I haven’t written much about the WBC, mainly because it always seemed so far away. But the tournament kicks off tonight in Tokyo with Korea vs Chinese Taipei (aka Taiwan or Republic of China). Also, my tickets for the semifinals and finals at Petco arrived yesterday, so that’s gotten me a little fired up about [...]

Channel 4 rebroadcast the 2005 game of the year last night. The grand slam by Khalil Greene with two out in the ninth to tie it was unbelieveable. Equally unlikely were the events leading up to Greene’s heroics, propelled at least in part by Frank Robinson’s curious use of his bullpen. This got me to [...]

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, former Padres right-hander Brian Lawrence is expected to miss the season following labrum and rotator cuff surgery. It’s interesting to note that the Nationals didn’t give Lawrence an MRI before making the trade that brought him to Washington. But GM Jim Bowden’s explanation makes sense: It’s expensive to [...]

Last week in the discussion we were trying to figure out who would and/or should bat second for the Padres in 2006. Reader Steve pointed us to a projected batting order at Padres.com, which shows Mike Cameron in the #2 hole. A debate then ensued over whether Cameron strikes out too much to bat so [...]

With the Mike Piazza signing sparing us the indignity of a David Ross/Doug Mirabelli showdown behind the plate, the only real battle this spring is at second base. Incumbent Mark Loretta is gone, leaving veteran Mark Bellhorn and prospect Josh Barfield to compete for the job. Many people would like to see Barfield get the [...]

In a recent North County Times article about new rotation member Chris Young, Padres skipper Bruce Bochy is quoted as saying, “History has shown that the taller pitchers take longer to develop.” Intuitively this makes sense. You’re dealing with more moving parts and a higher center of gravity. From a mechanical standpoint, a lot can [...]

As anyone who has been paying attention is well aware, the Padres have made wholesale roster changes this winter. The question among many of the Friar faithful is, “To what effect?” Shaun O’Neill at the North County Times attempts to put some of the pieces together. He suggests that CEO Sandy Alderson and company have [...]

I hate to give you just links with no commentary, but that’s all I have time for today. Enjoy! Scouting the Division: San Diego (Bad Altitude). I find the idea of a Rockies blogger talking smack about the Padres after their respective 2005 seasons somewhat amusing. Piazza signing motivates TC’s Mirabelli (Traverse City Record Eagle) [...]

“A player’s true level of ability remains unknown and unknowable so long as he is not given the opportunity to prove it.” Obvious, perhaps, but important. Without proof we are reduced to religious arguments: Belief based on MLEs, scouting reports, or other factors. Non-believers cite lack of indisputable evidence: “Yes, but MLEs are just equivalencies [...]