Happy Trails Heater

One of the hardest things in sports, in my opinion, is replacing a legend. Being the guy after the guy that a city adored seems to be a nearly thankless job. Will you ever not be compared to the person you replaced?

In modern sports history, the list is short of those who have replaced a legend and succeeded or even surpassed them on their own. Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Favre is perhaps the most successful example. I said the list was short. Meanwhile, the list of a vacuum being left by icons leaving or retiring is long. The Dolphins haven't been able to replace Dan Marino for 20 years. The Bulls spent roughly the same time trying to find someone to capture the city's imagination the way Michael Jordan did, finding a possible superstar in Derrick Rose.

Heath Bell became a Padre via a trade that made little noise at the time. The Padres traded Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins to the Mets for Bell and Royce Ring. Bell, at the time, was tolling away on the round trip shuttle between New York and Norfolk, never finding his place in the Mets plans. In San Diego, he replaced Scott Linebrink as the 8th inning bridge to Trevor Time. Until 2009, when the previously unthinkable happen and Hoffman signed as a free agent with Milwaukee. Gone was Trevor Time, a San Diego tradition for more than a decade.

For the first time in 15 years, someone not named Trevor Hoffman was being asked to close games in San Diego. Heath Bell was tasked with the job of replacing a player that rivals only Tony Gwynn in importance to this franchise.

Good luck? Hardly needed. Hardly needed. In his first year as the full-time closer Heath Bell saved 42 games, earning his first of 3 All Star appearances. He quickly became a fan favorite amongst the friar faithful. He's quirky, jokester personality was straight out of central casting for a closer. He was goofy. He was fun. He took blown saves on the chin. He celebrated every save like it was Game 7, no matter what the calendar said. No one will ever replace Trevor Hoffman in San Diego. Heath Bell never tried, nor ever wanted to. He was just "Heater."

I read once that fans in San Diego expect "the show" with a closer as much as results. Trevor Hoffman is often credited with starting the now prevalent tradition of a closers entrance music. Heath Bell picked up that mantle, racing in in full sprint from the bullpen as Breaking Benjamin blared from the speakers. Was it as iconic as AC/DC? Hardly. But it was fun. And in the end, baseball is suppose to be fun.

And I think that's what I'll miss most about Heath Bell. He was fun. I like winning. I like success. But I like having fun watching baseball more than anything. Heath Bell provided all three, being one of the best closers in baseball after being a throw away piece in a nearly forgotten trade.






















For all the saves you gave us, for all the honest interviews you gave, for your Twitter Q&A's and your now infamous All Star Game slide, thank you Heater. You were what I love about baseball and athletes. You were good. And you were fun. And at the end of the day that's all any fan can ask of a player.

Happy Trails Heater. Enjoy Miami.

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

Knee Jerk Reactions on the Trade Deadline

Here are a few thoughts moments after the deadline. I look forward to regretting putting these thoughts down in writing in a few days:

- If there is one thing I knew coming into July 31st, it was that Heath Bell was DEFINITELY going to be traded. Until he wasn't. The Padres decided to hang on to their All-Star closer (at least for the time being), opting to move Mike Adams instead. No one seems to be more surprised than Adams himself, quoted as saying "It was quite a bit of a shock," adding "I came in this morning prepared to be the closer." (courtesy of @theMTbrain)

- The Padres obtained from Texas Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland. Robbie Erlin doesn't appear to know how to walk people which is as good a quality as you can hope for in a pitcher in Petco. Let them put the ball in play and you will likely be ok. Keith Law ranks Erlin as the #5 prospect for the Rangers. Joe Wieland threw a no-hitter a few days ago in AA. So there's that. Two #3-#5 starters for Mike Adams seems like a pretty good haul. Of course, we won't really know for a few years.

- Perhaps more notably than who WAS traded was who wasn't. Heath Bell remained a Padres at 1:01pm on July 31st to the surprise of most everyone. Now the question is, was that smart? It became clear over the last week or so that Adams was the valuable asset in the minds of other GM's. Younger, better numbers and controllable beyond this year so that makes perfect sense. What didn't make sense was that reports had come out of San Diego that Adams was told specifically that he would NOT be traded. Then that report was debunked, then it wasn't and in the end nobody knew anything. In the end, GM's weren't willing to meet the price Jed Hoyer had presented for a rental.

