So let’s look at our projections and see how we did:  Wow, actually pretty good.  Go wcbias.com.  The AL predictions were flat out money and of course I whiffed on the Reds winning the Central and the Giants in the West but I did come up with Atlanta winning the Wild Card which has got to be worth something.  And while I’m at it here’s my playoff picks:

Philly over Cinci
San Francisco over Atlanta
Tampa Bay over Texas
Yanks over Twins

Philly over Giants
Tampa Bay over Yankees

Tampa Bay over Phils in an upset

And let’s look at a few semi-sports things that we’ve done over the last few weeks.
1. Kickball.  0% fun.  Seriously no fun at all.  You use a ball that is more medicine ball than anything else so it goes nowhere, you play ELEVEN people in the field that is about the size of half a basketball court and lends itself onto to bunting.  Oh, and 26 people are on each team so you play every-other-inning and likely only get one at bat.  Quitmastered after only one game and joined another softball team instead.
2. Hiking in Yosemite.  This was good times, close to 100% fun probably I would say.
3. Fantasy football…Ray Rice I hate you with the burning passion of 1,000 suns.

And that is all.

Can the San Diego Padres really look this good?

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of posts from WCBias.com guest contributors. Interested in writing a guest post for WCBias.com? Contact us.

By Erick Smith

Maybe low expectations can be a great thing.

Just think of those times when you’re set-up on a blind date and all you’ve been told is “Well she has a great personality.” That’s the dating kiss of death. Definitely don’t expect a looker.

As time slowly creeps toward that 6:30 deadline when it’s time to pick her up, the gameplan is to play it by ear. She can’t be that bad, right?

An hour or two into the date, things are going well and this girl isn’t the ugly duckling she may have been billed as. This might not be the sexiest girl at the dance, but she will get some looks here and there.

This brings me to the San Diego Padres.

Roughly a quarter into this summer’s baseball season, the Padres look more like a prince than a frog. Expected to lose close to triple-digit games, the Padres have surprised everybody by sitting atop the National League with one of baseball’s best records (30-20).

During the spring, pundits across the nation dismissed the Padres final two months of the 2009 season, but it looks like their 34-25 finish translated to 2010.

People around San Diego, and I’m sure the nation, are wondering if the Padres are playoff contenders. I’ve held off writing this because I’ve been afraid to say yes because sooner or later the universe will balance itself out, right?

This time I’m not so sure. I don’t think this is some mixed up parallel universe.

Pitching and defense have propelled San Diego to the top. The Major League leading 2.96 ERA is only 0.02 better than that of the St. Louis Cardinals, a team the Padres edged out 2-1 during a three-game series this week.

Accomplishing this is a starting five of Jon Garland (6-2, 2.15 ERA), Wade LeBlanc (2-3, 3.71), Clayton Richard (4-3, 3.00), Mat Latos (5-3, 3.08) and Cal Poly’s own Kevin Correia (4-4, 4.03).

Even the most optimistic of Padres homers would never have expected this group, minus Chris Young, to perform so well. There have been plenty of games this season when all five have looked down right unhittable.

Ah yes, that word, hitting. Where the entire pitching staff has looked so great, offensively this club is a joke. Think Michael Richards booed off the stage atrocious.

Where to start with this group?

Instead of showing individual stats I’ll let the team’s .322 OBP (22nd in baseball), and .242 average (26th) do the talking. No regular starter is hitting better than .300. San Diego ranks 22nd in runs scored (194). Downright disastrous numbers.

Most of the problem comes from the revolving door in the outfield. Starters have included Will Venable, Tony Gwynn Jr., Kyle Blanks, Scott Hairston, Jerry Hairston Jr., Oscar Salazar, Luis Durango, Chris Denorfia and Matt Stairs.

I think that’s the complete group but after a certain point all the mediocrity starts to blend together. The list will certainly grow as the Padres try to find just one person who resembles an everyday starter.

Even at this juncture, knowing Adrian Gonzalez will be a threat and Chase Headley will continue his breakout season, maybe it’s time to admit the Padres are not exactly who we thought they were during the spring.

Sure they’re not hitting as well as hoped but pitching and defense is carrying this team. I’ve been saying the Padres are like the Indians in “Major League.” They were a joke at the start but somehow they found a way to win and that’s all San Diego has done this summer.

