One thing you can always count on in sports is that certain teams will find themselves playing in the shadows of more popular teams. The San Diego Padres, for instance, are a franchise that usually gets overlooked. They don't have as much history as the Giants or Dodgers, their neighbors to the north, but they do have an interesting history of their own, as well as their share of diehard fans. In fact, we have one of those diehards right here on the blogs, and he goes by the handle Bolt Backer 21. He may be more well-known for his posts about the Chargers, but make no mistake: this guy knows his Padres. Who better then, to tell us about the experience of rooting for them?

1. Where did it start? How and when did you become a baseball fan?

I can't remember the day, like a born-again moment, but I know that it was in the early '70's when I became a baseball fan(atic). I was constantly watching baseball or playing wiffle ball in my front yard. I started playing when I was 8, in 1974. I quickly became a Dodgers fan. I'm sure that thrilled my father, as we lived in San Diego and he supported the Padres. I guess the fact that the Dodgers were winning games and the Padres were a horrible team with little history made Los Angeles easier to root for.

I was a huge Steve Garvey fan. I even picked Steven as my confirmation name when I turned 13. Not exactly Biblical, but no harm done. When Garvey was sent packing to San Diego, my allegiance went with him. I was thrilled that I would be able to watch him whenever we went as a family to watch a game. Unfortunately, his boy-next-door reputation was tainted after he retired and we found out that he impregnated half of downtown San Diego. This knowledge brought about bumper stickers that read "Steve Garvey is not my Padre." I wish I had thought of that one.

2. Of all the baseball games you've attended, which one is your favorite?

This is a tough one. I don't know that I have one particular game that is my favorite. The whole experience of going to the games was enough for me. I loved popping popcorn before the game and bringing it in a grocery bag, loading the whole family in our 1967 Chevy Impala station wagon and heading down to San Diego Stadium (later to be Jack Murphy and Qualcomm). Walking into the stadium was another favorite moment of mine. That moment when you walk through the tunnel and the field appears is still awe-inspiring to me.

As for individual games, I never went to a playoff or WS game, so I don't  have those kinds of memories. However, I do remember going to "Old Timers" games where the former greats would play a short game before the Padres would come out for their game. I still have a scorecard that my Dad kept from an old timers game where Mickey Mantle got a hit.

There was another game where I went with my college baseball team. We tailgated in the parking lot through the first 8 innings! I finally got fed up and went in to the game. The Pads were playing the Phillies. The game was tied in the ninth, when I took my seat. Mike Schmidt hit a foul ball into the upper deck, about one section away from me, and it smacked the hand of a fan who tried to catch it. That ball was smoking. I remember thinking that the guy probably broke his hand and didn't even get the ball. Anyway, the game went on for another six innings, so I got to see much more than I thought I would.

I guess my favorite game, looking back, would be a Little League Night, back when I was around 10. My whole team loved Tito Fuentes. He was a flashy second baseman who did wild and ridiculous things when he played. He was a true hot dog on the field. To give you an example, the character "Willie Mays Hayes" from the movie Major League acted like Tito in the batting practice scene. During that game, my Dad kept telling us how bad Fuentes was and we didn't want to hear it. We loved flipping the ball up to our bare hand after catching a ground ball and throwing it to first. We loved bouncing the bat handle off of the plate and making it flip up into our hands too! Horrible!? C'mon Dad! By the time the game was over, Tito had three errors and cost the Padres the game. My respect for Fuentes lowered and raised for my Father.

3. Which Padres season did you most enjoy following?

1984! That was the first time that the Padres made the World Series!!! A young Tony Gwynn, Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, etc. were very fun to watch. Unfortunately, they ran into a buzzsaw in Detroit and lost in five. Kirk Gibson hit another memorable homerun in that series against The Goose, who talked Dick Williams out of walking him. Goose still gets teased about that.

4. The Padres have gone through a lot of uniform changes over the years. Which uniform do you think was the best?

This is a tough question. When the Padres were a minor league franchise in the PCL, they were blue and orange (b@o)! When they went to the bigs in 1969, they changed to brown and gold, except the gold was often an egg yolk yellow. There were years when they had yellow jerseys and pants with brown writing. Those were hideous. They then switched to brown and orange, and then blue and orange again.