- The question now is, was keeping Bell smart? That question doesn't really have a legitimate answer. From a statistical standpoint, it made more sense to trade him. At the end of the season the Padres will get two compensation picks assuming Bell does not accept arbitration. Those two picks have been predicted to possibly be in the mid-20's and then the mid-40's. Now there is talk of signing Bell to an extension. I'm fine with that. There was no gun to Hoyer's head to trade Bell like there was with Adrian Gonzalez or Jake Peavy. The Padres can afford to keep Bell and Bell has every desire to stay in San Diego. Also there is this. Right or wrong, the front office had to look at how this would look to their fanbase. I'm not crazy about making moves simply to appease the fans, but, in the past few years Padres fans have seen the two most recognizable players traded. Bell currently represents the face of the franchise, the lone All-Star and one of the few players on this team that casual fans are familiar with. Tickets need to be sold and I can only assume that there was some concern of playing into the stereotype of Padres front offices that simply trade away everyone. So, from that standpoint, its a small time risk to sign Bell.

Therefore, unlike with Peavy and Gonzalez, the Padres could wait for a package that enticed them. If it didn't come, then no reason to trade Bell. This can't be about making trades simply to make a trade. My guess is the package the Rangers gave over for Adams is similar to what San Diego wanted for Bell. But, as mentioned above, that's a lot to give up for a rental.

Now, if you think the Padres are within a year or so of contending, then you have a closer for that period. If you believe they are a few years away, then you have someone the fans can cling to while waiting for "the future." And if they resign him, nothing to say they can't trade him next year at the deadline if the Padres are in a similar position.

- Oh yeah, the Padres also traded Ryan Ludwick to the Pirates for slightly more than a bucket of balls (PTBNL). Unfortunately, as you know, Left Coast Bias has chosen the PIrates as our bandwagon team for the rest of the season. So it looks like I am stuck rooting for Ludwick the rest of the season (accept next week, obviously).

- With Ludwick gone, left field is now wide open for Kyle Blanks. So, I guess now is the time we find out if Kyle Blanks can play left field and hit MLB pitching.

In the end, the Padres lost a great bullpen arm today but added two strong young arms to their farm system. The Ryan Ludwick experiment mercifully came to an end. And Heath Bell remains a Padres. Worst things could have happened today. We could be Astros fans.

Turn That Frown Upside Down

What is there to say about the San Diego Padres right now? At times, they are nearly unwatchable. Other times, they are merely watchable to see in what way they will fail in spectacular fashion (Orlando Hudson throwing the 2nd out to the ball girl who promptly gave it to a young fan was the highlight of futility of 2011 so far).

The most interesting question revolving around this team right now has been when they will trade their most recognizable player and lone All-Star. In my mind, Heath Bell has already been traded. As has Ludwick. I'm less inclined to buy into Mike Adams rumors as that appeared to me to simply be a "hey, let's ask for the moon for him and see if someone bites." And hey, it's July 27th, someone still might.

So here we are. Just over two months to go and the best I got for you is "When is Heath Bell going to be traded?" Personally, I have already found myself emotionally detaching from Heath Bell. As his trade is not so much a "if" but "when," it's time to prepare for life post-Heath. The nice thing if you are a Padres fan is that the All Star Game was a nice going away party in many ways. The Padres lone All-Star was all over that game, between being mic'd for the Fox broadcast to "The Slide," Bell gave Padres fans a fun night on a national stage. But by the end of the weekend, the Heath Bell era (at least version 1.0) will likely be over.

These, my friends, are dark times. Though they could be darker. The Padres could have lost 17 games in a row. Vedder Cup karma.

