New Trick for Padre Fans
First off, the Padres lost in an ugly game to the AZ. And our late game rally gives me little pleasure.
Now onto the main show.
Dr. Padre Mike is here to help you make it through the rest of the season with as little emotional damage as possible. Here is the trick:
Forget we are in first place. Yes, Dr. Padre Mike recommends that Padre fans forget we are in first place and focus on the fact that this is just another sub-500 season, one of many, and make the emotional adjustment.
And by the looks of the attendance last night, many fans are taking my advice.
You see, the problem all along is the fact that we are in first even though we are a bad team. So if we ignore first place (fingers in ears-I'm not listening, I'm not listening), then the second fact, that we are a bad team, is nothing unusual and you will be able to enjoy the rest of the baseball season, such as it is, without tearing your hair out. Think of it as a bag over your Padre heart as well as your head.
And your dogs, kids, co-workers, friends, wives, roommates, parents, and bosses will be a lot happier too, because you'll be happier.
When the season ends and the Padre are in the playoffs, we can enjoy what I'm sure will be a joyful playoff experience. Because in the playoffs, you never know...but we know, don't we, Padre fans. Or, yes, we know. And the sooner it is over and faster we can enjoy Charger season, which is shaping up to be a good one.
Back to reality, still time to TAKE the series and Peavy is on the mound tonight gainst the AZ but I'm not holding my breath.
So go Padres!. There is always next year. You see, its working already.
Dr. Padre Mike (not a real doctor)
Notes:1. IGD discussion last night at DS was fun last night. The gallows humor emerged. I believe I read the words root canal and Padres in the same sentence.
2. Is Nady ready for Prime Time? Is he Ducksnorts responsibility? I kid, I joke, kinda.
3. Attendance is way down now, but who can blame San Diegians. Beaches, weather, Del Mar, Chargers. Maybe if the Padres were in first, it would make a difference. See, its working.
We Won-Ugly
But you, dear Padre fan, knew that.
Klesko had three RBIs (its about time the boy started hitting) but you knew that as well.
Roberts nearly put Giles on the DL by colliding with him in right-center field. But that was Roberts ball all the way. He's the center fielder.
So lets add up the good news:
1. Eaton pitched well Friday, although we lost.
2. Klesko started to hit Sunday
3. Didn't loose any in the standings by loosing the series to the last place team.
4. Gile's knee is sore but OK.
5. Green will start Thursday in Mil with a steel toe cap. IOWs, he's a gamer where as Hernandez isn't.
6. We didn't get swept by the last place team.
And lets add up the bad news:
1. We can't hit
2. We can't hit with MIB
3. We can't hit with two outs and MIB
4. We can't hit rookie pitchers with 5+ ERAs
5. We can't hit in Petco even though the visiting teams have no trouble
6. We can't hit in the clutch
So what I'm saying is, our offense sucks.
And this leads me to my other point. The Padres are playing ugly ball and this is one reason games are not sold out and attendance is behind last year, even though we are leading the NL Worst.
I've been to a couple of games, we won both, but it was ugly ball. Lots stakeouts and popups, lots of LOBs, lot of disappointments. Its been ugly ball since June 1.
And frankly, I'm tired of it. We are a bad team in first place, its really not fair to anyone.
Tonight, we play the AZ and have a chance to really create some distance in the race, although many think the Dogbones will be nipping at our heals, not the AZ, when its all said and done.
Either way, go Padres, and please, please, hit.
Padre Mike
Notes:
1. Be very interested in what Sandi does in the off season. Trevor, Giles, Hernandez, Randa are free agents. Petco favors your line drive hitter.
2. Is Petco's center field jinxed? There seem to be problems there lately with players colliding. Maybe its a sound thing, like in that area with the crowd noise, fielders can't hear.
3. Even wonder why notes or points have to be in threes? Must be a linguistics thing.
Tired, So Tired
...of watching this team's ineptitude at the plate. They certainly do not play a fun brand of baseball. No wonder, even though they are leading the NL Worst, the attendance numbers are down a couple of k.
Padres loose to the Rocks 3-4. Everytime I tune the game in, its MISP with 2 outs. Why is that?
Bruce Bochy looked tired of the same act too.
OTOH, the snakes (lost tonight), pitching has imploding in the hot August sun and the Dognones, bless their hearts, have a poisoned clubhouse and are emotionally self-destructing before our eyes.
And the Padres can't hit, so what else is new.
