Planning Your 2012 Padres Road Trip

The San Diego Padres 2012 season schedule was officially unveiled today, providing all fans a momentary distraction from the Padres 2011 season (mercifully).

And while there will be plenty of time to look at the schedule from a strategic standpoint, or look for key series late in the season (hopefully), today is about party planning.

Road trip party planning.

The 2011 Padres interleague schedule gave fans two great excuses for travelling. Road games in Minnesota (and new Target Field) and Boston were quickly seized upon by fans. Including myself, who took the once every 6 years opportunity to travel to Boston (a city I had never been before) and take in a game at Fenway (also a first, obviously).

So, looking ahead, what road trips are most enticing for Padres fans? Let's take a look at some of the road trip opportunities that stuck out to me:

May 11-15
@Philadelphia; @Washington
This is the trip for you history buffs. Two of the most historic cities in American history in back-to-back series. Plus the potential to see Strasburg in person and the (relatively) new Nationals Park. The downside...Phillies fans. Batteries not included.

May 24 - 30
@New York Mets; @Chicago Cubs
If history isn't your thing, then perhaps visiting two of the most iconic cities in America will be. Take in a Broadway show, walk Central Park and check out Citi Field for the first time. Then head West to historic Wrigley Field (a stadium that should move immediately to the top of your baseball stadium bucket list if you haven't been) and enjoy deep dish pizza, Chicago hot dogs and a fan base more depressed than our own. This trip will help you finally decide, once and for all, New York Pizza or Chicago Deep Dish Pizza.

June 12 - 17
@Seattle; @Oakland
Interleague! While Oakland doesn't have the same sex appeal as Minnesota or Boston, hey, it's interleague! A little Pacific Northwest trip where you can take in fresh salmon, grunge music and spend all your time in San Francisco while "visiting" Oakland. Also, watch the Vedder Cup, Year 2, in person!

July 27-29
@Miami
I read that the Florida Marlins are changing their name to Miami as of next year. One step closer to Back to the Future, Part II being true! Brand new stadium, fun dining and nightlife city, possible hurricanes. This trip has it all!

August 10-12
@Pittsburgh
Long considered, by those that have been, as one of the great ballparks in America. I'm pretty sure they put french fries in their sandwiches in Pittsburgh as well. So there's that.

And of course the usual array of NL West cities. Personally, I have yet to make it to Denver or San Fran for a game (blasphemy, I know). A problem I hope to rectify in the 2012 season.

So pack your bags, buy those plane tickets, and I'll see you all on the road!

Looking In on the Pre-Season Bets

Back before the season started I looked up a few pre-season proposition bets for the upcoming MLB season and wrote a blog post about it. As we are under 3 weeks before the season ends, I thought it would be fun to look back and relieve those picks. And for you all to see why I work for a living vs gamble for a living.


Most Regular Season HR's by Any Player: O/U 46.5
My Pick: Over
How's It Looking? For the second year in a row, Jose Bautista is leading MLB in HR's. Whether that's because pitchers haven't learned to stop throwing him first pitch fastballs, sign stealing or some other reason is irrelevant. For purposes of this blog, what is relevant is he has 41 HR's as of this writing. So with less than 3 weeks away we are looking at 6 more HR's. Doable...though he is currently in a 5 game HR drought. Time, my friend, is a ticking.

Most Regular Season Wins by Any Pitcher: O/U 20.5
My Pick: Over
How's It Looking? WINNER. WINNER. CHICKEN. DINNER! Justin Verlander is already at 22 wins which means "we goin' Sizzler, we goin' Sizzler." It's the era of the pitcher. Never mind that my thought was it would be one of Philly's four starters. Just ignore that part and enjoy your steak.


Albert Pujols Total HR's: O/U 38.5
My Pick: Over
How's It Looking? Pujols is sitting at 34 as we speak. The reasoning for going over is, A) it's Albert Freaking Pujols, and; B) Contract Year. This would already be a winner had it not been for his mid-season injury. Even with that injury, though, we are only 5 HR's away from cashing in. The bad news: He hasn't gone deep since Sept. 1.

Adrian Gonzalez Total HR's: O/U 36.5
My Pick: Over...barely
How's It Looking? Not so good. I tempered my pick on this one but landed on over for this reason: He had gone 30, 36, 40, 31 over the past four years while playing at Petco Park. Moving to Fenway, the thought was he would increasing those HR totals. Despite the MVP type season he is having, his HR total is at 24, on pace for his lowest total in the past 5 years.

