Jonathan Broxton, Heath Bell are lights out

Apparently, somebody has gotten through to closers Jonathan Broxton of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Heath Bell of the San Diego Padres.

Both look to be as dominant as anybody coming out of the bullpen in 2009.

Bell is 8-for-8 in save opportunities with a 0.00 ERA; Broxton is 6-for-6 with a 2-0 record and 0.90 ERA.

What makes both men tick?

Each is big and powerful with the ability to blow away hitters. And that’s what both are doing thus far.

Somebody on both ends must have told these two closers to quit nibbling around the plate and just get the job done quickly.

A year ago as set up men, each seemed to be trying to be too fine in often working to full counts on batters. Now, each bruiser seems to be going right after people with strike one, strike two and strike three.

Broxton is near 300 pounds; Bell has dropped about 20 pounds to 225. Each is a terror on the mound when going right after hitters, which is going to spell relief for the Dodgers and Padres.

In LA, Broxton is replacing Takashi Saito. Bell has taken over in San Diego for all-time MLB saves leader Trevor Hoffman.

Broxton will likely be pitching in the playoffs this year. Bell’s team will probably finish last or next-to-last.

But when it comes to individuals, you won’t find two more up-and-coming closers than Broxton and Bell.

San Diego Padres: Among the best in MLB?

Are the San Diego Padres really one of the best teams in MLB?

With a 6-2 start, you’d think so. With most “experts” picking them to finish last in the NL West (and possibly with the worst MLB record), you’d think not.

What makes this team go thus far in 2009?

Look no further than the bullpen.

Through eight games, it has been the best bullpen ERA in the majors. (Of course, San Diego started out the same way last year, only to implode on its way to a 63-99 record.)

Outside of Duaner Sanchez, Cla Meredith and Heath Bell, you’ve never heard of any of the guys in the bullpen. Bell won’t make people forget that Trevor Hoffman is the all-time saves leader; but he’s soon going to make people forget about Hoffman as the team’s closer (Bell is for real!)

The starting staff is solid at the top with Jake Peavy (until he gets traded) and Chris Young. When you consider No. 3 starter Walter Silva came to the U.S. on a tryout from Mexico last month, it tells you all that you need to know about the back end of the rotation.

Outside of cleanup-man Adrian Gonzalez, the lineup is either largely unproven or a couple of has-beens. Those has-beens, David Eckstein and Brian Giles, will make opposing pitchers rack up the pitch count … if nothing else.

Thus far, Eckstein is playing with the enthusiasm of a rookie. He can only hope that his enthusiasm spreads; along with his patience.

Nobody is petitioning yet for Bud Black to be the NL Manager of the Year.

But if he can keep this rag-tag bunch at or near .500 all year, he certainly needs to be considered.

Padres need to discover whether Heath Bell can close

Remember back in 1993 when the San Diego Padres brought in an unknown pitcher from the Florida Marlins during the team’s fire sale days who was often booed by San Diego fans?

Little did anyone know that 16 years later, Trevor Hoffman would be the all-time MLB saves leader with 554 (not to mention a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.)

The Padres may have botched their handling of the Hoffman situation after 2008, but there’s no question they need to find out whether Heath Bell is the closer of the future.

(And there’s no better year to do it than in 2009, when the team will likely finish last whether Hoffman or Bell is the closer.)

Bell may be 552 career saves short of Hoffman, but there’s no telling how good (or bad) he’ll be moving from an eighth- to ninth-inning role.

To be sure, the Padres may not get to Bell very often unless Jake Peavy or Chris Young is the starting pitcher. Plus, the set up duo of Cla Meredith and Duaner Sanchez isn’t likely to strike fear in the hearts of opposing batters.

Even so, the Padres need to discover whether Bell can succeed on those limited save opportunities.

As for Hoffman, he’ll start the season on the disabled list for only the second time in his career.

In retrospect, it’s too bad he and the Padres could not have agreed to go one more year together.

When all is said and done, don’t be surprised if Trevor Hoffman and the Milwaukee Brewers are this year’s version of the 2008 one-year marriage between Brett Favre and the New York Jets.

Padres should close out Hoffman era

Sorry, but it’s time for Trevor Hoffman and the Padres to go their separate ways.

This is certainly not a knock on Hoffman. Nor is it one on the organization.

With all of the acrimony at this point, it would just be best for everyone if Hoffman departs.

If Hoffman has anything left at age 41, then he should be part of a pennant contender. It isn’t going to happen in San Diego.

Since the Padres are obviously rebuilding, they need to discover the identity of their next closer.