That's the reason I didn't catch the game togight. There are more interesting things to do in SD then watch a bunch of stuggling has beens struggle against a rookie pitcher.
Went to Cosi Mels for dinner and walked around UTC with the kids. Bought some sandles at the Clarks store. All that is more interesting then watching lousy Padres hitters get called out on third stikes to end the game. (I did see that). I mean it ain't worth the $$$ or the time.
Playing for the series win now, but we will have to hit the damned ball to win.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
Now That's a Spicy Meatball
Gees, what a little hitting will do.
Padres 7, Astros 4.
But what's great about this score is that Padre relievers had a little trouble in the eighth, had trouble with the last out, and Astros scored two; but because the Padres actually scored some runs, they weathered the storm and got the win.
The singular problem with this team, the reason we are the side-show curiosity of MLB, the reason Padre Mike has more grey hair then usual, the reason we are at merely 500 is THE LACK OF CLUTCH HITTING, period!
Oh, we get men on base and hit a solo HR occasionally, but we do little else offensively. And I know I'm supposed to offer up a boat-load of stats at this point to back up my point, but I don't have the time. I'm writing this on the sly at work with my boss breathing down my neck and deadline are looming.
So trust me, I'm probably right about this. We don't hit much.
So last night was a breath of fresh air. Hitting, clutch hitting.
Now we get a day off to kill our momentum and its back to 2-run games and 15 LOBs...just kidding.
....And the Technical Widgets Convention starts in Las Vegas next week and it should be a dandy with over 500 companies showing their products. The XXXXX (name removed for security reasons) booth will be in the center of the action....sorry, the boss just came by, heh.
Please, Padre hitters, keep hitting with MISP and the rest of the season and subsequent playoffs will be joyful.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
Notes:
1. Had to turn off the TV last night so I could get some work done. The baseboard in the den is complete. I just carry a transistor radio in the tool belt. TV rots your brain.
2. Six-man roster. Never heard of that before. Guess that makes sense. We shall see. Glad to have Eaton back, though.
3. Was so excited the other day, got a few comments on a post. Turned out to be SPAM. They are spamming the comment sections of obscure baseball blogs. What next?
Peavy Da Man
Jake won last night against Clemens, although he may not have pitched better. Jake had to dig his way out of two bases loaded jams, but hey, he's only 24. Clemens made a few mistake pitches and bam.
But hey two, Clemens is 43, that is older then me, which is to say, older then dirt.
Watching the guy last night, I could not help thinking of him rolling into town Monday on a private jet, supplied by the Astros owner via contract, cruising to the park in a limo/SUV, yet he's just an old ballplayer. Strange irony there. Mega superstar-ole coon from Texas.
Of course, you know Clemens don't chill with the team on his off-days, but rather hops back on the Lear and gittyups out o town after each start. Three hours every five days, plus travel=millions. Nice work if you can get it.
Park against somebody tonight. I don't care, I just want them to take the series and start hitting better.
So, go Padres!
Padre Mike
Notes:
1. Apparently, Eaton's lil finger is all better now. Starts Friday. Probably be a lot o rust. But I'm happy to have him back.
2. Man, I like Olivo behind the plate. You can see it in his eyes, he just wants it. Hernandez who?
3. That's got to be Giles first HR in a long time. Even Klesko had a nice rope. Lets cross our fingers.
4. Could the Wood find himself in the pen? We shall see.
5. Nice to see a little ESPN love. To bad it has to be the Thriller in Manila to get their attention, but can you blame them?
THIS TEAM SUCKS
Abolutely pathetic at the plate, ordinary on the mound, and the bully continues to bleed. So the result is predictable, 6-2 lose against a pretty good Astros team.
But, when my son asks if we are still in first place, I say, "yes, we are still in first by four games."
"Then what's the problem, Dad?"
What can I say, Padre fan? It seems no matter how crappy a team we are, the baseball Gods want us in first place...for some reason.
But I would not pay good money to watch that slop at the plate.
Hope the best for Peavy tomorrow.
Go Padres
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Gee, after Houston leaves town, its nothing but crappy teams, also known as the NLW, for the rest of the season. Lucky Padre fan.
2. The umpire did rip Nady off with a very bad third strike on a Kennedy killer curveball. I mean, the guy has a great curve, but it shouldn't fool the ump.
3. Visiting teams seems to have no trouble hitting balls out of Petco. Witness Birkmen two-run dinger to Padre Alley. I'm sure Alderson is taking note.
