The season has been a huge disappointment, but there have been some good performances:

• Edgar Gonzalez has finally gotten his chance and has made the utmost of it.  He is red hot now pushing his average to .321 and making a very strong case to be the incumbant 2nd baseman in 2009.
• The other Gonzalez, Adrian, has had a terrific year at both the plate and at 1st base.  He has put himself in the upper tier of all-around players in the NL.
• Brian Giles is my current hero.  He proved to everyone that he indeed is the team leader in St. Louis on Saturday when he made a great catch before running into the wall in the RF corner at full speed.  He risked his future career to try and catch a fly ball during the most difficult season My Pads have had in awhile.  I hope he is with us in 2009. 
• The only hitter hotter than E-Gon is Scott Hairston who hit yet another HR last night.  He keeps pulling even outside pitches, but the results of late have been spectacular.

The offense was led by the Gonzalez brothers, Edgar and All-Star Adrian, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and Peavy who all had two hits each.  But the big hit failed us when needed. 

I'm still hoping and waiting for our 20 game win streak...

Yesterday's Results:

Cards 4, Padres 3

Rockies 5, Pirates 3

Standings:

D-backs         47-48         ------

Dodgers         46-49           1

Giants           40-55            7

Rockies         40-57            8

Padres          37-59          10.5

Today:  @ Cardinals  5:15 PDT          Maddux (3-8) @ Looper (9-7)

Go Chargers!!!

Yesterday's Results:

Braves 12, Padres 3

Phillies 6, D-backs 3

Dodgers 9, Marlins 1

Giants 4, Cubs 2

Mets 7, Rockies 0

Standings:

D-backs         47-48          ------

Dodgers         46-49            1

Giants           40-55             7

Rockies         39-57            8.5

Padres          37-58            10

Many thanks to channel 4 in San Diego for showing most of the ceremony which we watched on Directv's Extra Innings. 

My wife and I laughed, cheered, and cried throughout the ceremony, interviews, and highlights that were shown during the game.

We were very happy with the good reception Kevin Brown received from the Padres Faithful.  Tony Gwynn got a rousing ovation, but Trevor Hoffman's seemed somewhat subdued in comparison.  Maybe it just seemed that way on TV.  Trevor had 53 saves in 54 oppurtunities in 1998...simply amazing!

All the players seemed to really enjoy the gathering and we just love Greg Vaughn.  It sounds like his son might be pretty good.

Of course, for us, the moment when Kevin Towers carried out Caminiti's jersey was a moment of tearful emotion.  RIP Ken.

The game?  The offense let another decent start for Greg Maddux go for naught...not every year can be like 1998.

Yesterday's Results:

Braves 4, Padres 1

D-backs 10, Phillies 4

Marlins 5, Dodgers 3

Cubs 8, Giants 7

Mets 3, Rockies 0

Standings:

D-backs          47-47          ------

Dodgers          45-49            2

Giants            39-55            8

Rockies          39-56           8.5

Padres           37-57           10

Today:  Braves  1:05 PDT            Wolf (6-8) - Campillo (3-4)

My 1998 Padres began Spring Training with a different outlook than ever before~~they expected to win the World Series.  The front office had aquired a legitimate #1 Ace, Kevin Brown, in the offseason which added to a very strong club across the board.   

Here was the lineup for most of the year:

2B   Quilvio Veras

CF   Steve Finley

RF   Tony Gwynn

3B   Ken Caminiti

LF   Greg Vaughn

1B   Wally Joyner

C    Carlos Hernandez

SS   Chris Gomez

The Rotation:

Kevin Brown 

Andy Ashby

Sterling Hitchcock

Joey Hamilton

Mark Langston

The Closer:

Trevor Hoffman

It was a fantastic group of guys who combined to win 98 games in the regular season.

Some Stats:

Gwynn hit .321

Vaughn hit 50 HR's & 119 RBI's

Brown went 18-7 with a 2.38 ERA

Hoffman had 53 Saves..53! 

