Been watching Michael Palin’s Hemingway Adventure, which we bought on video some time ago and had been letting collect dust on the bookshelf until now. In addition to being a comical genius, Palin is an affable tour guide whose own sense of curiosity often becomes contagious. Enjoyable stuff.

I read Hemingway when I was in my early 20s, so it was also interesting to revisit his life and times with a more critical eye than I might have had back then. Still adventurous and charismatic, but also a bit sadder than I’d remembered.

Anyway, the Pads lost to the Bucs last night. Brian Lawrence had trouble keeping the ball in the park. Again. Former Padre Reggie Sanders (two- and three-run homers) and potential future Padre Brian Giles (two-run shot) did all the damage. Still, the series is tied after two games despite Oliver Perez’ Tuesday walkathon (and Luther Hackman’s meltdown), so it’s not all bad.

Now the real intrigue begins, as we wait to see what, if any, moves Kevin Towers makes. It looks like Mark Loretta isn’t going anywhere. And despite the Pirates’ best hopes, Jake Peavy and Sean Burroughs aren’t moving. Which leaves Rondell White, Kevin Jarvis, Xavier Nady, Dave Hansen, and maybe Mike Matthews. Maybe someone (other than Josh Barfield or Khalil Greene) from the minors. We shall see.

. . .

Today’s letter comes from John Geer, who raises an interesting point about Burroughs:

I don’t want to state the obvious, but has anyone looked at Burroughs’ numbers batting fifth? Coincidentally (NOT!), his post All-Star break numbers are pathetic, and while he was injured during some of that time, he also hasn’t batted in the 5th spot in the order, either; perhaps Bochy should take a look at that and adjust accordingly.

John, thanks for writing and for "stating the obvious." Because I, for one, hadn’t noticed the splits. For those keeping score at home, here they are (through July 29):

             AB   BA  OBP  SLG  ISO XB/H BB/K
Batting #5  142 .338 .404 .500 .162 .354 .700
other slots 189 .249 .301 .344 .095 .234 .412

I have to admit, I’m not a huge believer in the importance of batting position, but this is pretty damning evidence. The sample size isn’t overwhelming, but it’s enough to convince me that it’s at least worth exploring. Good call, John. Let’s get Burroughs back in the five hole, see what he can do.

That’s all for now. As always, keep those letters coming…