.500 Road Trip-Not Bad
10 Things U Probably Already Know:
1. 500 road trip, 1 over-heated jetliner, a grand salami in the 13th, an ESPN game. That beats Florida any day.
2. Nady must start the remaining 40 games, despite matchups. Bochy be damned.
3. Chargers looked good in that preseason game Sunday. But its only the preseason.
4. Joe Morgan has little to no respect for the Padres. Arrogant bastard, but can you blame him?
5. A game under 500 and 4 games up. Freaky.
6. Peavy v. Clemons has all the makings of a bust. Lets hope its Clemons who breaks down.
7. After this three game set with Houston, its all NL West til Oct (cept 3 with DC) and we know what a dog league the NLW is.
8. Errors, I hate errors more then LOBs. Two errors is particularly egregious. No wonder Joe hates the Padres.
9. Where the hell is Eaton? Is his career over? What's with the finger? Will he ever be able to garden again?
10. We nearly had a season sweep of the Atl. Just as the Phillies have our number, we apparently match up well against the Atlanta, which offers a glimmer of hope for the first round of the playoffs. Remember 1998?
But you knew all that stuff already, bla, bla, bla.
Go Padres
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Padres looked pretty good on ESPN until the eighth inning and Lawrence again displayed maxi.
2. Made two, count em, two trips to the dump yesterday. Love that place, love getting rid of crap.
3. Hernandez, Hernandez who? Besides, the hair salons in SD are not up to his liking.
4. Is it cool that my 12 year old daughter thinks Kaliah Green (spelling) is cute? "What college are you going to, boy? Wanna see my collection lethal weapons or the cage full of deadly snakes I keep in the basement?"
That Was Fun
Well, that was fun although I did not see much of the game. I guess Giles was showing off to his brother and so were ten other Padres, the number of dudes with at least one hit last night.
Teddy ballgame, always good for the travel back story, was explaining the Padres flying adventures getting from Florida to the Atl. They had a wee bit o trouble with the aircraft when the power shut down in the cabin while taxing to the runway. Three hours later, the problem was fixed. Apparently too, it was a female pilot, which made Teddy a little more nervious.
Hey Ted, open mouth and insert foot.
Park was not especially sharp, but 20 hits will help a guy get past that, although he did not make it past the fifth inning.
Didn't see the Sweeney home run, wife and I watched Kinsey instead. Good movie but not for the kids.
Well, we have seen this kind of thing before, where the Pads have a blowout game then go back to being NL West door mats, so I'm not buying, yet. But it was fun.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
Notes:
1. Flannery and Ted were reliving memories of the 98 NL playoff Series during the game. Great memories, especailly the series in the Atl.
2. Ted Liechter finally admitted on the radio to having a disease...he said that whatever he thinks comes out his mouth.
3. Good to see Joe Montana's brother get off the snide with a dinger. That guy is supposed to be able to hit, but I have yet to see it.
The Flu
Well, I have the flu which makes me cranky and I'm sore from laying around.
Its taken me a few days to get past the utter beating we took from the Phils at home. Thank Gawd we won't see them again.
And may I just say, to vent my spleen, go to hell Philidelphia, you'll be watching us from your couch at playoff time and you are a better team then we are, HA!
Ok, that particular type of crankiness has been known to accompany the flu.
So, I'm sick (did I mention that?) and one of the few joys of said condition is the opportunity to sit around and watch TV and luckily, the Padres were on.
Even more lucky, they actually won the damned game by hitting the baseball.
That win made me feel a little better.
Tonight, its the Woodman and against somebody.
Go Padres
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Is Joe Montana supposed to be a hitter because last night, he watched three inside fast balls go right past him. Oh, wait, he's a Padre now, of course he can't hit.
2. BTW, who the hell gets the flu in August. First time I've been this sick in a while.
3. Disneyland with the kids tomorrow for daughter's birthday. Ouch, that is expensive.
Ouch!
Another lousy game, back to 500, and still in first place. Well, folks what can I say. Its the strangest season ever. We are a third rate club leading the freaky NL West.
We fans are caught in the middle and don't know how to behave. Crappy Padres teams have been a San Diego staple for years. Then, occasionally, the team raises up and take us to grand baseball heights.
When the Pads are bad, we pay attention but don't get our heart invovled. We enjoy baseball and head to the beach. But when the team is good, we open our hearts and cheer.