There is a lot to be blue about these days, so here are a few positives that Padres fans can turn to as we enter the final two months of the season:

1) Hey, only 2 more months to go!
- This has been a brutal season by any standard. Watching your favorite team lose close to 100 games a year removed from winning 90 is a bit of a shock to the system, no matter how prepared you may have been for it. "Oh, but I knew they would be bad because they traded Adrian..." Really? Did you know they would be this bad? And were you prepared to watch them play this poorly? Didn't think so.

2) Anthony Rizzo is KILLING it...in Tucson






















- Ok, ok, this is really more bittersweet than anything. If this season has taught us anything, its that the offensive stats the Tucson Padres put up are not quite what we should be expecting when these players are called up. Part of that is elevation of Tucson (2,389 ft above sea level), part of that is poor pitching in the PCL. But, I still believe that Rizzo is going to be a good MLB player in the future. And the fact that he continues to destroy AAA pitching only buoys my belief. I just don't think that day is this year (though I can only assume we will seem him back by September at the latest).

3) Trevor Hoffman's Number Being Retired













- As mentioned before in this space, there are really only two players that I consider to be iconic Padres. Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman. On August 21st, the Padres will retire #51 in a post-game ceremony. Quick, try to name the next Padres who will have his number retired. Wherever he is, he doesn't play for the Padres currently in all likelihood. So let's enjoy this.


4) World Records!!!!

















- Trivia time! What MLB team set a World Record on Wednesday, July 27th? Only one, and its your San Diego Padres! Now, the world record was most dogs in costumes in one place (or something like that), but still, don't see the Dodgers setting any World Records.

5) Chance to Bandwagon for Two Months










- With the Padres playoffs long since dead, the final two months will give Padres fans the opportunity to bandwagon on another team and enjoy some peripheral playoff race excitement. This doesn't mean you forsake the Padres by any means. Whatever team you choose to bandwagon with, when they play San Diego we are all expecting you to root for San Diego. The official Left Coast Bias bandwagon pick for the final two months: Pittsburgh Pirates. Not super imaginative but I really can't imagine anyone (outside NL East fans) not rooting for the Pirates.


Some side notes. All kidding aside, the number one positive thing (other than the prospects Texas is going to hand over for Heath Bell) has been Cameron Maybin. I don't know if the Padres have ever had a player more tailor made for Petco Park's centerfield. He is young, with a high ceiling, and has provided some of the most jaw dropping plays in CF this year. He is, by far, my favorite new Padres. And as of July 31st, he will move into position as "favorite Padre" for Left Coast Bias. I'm excited that he is going to be here for a long time.

Heath Bell Twitter Q & A

In what has become somewhat of a regular event for Heath Bell, the Padres closer and lone representative at the All-Star Game in Phoenix on Tuesday took some time Sunday night to answer fan questions.

As before, here is a sampling of his answers of more interesting questions:




@joshspence Who will you be flicking pumpkin seeds at in the bullpen during the All Star Game?
@HeathBell21 pumpkin seeds are going to go everywhere to everyone!

- Apparently the Heater has a bullpen reputation.

@ryannahartley Would you rather 1 arm or 1 leg?
@HeathBell21 One arm. My right arm.

@BrewerBaseball do you think Jonathon Axford should have been an All-Star this season based on his moustache alone?
@HeathBell21 his stache is pretty sweet. But Gregerson has a nice one goin

@drewdayton what did you think after your first pitch of the all-star game last year?
@HeathBell21 I'm not gonna lose THIS one.

@clintonbrannen If you could have any other job, what would it be and why?
@HeathBell21 work at Disneyland. I want to be Gaston in the beauty and the beast.

@billstrunk How do you feel about the wave at games?
@HeathBell21 I like it. I do the wave in the bullpen.

- that's disappointing, but since he is an All-Star and overall bad ass, I'll let it slide.

@Twine23 best teammate ever? Funniest teammate? Best prank you have pulled off?
@HeathBell21 best teammate: Hundley best prank; can't tell you.

- I would literally pay money to hear what that prank was. Anyone want to start the "Heath Bell Prank Fund"?

@cowsarecool220 Please ask your wife her fave road park to watch you pitch & why?
@HeathBell21 Philly because they were really nice there and gave her sushi after the game.

