Go Pads.

[Millionaire Wussy]

We've been without Solarte - who was a definite spark-plug kind of player for us - and Spangenberg and we've still been okay. Puzzling, but in a fun bewildering way. ha

[Millionaire Wussy]

It's not original. Lots of guys do it. Maybe Sabathia is the first one I remember doing it.

Pitching sure is looking good. Pomeranz and Rea have been really good. Shields is up and down but gets no support. Cashner? One word: Rizzo. Would be nice to get Ross back sometime. Buchter and Maurer are pitching pretty well out of the pen.

Offense still isn't pretty to look at, but what's new? It's been over a decade. Nice to see Kemp starting well. If Myers can stay healthy he'll keep hitting. Looking forward to getting some of those infielders back...but have to find room for Rosales and Betancourt. Solid producers. Picking up Sanchez was a good call.

Sure looks like Preller and Co. knew what they were doing when you look at what's happened this season. Things are coming together for us. For now.

[Lightningwill_420]

Upton has 6 stolen bases this year. I know it's not a stat that wins many games, but it's my favorite part of baseball other than a smooth-fielding short stop. I love stolen bases.

My favorite non-Tony player ever was Alan Wiggins. Loved the Bipper too. And, of course, Tempe.

[Millionaire Wussy]

Upton has 6 stolen bases this year. I know it's not a stat that wins many games, but it's my favorite part of baseball other than a smooth-fielding short stop. I love stolen bases.

My favorite non-Tony player ever was Alan Wiggins. Loved the Bipper too. And, of course, Tempe.

Upton was a good power & speed guy while with the Rays but tailed off a ton in recent years. Now he's back doing almost everything well. I don't think he's as good a fielder as Jankowski is but few are.

And I preferred Ozzie.

[Lightningwill_420]

Upton was a good power & speed guy while with the Rays but tailed off a ton in recent years. Now he's back doing almost everything well. I don't think he's as good a fielder as Jankowski is but few are.

And I preferred Ozzie.

Ozzie had the better career and lasted longer. He was a better hitter and a better base stealer and played for my absolutely favorite non-Padres team. Man, that team could run. I'm too young to remember Ozzie as a Padre, but he and Vince Coleman and Willie McGee looked like fucking Olympic sprinters as Cardinals. Every other player, other than Jack Clark, seemed fast as well. Even the catcher was fast, and that was before Benito made skinny catchers a thing. That was when baseball was interesting enough for me to watch games the Padres didn't play in.

Now back to Ozzie vs. Tempe.

Tempe made a lot of errors, which my selective memory has blocked out, so take this with a grain of lice.

I thought Ozzie only seemed a better fielder because he made difficult plays seem difficult while Tempe made those same plays look easy. (Apparently Tempe made some easy plays seem difficult; I just don't remember those plays). Ozzie would dive for shit that Tempe would just swoop from his feet and throw on the move. Tempe seemed to be able to run, swoop, and throw all in one motion. Smoother than a muddah. I don't remember Ozzie doing that. But, then again, my memory for baseball is kind of shitty.

Besides the fielding, Garry was the man in 1984. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxz2-Ox17TI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibOWHnb1OLI

Tempe always had knee problems. I guess, before time started, when he had two complete knees, he was a Cardinal and was even better. With the Cards, he, I believe, wasn't a team player. With the Pads, he was definitely, at least in 1984, all about helping the team win. He got the fans fired up for our 3 game home-sweep of the Cubbies after the bad guys won the first 2 games of the NLCS, which, back then, back when baseball was fun, we just called the National League playoffs.

[6025]

When we traded Ozzie he was maybe the worst hitting shortstop in baseball and we also had Mario Ramirez. He didn't even hit a home run from the left side until he hit that one in the 85 NLCS off Niedenfurer of the Dodgers.

Tempy was an offensive force with the Cards but his knee was shot when he came to the Padres. Even with Tempy's bum knee he still was smooth in the field, routinely fielding grounders behind the second base bag with ease. His hitting tailed off and Dick Williams started hitting him 8th and that was the perfect spot for him. He was still a decent enough hitter to anchor the bottom. And yes, he was unhappy in St Louis and wanted desperately to come to San Diego. I remember reading an article in 80 or 81 and he floated the idea of playing 2B to Ozzie's SS. Man would that have been something!

[6025]

Upton has 6 stolen bases this year. I know it's not a stat that wins many games, but it's my favorite part of baseball other than a smooth-fielding short stop. I love stolen bases.

My favorite non-Tony player ever was Alan Wiggins. Loved the Bipper too. And, of course, Tempe.

Actually, I'm a big believer that stolen bases lead to winning games. It was no coincidence that we easily won the NL West in 84 with Wiggins leading off. He'd either walk or get a hit, steal second, and Tony would drive him in. Rickey Henderson used to take over games with his base stealing.

I bagged on Upton earlier but he's becoming my favorite too. He's their best player so far.

[Lightningwill_420]

The Padres are rolling through the bullpen tonight. Started the game with a 2-inning outing from the quasi-starter. Now we're heading to the 11th. We've used 7 pitchers including one guy with a 60 something ERA who we just got back from the minors.

[Millionaire Wussy]

Good job winning a game with no starting pitcher tonight.

How about Melvin Upton!!! I'd have to go with Melvin as our All-Star rep if it was decided now.

[Lightningwill_420]

Good job winning a game with no starting pitcher tonight.

How about Melvin Upton!!! I'd have to go with Melvin as our All-Star rep if it was decided now.

Hopefully this is the year of the Melvins

and the B.J.s.

Who'd have thought the bad part of that trade would be Kimbrel?

[Lightningwill_420]

Is Jon Jay injured? Second day in a row he isn't playing.

Why are Norris and Wallace batting so high in the lineup today? Just because Norris hit a clutch homer yesterday doesn't erase the fact Norris and Wallace are each batting below the Mendoza line. With Jankowski, we got three batters in the top 4 today who haven't hit worth shit this year.

Are we sure we fired Bud Black? I swear we still have his ever-changing, nonsensical lineups.

[Lightningwill_420]

So as soon as I say that, Wallace and Jankowski have our only hits and Norris has our only RBI. Did I mention the rest of our batters haven't hit worth shit either?