I’m thinking of changing our tagline to “Ducksnorts: The Baseball Blog for Folks Who Like Bullet Points.” Catchy, huh?

Anyway, here’s today’s batch:

• Greene eager to get back in swing again (U-T). Worth it just for the photo of Khalil “Dude, Where’s My Snowboard” Greene. Everybody’s favorite shortstop expects even greater things from himself. Love this quote: “I feel like I’ve gotten better, have ironed some things out and have a more consistent swing. But I don’t see myself as being near established at this point. I have a year’s experience, but I have a long ways to go before I establish myself.” It’s all about desire. Also of note here are the hiring of Grady Fuson (announcement delayed until March 1 due to contractual issues) and the ankle surgery of last year’s third-round pick Daryl Jones, who is expected to miss 1-3 months.
• Stauffer starts sophomore season (Saratogian; thanks to Jason at Stick and Move for the heads-up on this one). Gary Lance, Stauffer’s pitching coach last year at Mobile, likes what he sees. Odd quote (from Lance): “I would like to see him get in double figures. I think 12 wins would be a really good goal for him, and I would love to see no more than six losses.” Obviously wins are great, but are those necessarily the primary goal in the minors? Other statistical indicators interest me a great deal more than wins at that level. Also, the stuff that doesn’t show up in a stat line, like working ahead in the count, maintaining a consistent delivery, bouncing back from adversity, etc. Not that I’m questioning Stauffer at all; I just mean that in general, there is a lot that I look at in a pitching prospect before I get to victories (if I ever do). At any rate, Stauffer is saying and doing all the right things. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him up sooner rather than later this season.
• Peavy has Padres believing he has the stuff of legends (U-T). Couple of interesting quotes here. From Kevin Towers: “We’ve been pretty cautious. With any young pitcher, there’s always a risk of injury. I’m hoping that doesn’t happen with Jake. When you project him out, I don’t see his skills ever diminishing. If he stays healthy . . . this kid is going to be a big winner for a lot of years.” And from Peavy, on maturing as a pitcher: “Obviously, as a starter, you’ve got to conserve energy. You’ve got to conserve pitches to work deep into a ballgame. You’ve got guys like Greg Maddux, who will throw a 70-pitch complete game, and you’ve got guys who are striking out 10 in five innings and throwing 100 pitches. I think you’ve got to find the balance.”
• Bullpen key to Padres’ success (NC Times). Kevin Towers is confident that Akinori Otsuka, Scott Linebrink, and Chris Hammond will be able to bridge the gap between the starting pitchers and Trevor Hoffman.
• Bozied looks to regain prospect status (NC Times). Tagg Bozied has finished rehabbing the left knee he had surgery on last July and is ready to get back to doing what he does best: hit a baseball. “In order for me to be a prospect, in order for me to have a major-league job, I have to hit,” Bozied said. “And the injury is not going to affect that ability whatsoever.” Go get ‘em.
• Mailbag: Nady could cover all fields (Padres.com). Mike Scarr answers questions about Xavier Nady, Sean Burroughs, Jake Peavy, and more.
• Hoffman ready to build on stellar ’04 (Sports Illustrated). Mostly fluff, but you could use the break after reading all that other stuff, right?