As I wrote in the first post, I went to school and played baseball for a couple of years with Ken Caminiti while living in San Jose.  I moved back to Utah early in my sophomore year of high school and never contacted him again, but I followed his career very closely.  When he was traded to the Padres in 1995 is when my wife and I first fell in love with the city and county of San Diego.

We even purchased season tickets (a partial plan) for 1996, 1997, and 1998.  We made several trips each year back then (we soon found out that you actually have to pay credit cards back).  Our seats were on the loge level between home and 3rd base.  It was a great place to watch the game from and gave us a great view into the Padres dugout. 

Our usual routine for game days were to drive down to the beach and take a morning walk, have a light breakfast and lunch, arrive early at the Q and eat a heavy, delicious dinner at Randy Jones' BBQ.  Those were wonderful days and nights in Mission Valley.

We attended Game 3 of the NL Championship Series and Game 3 of the World Series and will never forget the incredible electricity within the stadium.  I can't even describe the feverish pitch the crowd created as the music blared just before the team took the field.  Unreal.

The Post-season

The Padres faced the Houston Astros in the first round of the playoffs.  Randy Johnson had been recently aquired by the Astros which already included the offense of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio.  Although the Friars had won an astounding 98 games, they only had the 3rd best record in the NL in 1998.  Houston had won 102 games and the Atlanta Braves registered 106 victories while in the middle of their amazing run.

Game 1 was the biggest game of the series as Kevin Brown outpitched Randy Johnson as he struck out 16 Houston hitters in 8 innings and the Padres stunned the Astros 2-1.  Brown's 16 K's were the 2nd most in playoff history to Bob Gibson's 17 in the 1968 World Series.

Houston won Game 2 to even the series, but more than 65,000 fans welcomed the Swinging Friars home.  Kevin Brown went 6.2 innings on just 3 days rest as the Padres won again by the score of 2-1.  Trevor struck out the side to secure the win.

Sterling Hitchcock closed out the Astros in Game 4 as he whiffed 11 in 6 innings and Jim Leyritz hit his 3rd HR of the short series in the 6-1 clincher.

In the NLCS the Braves were the next victim. 

Ken Caminiti hit a HR in the top of the 10th inning in Game 1 to lead the Padres to the 3-2 victory. 

San Diego went on to win the next two games to take a commanding 3-0 series lead.  Kevin Brown threw a complete game 3-0 shutout in Game 2.  But the Braves won Games 4 & 5 in San Diego to scare the dickens out of us as they traveled back to Atlanta for Game 6.

My Padres finally finished off the series with a comfortable 5-0 win and a NL Championship celebration that I will never forget watching on TV.  It was the most fun I have ever had as a sports fan.

The World Series was still a lot of fun even though we lost.  It was an incredible experience to attend a World Series game and something I didn't even dream I would do as I grew up in a small town in Utah.

The offense was led by four players who each had 2 hits:  the red-hot Scott Hairston, the Gonzalez brothers-Adrian and Edgar, and Chase Headley.

Yesterday's Results:

Padres 4, Braves 0 

Phillies 6, D-backs 5

Marlins 3, Dodgers 1

Cubs 3, Giants 1

Mets 2, Rockies 1

Standings:

D-backs       46-47         ------

Dodgers       45-48           1

Giants          39-54           7

Rockies        39-55          7.5

Padres         37-56          9

Today:  Braves 7:15 PDT             Maddux (3-7) - Morton (1-2)

Yesterday's Results:

D-backs 7, Nationals 5

Marlins 5, Dodgers 4

Mets 7, Giants 3

Brewers 11, Rockies 1

Standings:

D-backs        46-46        ------

Dodgers        45-47          1

Giants          39-53           7

Rockies        39-54          7.5

Padres         36-56          10

Today:  Braves 7:05 PDT            Peavy (6-5) - Reyes (3-7)

The only positive for the Padres in the game was the continued hot streak for Scott Hairston.  He went 2-3 including his 5th HR in as many games. 

This has been a very frustrating season and I am actually looking forward to the All-Star Break.  However, I am excited about Saturday's celebration for the 1998 NL Champion San Diego Padres.  It was a fantastic year and I will have a post regarding that team and the great fun we had that season.