Buster Posey Total HR's: O/U 19.5
My Pick: Under
How's It Looking? Great! Thanks to a season ending injury in May, Posey managed only 4 HR's this season. Fun sidenote. In the article I just Google'd to get the date of Posey's injury, the story mentioned how the Giants were "hesitant to say this was season-ending." Oh Giants. So young, so naive.

4 Aces (Halladay, Oswalt, Lee, Hamels) Total Regular Season Wins: O/U 59.5
My Pick: Under
How's It Looking? The thought for going under here had more to do with their bullpen. What ended up happening was the Philadelphia offense wasn't quite what I expected, but then again, neither was Lee. Still time for them to hit the over here, but as Philadelphia has all but secured the NL East, not seeing a lot of starts for these 4 down the stretch.

Heath Bell Regular Season Saves: O/U 35.5
My Pick: Over
How's It Looking? WINNER. WINNER. CHICKEN. DINNER. Bell, in two years as a full time closer, had yet to save less than 40. And while this year may be the year, he is already at 36 saves despite the fact that he's been MIA for long stretches of time this season (through no fault of his own).

San Diego Padres Regular Season Wins: O/U 75.5
My Pick: Over
How's It Looking? Well, if they go undefeated the rest of the season...forget it. I'm embarrassed. Let's move on.






*FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY

Oh Happy Day...

The faux-holiday that Padres fans around the world anxiously awaited for is finally here. May 1st! What does this day mean for Padres fans? Historically, it is the day they stop sucking and start winning. It also means an 11-17 April is now a distant and long-forgotten memory.

The Padres ended April like they began it (and quite differently then they played it in between). They won!!!! They got hits!!! Trevor got a save!!! The birds were singing, the sun was shining!

Look, I don't buy that much into the May thing, although I am just as happy as anyone to see April in the rear-view mirror now. I also think the way the Padres played yesterday (4 runs, everyone by CY and Edmonds getting a hit) is closer to the reality of this team then the near Mendoza line Batting Average the team has been hitting.

I can't get into the numbers now (however, Geoff Young at ducksnorts.com did a nice job of explaining this) but it's not that the Padres are this bad of an offensive team as much as it is they are, as a team, hitting at well below average levels. I don't know much about statistics but I'm told these things straighten out in the end. We shall see.

I do know this, the Padres can win a series today for the first time since, well, it's been a while is the point.

Beginning of May, 11-17 and 9 GB of Arizona. Let's saddle up boys, we ain't done yet!

P.S. To those who like to comment on how Trevor is "done" he recorded the save last night, making him 5 for 7 in save chances. He also has posted an ERA under 2.00 in his past 5 appearances. Talks of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

City of Brotherly Love

There's nothing new under the sun. We all know the offense sucks, we all know the bullpen is struggling.

The positive of course is the end of April is upon us. And as such, May is right around the corner. Typically, the Padres excel in May, using a strong May record to jumpstart their season. 22-6 in 2006 remains a franchise best for any month. Let's hope more of the same magic is coming.

Greg Maddux goes for win #350 tonight against the Phillies, who counter with lefty-phenom Cole Hamels. Should be a fun one. Let's hope Ryan Howard stays in his slump for at least three more days.

I have finals right now so posts will be short and/or lazy. What can I say? Also, the team is struggling, which depresses me.

Here's something fun: Baseball movies!

Top 5 Baseball Movies

1) The Natural
2) Field of Dreams
3) The Sandlot
4) Major League
5) Bull Durham

That's all for now!

Tony Gwynn Heads to the Hall, pt. 2

Let's start with a number. 434. On it's face, doesn't mean anything, simply a number. Now put it in context. 434 is how many times Tony Gwynn struck out. Ever. Tony Gwynn has 9,288 career at-bats and only 434 times did those at-bats end in a strike out. Thats .04% of the time. For comparison sake, Adam Dunn this year has already struck out 113 times. In less than one season. 434 in 20 seasons. That my friends, is ridiculously good. Scary good. Ted Williams once said that the hardest thing in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely. Few did it better, or with more consistency, than Tony Gwynn.