This team might not be the bombshell that is the New York Yankees or Tampa Bay Rays, but just like the girl from the blind date there is no shame being seen in public with her.

Here is where you pick which game you want to watch

Did I tell you guys I bought a new TV a while ago?  I was one of the last people around to finally upgrade and get a flat screen, blah blah blah TV with blah blah blah resolution and blah blah blah hertz.  Sounds awesome, right?  Right.  Anywayz, getting a new TV is nice and all but the big problem is you’re still stuck with the same old crappy programming, right?  Of course you are.  You could upgrade to digital cable but that would involve a phone call and someone coming out to your house to hook up your new digital cable and the people at Cox iz dummies so that’s out.  Too bad you can’t watch out of market games on your new TV without upgrading to the MLB package!  OMGosh but with the Roku box you totally can!  Let’s investigate!

Here is how you get a Roku box: you have your new roommate move in and he brings it with him.  Then you tell him to set it up and he does.  Then you turn on your TV and your computer.  Then you sign into your MLB account (which you have to buy or you have to have your dad buy it and then you take his password).  Then through the magic of the internetz your Roku talks to your TV and then you can watch all of the out of market games (except for the Saturday day games which are all blacked out because MLB was founded after the Civil War and they were scared the Pony Express would disseminate the accounts and descriptions of the game of Base Ball without the express written consent of Kenesaw Mountain Landis and George Washington).

Sadly we did not pitch Clay Buchholtz in our fantasy league today

So where was we?  The Roku…the TV…oh yeah so see that little box there to the lower left of the TV?  That’s the Roku.  My favorite aspects of the Roku are the following: you can chose between home and away broadcasts, virtually every station is in HD and the picture quality is amazing.  And did I mention you get to watch Yankee-Red Sox games whenever you want?  Look, I know we iz West Coast Bias and we’re all about the West Coast but try watching a Yanks-Sox tilt and then flip over and watch the Dodgers play the Padres.  I mean I love the Dodgers and all but it’s like watching Romper Room compared to the ball those two juggernauts are rolling out there.  And don’t even get me started on the Rays…that team is so fast and those pitchers are nasty.  Flipping between channels isn’t as easy as it would be on your regular TV (takes maybe 30 seconds to go from game to game) so that’s a bit of a downer but to go from the Roku to your regular TV feed (and back again) is just a matter of hitting the input button your remote, so you could easily go back and forth between an out of market game and your local team without missing much at all.

And yeah, Roku will stream some of your netflix and some other stuff too but the MLB has got to be the selling point, right?  Right.

Final verdict: 2 thumbs and 1 renob up.

Forget the catch -- check out those socks!

A Few Shining Examples Are Bringing Old School Socks Back to MLB Baseball

I could write something about how the storied match-up between Kobe and LeBron probably isn’t going to happen. Or I could write about how the Dodgers are kicking royal arse in the National League. But instead I’m going to write about socks.

Again.

Because a while back. I wrote about how it annoys me when baseball players wear their pants all the way down. And it’s true — it annoys me. In fact, I’ll just say it now: I secretly suspect those players are wearing panty hose beneath those pulled-down pant legs.

Alas, there’s hope. Because just like the mighty ukulele I’m so fond of, the stirrups are making a comeback. 

In recent days I’ve seen two shining examples.  The first comes from The Pirate outfielder Nyjer Morgan, pictured above. I have to believe that great catch had something to do with those fashionable socks. Because here he is making another great catch. And yet again — with stirrups. (Beat THAT argument, philosophy geeks.)  Then I was even happier to see Anthony Reyes from the Cardinals. Not only does he show a little white on his ankles, but he’s got those old school stripes.

I was so proud, despite the fact that I loathe the red birds.

So forget about all this talk of playoffs, winning and yadda, yadda. Stirrups are back, baby. And life is good.

Moyer's rookie card, from 1986.

First of all, the guy is 46 years old! Many Major League players weren’t even born when Moyer had this photo taken for his rookie card.   

The thing is, when Moyer started out with the Cubs, I never would have guessed he’d be around at 46. Because he was such a marginal player. In fact, in his first ten seasons, the guy was 72-79. But then at age 33 — after ten years in the bigs — he suddenly turned good. For the next eight seasons, he was 126-56, with two 20-win campaigns. His ERA matched, with most seasons in the 3.30 to 3.50 range.

