four of his five Cy Young awards from 1999 to 2002 and was co-MVP of the 2001 World Series along with Diamondbacks teammate Curt Schilling.
Arizona is certainly banking on Johnson to still be the Big Unit, as opposed to a smaller unit. The Diamondbacks signed him in January to a two-year, $26 million contract. He’s being paid $4 million this year, $10 million next year and has a $12 million signing bonus payable through 2010.
Even if he is not the same this time around, the Diamondbacks will consider him a good investment because of what he brought to them in the past and what he brings in present marketing value.
Johnson pitches tonight against San Diego’s David Wells, another 43-year-old. In fact, their combined ages will be the oldest in history of two major league left-handed starting pitchers facing each other.
Both still have that competitive fire, but are they still competitive at age 43? We’ll know by September.

Make no mistake about it

Make a sports-related mistake on San Diego sports television or radio and you will likely read about in the San Diego Union-Tribune’s sports TV-Radio column on Friday.
Make a mistake in the Union Tribune and … well, I guess you are above being criticized.
Take the April 21, 2007 edition of the paper, for instance. There was mention of a Chargers “playoff” game in New York in 1995, along with a local listing for a college football game that day between San Diego State and the Air Force Academy.
The Chargers-Giants game in question was played Dec. 23, 1995. It could not have been a playoff game for two reasons: (a) the NFL does not start its playoffs before Christmas, and (b) the Chargers and Giants could only meet in the Super Bowl since they play in separate conferences.
As for the SDSU-Air Force football game, that must have come as a shock to the Aztecs as they were scheduled for a spring scrimmage that day. With tongue in cheek, I guess the NCAA now allows colleges to play each other during spring practice.
In today’s paper (April 23, 2007), there is another glaring error. The Union-Tribune states than pitcher Greg Maddux had 344 career wins, which contradicts the fact he actually has 334 career victories.
Certainly, we all make mistakes. The Union-Tribune is no exception.
Next time the U-T jumps all over somebody else’s mistake, perhaps the paper should look inward first.

Are umpires the show? Fat chance

Is David Wells fat? Make your own call by watching him on TV.
Is an umpire within his rights to call Wells fat? Fat chance … the answer is no.
Wells claims that first base umpire Doug Eddings rubbed his belly and made a gesture that Wells was fat Wednesday night. This came during an incident when Eddings was ejecting Wells for arguing from the bench.
In a he said/he said matter, Eddings denies making the gesture. But there’s no doubt the umpire was making a show of himself, according to what was shown on Channel 4 San Diego.
When such great umpires as Doug Harvey were working games, they realized they weren’t the show. Harvey would take it when someone argued with him, then he’d walk away. If Harvey was followed, that’s when an ejection also normally followed.
Today’s umpires could certainly learn from their predecessors with class, such as Harvey. It seems like all officials would have gotten a clue when referee Joey Crawford was suspended for the entire NBA playoffs because of his antics.
Doug Eddings obviously wasn’t paying attention.

Don't hit the panic button

Don’t let the Padres’ 9-1 loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles last night ruin your day.
Just put it in perspective.
The Padres lost their first two games against the Dodgers last season. They lost their last contest against the Dodgers in the well-publicized game when Los Angeles hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs.
What happened between those first two losses and the last defeat? The Padres beat the Dodgers 13 of 15 times.
Don’t forget that the Dodgers were about to sweep a three-game series in San Diego last April with a 5-0 lead over the Padres in the ninth inning. That’s when San Diego scored five times in the bottom of the ninth and once in the 10th to pull out an improbable 6-5 win.
Even with that victory, the Padres still finished April with a 9-15 record, standing 5 ½ games out of first place.
What will it mean if the Dodgers sweep this weekend? It will mean both teams still have 150 games to play ... with many ups-and-downs to experience.

There's still a long way to go!

There are still 160 games to go. You hear that all the time when a baseball team starts 2-0. But why not enjoy the Padres so far?
Jake Peavy was spectacular on opening day. Chris Young didn't have his good stuff in Game 2, but so what? The team won without an above average outing from its starter.
And what do you think Bruce Bochy is thinking about in the Giants dugout? He has left Cla Meredith, Scott Linebrink and Trevor Hoffman behind in the bullpen. Now he has Brad Hennessey, Jack Taschner and Armando Benitez in their place. Ouch! If you think the Padres are a potential sinking ship, just look at the Giants. Their bullpen has about as much spark as Chargers' General Manager A.J. Smith has personality.
Tonight will be interesting with Clay Hensley facing Matt Morris of the Giants. Morris has turned into an average pitcher, at best. Hensley is up-and-coming, but he needs to get over that blister problem on his pitching hand.
Are you all looking forward to the Padres' home opener Friday night? Not me. I'm more interested in the second home game on Saturday night. Tony Gwynn always said the REAL baseball fans come out the second night. Let's face it: Mr. Hall of Famer knows what he is talking about.
One note of caution. Don't be fooled by the Padres averaging six runs in their first two games. This is a team with a pop-gun offense that is going to struggle to score runs. If it is to win a third straight NL West title, it will probably be because of the bullpen again.
It's April; everybody's eyes are on a new season. Just don't let the first week fool you. I remember the original Padres in 1969 won their first three games, then won only 49 more over the next six months. In Jerry Coleman's year as manager, the team started 5-2 the first week and was running the bases like crazy. By the end of the season, Coleman was run out of town (at least as manager.)
It's way too early to judge Bud Black now. He looks like a genius so far. We'll see over the next 160 games ... starting with a potential three-game sweep tonight at San Francisco.