2013 Season Preview - Padres

In a little less than a week the Padres will begin the 2013 season in the city so nice, they named it twice, New York, NY.   Citi Field, the same park the Padres opened in 2009 with Jody Gerut hitting a home run on the game's 3rd pitch from Mike Pelfrey in a 6-5 win.  

What will the team look like this time around in New York?  Let's dive in and take a look. 

Rotation

Edinson Volquez 

There are a few things that are certain, Edinson Volquez will start the opening game.  This will be the second straight season, Volquez will start the opener for the Padres, and the third time in his career.  He pitched well for the Dominican Republic team in the WBC, and after throwing in a minor league game when he returned to Padres camp, Bud Black had seen what he needed to and named "Eddie" the starter in game one.   He was 11-11 with a 4.14 ERA in 32 starts last season.  

Clayton Richard was tabbed to pitch in game 2 against the Mets.  Richard became the Padres most dependable starter last season.  He got off to a slow start, but rebounded nicely after a few minor tweaks from pitching coach Darren Balsley, and finished 14-14, with a 3.99 ERA in 33 starts, which was tops on the team.  Richard is the only piece left in the Padres system left from the 2009 Jake Peavy trade with the White Sox.  During his time with San Diego, Richard is 38-34, with a 3.90 ERA. 

Jason Marquis and Eric Stults will be the 3 and 4 pitchers in the rotation.  This we know.  We don't know officially the number 5 starter, as the competition heats up with Andrew Cashner, and Tyson Ross left in the competition.   My thought (only my opinion), is that Cashner wins the 5th spot, with Ross starting out in the bullpen. 

1. Volquez
2. Richard
3. Marquis
4. Stults
5. Cashner

Bullpen

Huston Street

3 spots to me are "no brainers", with Huston Street anchoring things as the closer.  23 saves last year in 24 chances made him one of the most effective in baseball.  The only problem was injuries.  A lat muscle cost him time on the DL as did a calf problem.  He was limited to 40 appearances, but was very good, and with that he earned a contract extension.  The other two in the "no brainer" conversation, are Luke Gregerson and Joe Thatcher.  

So that's 3 of the probable 7 man pen for Bud Black.  The other four, again in my opinion, will be Dale Thayer, Brad Brach, Anthony Bass and Tyson Ross.  The latter two giving Black some flexibility in their roles as long men, or in Bass' case the talent to pitch an inning in back to back days or give the Padres a spot start. 

Street
Gregerson
Thatcher
Thayer
Brach
Ross
Bass

Position Players
This is where it could get interesting.  There will be plenty of familiar faces from last season and a few new ones heading into 2013.  This is how I see the lineup looking come opening day vs. LHP Jonathan Niese of the Mets. 

1. Everth Cabrera - SS
2. Chris Denorfia - RF
3. Yonder Alonso - 1B

Yonder Alonso

4. Carlos Quentin - LF
5. Nick Hundley - C
6. Cameron Maybin - CF
7. Jedd Gyorko - 2B
8. Cody Ransom - 3B

Ok let's dissect. Cabrera will be given the first crack at the leadoff spot.  He has the talent. Cabrera seems like he wants to lead off, and has embraced the job, by trying to bunt, and is trying to be more selective at the plate.  If he gets on he's off to the races.   Denorfia will likely start in right against the lefty.  The combo platter of "Deno" and Will Venable last year went very well, allowing each to excel in their roles.   Alonso has been killing the ball lately in spring.  Especially to his pull side.  The home run he hit last Sunday in Peoria was quite impressive.  9 homers a year ago, and to me more than that (significantly) this season.  Quentin says he'll be ready and it's hard to argue with him.  16 homers in 248 AB's last year. Hundley will do the bulk of the catching early with Grandal on the suspended list.  Hundley suffered through a tough injury plagued season last year.  He fought it and the more he tried to come out of the slump, the worse it got.  Hundley is relaxed and in good shape this spring and is hitting well this spring.  Maybin showed signs of putting things together midway thru last season.  He did away with the high leg kick and it paid immediate dividends.  Not sure how many fans realize how difficult it is to make that type of change during a season.  It's not easy.  Gyorko looks ready, but again we are seeing his results in spring training.  Every conversation I have with him, I think, wow, this kid is special.  He gets it.  Let's hope it translates to the big leagues.  Ransom, is the guy I think they'll tab early to make the roster while both Headley and Forsythe recover from injury.  He's a serviceable big league fielder and in the opportunities he got last year, had some pop in the bat.  

Bench
Here is my thought on the bench:
Mark Kotsay
Jesus Guzman
Alexi Amarista
Will Venable
John Baker


Injury news 2013 is getting off to a painful start for the Padres.  Injuries have been a big story in Spring Training and could affect the final roster.  