So here’s the thing: Does Moyer get into the Hall of Fame?

With 249 career wins, he won’t reach the coveted 300-win mark that secures Hall status. And given his performance this year, he probably won’t be around as long as Julio Franco. So he’s looking at maybe 260 wins if he’s lucky.

But this is a guy who was 16-7, with a 3.71 ERA at the age of 45. Had he been with, say, the Yankees or the Red Sox, I’d say he’d probably be a lot closer to 300. So I say he gets in.

What do you think?
Is Jamie Moyer Hall of Fame material?(online polls)

Flashback: Griffey and Seattle in first place. (For now.)

I’m going to make this as painless as possible:

Don’t get your hopes up, Marlins fans.

In fact, there happens to be quite a few surprises posers right now. How about the Blue Jays in first place? No longer in contention for NBA playoffs, Seattle has reason to cheer for baseball again. Nobody expected the Padres to contend, but here they are — not sucking. And the Pirates? Didn’t I recently go off on how perpetually bad they were? And here they are actually over .500?

Somebody record this moment in time.

But again, let me repeat: It’s early, folks. Lots of sucky teams get off to good starts, only to suck as we all expected. Already things have shifted: The Marlins have dropped three straight. The Red Sox, winners of their last seven, are catching up on Toronto in a hurry.  And does anyone have a doubt that the Angels will get on a roll soon?

Best to keep staying home, Marlins fans. It’s gonna be cold in the cellar.

Photo: Seattle Times

Like maybe I’m a succesful novelist, who tours the country on a book tour. Or maybe I’m a drummer in a famous band. Or a better surfer.

And, of course, I often envision myself as a baseball player. Because, you know — I’m kinda lame.

Except the results aren’t always good. Like sometimes I picture being on the mound and getting drilled by a liner, like this poor slob. It’s times like these that I think about guys I wouldn’t want to pitch to. Or, put another way, Guys Most Likely To Drill You In the Head. Here are my top five:

5.) David Ortiz, Red Rox. This guy is like the old Mighty Casey character. He’s so big, he wields the bat like a twig. Which is why infielders play him in the outfield. He’s probably not in his prime now, but if I were pitching to him, I’d wear a helmet.

4.) Carlos Quentin, White Sox. Pitchers should be allowed to wear a catcher’s mask when this guy steps into the box. Already he’s got seven dingers.

3.) Vladimir Guerrero, Angels. One of the best clutch hitters in the game, seldom does he not get good wood — and I mean that in a purely non-innuendo way. (Sort of.)

2.) Manny Ramirez, Dodgers. If I were pitching against Manny, I do like softball pitchers: As soon as I released the ball, I’d start backing up.

1.) Albert Pujols, Cardinals.  You know how batters do the holy cross before they step into the batter’s box? Yeah. I’d be doing that before every pitch to Pujols. In fact, I might even ask him to please hit the ball in the air. If it sailed out of the park, so be it.

That's right -- it's DODGER Stadium, named after the DODGERS.

Remember when the Denver Post refused to call Mile High Stadium by its new crappy corporate name?

That was so awesome.

“The community at large thinks of this as ‘Mile High,’ ‘new Mile High’ or ‘the new stadium,’” Post editor Glenn Guzzo said in 2001. “Outside of official circles, seldom do you hear Invesco Field, except in negative terms. In this case, the community’s terminology is familiar, positive and clear. We think our decision will be accepted widely.”

What a bold and courageous move. And, really — why not? Why should the Denver Post constantly give Invesco — whatever the hell that is — free advertising by mentioning its crappy name every time it writes about the Broncos? And, for that matter, why should fans — who don’t get any sort of discount from Invesco — call the stadium by anything other than Mile High?

I was pretty proud of the Post. In fact, I thought others should promptly follow suit. But then I learned that the Post had backed off. Now they call it Invesco at Mile High, which is a little like the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim in Orange County But Also Representing The Rest California As Well Because It’s Good For Sales.

But, hey, at least the Angels play at ANGEL STADIUM. Not Pirates of the Carribbean Park.

Man, I hate corporate names for stadiums.

Take the Giants, for example. First of all, they’ve had, like, 20 names for their stadium. The latest is AT&T Park, which is just horrible. Almost as bad as U.S. Cellular Field.

Boy, that has a nice ring to it.

