So I’ve been thinking: Since The Artist Formely Known as Slim shares the same last name as the guy who wrote Winnie the Pooh, well . . . it just seems like there ought to be a Pooh name. So, of course, there’s the obvious: Pooh. Then there’s Heffalump — or just Heff. I sort of like that. De-Slimmed is not exactly a half-full kinda guy, so maybe Eeyore works.

He probably wouldn’t dig Piglet. And Tigger sounds too . . . I quit you.

Hmmm. Let’s think about this. Meanwhile, I wanted to throw in my two cents on not-Slim’s last blog post, where he laments on how sucky the year has been for SoCal baseball. To which I would add: Hey, Slim,  what part of the country do you think San Diego is in? Not only are the Padres having a stellar year — and, for the life of me, I don’t know how — but they’ve been the best and most consistent team in the NL pretty much all season.

Being a Californian for over a decade now, I would like to support the Pads in their quest to make all pre-season predictions woefully wrong. But there’s this lingering problem: Those effing camo uniforms.

I mean, seriously, what sort of lame pandering is that? Why not just go ahead and have Lee Greenwood sing “Proud to Be an American” before every game, just before having the Republican-of-the-day toss out the first pitch. All to be covered by Fox News.

Seriously, what a load of crap.  Just because there’s a gazillion military dudes in San Diego, that doesn’t mean they need to dedicate uniforms to them. Did the pirates ever don steel worker hats to show their support of Pittsburgh’s main industry? Do the Tigers wear GM and Ford patches?

Yeah, yeah, you Limbaugh parrots will say, “But the military guys are heroes.”  To which I would say real heroes save lives, not end them.

How about if the Padres wear doctor uniforms? Or firefighter digs. Hell, remember when A-Rod saved that kid from an oncoming vehicle? Maybe the Padres should wear Yankee uniforms.

“Hey, you Commie, Taliban-loving socialist, Obamacare lover,” the Tea Baggers will spit, “the men and women of the military are protecting our freedom.”  But, I would say, the real people protecting our freedoms are the attorneys who have defended them in civil rights cases. Or how about Supreme Court justices like Thurgood Marshall?

I’d say he was a hero.  Though, for some reason, tea bagger types hate him. Becuase, you know, that whole separate but equal was going pretty well.

Hey, how about this, Padres: How about you have uniforms that look like Supreme Court robes? Or, shoot, if we’re gonna get political — which camo uniforms do — how about being fair and going with peace signs? Because me personally? If I’m taking my child to a baseball game that I have to pay an arm and a leg for, I like the idea of promoting peace not war.

So maybe Pooh’s right — maybe San Diego shouldn’t count as California. Because, remember, Pads peeps, this is the Left Coast.

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.

Don't let the Chargers, Qualcomm go up in smoke San Diego.

By Erick Smith

Talk has been circulating for years about when, where and why the San Diego Chargers should leave Qualcomm Stadium for a new high-tech home.

The good news is that after searching all over San Diego County it appears the only workable plot of land is a small parcel just blocks East from PETCO Park. The bad news is that means the Chargers have to worry about dealing with the City of San Diego.

It was a struggle and a drawn-out hassle to get PETCO built and sadly if this 10-acre location is truly the Chargers only viable option I’d expect much of the same.

The stadium topic once again surfaced after the Chargers released their downtown stadium plan on Thursday. Included was an artist’s rendering of the 62,000-seat stadium and some important financial figures, mainly the expected cost of $800 million divided between the Chargers, NFL and City of San Diego.

Breaking down the financials reveals the expectation the city will be on the hook for $500 million in the form of bonds, the Chargers for $200 and the NFL for $100.

Before screaming foul consider the city currently assumes an annual loss of $17 million to operate Qualcomm Stadium. Not to mention the large sum of cash the eventually vacant 60-acre Mission Valley site is worth.

So far it sounds like a solid deal for everybody involved.

The San Diego City Council has proven to be rather inept at handling even the simplest of tasks, but this needs to be something it does not screw up. This is leaving the voters out of it, who I believe have enough sense to push this project through.

Still failing to see the positives of the project? Look a few blocks west and see the glorious site of PETCO.

This section of downtown was a disaster. PETCO revitalized the area and created a building boom throughout the area. The same should hold true the second time around.

From a football standpoint, San Diego will once again be in the Super Bowl circuit since the NFL has made it painfully clear it considers city climate and stadium luxury when determining a site. The Super Bowl belongs in San Diego – I know it and the NFL knows it.

Oh I nearly forgot priority No. 1 for getting the stadium built – it will keep the Chargers in San Diego. If this plan falls through the Chargers will bolt for greener pastures (L.A. maybe?) and the 3 million-plus of us who live down here will be left with one professional sports team.

So do the right thing San Diego, build this 62,000-seat, $800 million stadium.

First of all, Andruw Jones is showing signs that he is not, in fact, washed up — despite his horrid performance as a Dodger a couple of years ago. And also? The Padres are in FIRST PLACE!

Not only are they in first place, but they’ve won SEVEN IN A ROW!!!

I’m not sure when the Pads last won seven straight, but my guess is probably 1984. I’d say 1884, but I’m pretty sure San Diego wasn’t even invented then. So in honor of this miracle — a miracle only Padres could bring about — this week’s Hat O The Week is this classic Padre topper. Seeing this one reminds me of Ozzie Smith when he was a Padre, Dave Winfield and Gary Templeton. The softball-like jerseys were even better, proving a point I’ve long argued: We need more brown and yellow-orange uniforms in sports.

So, congrats, Padres. Now, seriously: How long is this going to last? My guess? They’re under .500 by the second week of May. I mean, come on, the Nationals are actually above .500 right now.