Chase Headley
Undoubtedly the biggest blow is the early loss of Headley.  This guy burst onto the scene after the trade deadline and went on to win the NL RBI crown with 115, hitting a career high 31 homers.  Headley finished 5th in the NL MVP voting, he won a Silver Slugger and took home a Gold Glove Award last season.   But it was March 17, St Patrick's day when there was no luck for the Padres, as Headley slid into 2nd to try and break up a double play. In the process he fractured the thumb on his left hand and is out 4-6 weeks.  I caught up with him and he described how he may have dodged a big bullet with where the injury occurred on his thumb...

Headley describes injury placement

Headley plans to stay in shape and be ready when his time on the DL is up.  I guess it's better to have this kind of thing happen (if it has to happen) now, rather than in the middle of the season. 

Logan Forsythe
The guy tabbed to fill in for Headley, is also likely to start the season on the disabled list.  Forsythe played in his first spring game Tuesday and got two at bats, then left.  After the game he told reporters that his foot flared up during the game, and that he had a set back.  This news is not good.  Forsythe really came into his own a year ago with the bat, and proved to be a very good major league defender.  He was also the Padres insurance policy at SS behind Everth Cabrera and now that will likely fall on Alexi Amarista. 

Carlos Quentin
Limited to only 86 games last season with the bad knee, Quentin contributed mightily, smacking 16 homers in only 284 at bats.  This guy wants to be on the field.  Last year he worked his tail off to rejoin the team after the knee flared up. He's a fierce competitor and really wanted to be on the field for the good times in the 2nd half of the season.  I have no doubt that he will find a way to get on the field for Opening Day.  His performance in Tuesday's game in Scottsdale is an indication he and the organization feel that Quentin will be ready to go in New York. 

Alright, that's what I think.  We should find out fairly soon what the actual roster will look like. How do you think the NL West will shape up?  Many are predicting the Padres to finish 4th, behind the Dodgers, Giants and Diamondbacks and ahead of the Rockies.  I personally think the Padres could finish 3rd if the team stays healthy.   Or in the Padres case, gets healthy. 

As always feel free to leave a comment.  

Have a great night!

Andy

Posting from Peoria 3.20.13

Ok, it's been too long since my last post.  I apologize to those that check my blog only to see that nothing has been written or posted in months.  Sometimes you just don't feel it, nothing rubs you the wrong way, no breaking news, or I'm just lazy.  It's a little bit of "all of the above". 

Anyway, enough about that, here are some random observations from my brief time at Padres camp so far...

Jedd Gyorko
I'm really impressed by this kid.  He has a great attitude toward making the switch from 3B to 2B in an effort to contribute to the big league club.  Gyorko can hit. I mean flat out rake. That's never been the issue, it's been defense.  Is he going to be a "plus" defender at second, probably not.  He won't be a guy he's been compared to, Dan Uggla, either.  He'll find a middle ground and be a dependable guy up the middle.  The versatility he has, will only help him, since he can play third if needed. 

He told me in the clubhouse the other day that he's been really working hard with infield coach Glenn Hoffman, picking Hoffy's brain about where to play hitters and how to get a better jump on the ball off the bat.  Gyorko said that at third "it's all reaction and using my body to get in front of a ball and then using my arm to get the guy at first base.  Second base is all about positioning and where you play a hitter to make it easier to get to the ball quickly"

I think fans are really going to like Gyorko. 

Carlos Quentin
I know that there is panic in "mudville" over the availability of the left fielder this season, but I know one guy that isn't in that state, Carlos Quentin.  The San Diego native went on a rigid off season diet and exercise program to take a little pressure off his surgically repaired knee. 

He has "technically" not appeared in an "A" game, although he did get two plate appearances in a game washed out by rain.  He told me that "if this was five or six years ago, I would be concerned (over not playing yet), but now, it's such a long season, and everybody goes thru ups and downs, there's no guarantee that with 20 at bats I'd start the season hot.  I just want to get to the point where I feel comfortable in the box and go from there."  

Q will play the field in a minor league game today and will hopefully be back in the "A" games shortly. 

Chase Headley
What an unfortunate turn of events for the Padres third baseman.  He broke the tip of his left thumb sliding into second base Sunday, in an effort to break up a double play.  Headley will be out anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks.  He was pragmatic about the situation saying, "obviously not the way I'd hope to start the season, but injuries are part of the game...". Headley said he is going to stay in shape and then when it's "go" time he'll be ready. It could have been a whole lot worse though, the injury didn't affect any tendons or ligaments which would have required surgery.

