What every Padres fan should know, Part 1

Let me get some housekeeping items out of the way before I start. First, this is not a guide to viewing games at Petco. Truth be told I have never been to Petco Park, I currently live in DC and I haven't seen the Padres in San Diego since 1994. In fact, I think the last game I went to was the first game of the double header in which Tony Gwynn collected his 2,000th hit.

Second, this is not a guide to being a fan in San Diego but is rather the opposite. I have lived among high concentrations of Colorado Rockies fans, Washington Nationals fans and Baltimore Orioles fans since 1994 and as such, your perspective about your team changes when you understand how other fans view your team. That is what I will talk about in this first part so without further delay, here is what fans need to know.

1. The Adrian Gonzalez rule. The player may change but the general rule still applies, and it applies to most teams, most players are not as popular away from home. Take Gonzalez's case - he is the premier power hitter in the lineup, is a hometown boy and put up numbers comparable to a certain Crime Dog when he played in town. But outside of SD, Gonzalez doesn't compare to the league's other 1B's, or does he? Ducksnorts has a pretty good breakdown showing that Gonzalez has put up some top slugging numbers on the road. Which brings me to my second point:
   
2. You will probably never convince opposing fans how good our players are until they see them in person. If you ask people in DC who the next big 3B will be, any Nationals fan is ready to argue that Ryan Zimmerman is a superstar in the making. Ask the same thing on the opposite coast and Kevin Kouzmanoff's name will dominate the conversation. I have seen both play last year in DC and guess what, they both have potential ... and they both have some work to do before they are even in a superstar conversation.
3. Our pitching staff is overrated by us and underrated by almost everyone else. The knocks against our staff by others, Jake Peavy and Chris Young had career years and aren't that good, Greg Maddux hasn't been an ace in 10 years and Mark Prior and Randy Wolf couldn't stay healthy even if they pitched for a team made up of doctors. Well, Peavy is a perennial Cy Young contender, Young is becoming more consistent, Maddux isn't supposed to be a staff ace and Wolf and Prior don't have to carry the load so whatever innings they turn in are worth the (relatively) small investments we have made in them.
4. The fan base actually travels well to some places. Maybe the lack of a team in the area for more than 30 years had something to do with it but for the past two years when I have gone to Nationals games against the Padres, there are just as many (if not more) Padres fans in attendance than Nats fans. We are no Red Sox nation but I know you didn't see any Pirates fans a week later when Pittsburgh came to town (but then again that was the Pirates). I can't speak for many other places but I do remember a decent fan base at Rockies games a few years back as well.

Hopefully I haven't rambled too much but these were the first things that came to mind. So now I turn the floor over to you, what are some other things every Padres fan should know? After I get some responses I will add Part 2, and you can bet there will be some info on helping Dodgers fans face reality.

30 runs and more struggles for the pen

I don't make it a point to often talk about non-Padres affiliated news but I had one thing to say about Texas beating Baltimore 30-3 Wednesday. I think the thing I am most surprised about is that Texas reliever Wes Littleton actually picked up a save in the process by entering it when the score was 14-3 and pitching the last three innings in which the Rangers scored 16 runs. Needless to say the game was already out of hand but I guess save rules are save rules. This type of outing only strengthens the argument for those who think saves are a worthless stat. As far as the Orioles are concerned, too bad there isn't a 10-run rule like in little league.

In Padres news, Trevor Hoffman has officially hit a slump after blowing another save and the pen seems to be in almost a full tailspin. Heath Bell eventually picked up the save after Adrian Gonzalez homered in the top of the 10th but these kinds of outings are not good. Granted we got to Billy Wagner before the Mets got to Hoffman and both closers have struggled in this series but it seems that if the Padres continue to ball like this heading into the playoffs they could have another first round exit.

Hopefully leaving the glitz and glamor of the Big Apple for Philly will turn things back to normal for pen. It will be a matchup of ancient ones as Greg Maddux takes on Jamie Moyer. Fire up the time machine.

West Coast fan in an East Coast city

As I have mentioned a few times, my San Diego days are long behind me even though I am still an avid Padres fan.

And having been born into a Washington Redskins family (my dad grew up in Northern Virginia) I know all about trying to show your loyalty for a team on the opposite side of the country. Even though I haven't lived in SD for around 13 years, I have always lived in NL West country and because I was still getting settled in from my move across the country last year, it didn't seem to hit me as hard but the East is a hard place to root for a team.

Whether it's because the games don't start (mostly) until after 10 p.m. or just the simple fact that West Coast teams have no media exposure out here, I have to say that following the Padres has been hard this year. I have MLB Gameday and all the wonderful data it provides but it still isn't a TV.

