Padres aren't even best of the worst

Remember back when we all thought the NL West might be Major League Baseball’s strongest division?

Come to find out, it is actually the weakest division in MLB.

Sure, the Arizona Diamondbacks got off to a great start; but that was only because they were playing fellow NL West teams.

As the season has progressed, the division could just as well change its name to the NL Worst.

That being said, consider the records of each NL West team going into this weekend in games played outside of the division:

Arizona 10-16
Los Angeles 15-18
San Francisco 10-22
Colorado 13-12
Padres 13-19

Overall, that’s a cumulative record of just 61-87 in games outside of the NL West.

This is such a reminder of 2005, when the Padres won the West with an 82-80 record. They lost 12 of 13 games at one point that season but hardly lost any ground because everybody else in the division was losing, too. Ditto the Diamondbacks in 2008.

May the best of the worst win the division!

Will Adrian Gonzalez hit 50 home runs?

Local media members are tripping all over themselves, trying to figure out which person first said Adrian Gonzalez should represent the Padres in the 2008 All-Star Game.

Let us be the first to ask: Will Gonzalez hit 50 home runs this season?

It looks like he very well could.

Gonzalez already has 15 homers one-third of the way into the season, 10 coming in May.

He’s two off the club record for home runs in a month, set by Greg Vaughn in May 1998 on his way to an all-time team record of 50 homers.

The difference in teams is immense: Vaughn played on a team that went to the World Series; Gonzalez is on a team with the worst record in the National League.

This brings up the point that opposing teams will likely start pitching around Gonzalez because he is the one hitter to fear in the Padres’ lineup.

That being said, Gonzalez is one of the best there is at taking an outside pitch and going the opposite way over the left field wall.

As the Padres limp through the last four months of the season, at least the Gonzalez home run watch will be something worth talking about.

Unlike local TV, pro wrestlers are very patriotic

Say what you want about owner Vince McMahon and World Wrestling Entertainment.

You can call the group too theatrical, too this or too that.

But there’s another term you can use for McMahon and the WWE: “very patriotic.”

At the beginning of Monday Night Raw, the WWE featured a salute to our troops on Memorial Day.

This beat the heck out of the local TV stations that led their newscasts with the same-old police blotter stuff and threw in Memorial Day remembrances as an afterthought.

Actually, the WWE is gaining quite a reputation for its patriotism.

After all, this was the first organization to hold a major public event in the aftermath of 9/11, staging a show in Houston just two days after the terrorist acts and having McMahon say “We’ll go on with the show; we’re not afraid of terrorists.”

This is also the same WWE that travels to Iraq each year during Christmas time and puts on a show for our troops.

When it comes to being patriotic, our local and national TV shows can sure learn a lot from the WWE.

Remember our fallen heroes on Memorial Day

As we begin our Memorial Day weekend, let’s not forget what this holiday is all about and why we continue to live in a free country.

Without the sacrifices of millions of men and women over history who have given their lives for our country, we would not enjoy the freedoms we have today.

If you’re watching a baseball game or any other sporting event this weekend, just remember that we wouldn’t even have these pleasures without those who have selflessly laid down their lives for our country.

Here are excerpts from a past Memorial Day speech by President Bush at Arlington National Cemetery:

"Every year on this day, we pause to remember Americans fallen by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I'm honored to do that this morning on behalf of the American people. The names of the men buried there are known only to God, but their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation.

"At our National Cemetery, we receive the fallen in sorrow, and we take them to an honored place to rest. Looking across this field, we see the scale of heroism and sacrifice. All who are buried here understood their duty. All stood to protect America. And all carried with them memories of a family that they hoped to keep safe by their sacrifice.

"These are the men and women who wear our uniform. These are the men and women who defend our freedom. And these are the men and women who are buried here. As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom, and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women. And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty, and building a safer world.

"A day will come when there will be no one left who knew the men and women buried here. Yet Americans will still come to visit, to pay tribute to the many who gave their lives for freedom, who liberated the oppressed, and who left the world a safer and better place. Today we pray that they have found peace with their Creator, and we resolve that their sacrifice will always be remembered by a grateful nation.

"May God continue to bless America."

USD: The best there is in San Diego

At least there is one success story this baseball season in San Diego.

The University of San Diego is a sure bet to advance to the NCAA Regionals for the second straight year.

This comes after both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at USD made the NCAA Tournament; with the men pulling off a huge upset of the University of Connecticut.

Across town, San Diego State can’t even get into an NCAA Tournament postseason event. Gee, which school has a better athletics program?

The USD baseball team (39-15) will host the West Coast Conference Championship Series for the second consecutive season this weekend against Pepperdine. This will be a best-of-three series to determine who will get the WCC's automatic bid into the NCAA postseason.

Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. inside of Cunningham Stadium. Saturday's game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and if necessary Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m.

Win or lose, USD is going to be in postseason play. There seems to be a trend here!

La Mesa man celebrates 100th birthday at SDSU

Let's put sports aside for one day and focus on a once-in-a-lifetime event going on at San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies this afternoon.

William “Uncle Bill” Gilmore will celebrate his 100th birthday while joined by fellow classmates at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute through SDSU’s College of Extended Studies.

SDSU President Stephen L. Weber and Provost Nancy A. Marlin will make a special presentation to Gilmore during the celebration. Among other things, Uncle Bill will receive a certificate from President George Bush.

Gilmore still drives from his La Mesa condo to the SDSU Extended Studies Center, where he has taken more than 30 classes through the Osher Institute; a unique place offering adults 50 and better a chance to return to campus and study a fascinating array of topics from political science to art history, literature to astronomy.

Although once intimidated by compositional writing, Gilmore now takes joy in exploring the topic while writing his memoirs. He attributes his pursuit to Patricia Geist-Martin, professor in SDSU School of Communication and Osher Institute faculty, who persuaded him at age 99 not to drop her Osher “Of Lives and Words” course and continue on his memoirs.

He intends to always follow the advice he offers others: “Life is for the living – get busy, and be happy.”

That’s great advice from a great man!

Have Padres given up on 2008 season?

Have the Padres quit on the 2008 season?

It sure looked like it in Monday night’s 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The night began with Scott Hairston dropping a fly ball over the fence for a two-run homer for Ryan Ludwick of St. Louis.

It ended with Josh Bard appropriately taking a called third strike.

In between, there was lack of effort, lack of execution and an overall lack of desire displayed by the Padres.

Sure, General Manager Kevin Towers is threatening to bring up a bunch of players from the minors.

But what good would that do? If those guys were good enough, they’d already be in the majors because this team has needed help all along the way.

Towers has only himself and the front office to blame for building a team with a lack of speed, power, pitching depth, outfielders, etc.

Sadly, with 116 games to play, it looks like the Padres have already cried “Uncle” for 2008.