Just a few thoughts, must get ready for the web broadcast of today's game against the Giants in Peoria. I'll have the call on www.padres.com so please join me.

Take it easy!

Fowler Park Opens, John Cunningham honored, and other random stuff...

San Diego showed itself quite nicely this weekend, with the unveiling of the brand new Fowler Park and Cunningham field at USD.  The Toreros were swept by Tony Gwynn's Aztecs in three games at the new facility.   More about that later. 

I was blown away upon entering the new park Friday night, to get ready to host Fox Sports San Diego's pre-game coverage, the place looked like a stadium.  Navy blue seats (1700 in all), clean, wide concrete concourses, beautiful green grass, perfectly shaded brown dirt on the infield, bright white chalk lines and a smile a mile wide by the stadium's namesake and the school's Athletic Director Ky Snyder. 

The 38 week project had it's troubling moments, from weather delays to just normal construction delays, and without a noticeable hitch, Fowler Park opened on time and with a great crowd on hand.  Fowler and Snyder were seen roaming the field before the opening ceremonies and just taking it all in.  Fowler admitted to me during our interview on Fox, that he was blown away by how well the stadium turned out.   Snyder admitted to some nervous moments in the days leading up to the opening, but was like a proud new papa during the ceremonies and first game.  Kudos to the folks at USD for doing it right and giving this community a state of the art facility.   A big "thanks" also to the Fowlers, Ron and Alexis, a "power couple" in our community, that truly knows the meaning of giving back.  Mr. Fowler told me that he and his wife feel very fortunate to have made a great living in San Diego, and to give back to the universities in town is a no brainer.  

Here are a couple of random photos from the last week around the Fowler Park project. 

From the first night practice at Fowler Park

View from 3rd Base Dugout on opening night         

John Cunningham Field
While Ron and Alexis Fowler stepped up to the plate to make the new ballpark possible it was great to see that the playing field itself, named for the long time baseball coach, and 50 year employee of USD, John Cunningham.  "JC" as he is affectionately called, was beaming even on Friday night at the marvel of this new stadium.  The 75 year old, Cunningham didn't have this facility as a recruiting tool, and still managed to win over 800 games in a 35 year coaching career.  The Toreros retired Cunningham's number 33 in ceremonies before Saturday night's game, and replica's of the jersey that JC and his team's wore, were recreated by Nike, and worn before Saturday's game.  High praise, and well deserved. 

Cunningham still serves the school as it's Director of Transportation, meaning if there's an athletic team that needs to get to a game within driving distance or to or from the airport, JC is the man to get them there and back.  You might want to give a friendly toot of the horn to JC the next time you see him driving the big blue Torero bus on the streets and freeways in Southern California. 

Cunningham is truly a wonderful human being.  I can't tell you how many times on various USD road trips (for those that don't know, I call the USD Men's basketball games on radio), I've had the pleasure of dining with him to hear him tell stories.  These are magnificent stories, filled with names that many sports fans will recognize, oh, like Bill Russell, and Wilt Chamberlain.  While these names may conjure up images for some of us, JC knew these guys, he played basketball with Russell at USF, and against Chamberlain while "Wilt the stilt" was at Kansas.   JC is not a name dropper, it's just that he happened to get to rub elbows with these "guys" that just happened to be famous.  

After 50 years at the school, you would think that JC's enthusiasm for coming to work may be draining, and you would be wrong.  Cunningham is up on everything that is going on in the athletic department at USD, and for that matter with the Padres, the Clippers, the Lakers and other Southern California teams.  I've tried to convert him into a hockey fan, with minimal succes.  I like to get to our bus trips early to allow time to chat with JC.  He'll ask me about the basketball game from the night before and not just general things.  He gets specific and I appreciate his insight into things.  We will talk about some of the players he's coached and how they remind him of some of the current players. 

Oh and by the way, don't challenge him to a round of golf.  He routinely shoots his age or better at his home course near Escondido   I was recently told about a time where Cunningham shot a hole in one on a medium length par 3, the guys in the group were all amazed.  Everyone else in the foursome applauded and couldn't believe it.  JC however was very matter of fact when telling the group, he had holed out in one on this same hole a few days earlier.  Incredible, but not as incredible as the man himself. 

Tony Gwynn
As long as I'm heaping praise, I don't want to forget about seeing Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn on Friday night as well.  He was obviously getting ready to lead his Aztecs onto the field and time was short, but Tony found some time to catch up.  Gwynn says he is feeling good, and couldn't wait for the baseball season to get going again for a couple of reasons.  First, he loves coaching and he loves his alma mater.  Secondly, it gives him something else to think about other than his health.  It was great to see him. 