Hoffman, the all-time saves leader in Major League Baseball, has been an icon in San Diego for more than a decade.

But last season, it became apparent there wasn’t much gas left in his tank. His 2008 ERA of 3.77 paled in comparison to his career ERA of 2.78.

And remember, Hoffman came to the Padres in 1993 as part of a fire sale from the Florida Marlins.

For those old enough to recall, Hoffman was booed during his early years with the Padres because he represented (not by his own desire) the fire sale of the franchise.

Now, in a very similar situation, it’s time to find out whether Heath Bell can come within 50% of being the next Hoffman.

Maybe he will. Maybe he’ll be the next Gary Lucas.

But in either case, it’s time for Hoffman to join a contender … and the Padres to find their next closer.

Will Trevor Hoffman make Hall of Fame?

Is Trevor Hoffman destined for the Baseball Hall of Fame?

Apparently, a lot of people in Los Angeles don’t think so.

During a Los Angeles Dodgers telecast on KCAL Channel 9 recently, viewers were asked whether they believed the Padres’ closer would make the Hall of Fame.

The responses:

Never: 38%
Eventually: 36%
First ballot: 26%

Even Hall of Fame announcer Vin Scully said on the air that he was surprised by the low support for Hoffman.

After all, Hoffman is the all-time saves leader with 552. (But the man he passed, Lee Smith, still isn’t in the Hall of Fame.)

Normally, we could blame the oversight on Hoffman due to East Coast bias. But these were West Coast fans in the Los Angeles area.

It kind of makes you wonder just when ... or if ... Hoffman will get his due respect in the Hall of Fame.

Padres, Rockies fans have a right to boo

Remember when so many people made a big deal out of Trevor Hoffman being booed in San Diego last week?

The theory was that people should not boo a hometown hero likely headed for the Baseball Hall of Fame; no matter how poorly he had performed.

For those who disagreed with the booing of Hoffman, how about the Colorado Rockies fans Monday night?

They turned on the Rockies in a 15-8 loss to the lowly Padres, Colorado’s eighth straight loss (hey, it broke the Padres’ eight-game losing streak!)

If some think Padre fans shouldn’t boo Hoffman, what about Coloradoans showing their displeasure with the Rockies?

After all, aren’t these the same Rockies who went to the World Series last year? Because of that, should their fans be exempt from booing them?

In all cases, the answer is “no.” Fans pay a huge premium to attend a game; they have the right to show their displeasure as long as they do not cross the line (and booing is not crossing the line.)

Think about your job situation. If all of a sudden you became a failure, could you save your job by pointing to what you did in the past?

Not likely!

Padres should demote more than Germano

The Padres have demoted starting pitcher Justin Germano to the bullpen because of his 0-3 record and 6.35 ERA.

If you’re going to demote Germano, don’t forget:

Catcher Josh Bard, his .216 average and inability to throw out base stealers.

Shortstop Khalil Greene with his .213 average and one home run.

The whole left field tandem of Scott Hairston, Justin Huber and Paul McAnulty.

Center fielder Jim Edmonds with his .171 average and inability to get to fly balls anymore.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget starting pitcher Chris Young (2-3, 4.31 ERA) along with the bullpen trio of Trevor Hoffman (0-2, 6.52), Glendon Rusch (1-2, 6.26) and Joe Thatcher (0-3, 6.75).

With so many underachievers, no wonder the Padres are tied with the Colorado Rockies for the worst record in Major League Baseball at 12-21.

There's no power in the Padres

The Padres are going to need to win a lot more games like Sunday’s 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Why?

There is simply no power in the Padres in 2008.

As of Sunday, the Padres have gone 55 innings without hitting a home run. Over the longer haul, they have just one home run in their last 76 innings.

The meaning: Padres pitchers will have to be on their game every day.

Starters Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Greg Maddux, Randy Wolf and Justin Germano have very little room for error. (Thus far, all but Young have been on their game in 2008.)

Cla Meredith and Heath Bell must keep being successful in the seventh and eighth innings; and Trevor Hoffman needs to get back on his horse in the ninth inning.

The Padres are supposedly a powerless team because of the vast dimensions of Petco Park. But that can’t explain why they only hit one homer in six games on their first trip through San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Unless the Padres start hitting the long ball, it could be a long season ahead.

Padres hit the Wall in China

The Padres … or at least half of them … are finding out how the other half of the world lives this week in Beijing, China.

A contingent led by Manager Bud Black is in Beijing to play the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday and Saturday nights (San Diego time) in a two-game exhibition series.

But the real adventure has been the sightseeing, according to media reports.