Then there’s the Astros home, Minute Maid Park. How tough does it sound to play in a stadium named after orange juice? Of course, that’s better than its previous name — Enron Stadium. Maybe they should have renamed the team the Energy Crooks. Or the KenLays. Or the, uh — well, you get the idea.

When I heard bum owner Sam Zell wanted to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field, I wanted to puke. Granted, the park is named after the gum guy. But still — it has flow.

Can you imagine Wrigley Field renamed after all this time? After some corporation?

WGN announcer Bob Brenly: And just remember, everyone, the first 10,000 people to attend Thursday’s game at AIG Stadium get a free bailout rally towel!

Can socialism really be that bad?

These Padres uniforms were stylin!

Sometimes I can be such a girl.

Because when I’m watching  a baseball team with two teams I don’t especially care about, uniforms become a factor. Consequently, I’ll never root for the lame-ass Rangers, with their boring white and unimaginative “T” baseball caps. 

As a rule, I have to say, uniforms today kinda suck. No, not actually – they really suck. For one thing, they all sort of look alike. (How many times have you mistaken the White Sox for the Yankees?) It’s sort of like those uniforms they had in your Little League.

And I don’t know what’s going on with helmets. What’s with the little aerodynamic grooves? They look like BMX headgear, and BMX sucks.

Honestly, I thought teams had more fashion sense – and courage – back in the 70s. Remember those White Sox uniforms with the collars? They even, for a brief time, wore shorts. Granted, it looked like a uniform for a soccer team, but at least it was original.

Then there was the Padres. Remember Ozzy Smith in those fun brown and yellow digs? Sweet. And let’s not forget these doozies from the Astros. If there was ever an all-gay team, I’m pretty sure that rainbow design would be popular.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

My point is: Today’s uniforms are lame. Yeah, the Yankees still have their classic pinstrips, and the Cubs have their colors. But let’s face it — California could do better.

The Dodgers are okay, but the Angel uniforms are about as boring as their stadium. The A’s have good hats, but that’s about it. The Giants and Padres are just blah.

I’m not saying we should have Tommy Hilfiger design uniforms, but well . . . actually, maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Instead of spikes, the players could wear canvas boat shoes.

Back in the day, Nolan Ryan was one of few pitchers to hit the century mark.

     I remember getting all excited about it. Not because I wanted to win a plastic helmet. But, rather, because I was thinking, you know — I’m going to really impress people with my cannon arm. Even though I was just a teen, I figured I could throw a good 80 mph. Maybe somewhere in the mid-80s. But then when I threw my first one, the radar gun — that lying piece of crap — said I’d thrown 73 mph.

So, with my arm throbbing, I decided, well, maybe I just needed to throw HARDER. So the next ball I winged with even greater might, sending shock waves of pain through the tendons in my arm.

The tally: 71 mph

By my third toss, I was resigned. There really wasn’t any chance in hell I was going to throw 10 mph harder. In fact, the most likely scenario was that I would really screw up my arm, so I half-assed it for a 68 mph throw.

Didn’t even win a helmet.

That’s when I decided you can’t trust carnival radar guns. Because they lie.

Anyway, the experience does show how impressive it is for a guy like San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg to get clocked in the 100 mph range. (He’s actually been clocked at 103.) Impressive enough that he could wind up with a $50 million contract, the jerk.

Which got me thinking: Remember when a 90 mph fastball was fast? Not so anymore. In fact, a pitcher doesn’t really get impressive until he reaches, say, the 97 mph mark.

Back in the day, it was rare to find a Nolan Ryan, who I recall once reached 105 mph. But as you’ll see from this web site, in recent years, more hurlers have achieved Ryan-like numbers.

Remember that all-star game where John Kruk almost pissed himself when Randy Johnson’s fastball whizzed past his head? Yeah. Welcome to the 100 mph club, buddy.

But the club now includes Billy Wagner, Bobby Jenks, Matt Lindstrom and a bunch of guys I’ve never even heard of.

Now, I don’t to bring up the whole steroid thing over and over and over again, but let’s just note that Roger Clemens is on this list. But, hey, at least it evens things out: If pitchers are on ‘roids, then batters on ‘roids don’t necessarilly have an advantage, right? It’s ‘roid on ‘roid action and, hence, entirely fair.

So come on — let’s let Bonds and McGwire in the Hall. They had to take ‘roids to keep up with Clemens.