Spring has sprung...
Pitchers and catchers reported to Peoria as Padres spring training got underway last week.  There hasn't been a ton of news out of camp yet, which is not a bad thing.  The biggest issue was the arrival of Yasmani Grandal.  The catcher who is suspended for the first 50 games of the season, was implicated in a PED investigation at a Miami area clinic a few weeks ago.  Grandal addressed his teammates and issued what some called a sincere apology.  He then read a prepared statement to the media.  Click here to read Corey Brock's story on Grandal and the statement. 

The Padres also announced they've avoided arbitration with the lone remaning unsigned player, Clayton Richard.  He inks a 1 year deal worth a reported $5.25 million.

Random stuff...

- More worthless the NBA All-Star game or the NFL Pro-Bowl?  Neither features much defense.  I have to give the nod to the NBA game because it features Craig Sager and his hideous jackets.  Who looks in a mirror and says, "man I look great tonight" wearing what he doe? 

- How about my Blackhawks?  Best team in the NHL, off to a 12-0-3 start, grabbing a point in every game they've played to this point.  Enjoyed watching them take care of the Kings again today!  Sorry Kings fans.   Still a game at the United Center (and previously at the Chicago Stadium) is great to be a part of, but make sure you get there early.  There is no better National Anthem in sports.  Trust me.  

- Speaking of the United Center, or the house that Michael Jordan built, happy birthday to #23, who turned 50 today.  I saw many of his games as a fan, and had the privilege of covering him during the 1997 and 1998 seasons.  For a superstar he was a media members dream.  He would take a little time to address us after a game, but would make it worth our while.  Jordan would routinely answer questions for upwards of 30 minutes, to make sure every last person there had a chance to ask his "airness" a question.  An amazing athlete that was so driven to compete it was scary.  I feel so lucky to have grown up watching the greatest player to ever play the game.  Even Magic Johnson admitted that yesterday.  He did say, and I agree with him, that he and Larry Bird rescued the game of basketball, and then said that Michael took it internationally and to a whole new level.  Happy Birthday MJ! 

- USD Basketball begins it's final road trip of the regular season, with a Thursday night game at Portland, then on Saturday the Toreros will be in Spokane to face Gonzaga.  Please join me at 7pm on Thursday and at 4pm Saturday for the games on "The Mighty 1090".  

I'll leave you with a quote from my all time favorite sit-com, "Seinfeld", figured it was appropriate with Spring Training starting and all...from George Costanza interacting with Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams during batting practice at Yankee Stadium...

[At Yankees batting practice] 
George Costanza: Guys, hitting is not about muscle. It's simple physics. Calculate the velocity, v, in relation to the trajectory, t, in which g, gravity, of course remains a constant. 
[Hits a home run] 
George Costanza: It's not complicated. 
Derek Jeter: Now, who are you again? 
George Costanza: George Costanza, assistant to the traveling secretary. 
Bernie Williams: Are you the guy who put us in that Ramada in Milwaukee? 
George Costanza: Do you wanna talk about hotels, or do you wanna win some ball games? 
Derek Jeter: We won the World Series. 
George Costanza: In six games. 

Good night all!

Andy

Superbowl Aftermath...

Greetings from Los Angeles, where the USD Toreros face the LMU Lions tonight...

Superbowl 47 (I refuse to use the Roman numerals) is done and in the books, and John beat little brother Jim to take home the Lombardi Trophy.  What started out as a blowout, became an entertaining game, and a tight finish in a 34-31 Ravens win over the 49'ers.  

Speaking of blowouts, what happened to the lights?  The conspiracy theorists are having a field day with the possible scenarios.   I of course (if you follow me on Twitter @Padscast you already know) have my own thought on the culprit...

Of course that's Johnny from the awesome movie Airplane!  He had some of the best lines in the movie...

Rex Kramer: Passengers certain to die! 
Steve McCroskey: Airline negligent. 
Johnny: There's a sale at Penney's!  

Steve McCroskey: Johnny, what can you make out of this? 
[Hands him the weather briefing] 
Johnny: This? Why, I can make a hat or a brooch or a pterodactyl... 

Ok, sorry but I got off track.  Some want to dust the plug for Jim Harbaugh's fingerprints, since the 49'ers responded mightily after the power outage.  Some want to blame Beyonce for her powerful halftime show.  Some just want to blame Roger Goodell because they don't like him.  Whatever the case, the NFL is said to be "investigating" what happened.   It will be interesting to see what comes out of that process.  I was just sorry to see it happen to the city of New Orleans.  This was sort of the "rebirth", some 8 years after Hurricane Katrina basically wiped it off the map.  Hope it wasn't something that city engineers could have prevented. 