There are players you watch that spoil you. If you were a Jordan fan, you expect every shot to go in. Tiger to win every major. Current MLB players like ARod you expect homeruns from, or Peavy you expect to throw shut out ball. This of course is an impossible request of any athlete. It was a request that was asked of Tony Gwynn and more often then not he obliged. You expected a hit and were shocked when he didn't get on base. Near earth shattering shock when he struck out and if he struck out swinging...well...it happened so rarely I can hardly remember if it ever did. Of course it did though, but with such irregularity that every time he struck out or popped out it was as if the sky was falling. Growing up in Oceanside began my respect of Tony Gwynn but moving to Arizona made it harder to follow him on a day to day basis. This required box scores (pre-internet of course) that would reveal the numbers but never the story of the game. First things first, check Gwynn's line, and it would be a very rare day that the hit column didn't have at least the number 1 underneath it. Consistency. If it was the 7th or 8th inning and Gwynn didn't have a hit, it was a shock. Just like when Tiger doesn't win a major. Unfair to ask of Gwynn? Perhaps. But he did everything possible to respond to the request.

Tony Gwynn won 8 National League Batting Titles, a number that was good enough to tie Tony Gwynn with the National League All-Time Record with Honus Wagner. Only Ty Cobb won more batting titles (11) than Tony. Of those 8, Gwynn has stated, and for those who remember it agree, the most exciting of those titles was 1989 against Will Clark of the San Francisco Giants. Going into the last day of the season both Gwynn and Clark were batting .333. And in somewhat poetic fashion, the Padres finished the season playing the Giants. That day Will Clark went 1 for 4. Tony Gwynn...3 for 4, winning the batting title. It is games like this when impossible request are answered.

This year Tony Gwynn received one of the highest honors any athlete can receive. He got himself on the cover of a Wheaties box. When she heard about the Wheaties box, Tony Gwynn's mom could only laugh. The scrawny kid from Long Beach, who played basketball at San Diego State (and was drafted by the Clippers) is on the cover of the Wheaties box. What a ride.

In our next posting, Left Coast Bias will discuss the final season for Tony, including his last game which I was lucky enough to be at. We'll also discuss his two World Series appearances and his current job as head coach of San Diego State's baseball team.

News and Notes:

- Statement series! Perhaps somewhat under the radar but the Padres won the series from the Mets last night with a thrilling 5-4 win. The Mets are widely considered the best team the National League has and with their lineup you can see why. David Wright's 3-run homerun last night off Linebrink to tie the game in the 8th took all the life out of the stadium. That life was quickly restored thanks to something the Padres haven't had much of all year, 2 out hitting. Blum's 2 out single scored Greene. Hoffman racked up yet another save in 1-2-3 form. The Padres open a 4 game set with the Phillies tonight.

- Marcus Giles has been benched for the next few games while he works with hitting coach Merv Rettemund. Giles has hit .197 since May 14th.

- Hiram Bocachica was designated for assignment yesterday as the Padres activated Terrmel Sledge from the DL. The Padres now have to trade or waive him. Bocachica showed flashes of brilliance and adds much needed speed to a lineup terribly void of that commodity. Considering the Padres bench is not what it was the last few years, Bocachica may be an integral part of this team yet. Here's hoping the Padres hang on to him and send him to AAA.

- Milton Bradley hit his first home run as a Padre yesterday, a 427 foot bomb to right-center field. For the naysayers (of which I count myself as one) Bradley has been an offensive spark and, as for attitude, so far, so good.

- Someone told Maddox it was 1996. Mad Dog was dealing last night, going 5IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 6 K's.

- Chris Young bought every player on the Padres an embroidered robe with their name and team number on the back as a thank you for helping get him elected to the All-Star Game.

- The Padres head to the weekend 1 game back but tied in the loss column with L.A. With the trade deadline approaching (July 31) Towers has stated a major move is unlikely. However, a starter or a bench player may be in the works. The Padres have been lucky with health in their starters, but with Wells and Maddox over 40 and the insurance plans of Hensly and Thompson struggling in AAA Portland, the Padres may be looking elsewhere for some backup help. As for bench help, I think I speak for many that it's time to welcome Mark Loretta back with open arms.


Saturday is the Tony Gwynn Ceremony and unveiling of the first statute at Petco Park. I'll be on hand and give a full report afterwards. Till then, keep the faith Friar Faithful!