The San Diego contingent first took a trip to one of the Seven Wonders of the World – the Great Wall of China.

Then four Padres signed autographs at a mall … Heath Bell, Justin Germano, Trevor Hoffman and Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Baseball is basically a side-show to the city that will host the 2008 Summer Olympics.

What does this trip do for the Padres?

It gives those involved a chance to break the monotony during the middle of spring training, among other things.

Sure, they will be tired when they return to Arizona for spring training next week. Then it will set in that they had a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Jet lag will also set in, but they’ll have plenty of time to get over it before the March 31 season opener vs. the Houston Astros.

Hoffman is key to Padres' playoff hopes

Trevor Hoffman has been so taken for granted that Padres’ fans may finally find out this season just how good he was.

Hoffman, the all-time Major League Baseball saves leader, could be counted on about 90 percent of the time to hold any lead in the ninth inning.

He proved human in his final two appearances of 2007.

First, there was the triple by Milwaukee’s Tony Gwynn Jr. off Hoffman that prevented the Padres from clinching a playoff berth.

Then, there was Hoffman giving up three runs to the Colorado Rockies in another game that could have propelled the Padres into the playoffs.

Either these were two blips on Hoffman’s great career, or they were a sign of things to come.

When Hoffman blew consecutive saves in potential playoff-clinching games, San Diego fans got a taste of what people in many others cities throughout baseball experience.

Nowadays, the hardest thing for a pitcher to do is record the final three outs.

Nobody has been better at that than Hoffman.

But if he slips at all from his personal high standards in 2008, the Padres’ chances of making the postseason are very minimal.

San Diego sports: Abolish them all?

Think back to the rosy situation for San Diego sports last Friday night.

All the Padres had to do was beat the downtrodden Milwaukee Brewers one time to make the playoffs.

The Chargers were favored by more points than any NFL team Sunday, so they would certainly whip the Kansas City Chiefs.

OK, so now we’ve witnessed among the 72 worst hours in San Diego sports history.

The Padres couldn’t beat the Brewers … or hold a two-run lead with Trevor Hoffman on the mound against the Colorado Rockies.

The Chargers lost to the Chiefs … further proving it was Marty Schottenheimer’s coaching – not A.J. Smith’s players – who were responsible for last year’s 14-2 season.

With the Padres, you wouldn’t normally want anyone other than Jake Peavy or Hoffman on the mound. But they surrendered all of Colorado’s runs in Monday night’s season-ending, 9-8 loss in 13 innings.

Sadly, both now have storylines of being great pitchers the first 162 days of the season; but not much to brag about thereafter.

As for the Chargers, they continue to prove why Norv Turner has the reputation of a great offensive coordinator who couldn’t beat a high school JV team as a head coach.

And let’s not forget San Diego State. The Aztecs lost to No. 24 Cincinnati, 52-23, and looked as if they couldn’t tackle a mediocre Pop Warner running back.

Most of us are aware by now of a resolution in the SDSU Senate to abolish Aztec football.

For the sake of long-suffering San Diego fans, maybe they should abolish all sports in this town.

Padres: It's the hitters; not the coach

It’s bad enough that the Padres have turned over 20 percent of their roster in less than a week.

But firing hitting coach Merv Rettenmund on top of it all?

Maybe one day, management will learn it’s the hitters on the team – not the hitting coach – needing to take the blame for the team’s woeful offense.

The Padres fired their last hitting coach, Dave Magadan, 14 months ago. But doesn’t Magadan look like a great hitting coach now that he’s with the Boston Red Sox this year?

As for the Padres’ moves, it sure doesn’t appear as if the roster is any better than it was a week ago.

"It doesn't really serve a purpose, other than there's chaos in the clubhouse, and that's not a good thing, either,'' Trevor Hoffman told the Associated Press.

Chaos, indeed. And it’s not the fault of the hitting coach.

Will Padres' bullpen collapse?

Heath Bell and Doug Brocail are pretty much having career seasons.

Cla Meredith and Scott Linebrink have both hit low points this year, but each is doing well overall.

Royce Ring and Justin Hampson have been adequate in their turns filling the left-hander’s role in the bullpen. Kevin Cameron must be writing a book titled “How I Spent My Summer Vacation Sitting in the Padres Bullpen.”

Trevor Hoffman is still Trevor Hoffman.

However, the Padres bullpen did implode twice this weekend. It cost them a loss Saturday at Arizona, one night after taking away any chance of winning with a poor performance Friday.

The ultimate question: Can the Padres hold up in the bullpen for the duration of 2007?

Judging on the weekend, the answer is negative. But going by the first half of the season, the answer is positive.