Random Thoughts about the game...

I'm not going to break down the game, you've probably already seen the highlights and read some in depth stories about it, so I won't waste your time. 

Here are some of my grades on the game, the coverage and other minutia... 

- Thought it was a great touch to have Jennifer Hudson and the Sandy Hook Elementary School Choir perform before the National Anthem.  Even as I type this sentence the hair on my arms are standing up giving me goosebumps.  To think about what those kids have been through since the tragic events at their school, it was a no brainer to have them represent their community and to honor the memory of their fallen classmates.   Grade: A+

- The Alicia Keys Anthem, was well done, until she started "free styling" at the end.  I've heard that it's an extremely difficult song to sing, and why make it tougher?  She had a lot of people rooting for her to keep going, especially those that had the OVER on her going over 1:45 total time.  It was the longest anthem in Superbowl history.  Grade: B-

- CBS was really tested during the power outage.  The booth mikes went dead (some were very happy about that), so it was scramble time.  I've been around many of those situations and it tests the ability of those in charge to get something on the air.  Steve Tasker, one of the sideline reporters was all over it.  He was calm in the face of the chaos, and to the best of his ability described what was happening on the field and gave insight into the mood of John Harbaugh.  Tasker Grade: B+

- When CBS turned it over to the desk for continuing coverage of the blackout, James Brown seemed a bit rattled, but he carried on well.  Shannon Sharpe seemed like he drained all the power out of the lights, because he was like the "Energizer Bunny", he kept talking and talking and talking.  Annoying!  Grade: G (F isn't strong enough)

- I know many of you tune in specifically for the commercials.  I thought overall they were pretty weak as far as Superbowl standards are concerned.  4 point something million bucks for a :30 commercial is a high price to pay for mediocrity.  I thought two stood out.  The Budweiser Clydesdale spot was tremendous.  The horse remembering who trained him/her and running back after the parade.  I also though the Farmer's spot was great.  The legendary voice of Paul Harvey talking about how important farmers are to the US was riveting.  Those two commercials not withstanding, the GoDaddy.com with the "geek" and the "model" was disturbing to say the least.  The Oreo cookies "Library" spot was ill-conceived to me.  Taco Bell and the Geezer's Gone Wild commercial was also a bit disturbing.  Grade: C-

Alright, that's my take on things.  I'm sure you have thoughts as well, so feel free to leave a comment.  

Fan Fest:

It's that time of year already, Padres Fan Fest is coming to Petco Park this weekend.  Saturday February 9 is when the festivities are scheduled.  For more information click here. 

Have a great day everyone!!

Andy

PED's Tough on MLB...

Well here we go again.  More stories about Major League Baseball and performance enhancing drugs (PED's).   Today it's suspected "juicer" Alex Rodriguez and his association with a sports clinic in South Florida, were several noted players, including, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, Melky Cabrera and the Padres Yasmani Grandal were treated. 

The story from reporter Tim Elfrink of the Miami New Times, who spent 3 months on the story indicates that records taken from Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic near the University of Miami, reportedly show those players and many other athletes all of whom have connections to South Florida -- received various substances from Anthony Bosch, the head of the clinic, who is already under investigation by MLB and DEA.

According to reports, Elfrink was given patient records by a former employee of the clinic. He followed up that research with multiple interviews with other former employees and clinic customers.  

From CBSSports.com on line today:

Here's a snippet of Elfrink's findings regarding the Yankees' superstar third baseman:

There, at number seven on the list, is Alex Rodriguez. He paid $3,500, Bosch notes. Below that, he writes, "1.5/1.5 HGH (sports perf.) creams test., glut., MIC, supplement, sports perf. Diet." HGH, of course, is banned in baseball, as are testosterone creams.
That's not the only damning evidence against A-Rod, though. Another document from the files, a loose sheet with a header from the 19th Annual World Congress on Anti-Aging and Aesthetic Medicine, lays out a full regimen under the name Cacique: "Test. cream... troches prior to workout... and GHRP... IGF-1... pink cream."

The mentions of Rodriguez begin in 2009 and continue all the way through last season. Take a page in another notebook, which is labeled "2012" and looks to have been written last spring. Under the heading "A-Rod/Cacique," Bosch writes, "He is paid through April 30th. He will owe May 1 $4,000... I need to see him between April 13-19, deliver troches, pink cream, and... May meds. Has three weeks of Sub-Q (as of April)."

This evidence seems pretty damning.  It's gotten so far that there is a report now that the New York Yankees are trying to void A-Rod's contract.  Though as the report indicates there is no precedent for voiding a contract due to use of PED's.  A-Rod still has 5 years and nearly $114 million left on his deal.  

