As a native Southern Californian (I call myself that even though I was born in Boston; I’ve lived here since before I turned two, and both my parents spent many of their formative years in the greater Los Angeles area), I’ve come to accept a few things. I don’t necessarily like them, but for the sake of my sanity I’ve come to accept them.

• No matter how bad the weather seems on any given day, you absolutely cannot complain about it to anyone who doesn’t also live here. Your cousins in Buffalo don’t want to hear that you had to put a sweater on in the middle of January because the temperature dipped below 60 for a few hours.
• Folks who move here from other parts of the country to (a) call their cousins in Buffalo to tell them how cold it is out here, (b) become rich and famous, (c) stalk the rich and famous, (d) stalk and marry the rich and famous, or (e) all of the above, invariably will spend an inordinate amount of time and energy complaining about how thus-and-such was so much better back home. I have yet to meet a New Yorker who had anything good to say about the pizza or the bagels out here. News flash: Last I checked, New York still has those things, if you catch my drift.
• Along those lines, if the Cubs, Braves, Red Sox, or Yankees ever come to town, there’s a real good chance that their fans will outnumber those of the home town. Often by a lot. Last year, I might as well have been at Fenway for the game against Pedro Martinez. And last week the Q was Wrigley West. But I can’t complain too much; those teams have a rich tradition. The one that gets me is the Diamondback fans. Look, y’all have a baseball team. And from what I hear, the BOB is a really nice stadium. Go watch them there. Please.

Okay, enough of the Andy Rooney. Let’s talk baseball.

It was good to see Brian Lawrence have another solid outing on Sunday. He’s slowly coming back around, moving his pitches around the plate, taking a little off here, adding a little there. Sean Burroughs also had a couple of quality at-bats. After a brief dry spell, he’s starting to swing the lumber well again.

In its latest issue, BA names the players in minor league baseball with the best tools. Here are the Padre representatives:

• PCL (AAA): Fastest Baserunner, Bernie Castro
• Southern League (AA): Best Defensive C, Humberto Quintero
• Cal League (Hi-A): Best Batting Prospect, Josh Barfield
• Midwest League (Lo-A): Best Reliever, Dale Thayer

Castro has come on strong after a horrendous start. I still don’t envision him as a starter at the big-league level but I am beginning to believe that he could make it as a role player. Quintero hits for a good batting average and some doubles, but he has no home run power and he doesn’t draw walks. A lot of guys with his profile have had decent careers. Thayer I know almost nothing about beyond the fact that his once otherworldy numbers now only look silly. Barfield is the one impact player among that group. His progress this year has been impressive, to say the least. We’ll be talking about him a lot more in the coming weeks and months.

Brain Dump

In which the author presents, in no logical order, a bunch of ideas that have been piling up on the metaphorical desk.

• Was that trade between the Yankees and the Mariners last week bizarre or what? Not often do you see two teams in the playoff hunt swap players of substantial ability after the non-waiver trade deadline. But that’s just what happened, and now Jeff Nelson is back in New York, while Armando Benitez moves on the Pacific Northwest. I’m not sure who got the better of the trade, but I just find the fact that it even happened fascinating.
• The Cub Reporter isn’t impressed with the Padres up-the-middle guys. An interesting criticism. Let’s see how they stack up against the Cubs this year:

                AB  BA OBP SLG
  Bennett      198 187 250 242
  Miller       268 231 318 358
  
  Loretta      422 325 387 453
  Grudzielanek 403 305 361 404
  
  Vazquez      310 261 347 345
  Gonzalez     415 224 282 393
  
  Kotsay       332 262 341 355
  Patterson    329 298 329 511

  How about career numbers?

                 AB  BA OBP SLG
  Bennett       829 242 304 326
  Miller       1797 263 331 423
  
  Loretta      3082 297 362 398
  Grudzielanek 4747 284 328 386
  
  Vazquez       766 268 341 350
  Gonzalez     4186 243 303 392
  
  Kotsay       2969 282 337 416
  Patterson    1094 260 293 419

  I’ll give him Miller over Bennett, because at least Miller has a chance to do something with the bat. I’ll take the Pads’ middle infield over the Cubs’ any day of the week, but I like OBP. Kotsay versus Patterson is tough, because the former has been playing hurt most of the year and the latter, who looked to be on the verge of a breakout despite his continued refusal to take a walk, is hurt now and won’t be back this season. I won’t go so far as to say the Pads’ guys are great, but I don’t think they’re "really, really weak up the middle" (nor do I think I’d call another team weak up the middle if I were a Cub fan).