The next 2 ½ months will tell whether this bullpen is for real or was just masquerading during the first half of 2007.

All-Star Game is losing proposition for Padres

Trevor Hoffman could breathe a little sigh of relief Tuesday night.

Or did you not see how American League relievers J.J. Putz of Seattle and Francisco Rodriguez of Anaheim suffered ninth-inning meltdowns in the All-Star Game?

Hoffman had the same difficulties last year, allowing two ninth-inning runs and becoming the losing pitcher.

Putz and Rodriguez both had their problems last night … and they’re lucky not to have blown the game.

The Padres did suffer another All-Star setback in San Francisco.

Chris Young became the losing pitcher after allowing an inside-the-park home run to Ichiro Suzuki.

This means San Diego has been the home of the All-Star Game’s losing pitcher for two straight years.

Since this is only an “exhibition” game (don’t tell Commissioner Bud Selig), Young and the Padres can certainly shake it off before returning to play Friday night in Arizona.

Barrett is quite a catch

Michael Barrett was obtained by the Padres from the Chicago Cubs last week for his offense.

Or was there a catch to it?

In his first week with the Padres, Barrett is proving to be quite a find behind the plate. Just take the final out in Tuesday night’s 3-2 win over San Francisco in 10 innings for example.

Dave Roberts was on first base for the Giants. Trevor Hoffman was pitching for San Diego. It normally doesn’t matter who’s behind the plate, but this time it was Barrett.

Roberts is one of the best base stealers around. Hoffman has a major league record of 502 saves, but it’s not because he can hold runners on base. And the Padres haven’t had any catcher the past couple of years who could throw out base stealers.

So what happens?

Hoffman uses a slide step instead of his normal high leg kick. Barrett throws Roberts out at second attempting to steal. Game over.

The irony is that the Padres have spent all season saying it’s not that important to throw out base stealers; what matters is concentrating on the batter.

But at least in this case, concentrating on the base runner paid off with a win.

Union-Tribune MLB draft coverage is Bush league

Does anybody else remember this story from the San Diego Union-Tribune on June 8, 2004?

By Bill Center

Kevin Towers couldn’t hide his delight.

"This is a great story," the Padres general manager said yesterday after introducing Mission Bay High shortstop/pitcher Matt Bush as the No. 1 pick of baseball's 2004 draft.

And the story started with a report in this newspaper Friday.

At the time, Padres director of scouting Bill Gayton was assessing the three collegiate frontrunners for the Padres' No. 1 pick in the draft – right-handed pitchers Jered Weaver of Long Beach State and Jeff Niemann of Rice and Florida State shortstop Stephen Drew.

Gayton was asked about Matt Bush.

"We've talked about Bush," said Gayton. "We love him."

When Bush read that quote Friday morning, a light went on.

"I've always loved the Padres," said Bush. "If they love me . . . "
Bush put in a call to one of his advisers, Ken Felder.

"I asked Ken that, off what I read in the newspaper, would it be OK if I called the Padres and told them I wanted to play for them," said Bush.

OK, so now we know why the Padres took Bush – instead of three players ranked way ahead of him – as the first pick in the 2004 Major League Baseball draft.

It all comes back to the San Diego Union-Tribune. And it all comes back to Bill Center.

They’re the culprits who started this whole mess with Bush! We all know how Bush got into an altercation soon after joining the Padres minor leaguers … and how he has been a monumental failure.

OK, so the Padres are switching him from shortstop to pitcher. Trevor Hoffman made the same position change and is now the all-time saves leader with 500.

But for every Hoffman, there are hundreds of Matt Bushes who fail.

Who do we have to thank for this horrible failure? Sounds like “credit” is due to Bill Center and his newspaper!

Padres hand Cubs another one-run loss

If you can’t appreciate Trevor Hoffman and his Major League Baseball record of 495 saves, consider what it might be like on the other end.

The Chicago Cubs are just 2-10 in one-run games after losing to Hoffman and the San Diego Padres, 2-1, Wednesday night.

Cubs Manager Lou Piniella is obviously tired of watching his team blow close games with lack of clutch hitting and pitching.

“We talk about it way too often,” Piniella said. “I really, really get tired of it. It’s hard explaining it all the time. I really wish you all could sit back here (answering postgame questions) and I could write.

“It just happens too many times. We just leave them on. We’ve got chances to do things with baseball games. We just don’t.

“We’re second in the league in hitting and we’re (2-10) in one-run games. That just really doesn’t add up, does it? No, it really doesn’t.”

But Lou, what do you really think?