More damning to me, is the fact that Rodriguez was falling out of favor already with the Yankees.  He was pinch hit for in the playoffs last year. His injuries have mounted and stats have plummeted over the last few seasons. Even though other players have been mentioned in the report (I'll get to that later)  A-Rod figures to be in the spotlight, especially after telling MLB in 2009 his PED use was limited to his 2001-03 stint with the Rangers.  

Stay tuned to see what the Yankees are able to do with the contract and how they use A-Rod if he sticks in the Bronx. 

Other Players:

Nelson Cruz of the Rangers is also mentioned in the report.  Cruz's name had not been linked to PED's in the past.  The Rangers released this statement today:

"At that time, the Rangers contacted Major League Baseball on that inquiry," the Rangers' statement said. "The team has no further comment."

Gio Gonzalez, who had a monster season for the Nationals, Melky Cabrera who was suspended last year while leading the NL in batting average for the Giants, Bartolo Colon who was suspended 50 games last year and Padres catcher Yasmani Grandal have also been implicated.  Grandal has been suspended the first 50 games of the 2013 season for testing positive for banned substances. 

Yikes for Yasmani

Hopefully for Grandal, this was a random mistake, after getting some bad advice and something that will never happen to him again.  Grandal showed the potential of an All-Star behind the plate and at the plate in the second half of 2012.  I'm sure the news of his suspension caused some fans to wonder if they've seen the real Grandal?   

We haven't heard the real story yet from Grandal, and perhaps with Spring Training around the corner, he'll explain.  After getting to know him a bit during the season, I'm really hoping he comes clean.  

This is a quick to forgive society, as I've mentioned before, the players that admit to making a mistake, usually get benefit of a second chance in the eyes of the fans. I'm ready to give him that benefit.   I however have no tolerance for those that lie about it.  That distort the truth.  That stand by a "reputation" and never come out of the shadows and set the record straight.  

It's such a shame that very talented players, like Alex Rodriguez, and Barry Bonds, who probably would have been Hall of Famers without PED's, had to keep up with the "cheaters" based on ego.  They couldn't stand seeing other players using PED's, and succeeding to levels that were still below theirs.  They had to think, "wow, imagine if I used these products, how much better would I be?".  Shame. 

What a mess.  Seems the list of those players not suspected of PED use, would be shorter to publish.  Unfortunately for them, playing in this era of baseball will have even the "non users" will be lumped in with those corrupting the game.  Again, shame on MLB for ignoring the signs, in the 90's, instead, choosing to ignore them, for the sake of putting life back into the game.  I'm not even sure enhanced testing is the answer anymore.  Seems like there is always somebody around that knows how to beat the system.  

The worst part:

I haven't even mentioned the worst part of all of this.  Jose Canseco was actually right. 

Everything I wrote in Vindicated and Juiced is true.Truth always comes out in the end.
— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) January 29, 2013

How sad is that?  

Random Rants:

...the new baseball facility at USD, Fowler Park and Cunningham Field, will open it's doors on February 15, as the Toreros take on HOF'er Tony Gwynn and San Diego State.   The park looks pretty spectacular.  Nice that USD is keeping John Cunningham's name on the field.  The former Torero's baseball coach has been at the school 50 years, and is now the Director of Transportation.  JC is a great guy and has tons of stories to share.  Thinking he would be a great subject of a blog entry one of these days.  Thoughts? 

...oh yeah, it's Superbowl Sunday next week.  I have been successfully avoiding the pre-game hype and 'media day' festivities.  Wait, I think the pre-game show itself starts in 20 minutes.  Who do you like in the game?  I'm leaning toward the 49'ers right now. 

...I am really truly happy for the city of New Orleans.  Great to see a proud city return to glory after being reduced to rubble by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.   

...mentioned on Twitter the other day that I've gotten hooked on another TV show.  I was a little late to the party on HBO's, The Newsroom, with Jeff Daniels.  I'm a big fan of the show and the writing of Aaron Sorkin.  I watched all 10 episodes of season one, in three days.  Hearing that season two will premier this summer. 

...happy to see the Aztecs basketball team ranked in the top 25 again...a great defensive effort got that job done against New Mexico.  

...hoping that this Saturday, the USD Toreros, shock the conference, and upset #7 Gonzaga. Hope you'll be on hand at the JCP, game starts at 8pm.  If you can't make it, join us on The Mighty 1090 with yours truly on the call. The Toreros have lost three straight since starting out conference play 4-0. 

...I'll leave you with a passage from one of my new favorite Twitter spots, "Modern Seinfeld"...