Tony Gwynn Heads to the Hall, pt. 1

One of my favorite stories about Tony Gwynn includes some interesting cyclical aspects to it. On July 19, 1982, Padres prospect Tony Gwynn was promoted to play centerfield and given the start. On this particular the day, the Padres were playing a seemingly innocuous game in the midst of a season that would end up 81-81 for the year.

Playing first base for the Phillies that day was none other than the all-time hit champion, Pete Rose. Tony Gwynn's first hit in the majors was a double. His second hit of the evening a single, allowing Pete Rose to impart this piece of wisdom on the Padres new centerfielder: "Don't try and catch me all in one night." Tony Gwynn would never catch Rose (a record that still stands at 4,256 hits in a career) but that wasn't for a lack of trying. What I like best about this comment is the perception Rose had. Chances are he had seen many major leaguers make their debut and get their first hit. How many of them did he joking tell not to catch him in a night? Not many I'm guessing. My guess is he only said things like that to players he actually believed could do it. Tony Gwynn was one of those players.

The cyclical nature of this event doesn't stop at Rose and Gwynn. Tony Gwynn Jr. a promising young prospect in the Brewers organization, was brought up from the minors to make his debut on July 15th, 2006. Four days later, on July 19th against the Giants, and 24 years to the day of his father's first hit, Tony Gwynn Jr. hit a double as his first major league hit, just like pops.

Tony Gwynn was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on January 9, 2007 by 97.6% of the vote, begging the question as to what is wrong with the other 2.4%. It is the second highest vote total in Hall of Fame history and it could not be for a more deserving individual. Tony Gwynn was a ballplayer, a student, and an ambassador for both the game and the city that has embraced him since that double in July, 1982.

In 12 days, amongst the biggest crowds ever seen by Cooperstown, Tony Gwynn alongside Cal Ripken Jr. will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. As Tony Gwynn himself said on that January afternoon the day he heard about Cooperstown, the induction will be "vindication," showing that in this game there is room for the guy who hits singles and slaps the ball the other way.

In the upcoming post, Left Coast Bias will celebrate the great career of Mr. Padre with anecdotes and career stats. Today's career stat to highlight: 19 straight seasons of hitting over .300. Tony Gwynn hit below .300 only once in his career, his rookie season in which he played 54 games. Outside of his rookie year, Tony Gwynn never hit under .309 for a season. In 1994, Tony Gwynn hit .394, the highest National League batting average since 1930. Had the season not been shortened by the strike, Gwynn would have had a chance to hit .400, a mythical number not reached since Ted Williams. In the end, Gwynn wound up 3 hits short of .400 in the shortened season.

Tony Gwynn's career batting average of .338 is good enough for 17th on the all-time list. As Al Leiter would say: "The only way to pitch to Tony (Gwynn) is throw the ball down the middle and hope he hits it at someone."

The Padres plan to honor Tony Gwynn and his induction to the Baseball Hall of Fame this upcoming weekend with a ceremony on Saturday and the unveiling of a statute for Tony Gwynn. I've had the chance to "meet" Tony Gwynn twice, using the term meet loosely of course. I was an honorary batboy in 1988 for the Padres, an event that was colossal in my mind and inconsequential I'm sure in his. But I met him and he shook my hand. Pretty cool. The greatest player in Padres history and, according to Sports Illustrated, the greatest hitter since Ted Williams, Tony Gwynn #19 is Mr. Padre.

To be Continued...


Up Next:

-The Padres open a 3-game series with the New York Mets. A great test this week in seeing exactly where the Padres sit in the National League hierarchy. The Mets are routinely considered the best in the National League and with good reason. Jose Reyes atop that lineup with Beltran and Delgado in the middle make for a formidable night. With San Diego's inability to throw out runners, keeping Reyes off base will be imperative.

-David Wells starts tonight, in the midst of his appeal for his suspension.

-The Padres avoided the sweep in Arizona thanks to Germano's gem. Heath Bell and Linebrink both got a scoreless inning of work in, rebounding from rough outings the day before.

-Brian Giles...STAY AT THE TOP OF THE LINEUP!!! Giles has been unstoppable atop that lineup, with an on-base pct of over .400 since making the move to the 1-hole.