@Jack_In_Tosh Last person you argued with?
@HeathBell21 my 13 year old daughter...slug bug contest. I won. Still love her though!

@philzfan15 Why #21?
@HeathBell21 that's the number they gave me and 19 was taken

@esslingerj who u got in the derby? And why didn't u fly?
@HeathBell21 i got adrian in the derby and spending some quality time with the kids

This might be my favorite question of all time.
@_TonyHudson_ Hey Heath! Do you think pigeons have feelings?
@HeathBell21 yes! One was born in my golf bag in triple a Virginia. It was cool except I had to throw away my golf bag.

Vedder Cup Fallout

“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong” - Benjamin Franklin

In this past weekend series vs the Mariners, the opening series in the inaugural Vedder Cup, the Padres did not, perhaps, fail the test. But boy did they find 100 different ways to play baseball the wrong way.

It was, quite simply, the worst three day collection of baseball I've seen the Padres play in memory. How bad was it?

The Mariners are the worst hitting team in the AL by batting average and the second worst in runs scored, yet managed to score 14 runs in 3 games at Petco Park.

What the Mariners do have is pitching. There are second in the AL in ERA and 5th in the AL in Runs Allowed. They also have the benefit of being able to throw the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner (Pineda) and the reigning AL Cy Young Winner (King Felix) on back to back days. And with all that pitching, the Mariners had little problems stifling the Padres bats (hardly an accomplishment) by allowing a total of 2 runs in 3 games while striking out 35 Padres over the weekend. Put another way, the Padres had 81 outs during the 3 game series vs Seattle. 35 K's makes up 43% of the Padres outs made over the weekend.

The starting pitching was mediocre, the defense worst and the offense atrocious. It was a less than remarkable beginning to the Vedder Cup. And now the Padres are 8-18 at home this year. It's May 23 and right now the Padres do not have double digit wins at home. The odds of going to a game at Petco and seeing a win right now? Not great, so I'd make sure you like the giveaway that night.

A 1-5 homestand thus far and a sweep by the Mariners in which they looked barely competitive was going to lead to changes. And today, that change took place (whether its the first of many remains to be seen).

Venable was optioned to AAA Tucson today. This is the right move that I don't think many would disagree with but it does mark that the plan for 2011 is not working.

If you play any fantasy sports, particularly through ESPN.com, you no doubt know who "The Talented Mr. Roto" is (AKA Matthew Berry). Every year, TMR does a pre-season column called "You Heard Me" which is essentially bold predictions from a fantasy perspective. This year he broke it down by team, making one bold prediction regarding a player on every team. Here is what he wrote for the Padres:

"Will Venable becomes this year's Drew Stubbs, going 20/30. I'm thinking: He needs to stay healthy and get regular playing time, but the power/speed skills are there."

That article was written on March 30th. And to be honest with you, I didn't even think this was that outrageous a prediction. I, like many, saw the September Venable had in 2010, saw the raw physical ability and thought "this guy is due to breakout." When he got regular playing time in 2011, it seemed that finally the stars had aligned for Venable.

It just hasn't happened.

7 extra base hits. 0 homeruns. At times he looks completely lost at the plate which has accounted for 36 K's in 151 PA.

I for one feel bad for the guy. Again, I don't disagree with this move in the slightest. But I've always like Venable and, behind Headley, there is no Padres I've had more patience with than Venable. I, like everyone else, kept waiting for him to put all the physical skills that are plain to see together.

Taking his place is Blake Tekotte from San Antonio. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about him, but here is what Corey Brock wrote at Padres.com:

Tekotte, who turns 24 on Tuesday, was hitting .291 with nine doubles, three triples and six home runs for San Antonio, also had 24 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Tekotte, a left-handed hitter, is considered a good defensive outfielder.

Tekotte was a third-round Draft pick in 2008 out of the University of Miami and becomes the second member of that Draft class to reach the Major Leagues. Infielder Logan Forsythe, who was recalled from Tucson earlier this month, was the first.

