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One Down, Two to Go

The Padres took round 1 Friday night in San Francisco. I still marvel at the fact that a team given no chance in March is fighting for a playoff berth come the season’s final weekend. Whatever the outcome, 2010 has been an unqualified success for the Padres. Anyone who says otherwise is rewriting history.

Friday Links (1 Oct 10)

While we’re all waiting for a miracle or three, here are your links…

Axis: Cold as Glove

James Dean died before he had the chance to make lousy movies. Same with Jimi Hendrix and music. Had Hendrix lived on, he probably would have done great things; then again, he might have ended up singing the theme song from Mannequin (with Dean playing Phil Rubenstein’s part in the film, no doubt).

Tuesday Links (28 Sep 10)

I hate writing the intros to these things. The pressure to say something witty is enormous and I always fall short. Then again, in so doing, I remove my own burden. I feel better already…

How to Let a Pitcher off the Hook

Tim Stauffer tossed another gem, allowing one run in a game where he could give up none. The Padres loaded the bases in the ninth against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol but couldn’t score. This was not an affordable loss.

Fourth and Inches

The more I watch Ryan Ludwick, the more convinced I become that he does not belong in the National League West. During Sunday’s loss to the Reds, even as Dick Enberg and Mark Grant praised his effort on Jonny Gomes’ fourth-inning drive into the right-center field gap that glanced off Ludwick’s glove for a double, [...]

Ice in My Shorts

Pardon my French, but I’m enjoying the crap out of this. The Padres are back in first place after beating the Reds on Saturday… 4-3 again… in front of a national audience… with two out in the ninth… on a hit by a guy originally drafted by the Reds.

Playoff Shuffle (25 Sep 10)

What am I doing here on a Saturday? Pennant fever, baby. It’s like 2007 all over again, but without all the stress. If the Padres win, great; if not, it’ll be disappointing but not devastating. They were supposed to suck this year, so it’s all bonus time. At best, the Padres embarrass a lot of [...]

Friday Links (24 Sep 10)

No airplane metaphors today, just links… Home Team Monday (Inside the Padres). From Tom Krasovic: “At some point, the Padres have to hit better than they have over the last few weeks, don’t they?” As Hemingway would say, “Isn’t it pretty to think so?” Hairston Jr.’s season ends with stress fracture (Padres.com). This is a [...]

Me, Elsewhere: Chatting with FanGraphs

Carson Cistulli was kind enough to have me on his FanGraphs Audio radio programme. I never know how these things come off and can judge solely on whether we had fun chatting. We had fun chatting. Lots of fun. Maybe too much fun. What did we discuss? I will steal from my gracious host: The [...]