Padres do it in threes (or less)

The Padres have won nine games this year while scoring three runs or less.

That’s nine out of 24, as in 37.5 percent of their wins.

Can they keep this up? Time will tell.

They do lead Major League Baseball in team ERA at 3.11. They do have the best bullpen ERA in the majors at 2.19.

The bullpen is back at it again, working 12 1/3 consecutive innings without allowing a run.

The Padres are getting great late-inning relief from Trevor Hoffman, Scott Linebrink, Heath Bell and Cla Meredith. Doug Brocail and Kevin Cameron are doing just fine in the middle, and Justin Hampson keeps eating up the innings while allowing very few runs as the long reliever.

It’s a long summer. The Padres pitchers will likely have to keep it up to overcome an offense that can best be described as "popgun."

The Cubs will always be the Cubs

Kurt Bevacqua carried a big bat – and a mouth to match – when he played for the San Diego Padres from 1979-80 and 1982-85.
But most times, one couldn’t help but pay attention when Bevacqua spoke.
After the Padres lost their first two games in a best-of-five series to the Chicago Cubs in the 1984 National League Championship Series, Bevacqua made the following claim:
“I’d sure like to go to Las Vegas and bet a lot of money on us to win this series,” he said with a straight face.
Many people had to hold back their laughs. After all, the Cubs had outscored the Padres 17-2 in the first two games of the series and were a virtual lock to win at least one of three games in San Diego.
From there, the rest is history. The Padres became the first team in National League Championship Series to rebound from a two-game deficit and win three straight.
What did Bevacqua know that the rest of the world did not? Quite frankly, the Cubs will always be the Cubs (see: losers.)
They can come within five outs of advancing to the World Series in 2003. They can add $300 million to their payroll in 2007.
But you know what? They’re still the Cubs, and they are still laughable losers.
If you don’t think so, just consider current manager Lou Piniella. It took just nine games into this season for Piniella’s first explosion after the Cubs blew a 5-0 lead with ace Carlos Zambrano on the mound.
“What the hell do you think isn't working? You see the damn game,” Piniella snapped at reporters. “And then I bring in the reliever who's throwing 30- to 40-foot curveballs to boot. I can see. I can start to see some of the ways this team has lost ballgames.”
Get used to it, Lou. You have a pair of pitchers in Kerry Wood and Mark Prior who are making (not earning) a combined $5.325 million this year. Don’t be surprised if the Cubs pay about $1 million per win from those two guys.
Then there are the new players (or newly-resigned players) such as Alfonso Soriano ($136 million), Aramis Ramirez ($75 million), Ted Lilly ($40 million) and Jason Marquis ($21 million, or more than Trevor Hoffman’s current three-year deal.)
The Cubs may appear to have a solid roster as they host the San Diego Padres in a two-game series beginning tonight.
But they’re still the Cubs … so the smartest thing to do is go to Las Vegas with Kurt Bevacqua and bet against them in a game that matters most.

How about those Dodgers?

If you remember the television show four decades ago called “Mr. Ed,” you’ll recall the star was a talking horse who often wore a Dodger hat because he lived in Los Angeles.
Whenever Mr. Ed got into trouble with his owner Wilbur Post, he would say: “How about those Dodgers?”
So, how about those 2007 Dodgers, who open a three-game home series tonight against the Padres? Like Mr. Ed, they could be known to cause a lot of trouble.
Or do you think a team with Brad Penny as its No. 4 starter is weak on pitching? Hardly, considering Penny started the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star game for the National League.
Thus far, the Padres certainly have bullpen strength over the Dodgers. But the more one sees of Los Angeles closer Takashi Saito, the more it becomes obvious this guy throws a lot of 1-2-3 innings like Trevor Hoffman.
The Dodger lineup is certainly formidable with Rafael Furcal (hoping to return tonight from a sprained ankle) and Juan Pierre at the top. And it’s not bad in the middle with Nomar Garciaparra, Jeff Kent and Luis Gonzalez. It’s easy to point out that the Dodgers are aging in the middle of their order, but the age factor could certainly point right back at Padres 40-something pitchers Greg Maddux and David Wells.
Padre nemesis Derek Lowe will start the series opener. Lowe is just 2-2 lifetime against the Padres but has a solid 2.37 ERA against them.
The Padres did win 13 of 18 last year against the Dodgers, including seven of nine in Los Angeles. San Diego always seems more fired up than the Dodgers when the teams meet.
If the Padres are to repeat as NL West champions, it may take another 13-5 record against the Dodgers. Why? Because the Dodgers seem to do much better when they’re not playing the Padres.