Before I get to what I was planning for today, I’d just like to say congrats to Trevor Hoffman on notching his 300th save last night. Acquired from the Marlins for Gary Sheffield back in the 1993 Fire Sale, Hoffy has been one of the most consistent performers for the Pads since he’s been in San Diego. He’s also been one of the most popular players, second only to Mr. Padre himself, Tony Gwynn. I don’t want to gush too much but it’s really been a pleasure to watch him come in and baffle guys with a fastball that rarely touches 90, a legendary changeup, and devastating control. Hoffman is the Greg Maddux of closers. He also is, by all accounts, a genuinely solid individual, which is refreshing these days. Congratulations, Trevor, and thanks!

Okay, back to the plan. First, some cool places to go:

• The Baseball Crank
• Braves Journal
• Google Groups: rec.sport.baseball
• The Diamond Angle

A lot of great stuff out there. The rec.sport.baseball newsgroup is particularly interesting. I’ve been aware of its existence for some time but only recently ventured to sift through the sometimes overwhelming amount of information.

The other thing I wanted to mention is really more of a teaser. A lot of pitchers have been experiencing great success at Lake Elsinore this year, in what is traditionally a hitters’ league. I don’t have time to sort through all the league stats but I am looking at Storm pitchers’ performance at home vs on the road, with the thought that perhaps their home park is less favorable to hitters than most. Well, I’ve sifted through a month’s worth of data, and here’s what I’ve got for April:

Not at all what I’d expected but this is very early in the season. I’m still gathering data. Sometime within the next month or two, I should have all the numbers and be able to do some fun stuff with them. In addition to team stats, I’ll also break down individual performances, using some neat little tools with which you may or may not be familiar.

Like I said, a teaser…