When they got the new stadium, they came up with new colors, blue and sand. I think their home unis are my favorite, but their sand on sand road unis are brutal.

5. What was your most heartbreaking moment as a baseball fan?

I remember going to a game in the '80's and looking forward to seeing my hero Steve Garvey play. He had a consecutive games streak going that was soon to be the longest in N.L. history. I sit down with my binoculars and watch them exchange the lineups at home plate. When I looked at the scoreboard, Garvey was not in the lineup!!!! He eventually did show up and batted one time, late in the game. That was not enough for me.

6. I'll name some names and you tell me what comes to mind. It can be a thought, a memory, or whatever you want.

Gene Richards= Not that it bothered me, but I remember Richards as one of the ugliest players in the league, right up there with Derrel Thomas and George Foster. Anyway, Richards choked up about nine inches from the handle and slapped the ball. He was actually pretty good. He hit over .300 at least once and stole quite a few bases.

Tim Flannery= Flan was scrappy. That guy busted his butt and never took a play off. He got most of his ability to come out. I met him at the San Diego School of Baseball one day. I recalled a moment in the 1984 playoffs against the Cubs when he got hit by a Rick Sutcliffe slider, right in the knee. I asked him how he was able to shrug it off and run down to first base. He said, "Nothing hurts in the playoffs." I also heard him state, regarding the signing of Jerry Royster to platoon with Flan at second, "He hit .241 last year! I could hit .241 drunk!"

Eric Show= Show was a tough little pitcher who was famous for sitting on the mound after giving up Pete Rose's record-breaking base hit. Rose did have a nice statement about Show once, however. Rose said, "Anyone who hits a homerun on a slash (butcher boy) play can play on my team any day."

Goose Gossage= In my collection of memorabilia I still have a "Goose Saved the Game" pin. Every time he saved a game everyone in attendance got one of these pins and free food from some local restaurant. I used to love The Goose. He had the ultimate in maximum-effort deliveries. It was much like my own in high school. Goose would come in during the seventh inning and be expected to stop whatever rally had started and then finish the game. Most of the time he would succeed.

I also remember Goose pitching in an exhibition game against San Diego State. He blew a fastball past one of the SDSU hitters that left the batter staring at his teammates with a silly grin on his face. You could tell that he had never faced anyone like Goose before.
 
I was glad to see him make it to the HOF this year. It was about time!

Bip Roberts= Another overachiever. Bip was a little guy who hustled all of the time.

Phil Plantier= I grew up and played against, and with, Phil's brother Ray. Ray used to put his bat in a vice to flatten the barrel. He figured that would help him hit the ball squarely. It worked pretty well.

I also remember getting free beer at a club because my friend told everyone I was Phil Plantier. Who was I to call him a liar?

Scott Livingstone= I remember the name, but not the player.

Quilvio Veras= Veras was a solid second baseman on the Padres' second, and last, World Series team.

Brian Lawrence= Lawrence was a puss-throwing righty who had some decent years with the Padres. He is also the starting pitcher on the baseball game that I have on my cell phone. He kicks butt in that!

7. Other than Tony Gwynn, who would you say is the greatest player in Padres history?

There were many great players, but most made their mark for other teams:

Dave Winfield

Ken Caminiti

Ozzie Smith

Willie McCovey

Steve Garvey

Jake Peavy (soon to be on another team)

Etc...

After thinking, I would say that the greatest player in Padres history other than Gwynn was Randy Jones.

He was a crafty lefty who couldn't break a bottle at a carnival booth. He threw his fastball in the high seventies and his curve was said to have been faster than his fastball. He won 20 or more games twice as a Padre when the team was at its lowest. He threw 25 complete games in 1976 while posting a 22-14 record. He pitched 315 1/3 innings in 1976 as well.

Today, Jones is a radio personality for the Padres' pregame show and owns his own chain of barbecue stands, as well as his own barbecue sauce that is sold in stores. If you find yourself at Petco Park, go out past the center field fence and check out his stand. He is often there serving up the food and talking to fans.