But this freaky season we opened our hearts to a playoff bound team, yet they play like a crappy teams of the past, so we are caught in the middle. Its like a lover who loves you and breaks your heart all in the same day, then repeats the following day.
So, I've decided, like a gilted lover, to fall out of love with this years addition of the San Diego Padres. And, of course, like a jilte lover, I will secretly continue to cheer and hope for the best.
So, cheers to a freaky season...
Go Padres.
Crunch!
Nasty, the collision between Beltran and Cameron, no?
Reading about it in the
NYTimes sports page we discover the Cameron was an ex center fielder playing right and thus has a bit of an excuse for not backing off, but its Beltran's ball all the way.
Cameron got a busted nose and a busted cheek. Basically, a busted face. And apparently there was a lot of blood on the field. Yuk, who wants to play center with a pool of blood on the field.
But we won the game, a close game too and a great pitching performance by the Woodman, Trevor gets number 30, and Otska hits Floyd in the eighth. Floyd said it was on purpose, but I doubt that.
BTW, its always interesting to follow the ball after mishaps like that. It basically died a few feet from the downed players and the Met second baseman ran an got it, holding pinch-hitter Ross to a triple. I guess he could have come home because despite the wreckage in center field, the ball is still in play.
Tonight, its the Philli's and a little cheese steak revenge would be nice and we have just the guy to cook some up, Peavy.
Philli beat us like a red-headed step child on our trip back East, but I don't think they are that good and I know our hitting has finally come round.
Series win, series win.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Gameday and IGD at Dusksnorts is a good way to follow the game. All I need was some beer, but then again I need this gig, so I skipped the beer.
2. So Cameron goes to Mercy and Beltran gets Scripps Clinic in La Jolla (according to the NYTimes). Must be a contract thing.
3. 8 hits but only two runs. I see the LOB sneaking back into the offense.
That Game was Terrible
But there is a silver lining, at least for the Wilder family. Daddy/husband got some work done around the house, namely nailing and caulking the new baseboard in the entry way. Looks good. Lawrence looked terrible.
But like the Wilder remodel, its a looooonnnnnngggg season.
Took about 2 innings of that crap and I was done.
But, five in a row followed by a bad lose, can't complain. And on top of all that, Az lost as well so we are still on top by 4 games, if still only one game above .500.
Nooner game today. Corporate cube dwellers, break out your Gameday if you can and IGD at ducksnorts.
See you there, and GO PADRES!
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Lawrence sucked last night but the Mets get some credit too. They were patient and played station to station ball peppered with a few dingers.
2. Is Mike P. gay? Every time I see him, I ask myself that question. It does really matter, its just that once a rumor starts, its hard to stop. Remember the Star Report and Clinton?
3. Benston, the Mets pitcher, is terrible slow. Ted Lietner says he hates clow pitchers but I donno. Being slow gives Ted a lot of talk time on the radio and that boy loves to talk.
That was a fun Game
Pedro overlooked the Padres big time last night, especially Greene with that HR.
"Who is dis Khalil Greene, some kid up from the minors. I shall blow him away with my fast ball."
Bang, the rest is history.
As I mentioned on the ducksnorts IGD, both trades for Pedro A. and Park look like good moves because both have live arms, as they say. To me, a washed up pitcher is a guy with no stuff who can't get the junk across the plate anymore.
But P and P seemed to have plenty of stuff during thier last starts.
My, my winning is fun.
Go Padres
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Only problem with all this winning is I'm not getting any work done around the house. If its a crappy game I turn the TV off.
2. Guess Nevin is doing well in Texas. But we knew he would. He'll hit well for two weeks, injure his obleak and sit for a week, then take two more weeks to get his swing back, repeat.
3. I like Mudcat Grant. When the Mets third basemen made that great bare-handed grab last night, Mud said, "what in the name of Kevin Mitchell is going on out there." Now that is comedy.
Aw, the White Ball
You'd think that playing baseball for all those years, many from Little League on up, Padre hitters would have realized before this latest road trip that the key to winning and helping your pitchers is hitting the white ball into the big grassy area away from the guys standing out there, and if possible, over the fence way out there.
Well, Padre hitters have finally caught on and just in the nick of time, thank you Jesus.
IOWs, we are hitting and we are winning, a simple equation. The Padres' problem is not pitching or defense, its hitting. In May, we hit like demons. June and July, we hit like jakes. Maybe we used up all our hits in May. Maybe a team only gets a certain number of hits per year. Nah, we just forgot how to hit.