Yesterday's Results:

Marlins 5, Padres 2

Nationals 5, D-backs 0

Dodgers 2, Braves 1

Mets 5, Giants 0

Rockies 8, Brewers 3

Standings:

Dodgers         45-46         ------

D-backs         45-46         ------

Giants           39-52            6

Rockies         39-53           6.5

Padres          36-56          9.5

No Game Today

Wow!!!

What happened?

Did the roster shakeup help?

Is Ambres, Myrow, Hundley, and Rodriguez better than the incumbants?

I hope we see the same lineup again today, at least.  And the looks Maddux, Peavy, and CY were giving on the bench suggest they want to have the same lineup when they are on the hill.

A player who has worn the Sand and Navy all season long is the hottest hitter of all.  Scott Hairston hit a tape-measure HR last night, his 4th HR in his last 4 games, and added 2 other hits.  Chase Headley also had 3 hits and 4 RBI.

But the real story for me was the new kids on the block.  Brian Myrow, a career minor leaguer, got the call up and hit his 1st MLB HR.  Myrow was the PCL batting champ last season with the Portland Beavers and was hitting .321 this season with an eye popping .455 OBP.  Why haven't we seen him before now?  Well, he plays 1st base (All-Star A-Gon...); but when it became apparant that Paul McAnulty wasn't getting it done, which should have been several weeks ago, I would have liked to see him as a PH.

SS Luis Rodriguez, C Nick Hundley, and RF Chip Ambres each contributed with a hit as well.

Go Beavers...errr...Go Padres!!!

Yesterday's Results:

Padres 10, Marlins 1

D-backs 2, Nationals 0

Braves 9, Dodgers 3

Mets 7, Giants 0

Brewers 7, Rockies 3

Standings:

D-backs       45-45        ------

Dodgers       44-46          1

Giants         39-51           6

Rockies       38-53          7.5

Padres        36-55         9.5

 Today:  Marlins 12:35 PDT         Baek (2-4) - Olsen (4-4)

Again last night the Sand and Navy could only muster one run against Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins.  Nolasco won his 10th game of the season and looked very good doing it.  However, disposing of the Padres lineup right now may not be anything to shout about. 

The Padres are still only 9.5 games out, but they are now chasing two teams instead of one which makes a comeback very difficult at best.  I'd just be happy to start playing better baseball, then see what deals we can make at the trade deadline to help us in the future.  Randy Wolf's start tonight is very important because he is one of the few players we have who has/had some decent trade value.  He has struggled a great deal his last few starts, but reportedly has regained his form in the bullpen.  Let's hope for the best...

Yesterday's Results:

Marlins 3, Padres 1

Rockies 4, Brewers 3

Dodgers 3, Braves 0

Standings:

Dodgers        44-45        ------

D-backs        44-45        ------

Giants          39-50           5

Rockies        38-52          6.5

Padres         35-55         9.5

Today:  Marlins  7:05 PDT           Wolf (5-8) - Miller (5-7) 

Rookie Chase Headley struck out and Khalil Greene weakly grounded out to 2nd base ruining our chance to tie the game without needing a hit.  PH Brian Giles then grounded out as well to end the game.

Headley and Greene were disgusted with themselves after the game.  Headley was adamant that his being a rookie was no excuse for failing to bring the run in.  He said he was way too aggressive in that situation. 

Yesterday's Results:

D-backs 3, Padres 2

Dodgers 5, Giants 3

Marlins 10, Rockies 5

Standings:

D-backs          44-45       ------

Dodgers          43-45        .5

Giants            39-50         5

Rockies          37-52         7

Padres           35-54        9

Today:   Marlins  7:05 PDT              Maddux (3-6) - Nolasco (9-4)

Jake Peavy was masterful on the hill as he held Arizona to just 1 run, on 3 hits, in 7 innings of work. 

It was the 2nd win in a row over the struggling D-backs and gives the Padres a chance to sweep the series this afternoon.

Hairston had 3 hits total with 3 RBI's and Adrian Gonzalez added a long HR for the 4th Friar run.