George makes it his mission to date the cute Starbucks barista who always writes the wrong name on his cup. They date. She calls him "Greg."
— Modern Seinfeld (@SeinfeldToday) January 29, 2013

You can follow me on twitter also
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Have a good night!

Andy

Let the hype, and story lines begin...

Thus begins the longest 13 days for football fans, the dreaded hype machine known as the "black hole" between the Conference championships and the Superbowl.  A time when fans will have to hear things like, "The Harbowl", "The Brother Bowl", "Super Baugh Brothers" and other cute little catch phrases to explain that Jim Harbaugh will face his brother John Harbaugh in the Superbowl. 

Yes, it's pretty cool that for the first time in history, two brothers will face each other as head coaches of the Superbowl teams.  Yes, as a Bears fan and a fan of USD, it's pretty cool that Jim Harbaugh is coaching a team in the big game.  Yes, it's pretty cool that Jack Harbaugh, the dad, will have a no lose situation on his hands.  Yes, it will seem to drone on and on for the next two weeks.  

Full disclosure 

I have no real rooting interest in either team.  The teams don't mean much to me.  It's going to be hard to watch the 49'ers win, since the Colin Kaepernick era began at the expense of my beloved Chicago Bears.  

It's going to be hard to watch the Ravens win, simply because I'm not a big fan of any of their players.  I'm not one to buy into the hype of Ray Lewis either, this "retirement party" has been crammed down our throats, for the new media darling.   It wasn't all that long ago, that Lewis was involved in an off the field incident at a Superbowl. It was the 2000 game between the Rams and Titans in Atlanta, and Lewis and some "associates" were at the scene of a murder.  If you want to refresh your memory, click here for the Sports Illustrated story from January 31, 2000.  

Media Coverage

Having covered a Superbowl myself, the 2007 game in Miami, it's not an easy deal.  The days are long, and the stories become tougher to come up with as the weeks draw to an end. You find yourself searching for something out of the ordinary.  Some unique thing that your competitors haven't presented yet.  Good luck huh?  That's why you'll see some pretty ridiculous stuff.  This will especially be the case on "Superbowl Media Day" at the Super Dome in New Orleans.  Sometimes, I am embarrassed to be part of the media, no day is that feeling stronger than Superbowl media day.  Ugh. 

More musings...

You'll hear more about the Superbowl in future blog updates...but now, here's some random musings...

Enough!
I need a T.O. (time out) from all the Te'o talk.  Seriously.  It's a sad situation.  This new phenomenon of "Catfish-ing" is seriously strange.  Feel badly for the kid if he's telling the truth.  I hope he is. 

Truth is Alabama exposed Manti Te'o long before the Deadspin article and ensuing tweets and stories.  

Some wonder if maybe Lance Armstrong had something to do with this, to deflect attention from him?  Ha! 

Find out now that Te'o will actually do an on camera interview with Katie Couric this week.  Apparently Jeremy Shaap was too tired from having to recap his "off camera" interview ad nauseum?  Maybe Oprah was tuckered out after her two part mini series with Armstrong? 

Leads to another thought pointed out on Twitter this week:

If there is ever an Oprah scandal, who is she going to do the interview with?
— Geoffrey Hancock (@LeftCoastBias) January 21, 2013

Bits and pieces...quickly...

...looks like Seattle is getting the NBA again.  Many that I've talked to from the Pacific Northwest are not thrilled with the trade off, having lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City a few years back.  Hmm, Kevin Durant or DeMarcus Cousins?  Easy choice and it isn't Cousins. 

...anybody really sad to see the Lakers going through adversity?  I guess it wasn't Mike Brown's fault after all.  Have heard some Laker fans refer to the new head coach as Mike 'Antoni because he left his "D" somewhere else.  

...both San Diego schools lost Saturday night.  The Toreros ran into a hot shooting BYU team in the first conference loss for USD.  The Aztecs managed only 9 points in the first half of their loss at Wyoming.  Hope both teams bounce back this week. 

...I may be alone, but I'm thrilled the NHL is back, especially with my Chicago Blackhawks off to a 2-0 start.  5-2 in game one against the Kings in LA, and a 6-4 win Sunday night at Phoenix.  Seemed like NHL fans are quick to forgive labor unrest, most of the arenas have been sold out during the first weekend of the truncated season.  Love that word truncated by the way!

...baseball lost two greats over the weekend.  Stan "the man" Musial passed away at the age of 92.  The first ballot Hall of Famer spent his entire 22 year career with the St. Louis Cardinals.  He had a batting average above .300 17 times during his career and earned three National League Most Valuable Player awards as well as three World Series titles. 
Former Orioles skipper Earl Weaver passed away at the age of 82.  Weaver managed the O's for 17 seasons and had 1,480 wins including five 100-win seasons and a World Series title in 1970.

