Okay, I’m off to Vegas. Just wanted to mention a few things before I leave.

• I respect the heck out of the work Baseball America does but they missed the boat on the Padres. They’ve picked San Diego to finish fifth in the NL West. How they expect the Rockies to stay out of the cellar, I have no idea.
• BA also analyzed all 30 GMs. Of Kevin Towers, they said that his best move was acquiring Kevin Brown from Florida for Derrek Lee and change. No doubt, Brown gave the Pads one great year and helped lead them to the World Series, but personally, I believe swapping Andy Sheets for Phil Nevin has had more of a lasting impact on the franchise. Plus, Derrek Lee is still the Marlins’ starting first baseman, and where is Sheets these days?
• BA called Towers’ worst move the deal sending Sterling Hitchcock to the Yankees for Brett Jodie and Darren Blakely. First, this isn’t a bad deal. Hitchcock was coming back from surgery and generally was not expected to re-sign with the Padres. With Jodie back in pinstripes, Blakely is all that’s left of the deal. The question then becomes, Is Blakely better than any player Towers might have acquired with the draft pick received as compensation for the loss of Hitchcock. The answer to that probably is "no" but if I understand correctly (please correct me if I’m wrong), in order for the Padres to receive a pick they would have had to offer Hitchcock salary arbitration, and if they had to offer arbitration there’s a chance he might have accepted the offer and the Pads’ then would have to try and trade a guy coming back from surgery and under contract. Basically, Towers would have dealt Hitch sooner or later; yeah, Blakely ain’t much but I don’t really find fault with this trade. What I do find fault with, retrospectively, is the decision to give up Brian Loyd for Randy Myers. This has nothing to do with Loyd, a journeyman minor-league backstop. The fact is, the acquisition of Myers and his salary tied Towers’ hands in making other deals, including re-signing Bret Boone after the 2000 season. Meantime, Myers gave 14 innings of 6.28 ERA back in 1998 before spending the next two seasons on the DL while collecting millions. That, my friends, did a great deal more damage to the organization than anything involving Hitchcock ever will.
• My friend Dan has pointed out that in Roto Rage: A Look Back at 1984 I screwed up the money aspect of our first roto league. He can’t remember exactly what it was either, but he knows that the franchise fee was more than $2.60 (which, come to think of it, I should have realized myself; that would have made the first place purse a paltry $13). Apologies for the error.
• If you enjoy reading Ducksnorts, you might want to check out the Cleveland Indians Report. Nice, easy style; good information.
• Kevin Jarvis, despite yesterday’s pounding at the hands of the Cubs, will start Opening Day at Arizona, April 1.
• Wiki Gonzalez’ elbow is still giving him trouble, and he may not be ready to start the season. There is absolutely no catching depth in the organization, so this would be very bad news. Beyond Wiki, it’s Tom Lampkin, Matt Walbeck, and–wait for it–Trenidad Hubbard.
• Speaking of Hubbard, he’s impressing the heck out of everyone this spring. A strong defensive outfielder who has played all nine positions in the minors, Hubbard boasts a career .340 OBP in the big leagues and is making a very strong push for that fifth outfielder spot.
• Speaking of catchers, there’s now some talk that Ben Davis might need to spend some time at Triple-A for the Mariners. Talk about your tough gigs.
• Finally, in case anyone was wondering about the Padres’ commitment to Sean Burroughs this year, here’s a quote from Bruce Bochy: "I don’t care if he’s hitting .100 after the first month, I’ll throw him out there every day." Burroughs is expected to bat sixth or seventh in the regular lineup, although he could move up to the #2 slot on days when Mark Kotsay doesn’t play.

That’s it for now. Gotta mow the lawn, take the wife to dim sum, then hit the highway. Wish me luck!