Yesterday's Results:

Padres 4, D-backs 2

Giants 5, Dodgers 2

Rockies 12, Marlins 6

Standings:

D-backs   43-45      ------

Dodgers   42-45       .5

Giants     39-49        4

Rockies   37-51        6

Padres    35-53        8

Today:  @ D-backs  1:10 PDT            Banks (2-3) @ Johnson (4-7) 

Heath Bell pitched a very good and very important 1.2 innings when the score was just 2-1.  The Friar offense would tack on 3 runs in the 8th and 9th innings, but Bell's performance really was a relief.

Bud Black gave a lot of credit to Nick Hundley who made his MLB debut last night behind the plate.  Hundley is known for his defensive abilities and, according to Black, did a great job calling the game.  Hundley also got his 1st major league hit with a single to CF in the 5th inning.

A huge play came in the bottom of the 6th inning with the D-backs threatening after breaking up Baek's no-no bid.  LF Chase Headley made a perfect throw to home to nail Justin Upton at the plate to end the inning and maintain the Sand and Navy advantage of 2-0.

Yesterday's Results:

Padres 5, D-backs 1

Dodgers 10, Giants 7

Rockies 18, Marlins 17    (Colo trailed by 9 runs)

Standings:

D-backs        43-44        ------

Dodgers        42-44          .5

Giants          38-49           5

Rockies        36-51          7

Padres         34-53          9

Today:  @ D-backs   5:10 PDT          Peavy (5-5) @ Davis (3-3) 

Independence Day is the perfect day to talk about the great Jerry Coleman.  Jerry has been the radio voice of My Padres since 1972, excluding 1980 when he took a leave of absence for one year to manage the Friars.

I haven't had the privilege to listen to him very much as KFMB and now XX 1090 doesn't reach to Utah, but when we travel to San Diego to go to games we always listen in on headphones at the game.  Also, when games are not on TV, or MLB.TV, then we listen to the Padres broadcast over the internet.  Additionally, this is the first year we've had a DVR so when the Padres play Colorado and Arizoma MLB blocks the Channel 4 broadcast, and we've paused the TV feed to match the internet radio feed and listen to Jerry, Ted Leitner, and Andy Masur.

Mr. Coleman is known for his famous "Ohhh Doctor!" call when something really good happen to the Padres, and "You can hang a star on that one!" for a great defensive play.  After a good play we always look up to the booth to see if Jerry will actually hang a star out the booth attached to a string.  He is a marvelous announcer who was honored in 2005 with the Ford C. Frick Award at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

But he should be most remembered for his service to this country and all Americans for defending our freedoms in both World War II and the Korean War.  He was a Marine Corp pilot and flew 57 combat mission in the Pacific during WW II. 

After WW II he went back to his career as a minor league baseball player and was promoted to the Yankees in 1949.  He was a good hitting, great fielding 2nd baseman for the dominant Yankees.  He won the MVP award for the 1950 World Series.

In 1952 he was called to military duty again; this time for the Korean Conflict.  He flew another 63 missions.  His couragous and decorated service earned him 2 Distinguished Crosses, 13 Air Medals, and 3 Navy Citations.

When asked about his military career he quickly dismisses it and labels those who gave their lives during the wars as the real heroes.  But he is one of my greatest heroes.

Thanks Mr. Coleman.

I still have some hope, dreams, that this season can be salvaged, mostly due to the troubles the D-backs and Dodgers are having.  But the Friars need to start playing a lot better, and soon.

Some Great News:  My Padres spent over $4 Million signing 5 international players yesterday.  They had promised to put a huge effort and big dollars into Latin America and the rest of the baseball playing world...and they did just that.  This splash on the heels of the opening of the new $8.5 Million Dominican Republic Padres baseball center gives me great hope the future is indeed bright and makes this terrible season, so far, easier to take.

Yesterday's Results:

Rockies 8, Padres 1

Brewers 4, D-backs 3

Dodgers 4, Astros 1

Cubs 6, Giants 5

Standings:

D-backs          42-43       ------        (Leading the division and under .500)

Dodgers          40-44        1.5

Giants             37-48         5

Rockies           34-51         8

Padres            33-53        9.5