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I Think I Sprained My Cliche

Spring training has arrived. Players are preparing to give 110% while staying within themselves. They won’t try to do too much… one day at a time, of course. They’re busy people. It’s all very complicated; just try to stay with them. Here’s a quick rundown of what to look for this spring…

Me, Elsewhere: Galarraga and Latos

I’ve made another guest appearance at SweetSpot. This one focuses on the near-perfect games thrown by Detroit’s Armando Galarraga and San Diego’s Mat Latos in 2010. Although the outcomes were nearly identical, the two performances will be remembered differently by history because of a few critical differences that don’t show up in the box score: [...]

BP Kings Scoresheet League Draft Begins

I did a miserable job of documenting my experience in BP Kings Scoresheet League last season, which is unfortunate since my team won 90 94 games and reached the finals. I’ve been playing Scoresheet for nearly 20 years, and that ranks among my most satisfying debuts. Now that I’ve resolved to write more about the [...]

Open Thread: Spring Forward

After yesterday’s ridiculously long article, we’ll keep it simple today. With spring training upon us, I have three questions for you: Are you planning to attend spring training this year? Have you ever been in the past? If so, do you have any stories to share?

One-Hit Wonders: John Urrea to Jaret Wright

This is Part 13 of a 13-part series examining the 65 men who have collected exactly one hit as a member of the San Diego Padres. The current installment features a man who once outpitched Dennis Martinez in the minor leagues, a high school teammate of Kerry Wood, one piece of the Ken Caminiti trade, [...]

Ditching the Kid Gloves

Corey Brock brings word that right-hander Mat Latos’ workload won’t be as closely monitored in 2011 as it was last year. Latos is understandably excited about this, saying “It’s a weight lifted off my shoulders.” I am a little less excited, but this is a knee-jerk reaction.

Me, Elsewhere: Hittin’ the SweetSpot

I had the privilege of being guest author at SweetSpot today. My contribution consists of three articles. Unfortunately the Padres are not represented, which is entirely my fault. I had a couple ideas but couldn’t make them work. Here are the articles (my original stupid, cutesy titles in parentheses): The worst pitching duel ever? This [...]

Great Pitchers Duels in Padres History: Kevin Brown vs Darryl Kile, 9/20/98

On September 20, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium, nearly 38,000 fans witnessed a fantastic duel (among the best of the ’90s) on a Sunday afternoon. This was the final regular season home game for San Diego. The Rockies’ Darryl Kile would lead the National League in losses this year, while Kevin Brown would finish third (behind [...]

Hungry. Thirsty. Whatever.

A poet friend and I exchanged Sarah Vaughan tunes on Saturday morning. I served with “Shadow of Your Smile”; he returned with “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” — nothing but aces with The Divine One. Her voice and a pot of freshly ground French roast go a long way toward wiping away [...]

Open Thread: Bookworming

What are you reading? What do you want to read?