No doubt more moves will follow throughout this season. Depending on how the month of June and beyond goes, the 2011 season may ultimately cost the Padres their All-Star closer. By September, it will not surprise many to see plenty of new faces on this starting roster, likely to include Anthony Rizzo, who at this point pretty much needs to be Roy Hobbs to meet the expectations.

But by far the most substantial move the Padres have made thus far in 2011 has been demoting Will Venable. Was he the only problem? Hardly. There is not one facet of the game, beyond the bullpen, that is working right now. And Venable is far from the only player struggling at the plate. But demoting him does provide for Venable to "get right" as he put it.

And it shows that after mustering 2 runs and 35K's in a sweep at the hands of Seattle, the status quo is no longer acceptable.

Step one is admitting you have a problem. Jed Hoyer did that today.

MLB Props and Other Fun Bar Debates

I like prop bets. Not as a lifestyle per se. Just as a conversation starter. One of my favorite things about the Super Bowl is the wackiness of the various prop bets (O/U length of time for National Anthem; Color of Gatorade poured on winning coach; etc).

So, as we are less than 48 hours away from Opening Day, I thought a fun way to kill some time would be to look at some various MLB prop bets.* All lines via Sportsbook.com

Without further adieu, and in no particular order:

Most Regular Season HRs by Any Player
O/U 46.5
- Last year, Jose Bautista came out of nowhere to hit 54 HRs. Next closest. 42, by Albert Pujols. Coming in 3rd was Konerko with 39. That said, I'd take the UNDER. We are in the era of the pitcher and beyond the era of steroids.

Most Regular Season Wins by Any Pitcher
O/U 20.5
- OVER. Way over. Last year, 2 pitchers (C.C. and Halladay) won 21 games. But, including those two, 9 players had 18 wins or more. In the years 2000-2009, there were 34 20-game winners. This year, one team could have 4 of them alone. For the same reason we go under with HR, we go over here. At least one pitcher will win 21 games this year.

Albert Pujols Total HRs
O/U 38.5
- I don't know how much stock you put into the whole "contract year" thing. I know I've heard that there really is no statistical data that backs up the idea that players in a contract year outperform their average. But if ever someone was motivated to show they were worth $20 million plus per year, isn't it this guy? Is there anyway he DOESN'T hit 40 HRs? Take the OVER.

Adrian Gonzalez Total HRs
O/U 36.5
- Between 2007-2010, AGon has hit 30, 36, 40, 31 HRs respectively. And I don't think I need to remind anyone in this audience where he played 81 games a year during that stretch (not to mention equally cavernous parks in SF and LA). Now he moves to a park with these dimensions: 315 to Left (plus Green Monster), 379 Left-Center, 380 Right-Center, and 302 down the Right Field line. Yes he moves to a bigger market, more attention, more pressure. But he leaves behind facing guys like Jimeneaz, Lincecum, Cain, and Kershaw. I say OVER, but not by much.

Buster Posey Total HRs
O/U 19.5
- He hit 18 HRs in 2010 in 108 games. But now pitchers have had a year to face him, watch tape on him and scout him. Then again, so has Posey. Still, he loses the element of surprise and he plays in a big park. I go UNDER, but not by much.

4 Aces (Halladay, Oswalt, Lee, Hamels) Total Regular Season Wins
O/U 59.5
- This is one of the most intriguing and interesting props available in my opinion. Basically, an OVER bet is saying you expect these four guys to average 15 wins a season. Before you jump at the chance to take this, let me say this. Jose Contreas is starting the season as the Phillies closer. And, when healthy, Brad Lidge is their closer. These four guys are aces, no doubt. But thats a lot of wins for a bullpen that ranked 10th in the NL last year to hang on to. I say UNDER.

Heath Bell Regular Season Saves
O/U 35.5
- As a full time closer, Bell has yet to save under 40 (42, 47). This number seems way to low and, barring injury, should be eclipsed easily. Take the OVER.

And finally...