Enough Part II

A report from an Altanta television station says that a Falcons fan was stabbed in the neck during an altercation outside the Georgia Dome after the NFC Championship Game.  The victim is a 35 year old male, and was stabbed after punching a 49'ers fan.  After absorbing the punch, the Niner's fan stabbed the Falcons fan in the throat.  The victim is said to be in stable condition.  

Enough is enough.  I am a passionate sports fan, as you probably are too, but what is going on here?  It's one thing to root for your team, it's another to taunt, or hit, or stab an opposing fan.  Seriously?  Things have gotten out of control.  Is it alcohol?  Is it stupidity?  Is it idiots with an excuse to act like an idiot?  Stop it.  You are giving REAL sports fans a bad name. 

I'm done here....hope you enjoyed....

Andy

Greetings from Provo, UT, where the USD Toreros will face BYU tomorrow night.  More on that later.  

Hope you are enjoying the blogs I've posted lately.  Trying to keep a balance between, news, rants, fun and opinion, so there will be a little of everything to look forward to.  

Let's get some news out of the way here....

Arbitration: Padres

The Padres have avoided arbitration with a few key players, wrapping up pitcher Edinson Volquez earlier today.  He went 11-11 with a 4.14 ERA in his first year with the Padres after coming over from Cincinnati.  Volquez will make 5.725 million next season, more than doubling his salary from 2012.  Volquez has nasty stuff.  His curveball is above average, his fastball is above average but so were his walks from a year ago.  Volquez is always smiling and is a great person to be around.

Joe Thatcher avoided arbitration as well, signing a 1.35 million dollar contract.  Thatcher has become one of the most reliable left handed relievers in baseball.  He went 1-4 last year with a 3.41.  He's one of the longest tenured Padres players, coming over from the Brewers (for Scott Linebrink) back in the 2007 season. 

Earlier the Padres signed catcher John Baker, SS Everth Cabrera and RF Will Venable to avoid arbitration.  

Now, there are a few guys left that are key components to the Padres 2013 plans.   That includes, Chase Headley, Luke Gregerson and Clayton Richard.

In Headley's case, he is going to get his money.  The third baseman had a bust out season, winning the NL RBI title, with 115 batted in, hitting a career best 31 homers and winning a gold glove award.  I'm sure the Padres would like to work out a long term deal with Headley but for now they'll probably settle on a one year deal while discussing other terms.  Pretty amazing how Headley was a trade candidate nearing the deadline, just proving the baseball adage, sometimes the best trade is one you don't make.  

Gregerson is on the Team USA roster for the WBC and has been a valuable member of the Padres bullpen over the last 4 seasons.  Richard won a career high tying 14 games last year and also launched his first career home run in his final start of 2012.  

Toreros at BYU

Well the Toreros arrived in Provo earlier this afternoon, greeted by a temperature of 16 degrees and snow on the ground and on the mountain tops.  Many of the guys on the team are very unfamiliar with the concept of snow, and cold weather.  It was fun to watch their reactions as we got off the bus and headed into the hotel.  

The Toreros have not been cold by any stretch.  USD enters this game with a 4-0 conference record for the first time since 2009.  The Toreros have won five in a row overall.  BYU is 4-1 and lost a heartbreaker to St Mary's College on Wednesday night.  Thinking Tyler Haws had won the game with a jumper with 2.5 seconds to go, Matthew Dellavedova hoisted a desperation 3 from just beyond half court and hit it for the SMC victory.  

BYU won all three meetings last year including a close one in the 2nd round of the WCC Tourney.  The Toreros have never beaten the Cougars in 5 all time meetings.  I'll have the pre game show for you at 5:45 tomorrow and then the tip at 6pm on The Mighty 1090!

Restaurant review:

I may do this from time to time as well, relay a good or bad experience at a local restaurant.  I recently had lunch with Corey Brock of MLB.com fame at the Brooklyn Girl Eatery in Mission Hills.  I really enjoyed the restaurant.   The ambience is really nice, high ceilings and a great bar situated in the center of the restaurant.  I had the open faced pulled chicken with barbecue sauce on a big piece of white cheddar corn bread.  Really really tasty.  A good deal for 12 bucks as well.  

Of course when you're with Corey, you need to sample a beer and of course we did.  Check with them for their selection of fine "Craft Beers".  

Service was great and friendly and oh yeah, don't forget to check out the assortment of desserts in the bakery attached to the restaurant.  Everything looked tremendous. 

They are located at Goldfinch and Fort Stockton in Mission Hills.  Check it out.  

Ok, that's it gotta go!  

Andy