8. How did you feel about Bruce Bochy leaving for San Francisco?

Don't let the door hit you on the way out Boch! Honestly, Bochy did a lot with what he was given. When he had talent, he won. When the cupboards were bare, he lost. Of course, isn't that the case with most managers? If your team is loaded, you normally win. I do not think that he ever was able to overachieve with a team by doing a great job inspiring them or bringing talent out of underachievers.

I know the players loved him because he kept the bench players busy and he got the starters a lot of rest. However, he would rest guys who were on fire and replace them with scrubs. The next day, the hot starter had cooled off and didn't have it anymore. He also didn't like smallball, which made it difficult with few power hitters.

9. What's your opinion of Kevin Towers?

I think that K.T. has done a good job over the years. Last year may be the exception. He has pulled off some great trades and built very good bullpens in the past. Last year, everything fell apart.

I also think that most of his power has been stripped. He is looked over by Sandy Alderson, Grady Fuson and Paul DePodesta. Personally, I think Alderson is the CEO, GM, and perhaps future owner (the team just went up for sale).

I would like to see what Towers could do with a big budget.

10. What changes would you make if you were in charge of Major League Baseball?

It will never happen, but I would like to see the contracts changed from guaranteed to a limited guarantee. Right now, if a player signs a multi-year deal, he will get his money no matter what. There may be a buy-out clause, but the team is still screwed if a player turns out to be a bust after signing for millions. Look at the Dodgers with Andruw Jones. He gets a massive contract and then earns his way back to the minors. No matter what, the Dodgers have to pay him the rest of his contract.

There needs to be some kind of accountability. If you sign a contract and then fall on your face, your team should be able to dump your contract and either renegotiate or send you packing at the end of the year. This may put an end to the old "Look for him to do well. This is a contract year!" A player should always push to be at his best, not just when a contract is coming to an end.

11. What changes would you like to see the Padres make?

Owners. John Moores did a nice job when he first stepped in and kept the Padres from moving. Now, he is getting a divorce and has to cut the payroll from around 80 million to around 35-40 mil. He is being forced to dump talent and pick up kids. At this point he may as well keep going and get rid of Peavy and Giles, because they are in a position now that they have too many holes to fill to win anytime soon. Word is that Moores announced today that he would be willing to sell the team.

12. To sum things up, tell us what the game of baseball means to you.

I love the game of baseball. The most fun in my life was when I was playing baseball. Whether it was Little League, high school, college, semi-pro, or just a pick up game with some friends, I was always looking to play. I played from age 8 to 30 and loved every minute of it.

I remember playing in three leagues at the same time one summer. My poor parents were constantly driving me from one field to another. They were almost always at my games and never used my participation as a weapon.

To me, baseball is a game of strategy, skill, and teamwork. It's a thinking man's game where a crafty lefty can be triumphant over a big slugger. It is a game where a slap hitter can get a game-winning hit off of a guy blowing 100 MPH. You can watch baseball every day of your life and never see all the possible plays happen. There is always something new.

Great stuff, Will! To read more of BB21's thoughts on San Diego sports, or participate in his famous movie quote guessing game, check out his blog.

The results are in. Out of 20 possible candidates, the two Veterans Committees got only one man elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: former Yankees and Indians second baseman Joe Gordon. Since his career began in 1938, Gordon was one of the ten men on the pre-1943 ballot, which was voted on by a committee of writers, executives and current Hall of Fame members.

Gordon's career was impressive: In 11 Major League seasons (1938-43, 1946-50) he hit 253 home runs, put up a batting line of .268/.357/.466 and had a career OPS+ of 120. He was also named to the All Star team nine times (starting five times) and five times finished in the top ten in MVP voting (winning in 1942). As one of the best power-hitting second basemen of all time and a solid defender, it's hard to argue that Gordon was a poor selection for the Hall. However, I feel that there's another candidate more deserving. He appeared on the post-1943 ballot, which is voted on by a much larger and apparently more divided group.

Joe Torre and Ron Santo were the popular choices on that post-1943 ballot, but Dick Allen has a much stronger case than either of them. There are several different ways to compare players, and Allen betters Torre and Santo in many of them.

You like career totals? Here's how they stack up in the major categories:

Most of Allen's totals suffer because he had far fewer at-bats than either Torre or Santo, but he still managed to out-homer both of them. As you'd expect, both Torre and Santo have more RBI, but I personally don't put too much stock in that stat, since it's too dependent on the player's teammates. Besides, bear in mind the famous quote from former Cubs manager Leo Durocher on Santo: "Five runs ahead and he'd knock in all the runs I could ask for. One run behind and he was going to kill me."