San Diego Padres Regular Season Wins
O/U 75.5
- An under bet basically says that you think the Padre would drop 15 games from a year ago. For any team, that is a substantial drop off. And if you think this, you are likely basing most of that on the loss of Adrian Gonzalez. Look, that's a big loss, no way around that. But keep in mind, the Padres won 90 games a year ago, despite scoring only 665 runs all year (good for 22nd in MLB). Padres won with pitching (in my opinion as good if not better than last year) and defense (way better up the middle). I don't know that they can win 90 games without some luck like they had a year ago. But I don't think they play 6 games under .500 either. Take the OVER.







*For Entertainment Purposes Only

Heath Bell Speaks...Again!

As is becoming somewhat customary for Padres closer Heath Bell, tonight was another Q&A via Twitter. For those not following Heath Bell on Twitter, follow @HeathBell21

So, what did we learn:

Batting Leadoff @LosGeez "What is your favorite place in SD other than Petco Park?"
@HeathBell21 "Legoland"

@refriedgringo "You miss batting? Ever hit the cage for the hell of it?"
@HeathBell21 "In Spring training all the time...I'm the best bunter on the team!"

@sususuza "What's ur favorite reality TV show?"
@HeathBell21 "I really don't watch much but the Next Best Baker is pretty awesome."
*I have literally never heard of this show. And I'm a guy who enjoys his cooking reality shows.

@LeftCoastBias (yes thats me) "Last movie you saw and thoughts on it?"
@HeathBell21 "Chronicles of Narnia...pretty good."

A few Trevor related questions, obviously:

@gdarklighter "what's the most important thing you learned from Trevor Hoffman?"
@HeathBell21 Not to throw too many pitches before a game."

@silentheroes "thoughts on Trevor coming back to the club?"
@HeathBell21 "Excited. He's full of knowledge and will be a great help."

@TheThinGwynn "In 100 or less characters, what does Trevor mean to you?"
@HeathBell21 "He was my mentor, he is my friend, and he's the type of ballplayer I work hard to become."

Ok, a few more.

@SDRHYTHM "out of all MLB ballparks, which one is your favorite (other than Petco of course)?"
@HeathBell21 "Philly and Citi"

@felix5407 "who do you think will win the super bowl this year?"
@HeathBell21 "I'm rooting for LT and the Jets but the Packers are looking good."

And finally, the question on every Padre fans minds:

@jkdlvsd "Will Yoda be hangin' in the bullpen again this year?"
@HeathBell21 "Yoda left with Ryan Webb"

This piece of information may change my opinion on that whole trade now!

Anyway, this was a snippet of Heath Bell on Saturday night. He does this every now and then so I would strongly suggest you follow him on Twitter. And, in the event he happens to read this, then, THANKS HEATH! It's pretty cool to have an athlete be willing to answer fan questions, no matter how asinine they may be.

Heath Bell Speaks!

Twitter is amazing. I don't want to nerd out here and I really don't want to go into a whole "Twitter has changed the media" analysis. Boring.

But, something on Twitter tonight took place that was both very fun and showcased the purpose and fun that Twitter can be.

Heath Bell, who, oh by the way, won MLB's "Delivery Man of the Year" (or, in other words, Heath Bell was the best closer in baseball in 2010. Not that you needed me to tell you that.) took part in a little Twitter Q&A.

So, without further ado, some highlights from the mouth of the Padres bullpen:

- @TomFrey1st "Who was your favorite player when you were in high school?"

- @HeathBell21 "Roger Clemens"

*Roger Clemens did seem to be a popular answer

- @JWbaseballfan "Who was your favorite baseball player growing up?"

- @HeathBell21 "Nolan Ryan"

*So...how did Roger Clemens beat out Nolan Ryan during those formative high school years

- @spmunoz "How long do you plan on being a Padre?"

- @HeathBell21 "My whole career"

*Good answer

- @betoisonfire "What's your absolute favorite baseball stadium?"

- @HeathBell21 "Wrigley"

*I imagine you don't hear that often from a pitcher

Finally, some fun questions:

- @Captain_lou "Every thought of going to a straight 'stache and getting rid of the goat? Maybe even 'Goose' style?"

