So, I’ve started a Ducksnorts del.icio.us account and I’m updating it throughout the day with links of potential interest. If you can’t wait till Friday to get your fix or you don’t mind wading through, like, five times as many links as I’ll post here, knock yourself out.

Onto the week’s best:

• Great expectations (Yahoo!, via LynchMob in the comments). Writer Tim Brown explores Jake Peavy‘s drop in production last season. Quoth Peavy: “The velocity just wasn’t there. And if the velocity’s not there you better be sharp. But then I wasn’t throwing bullpens between starts, so it’s really hard to stay sharp.”
• Pitcher’s Luck (via Didi in the comments). David Pinto examines which pitchers were helped most by their defense in 2006. Chris Young tops the NL list, ahead of Chris Carpenter. Maybe there’s something in that first name.
• Wells savors loose Padres atmosphere (Padres.com, via Pat in the comments). Tons of great stuff in here. My favorite quotes come from manager Bud Black, including this one on David Wells and Greg Maddux: “I want those two guys to be themselves, to do what they’ve done their entire career, because what they’ve done both on and off the field is impressive, or they wouldn’t have lasted this long. I’m not trying to tell those guys whether to be leaders or not. I think by nature they are.” It’s too early to say, of course, but I like what I’m hearing from Black so far.
• Gwynn dished it, ripped it in college (Inside Bay Area, via Jonathan S in the comments). Nice little Q&A with Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn — er, I mean, Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. Can you imagine telling Ted Williams that he “didn’t put the bat on the ball like I did”? Sheesh, it must be nice.
• Raising successful children: Todd Walker’s mom Donna Walker says close your eyes and pray (Shreveport Times). This is kind of cool, because it’s an angle you don’t see often. Padres’ infielder Todd Walker‘s mother talks about parenting. Todd’s brother Mark plays football at LSU, while sister Lindsay is married to former MLB pitcher and NFL quarterback Chad Hutchinson.
• The Best Benches in the National League (Hardball Times). Jeff Sackmann likes the Padres’ bench for 2007.
• The Nine (Bugs & Cranks). Another year, another leadoff hitter for the San Diego Padres. This is impressive, but not in the way you want to be impressed.

There it is. I know you’ve already bought the book, and I thank you for that. Keep spreading the word, and I’ll do the same.

Oh, also, Sunday’s game against the White Sox will be telecast on Channel 4 at 1:05 p.m. PT. We’ll fire up the IGD, so hang with us if you can. Go Padres!