You like averages? Here's how they stack up in the main ones:

Allen leads in all categories except batting average (and he's only slightly behind there). Since batting average is the least important of the three batting line stats, his huge advantages in the other categories more than compensate. As you saw in the previous chart, Allen was the only one who was even a mild threat on the basepaths, and now you see he was the only one of the three who had more successful stolen base attempts than unsuccessful ones. Honestly, it's hard to see why anyone whose career OPS was 56% better than league average should be out of the Hall of Fame.

What about defense? Didn't Torre play catcher and Santo third base? Aren't those much more important defensive positions than the first base Allen played most of his career? Admittedly, Allen was a weak fielder, especially at third base. However, Torre didn't play catcher at all during his last seven seasons, and he wasn't a particularly strong fielder at third base either. Santo has a good defensive reputation, and combined with his offensive stats I honestly think he belongs in the Hall of Fame too. I just think that Allen's offensive contributions were so much greater than either Torre's or Santo's that defense doesn't even need to be considered when comparing these players.

What about the fact that Dick Allen was a clubhouse cancer? Didn't he hurt teams with his disruptive presence? This idea seems to be the biggest thing keeping him out of the Hall, but it's actually more fiction than fact. There's a great article by Craig Wright from SABR magazine that puts that notion to rest, and the great people at White Sox Interactive have kindly reprinted it for anyone who's interested in reading it.

Dick Allen spent his career playing at a consistently high level, his final statistics are phenomenal, and he was respected by teammates and feared by opponents everywhere he went. The time has come to put him in the Hall of Fame.

We all know him for his wisecracking commentary on the world of sports, and now Ed Hardiman is here to answer some questions about baseball. What's next for his reigning champion Philadelphia Phillies? What changes does MLB need to make? Perhaps most importantly, what happens when you put a first baseman with swollen hands in the lineup? Find out Ed's answers and more!

1. Where did it all begin? When and how did you become a baseball fan?

Maz hits the walk off HR to beat the Yankees in the World Serious. I remember hearing the call on the radio the next day.

2. Of all the baseball games you've attended, which one is your favorite?

Had to be the 1st home game of the infamous '64 collapse when the Phillies got beat 1-0. Art Mahaffey's glacial delivery allowed a guy to steal home.

3. Which do you like best: Connie Mack Stadium, Veterans Stadium or Citizen's Bank Park?

Connie Mack, the Vet, then CBP...that's my order of preference...

4. What did you honestly think the Phillies' chances of winning the World Series were going into the 2008 season?

Are you kidding? We eliminate the Phillies from postseason contention no later than November the previous season over at the BIT, my favorite baseball forum...

5. Who were the best and worst Phillie managers you ever saw?

Best ever is tough. Have to go Dallas Green but hate him for stealing Ryne Sandberg. Worst ever is a tie between Frank Lucchesi & Nick Leyva. 

6. I'll name some names and you tell me what comes to mind. It can be a memory, a thought, or whatever you want.

Johnny Briggs= Another "never lived up to expectations" guy from the 60's.

Don Money= 1 good season, 3 so-so ones. His career came after the Phillies with Milwaukee...they traded Bunning to get him and then traded him for Lonborg and the wrong Brett, Ken.

Wayne Twitchell= Twitch? Did you dig these guys up from the Phillies Pet Sematary? Another bust on the mound.

Larry Christenson= Great pitcher, always hurt.

Del Unser= Had his career Last Hurrah seasons in '79 & '80 with the Phillies, smell the Del.

Jeff Stone= Another disappointing 80's guy. 2 and half good seasons then throws it in reverse. I think he once swatted a couple of potatoes in one game and never came close to the fence ever again. I would have preferred Steve Jeltz or Juan Samuel as a question...j/k.

Pat Combs= The Phillies flat out overcoached him and yoyo'd him between AAA & the club out of a career. A real shame, 'cause the kid pre-headcase was pretty decent. They Steve Blassed him. I haven't trusted a 2nd half of the season wonder ever since Combs. He's the poster boy for why the Phillies farm system is where pitchers go to die.