But thinking about the scenario, this is what has made me a dedicated fan. With a Redskins obsession on the West Coast, I constantly had to defend my team to people who didn't watch them much and only knew what they saw on ESPN. It's not necessarily a position I love being in but being more than a fair weather fan means rooting for your team even when the situation is less than ideal, and this is one of those cases.

So as I am surrounded by Nats and O's fans, I proudly let my friends know that I root for SD. And after explaining my long history of growing up during the Tony Gwynn era, I have another thing to take solace in, my team can beat theirs. And with both teams trying to get rid of the mess previous GM's left, I think I can safely say the Padres will be better than them for a while.

So while I may not be able to catch my team on TV or the radio most nights, it's still a good time to be a Padres fan despite losing 2-of-3 to Arizona to start the second half off. Because in the end, you could be a fan of the Nationals.

To be the best you've got to beat the best

Ok, so this whole interleague thing has been a disaster for the Padres - but even after dropping 2 of 3 to Baltimore, SD still boasts the best record in the NL. But that being said, the team with the best record in baseball comes to town in the form of the Boston Red Sox - and they are rolling the Dice-K tonight (ok, enough bad jokes about Japanese pitchers).

Where Boston excels (offense), the Padres have struggled. And any attempt to prove that the Padres have what it takes to match up with the power houses from the AL East is going to have to start with offense.

Greg Maddux is on the mound tonight and one place he likes to pitch is Petco. In his 6 starts at home this season, Maddux is 5-1 with a 2.75 ERA, 1 complete game and 20 K's. Maddux will need his best stuff tonight if he is going to keep David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in check, although the cavernous confines of Petco should help. And if the Red Sox want Ortiz to be in the lineup, he will have to play 1B also, meaning hot hitting Kevin Youkilis will either have to play elsewhere or pinch hit - another plus for the Padres.

Dice-K, meanwhile, has been beatable on the road. In 7 road games this season he is 4-3 with a 3.48 ERA, 20 walks and 58 K's. We should expect to see a lot of swings and misses from the Padres tonight, but Dice-K is hardly the shutdown ace he is projected to become.

However, the Padres seem to struggle when the numbers are in their favor yet come out when the odds are stacked against them so anything can happen tonight. I have decided I will not be surprise win or loss. Hopefully, the numbers are stacked against and we can expect a win.

Down and out

An out-of-work manager doesn't want the job and yet the Padres couldn't beat the Orioles Wednesday night. Justin Germano got lit up in the first and if it weren't for Russell Branyan's home run, they would have been shut out.

David Wells is up against probably the most reliable pitcher for the O's, Erik Bedard. The teams get underway early and at the conclusion of this game, I will be limited to only seeing the Padres when they are on ESPN. Here's to hoping this game is one worth watching.

Look at me

Alright, I admit it, I'm the Johnny-come-lately of the group and all of the news going on today has been reported on other sites and blogs. But that doesn't mean I still don't want to throw my two pennies into the void known only as the internet.

First things first, Tuesday's game. Got to love beating up on a team that can't figure out which way is up. Steve Trachsel got bombed, Jake Peavy was great for five innings (too bad he pitched that sixth) and the game went on forever. I TIVO'd the thing and started watching around 11 ET and when I turned the TIVO'd portion off around 1 ET because I didn't get the whole thing recorded, the game was still on! Got to love getting a lot of offense from a lot of different people but the fact that Khalil Greene actually went 4-for-5 when he is usually striking out every other at bat impressed me the most.

Today's game should be no different, the O's have nothing to throw at the Padres and Justin Germano is on a roll. While new addition Michael Barrett will not be in the lineup tonight, it sounds like he has a good rapport with former Cubbie Greg Maddux and Peavy so if those two guys like him, I'm excited to see what he can bring to this offense. And with Barrett's seemingly consistent presence on ESPN for his "spirited" play, a little more exposure for the Padres should be a good deal as well.

Suspensions and turmoil

Chris Young was suspended five games for his role in the brawl, and while it seems unfair that he and Derrek Lee received the same punishment the one thing to remember is that most leagues have a standard punishment just for throwing a punch. While my memory is fuzzy with what baseball's rule is - it's probably and unwritten one - I'm sure intent was left out of the process.

To say tonight's opponent is in turmoil may be an understatement - but the Orioles are a mess. They fired their manager yesterday and listening to John Kruk this morning, he is saying no manager in their right mind should even consider working for Peter Angelos.

