Congrats to Jerry Coleman for winning the Frick Award and securing for himself a place in the HOF. It’s only fitting that he would be the next Padre in the HOF after Dave Winfield, whose head Coleman once claimed was rolling around the playing field.

Dex at PFS76 thinks this means the Pads will win the World Series. Well, ya know, the last time Lake Hodges Dam overflowed was February 1998, and we all remember what happened that October. (Yeah, I know they didn’t win, but humor me.)

Right. Back to the bullet points…

• Will powerful Ryno return to form? (NC Times). Klesko’s got a point. His OPS last year (847) was almost identical to that of Brian Giles (849).
• Notes: Klesko expects more (Padres.com). Klesko is trying to take the lift out of his swing and drive the ball more into the gaps at Petco Park. Key quote: “I’ve changed my game to get on base, hit for higher average and drive in more runs.”
• Burroughs aiming for consistency (Padres.com). Third baseman says the workout regimen he followed this winter to strengthen his surgically repaired left knee has him feeling more flexible. He acknowledges the need to drive the ball more this year, and is looking to be more aggressive in hitters counts. Burroughs also has been working with hitting coach Dave Magadan to use his legs more, and to get more lift and less topspin on batted balls.
• Padres Notebook: Padres, Peavy close on new contract (NC Times). From agent Barry Axelrod: “I would say we’ve advanced beyond the concept and idea stage to talking about numbers and the structuring of things. Both sides have moved significantly to a middle ground.” C’mon guys, get it done.
• Padres to precede cautiously with Otsuka (NC Times). Presumably they will be more careful than the NC Times’ headline writers. Anyway, Otsuka reported tenderness in his right shoulder. Nobody is concerned.
• Chick emerges as top pitching prospect down on farm (U-T). With George Kottaras garnering attention, Chick might be the new “secret weapon” in the system. The comparisons to Curt Schilling and Nolan Ryan are exciting, of course, but just to temper our expectations a little, I’ll throw out the name of another hot prospect acquired for a mediocre veteran: Dennis Tankersley. Man, I’m such a buzzkill. Seriously, Chick looks like a good prospect, and I’ll be anxious to see him at Elsinore this year. A lot more anxious than I was to see Ismael Valdez in San Diego last year.
• Ojeda fits team’s void: catching depth, power (U-T). Remember all those years the Pads didn’t even have a starting catcher as good as Miguel Ojeda?
• This year to decide destiny of Giles boys (U-T). Brothers want to play together, somewhere. Isn’t that nice.
• Padres finalize Ashby, Fick deals (Yahoo!) Neither is eligible to play with the big club till May 1, at which time both will be overpaid if recalled.

That’s all for now. More as it happens…