Jim Eisenreich= Awesome, gutsy player. The '93 team was full of them. True grit.

Kevin Jordan= Forget him, my favorite Phillies Jordan was Ricky Jordan, the 1st sacker who hit two different people in the stands with bats one game I was at 'cause his hands were swollen and the dope manager, I think it was Leyva, made him play. His hands looked like two cantaloupes...one of the bats augered in on a lady's head like a hellfire missile shaking hands with an Iraqi tank...

7. Do you think Dick Allen belongs in the Hall of Fame?

Absolutely. It's a crime he isn't in, but you know baseball always hated Richie...he used to make a question mark with his bat while waiting for a pitch. I think every kid in lil league copied it. He owned a house up where I lived near Philly and you would see him drinking in tiny bars minding his own business. A real gentleman.

8. If Mitch Williams escapes the 9th inning of Game 6 unscathed, does Danny Jackson beat Pat Hentgen in Game 7?

The blame rests on Fregosi. Friggles had an open base for Carter, Mitch pitched out of a gazillion bases-loaded jams, then to compound the error, Friggles has him pitch out of the stretch, which he never did. It knocked 15 MPH off his fastball. As to your question, I think Jackson had the lightning in the bottle that season and the Phillies had enough sticks to win, but as the old saying goes, if wishes were pigs there'd be no bacon. OK I made that up, but it's pretty good. The only guy I ever met who could recall every pitch in that game is The Dan. He'll tell you Friggles not giving Hollins the take sign with two men on and two out when Stewart walked two straight on eight wild pitches really cost the Phillies the game, because Hollins swung at a ball and weakly flied out.

9. You gained some notoriety on the internet last year thanks to your "Slobbermetrics" article. In all seriousness though, what do you really think of Sabermetrics?

As a viable interpretation of the past it's OK, as a predictor of the future, not so hot. Moneyball hasn't changed baseball. Influenced it perhaps and improved Boston, but what has it done for the A's? I think Charlie Lau's contact hitting sytem has had a far greater impact than Sabermetrics. It's like believing in fortune tellers. If you exclude the failures it looks great, when you factor them in it resembles flipping a coin. Why wouldn't a Kansas City just hire the brightest SABR guy if it was so infallible? I'm OK with people who live and die by it, but don't try to cram it down our throats or claim it's the last word in understanding baseball. Even Bill James refutes that notion. It's math that can't pass any rigorous testing. If the player doesn't conform he's underperformed? How about the math underperfomed and individual humans can't be expressed mathematically? What about the 2008 Mets? Sabermetrically, that team was better than the Phillies. Just grade out the pitching staffs and the Phillies shouldn't have been a speck in the Mets' rearview mirror. The Cubbies should've beaten the Dodgers SABR-metrically, what happened? That's why I take it with a grain of salt.

10. What changes would you make if you were in charge of Major League Baseball?

Come clean or get bounced out would be my PED policy. It cons the fans first and foremost out of what they pay to see: the best, not the most chemically enhanced. I'd raise the pitching mounds so the turnstile pitching staffs would become a loathed memory. Balance makes the sport great. This artificial dinger ball from the Selig era is like pork rinds. How many can you eat before harking? I'd make umps and players get through games in under two hours. Enough with the triple switches, mound conferences and hitters adjusting their jocks every pitch. Finally, I'd mandate a section of every stadium priced at $5 a seat. If fans can build a stadium they sure as hell should be able to afford to attend a game.

11. What do you expect from the Phillies in 2009?

We've eliminated them already at the BIT. Promoting Rube Amaro is a disaster, like one of those movies from the 70's where Steve McQueen is a fire chief wandering through a towering inferno while the audience wonders what the hell he's doing in such a cheesy, crummy flick.

12. To sum things up, tell us what the game of baseball means to you.

Baseball speaks to me from every era. From players like Pickles Dillhoefer right up to Ryan Howard, it exemplifies what I like to call American Splendor...

Thanks, Ed! To read more of Ed's always-entertaining take on sports, you can check out his blog.

I was looking at the 1960 Topps baseball card set yesterday (thanks to this awesome website), and I noticed that several of these old players bear a resemblance to other well-known people.