Let's just say the Orioles offense makes the Padres look like the Red Sox and after Baltimore spent most of its money upgrading its pen, they have nothing to show for it. There is some talent on the team - closer Chris Ray could turn into a solid player - but they have a lot of overpaid veterans. The Padres should be able to sweep this series without any problems, especially with Jake Peavy on the mound tonight. Steve Trachsel takes the hill for the birds, who actually has been a pretty good free agent pick-up (one of the few).

Offensive outburst

Did anyone else enjoy rocking the Cubs for 11 runs and 5 home runs? Talk about the best way to get payback, this game showed the Cubbies that SD means business.

Of course we are probably going to lose Jake Peavy and Chris Young to suspensions stemming from Saturday's brawl, but if the offense can have another outburst like it did Sunday, the Padres may be able to survive a game or two without the staff aces.

Greg Maddux was solid in his start but Mike Cameron stole the show with his two home runs in first two at bats. Adrian Gonzalez also had a big game - which he was due for - and even Khalil Greene made rare contact and jacked one out of the yard. Is it me or is Greene a white version of Ozzie Smith, minus the cool backflip? Greene couldn't hit the broad side of a barn if it was thrown at him but he plays fantastic, effortless defense.

Monday's an off day and then the Baltimore Orioles (from my neck of the woods) come to town to resume interleague play. Hopefully this round will be better than the round before SD hit Chicago.

Do the Peavy

Chris Young tried his hardest to do a good Jake Peavy impersonation last night and for the first three innings it was spot on. Of Young's 10 K's last night, six of them came in the first three innings as he kept the Cubs off the base paths.

Unfortunately, in a 1-1 game, Bud Black left reliever Cla Meredith in a little too long and the Cubs scored two more runs in the 9th to win 3-1. I know that as a former pitcher Black knows what it feels like to be pulled when you feel like you can get out of jam, but for two consecutive nights, he left his pitchers in a little long in tight situations. He got lucky with David Wells Wednesday, but no so much with Meredith on Thursday.

One of the great things about the Padres playing the Cubs, Braves, Nationals and every few years the Orioles is that living in the DC area, I can actually watch those games when those teams televise the games. On Wednesday, the Cubs announcers were talking about why most managers seem to be former catchers and how a lot of former pitchers have a tough time as a manager and this series proved why.

The most difficult decision has to be when do you pull a pitcher and if you have been in the situation yourself, you are more likely to let him work out of his own jam. Now I'm not criticizing Black or his managing - he does have us at 25-21 despite an inconsistent offense and a terrific pen - but not everyone comes through in tense situations and in a tight game you have to have a quick hook. Meredith was great in the eighth, Heath Bell probably should have pitched the entire ninth.

But hopefully Meredith learned something from this and will not get rattled so easily next time. Our pen, no matter how great it is, will not come through every time but if it can learn as the season goes, we should be able to avoid losses like Thursday's.

Flashback Friday: Boomer

This week's flashback features one of the most quoted individuals in recent memory, David Wells. We all know Boomer tells it like it is, especially when a reporter is around, but lets take a look back at his first game - back when he was a Toronto Blue Jay - on June 30, 1987.

Wells made his first appearance against legendary New York Yankees, the team he would later pitch a combined four years for in two different tours. In not only his first appearance but his first start, Wells gave up four runs in four innings pitched, along with nine hits, two walks and three wild pitches. His outing was cut short in the fifth inning after giving up consecutive singles to Don Mattingly and former Padre Dave Winfield. Wells gave up one run in the first, two in the second and was charged with Mattingly's run in the fifth.

In 18 games that year, Wells finished with a 4-3 record while posting a 3.99 ERA and striking out 32 in 29 1/3 innings pitched. The next season Wells pitched 64 1/3 innings in 41 appearances, posting a 3-5 record with a 4.62 ERA. Wells settled into his starters' role in 1989 and for his career he has a 231-150 record with a 4.09 ERA and 2,143 K's. Wells has had two separate stints in Toronto, New York and San Diego and has also pitched for the Tigers, Reds, Orioles, White Sox and Red Sox. In 1998, Wells pitched a perfect game against the Twins - and later claimed he was hung over and half drunk from the night before- and was the 1998 ALCS MVP.

He has won World Series rings with Toronto (1992) and New York (1998).

This season Wells is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA, having given up 56 hits and 11 walks while striking out 24. But his last start was solid - despite a loss - and hopefully Wells has enough left in him to continue to be counted on as a solid No. 5 starter.

Game and career information was obtained from www.baseball-reference.com.