• Speaking of Bennett, I’m thinking we should start an online petition to make sure that he always gets the red light on a 2-0 pitch with runners on base in a close game. I love what Bennett has done for the pitching staff, I really do. It’s great that he thinks like a pitcher. I just wish he wouldn’t hit like one (with apologies to Brian Lawrence and Adam Eaton). Who’s with me? [Editor's note: Bennett knocked in a run on a 2-0 pitch from Danny Graves Sunday afternoon to make the score 2-0 in the sixth; just because it worked still doesn't make it a good idea.]
• Phil Nevin’s numbers aren’t great, especially after that hot start, but he is swinging the bat very well and hitting the ball with authority. He also made some spectacular plays at first base the other night, spelling Ryan Klesko. In right field, let’s just say he doesn’t remind anyone of Xavier Nady. Nobody will want to hear this, but I’m wondering if Nevin at first and Klesko in the outfield might not be a better arrangement.
• Jake Peavy‘s game Friday night against the Reds was as good a start as I’ve seen out of a Padre pitcher in a long time. He didn’t get the win, but that was complete domination. Peavy had a terrible July (21.1 IP, 28 H, 7 HR, 14 BB, 16 SO, 8.86 ERA). Peavy now concedes that maybe trying to pitch through injury just before the All-Star break wasn’t the best idea. His numbers for the year, less the July debacle:

     IP   H HR BB SO  ERA
  123.2 104 15 48 93 3.35

• Loretta rewarded Mark Loretta signed a 2-year contract, with an incentive-based option for 2006. It’s possible that Barfield may be at second base by the end of this deal, but Loretta is a quality hitter who can play multiple positions. He’ll have value for the Padres one way or another. And he’s great insurance just in case Barfield isn’t ready by then or ends up not having the glove to stay on the infield at the big-league level. Good signing.
• Gary Matthews Jr. has a great arm. I still can’t believe he nailed Juan Castro at the plate in Friday night’s contest.
• Saw the Reds’ Ryan Wagner in the same game. Man, that guy’s pitches move.
• Justin Germano is having surprising (to me) success at Double-A: 32.1 IP, 29 H, 6 BB, 26 SO, 3.34 ERA. Based solely on the fact that he was getting hit pretty good at Elsinore and not striking many guys out, I thought Germano’s promotion was premature, but so far he’s proving me wrong. Here’s hoping he’s keeps doing it.
• One of my preseason faves, Javier Martinez, is healthy again and getting it done at Elsinore: 78.2, 68, 21, 65, 2.97. Martinez remains one of my sleeper prospects in this organization.

General Weirdness on the Web

• calculator-in-the-URL You’ll think this is really cool or really stupid; it’s such a fine line.
• Weblog Diffusion Index An MIT research project "tracking the diffusion of information through the weblog community."

Mailbag

Our first letter comes from Chet Laird, who writes:

Based on the fact that I am "an idiot in my own home" as well, for what it’s worth, here is a thought related to developing stage presence… on off days, try having your wife throw shoes at you… I am sure she will enjoy it and it will help you "face the fear."

Um, thanks for the tip. Remind me never to introduce you to my wife.

Next up, Jonny German (love the name!) sends this in:

Enjoy your site. I’m wondering if you have a prediction for how well Oliver Perez will perform next year… Will he overcome the inconsistency to become the top tier starter he has the talent to be?

I’ve enjoyed many of your musical recommendations, and I have one for you: Coke Machine Glow, by Gordon Downie. Tracks you’ll like right away: Chancellor, Canada Geese, Yer Possessed.

Perez had another very nice outing Saturday night. He pitched five strong innings before surrendering three runs in the sixth. Finished with 11 strikeouts, which is sexy, but as Jonny mentions, he is still inconsistent. Will it click for him tomorrow, next month, next year, three years from now? I really have no idea. My gut tells me it’s going to take Ollie some time to figure it out. His stint at Triple-A helped; he looks to be more mechanically sound now than at the beginning of the season. And I think Darren Balsley has been a positive influence. As for a prediction? I won’t throw out any numbers, but I will say that I expect Perez to continue to tantalize and frustrate with his combination of talent and inconsistency. My gut tells me that his rapid ascension last year is going to come at the expense of big-league growing pains. And I don’t think we’ve seen the last of those.

And thanks for the Gordon Downie tip. I’d not heard of him, but I see here that he is best known for his work with the Tragically Hip. I’ll definitely keep my eyes open for Downie’s CD. Thanks again for the heads-up. I’m always looking for new stuff…