Milt Pappas and Jon Cryer

When Pappas was pitching for the Cubs in 1972, he was one out away from a perfect game. He threw several borderline pitches that were called as balls, and he ended up walking the batter. Pappas had to settle for a no-hitter when the next batter popped out. I guess you could say he retired two and a half men, but it wasn't enough for a perfecto. Is that officially the worst stretch for a bad joke in history?

Bill Bruton and Tony Dungy

If the Colts' head coach lost the moustache he could pass for the guy who played the outfield between Hank Aaron and Wes Covington.

Jose Pagan and Barack Obama

The president-elect and this longtime National League infielder look a bit too similar. If Orlando Cepeda is the next Cabinet appointment something might be up.

Ralph Terry and Mike O'Malley

How perfect is this? The Yes, Dear actor is a huge Red Sox fan and also looks like the pitcher responsible for giving up a homer that broke the hearts of Yankee fans everywhere.

Jack Harshman and Bing Crosby

Journeyman pitcher or "White Christmas" crooner?

Jim Kaat and Doogie Howser, M.D.

Kaat was pitching in the Majors at the young age of 20, similar to how his lookalike was a certified doctor at the age of 14.

Al Lopez and Joe Maddon

While watching the Rays this October, I couldn't put my finger on who Maddon reminded me of. Eventually I figured it out.

Gil McDougald and Biff Tannen

What're you lookin' at, butthead? One of the all-time great movie villains might have had a ten-year career with the Yankees if he'd focused on baseball rather than bullying.

Tex Clevenger and Adam Carolla

Clevenger may have been a mediocre pitcher with some sad-sack Washington teams, but he was still better at what he did than his alleged-comedian lookalike.

Charlie Maxwell and Bob Hope

If he'd been a teammate of Jack Harshman they could've filmed a "Road" movie together.

Ray Moore and George Clooney

If People Magazine had existed back in his day, Ray Moore would've been the one winning all those "Sexiest Man Alive" awards.

Haywood Sullivan and Brian Williams

I'll bet every Red Sox fan who watches "NBC Nightly News" gets nostalgic for the Don Zimmer era.

And finally...

Don Mincher and Peyton Manning

How appropriate would it have been if Bill Bruton had managed him at some point in his career?

The baseball world is currently abuzz with the news that the Pittsburgh Pirates just signed two pitchers from India to minor league contracts. Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel had no baseball experience prior to this year, but both were experienced javelin throwers. They were discovered through a reality show designed to find Major League-quality arms in India, and they've been working with USC pitching coach Tom House for the past six months. House says they're both several years away from the Majors, but he believes that both have enough upside to be worth the risk. This signing makes them the first Indian-born athletes to be signed to professional sports contracts in the United States.

At first this seems like some sort of publicity stunt. Why would they put so much effort into developing two boys who've never played the game when there are plenty of high school and college kids with similar skill sets who already have the fundamental knowledge of baseball? The Indian hurlers didn't even impress the scouts that much at their first showcase, so this move has a lot of people asking what the Pirates could possibly be thinking.

And yet...I like this move. It's not a huge risk, as these pitchers were only signed to minor league contracts. If these guys make it to the big club, the Pirates will always be remembered as the team that opened up the Indian market for Major League Baseball. If they don't pan out, it was a bold experiment. As the old saying goes, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I may be a Cub fan, but even I'm tired of watching the Pirates lose every year. The fact that they're willing to try something non-traditional to build a winner tells me they're using their brains. Unlike the previous management (who at most would occasionally splurge on a mediocre free agent like Derek Bell or Reggie Sanders), Neal Huntington and his crew are attempting to tap into a possible source of undiscovered talent. You could call it foolishness, or you could call it desperation after 16 losing seasons, but for a small-market team with limited resources, it might be their best chance to beat the big dogs to the punch at something. If it works they'll look like geniuses, and if it fails, well, most people will probably have forgotten about it by then.

I'm realistic enough to know that the odds of either of these guys pitching in the Majors are slim. The odds of them having long, productive careers are even slimmer. Still, that possibility that even one of them makes it to the show is the stuff dreams are made of. Maybe it's my love for the underdog, or perhaps just my appreciation for the unusual, but I'll be rooting for Rinku and Dinesh.