- @HeathBell21 "All the time, but wife says its grounds for divorce."

@Iamigravan "how do you feel about Carne Asada fries?"

@HeathBell21 "muy bueno"

*would an answer of "no bueno" been grounds for trading Bell? I lean toward yes...

- @leftcoastbias "Favorite Movie?"

- @HeathBell21 "Fools Rush In"

*Who saw THAT coming?

- @tayloryar29 "Whose the toughest batter you've faced?"

- @HeathBell21 "Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds"

And finally...

- @leftcoastbias "Five people, living or dead, you would have dinner with?"

- @HeathBell21 "Elvis, Jesus, Hulk Hogan, Mike Gilberg, and Bill Clinton"

*Mike Gilberg does Wall Street analysis of Major League Baseball's player markets. I have no idea what his connection is to this guy, but he's at the table!

Anyway, I thought it was fun that Heath Bell took some time to answer questions from fans on Twitter. So, Heath, even though there is no way you are reading this, thanks for the time. And congrats on your Delivery Man of the Year award. Well earned sir!

A New Sheriff in Town

Things have been a little quiet for the most part on the Padres front. They are terrible in Spring Training (5-17), the U.S. was eliminated from the WBC (eventually won by Japan again in an extremely entertaining game), and the Padres starting rotation is still terrible (more on that in a moment).

However, off in the distant, far off on the horizon there lies a speck of light worth mentioning. Jeff Moorad is officially the new Padres CEO. This marks the first major step in the transfer of power from John Moores to Jeff Moorad. What this also means is that Sandy Alderson is officially out as the Padres CEO. I remember when Alderson came to San Diego and the excitement that I had for such a move. Afterall, Alderson had helped create the moneyball Oakland A's and they were ALWAYS in the playoffs. Of course, Alderson now leaves after the Padres suffered their worst season in nearly a decade, their worst season since Petco Park opened and a minor league system ranked dead last by Baseball America.

So, who is Jeff Moorad?

A graduate of UCLA with a law degree from Villanova, Jeff Moorad has 25 years of professional sports experience. He began as a player's agent with Steinberg and Moorad and later the Moorad Sports Management. He has represented players such as Will Clark, Steve Young, Shawn Green and Manny Ramirez. In 2005 he purchased an ownership share of the Arizona Diamondbacks which he must now sale before the the Padres deal can go through.

Much of the turmoil that the Padres faced coming off their 99 loss season was attributed to the uncertainty over the ownership of the Padres. With John and Becky Moores entangled in divorce preceedings, questions have surrounded the Padres for nearly a year. Today, if nothing else, it is clear who is now in charge of the San Diego Padres.

Now, about that pitching staff...it's bad. I'll do a full post on it but needless to say, the Padres are 10 days from opening day with no idea who their 4th and 5th starters are and only two arms in the bullpen that they have any confidence in (Cla Meredith and Heath Bell). At least the food is cheap this year at Petco.

Frustrating Way to Begin a Series

I hate losing games like last night. And not because it was the Dodgers (although that adds a bit of salt to an already opened wound). But because that game was won and then giving away by shoddy defense and one misplaced fastball. The Dodgers opened up a 3 run lead by scoring 4 in the 7th. All made possible by a ball being lost in the lights by Giles and a horrendous play in left field that would have made the Bad News Bears cringe. I look forward to watching the ball drop between the left and center fielder of the Padres in future "Bloopers" reels played throughout the country. Fun times.

But all of that was merely moot as Heath Bell came in and got the first two strikes to Russell Martin with the tying run on third and 2 outs. A 95 MPH fastball that was probably either not high enough or to high and caught to much of the plate was poked into right field. You know how the story ends. Frustrating indeed.

The poll question to the right is a bit useless now as we have our answer. Wil Ledezma was DFA and Joe Thatcher was brought back up. Sadly, Chase Headley did not sneak into his luggage.

Thursday will mark the return of Jake Peavy off the DL as he responded well to his simulated 4-inning game on Saturday.