Like the old Steve Martin line, "I forgot, I forgot armed robbery was against the law, I forgot."
Having been through two months of pain and misery and not given up the NL West lead, what I want now is respect within the NL, ESPN, and baseball and to get that we need to keep moving past .500.
This morning, with our record, we would barely be holding 4th place in the other five leagues except the central where we would be in 3rd. Not even a Wildcard sniff.
Both the Phillies and Mets, who are coming to town, are playing better baseball then we are, yet are forth and fifth in the NL East.
In fact, the next five series, NYM, PHI, FLA, ATL, and HOU are all teams playing better baseball than the Padres. Yet the only teams in current contention for post season are ALT, leading the NL East, and HOU, with the Wildcard.
That tells you the NL West stinks. But the Padres don't have to stink and this last roady showed us that. We went 5-1 and hit the ball a ton. Lets win the next five series against there tough NL teams and gain some respect back.
So come on Padre hitters, keep applying wood to ball and all will be well.
Go Padres
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Go check out ducksnorts ipod broadcast. Don't need an ipod, just click the link. He sounds taller then I thought.
2. The irony of RFK is that now, its the throw-back stadium.
3. Hope the site planners for the new Nats stadium are better then those employed by the Padres. Would it not be cool for the Nats to look out on the Capitol or some monuments? Woldn't it be nice if Petco looked at the Coronado Bridge or maybe SD Bay instead of...er...what does it look on?
4. Don't get me started on a Petco rant. That place looks our on..er...um...an vacant lot. Nice.
I know I know....
We got problems with pitching and defense and a tough schedule with the Mets, Philly, Fla and ATL coming up...but I don't care.
We are hitting the ball again after a two month slump and that is all that matters, for now.
Even losing the middle game in the Berg with on a walk-off gaper didn't bother me, because we scored eight, count em, eight whole runs.
The pitching and D will get better once if start continue to hit, once the team feels they are always in games because they can hit.
For two months, it didn't matter if the D or P was great, we couldn't hit so a lose was inevitable. Now, hopefully the tide has turned and we are hitting again.
First, lets focus on winning series, then lets get back to 500, then get to a 500 road record, then get some distance in the NL West.
All of this is possible with hitting.
Padres are in DC which is fun. Should be interesting to see JFK stadium. As a Redskins fans in the Joe Gibes era, I remember that place as cold and loud.
Those looker rooms have a lot of history in them.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
Notes:1. Dennis Morgeno on the cable broadcast...he's not too bad. Where is Maddy?
2. Interested in hearing the players impressions of DC. Are they going to hit a museum or two, hope so?
3. I guess Greene is a country hick (said with all due respect and affection for the guy). UT reports he visited relatives in rural Pennsylvania, said it felt good to be out of the city. Maybe he and Klesko can go bow huntin over the winter.
I know I know....
We got problems with pitching and defense and a tough schedule with the Mets, Philly, Fla and ATL coming up...but I don't care.
We are hitting the ball again after a two month slump and that is all that matters, for now.
Even losing the middle game in the Berg with on a walk-off gaper didn't bother me, because we scored eight, count em, eight whole runs.
The pitching and D will get better once if start continue to hit, once the team feels they are always in games because they can hit. For two months, it didn't matter if the D or P was great, we couldn't hit so a lose was inevitable. Now, hopefully the tide has turned and we are hitting again.
First, lets focus on winning series, then lets get back to 500, then get to a 500 road record, then get some distance in the NL West.
All of this is possible with hitting.
Padres are in DC which is fun. Should be interesting to see JFK stadium. As a Redskins fans in the Joe Gibes era, I remember that place as cold and loud.
Those looker rooms have a lot of history in them.
Go Padres!
Notes:1. Dennis Morgeno on the cable broadcast...he's not too bad. Where is Maddy?
2. Interested in hearing the players impressions of DC. Are they going to hit a museum or two, hope so?
3. I guess Greene is a country hick (said with all due respect and affection for the guy). UT reports he visited relatives in rural Pennsylvania, said it felt good to be out of the city. Maybe he and Klesko can go bow huntin over the winter.
Wow, a Win!
Sorry, been having Blogspot problems.
Wow, the hitting, the hitting with men on base, the runs scored, the winning. Its almost too much to take.
And the pitching!
Now, Padres, win again tonight in a hard fought game and I might begin to reconsider the fact that your team stinks.
But I'm not bitter, just shy.
Go Padres!
Padre Mike
