With Lincicum defeated...the world is next!

Yea, we're in 1st place. True, seven games is not much of a sample size.....but we're in 1st place!
Let's enjoy the fellas having played some pretty good ball this week and having knocked off the NL's 2008 Cy Young winner.
Padres weak? Not during the season's opening week
[San Diego UT-Chris Jenkins]

Next stop Citi Field: New home of the Mets. An interesting test will be provided with this being the 1st road series and our 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters (still working on names) getting the nod against a pricey Mets squad. Need some Citi Field info? Click Here for some of the Park's features as well as the naming rights controversy.

With Citigroup Inc. paying $20 million a year for naming rights and having received in excess of $45 million in federal bailout money (your tax dollars) this new ballpark truly does belong to all of us......does that make it a home game?

Heath Bell is also excited to be visiting his former team in NY.....he wants the 1st save at Citi Field....Heath has big balls. Let's see him back it up.
Citi Field's debut has Bell buzzing
[San Diego UT-Chris Jenkins]

A message brought to you from Charger Girl: Don't forget the 2009 NFL schedule is released on Tuesday......Cleveland, Tennessee, or Pitt, Fellas?
To quote the dude from Snatch with the giant spectacles:

"Goody fuckin' gum drops!". Be sure to read that with a Limey accent.

This is the End of the week. Good Night, now.

This Is The End: March 22nd Round-up

"What, you don't think I know?!! My bracket would have been Fu#ked too!"

Purdue, Gonzaga and Duke eked out games on Saturday and the Bracket stayed a clean 8 for 8. There were only 5 chances for the bracket to score points today and after a 2 for 2 morning the afternoon saw extraordinarily close games with the Missouri, Michigan State and Louisville picks. It was excruciating to sit through the Spartans/Trojans game and watch the Louisville/Sienna score ticker in the upper corner of the TV....but when it was all said and done we went 5 for 8 on the day with a solid 13/16 Sweet Sixteen teams in play.....still only missing one Elite Eight-er (Mountaineers of W.Va).

This is the year where scores are high as people who are clueless tend to pick according to high seeds which equals a plus rate of success in '09. The Sweet Sixteen is almost perfectly seeded outside of #12 Arizona and #5 Purdue crashing the party. Obama edged us by 1 game in Round 2 but we still hold a 3 point lead on the Leader of the Free World.

President Obama's Bracket
[ESPN Tournament Challenge]

San Diego State had a big basketball week (women win and men advance to NIT Quarters against either Davidson or St. Mary's) and a shaky baseball week. State squandered a 15 strikeout performance by Stephen Strasburg on Friday but salvaged the series by getting the win today.
[619 Sports]

For those who hold out hope.....we bring you radio interviews with Postgame's Bob Scanlan, MLB Padre beat writer Corey Brock and GM Kevin Towers. This is your opportunity to say,

`"Hey, I stuck with 'em during the darkest days of '08 and '09!"

Listen up and get a read on the new names on the back of the Jerseys.
Bob Scanlan with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Corey Brock with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Kevin Towers with Darren Smith
[xx1090-Darren Smith 3/19]

The drive-time show fired Jordan and we kept eating pizza from Chicago on a bun. What's changed? There's a lot less screaming and the pizza is still good.
After line-up changes, it's Brown's Boring Bozos
[UT-Jay Posner 3/20]

We can't even win our own game on our own turf. Japan beats the US in WBC Semifinals.
Japan rips USA, rolls into WBC final
[Si.Com]

The Legend with the weaker arm gives his 2 cents.....we don't believe that John called Jay, "...a little bitch", but we're sure he thinks it.
Elway weighs in on Cutler Crisis
[Denver Post]

What better way to end your week than to take a gander at perhaps the greatest Top Ten List in the history of Top Ten Lists. If you know of a better compilation let us know.....if your place of business blocks YouTube, so sorry you'll have to wait...."Top Ten" found through SI.com's Extra Mustard.
[Sand & Cotton]

Since you can never have too much Bad Religion in one week....This is not Armageddon... only the week's End...

This is The End: March 8th Round-up

These are stories from the week that we either touched on (see:Dancing With The Stars mash unit), wished for (see: A-Rod's karma to come full circle), or missed entirely (See: Vasgersian...I don't know anyone who EVEN has the MLB network). No matter the story's relevance....this is the End.

[XX1090 Scott & BR-audio]
LT's Mom doesn't like his chances of returning and while bitter at the way her son has been treated acknowledges that, "she's just a mom". Word will probably be in by Wednesday....why would LT wait any longer if he plans on rejecting the final Charger offer?

[Sports Illustrated]
The advantages to that time of year when we "spring" forward and add a little extra prime-time day light and warmth........if time constrains you and you're only going to click one of these links.......this is it, friends.

[Deadspin-audio]
Santa Maria!!!!! Matty V said something you can't say on the air during the MLB network's inaugural season.......I'll miss the team of Matt and Mudcat.

[Deadspin]
Michael Lewis' Moneyball is an absolutely fascinating read. Interesting theories, but put into practice, it is a steaming pile of crap. So let's make a movie about it and star Brad Pitt as Mt. Carmel's Billy Beane! Can you say steaming pile of......?

First Julianne Hough bows out....now Nancy O'Dell and Jewel

[SD Union Tribune]

The Padres' farm system gets rated 29th out of 30 teams by Baseball America. Kyle Blanks is the only Padre rated in the top 100 of all MLB prospects (noteworthy: I watched him hit on Saturday and while a massive man at 6'6" and 270 lbs, I think he could play LF. Doesn't look oafish like Adam Dunn......he's very calm at the plate.....I saw him K and then hit one on a line off the top of the fence).

[XX1090 Darren Smith-audio]
Sandy Alderson talks about stuff......like captaining a farm system ranked 29th by Baseball America.

[619 Sports]
A case made for using your dollars on the passion found in our local college teams. This is your opportunity to get a little extra 411 on the sporting events in the 619.......San Diegans, Support!

[Hugging Harold Reynolds]
Cooooooool.......Now we get to taunt Manny as he "Mans" left for the Dodgers in '09. Let's make a concerted effort to throw monopoly money at ManRam when he visits our left field. Anyways, listen to the audio garnered by HHR of Manny's agent Scott Boras. It must be nice to be able to turn down $25 million in this economy.

[SD Union Tribune (AP)]
A-Rod gets familiar with Karma.

This is the End: A Weekly Collective Round-up

[Heard on XX1090]

• Friday: Jordan Downtown was reading the NBA round-up and during the Houston Rockets game re-cap he refereed to the superb play of, "...the big Chinaman.", Yao Ming. We're pretty sure that phrase is a slur based on Walter Sobchak's analysis in the Big Lebowski (The preferred nomenclature is Asian-American/The Chinaman is not the Issue Donnie!)...in that sense it was funny......however, next time we should probably hear, "The big man out of China.", or some reasonable variation.

• Saturday: During a Spring training radio broadcast (Padres versus Royals) we were reminded of the stellar RBI, Run, Walk, HR, SLG, and OBP, that Brian Giles put up during the early part of the decade.....then Jerry Coleman remarked, "...as you get older, you just don't have as much 'juice' as you used to. Oh, I probably shouldn't use that word should I?". Nice save Colonel.
  

[The Legend of Cecilio Guante]

• This is old news but it was from this blog that we first heard of Heath Bell's Wii weight loss regimen. It is a Mets/Jets blog so the Scribe was critical of Bell as a former over weight player of theirs. We slowly heard more of the marvel that is the Wii, as a conditioning apparatus, and how Bell credited it with his increased fitness. Why is nobody asking how a professional athlete ballooned to 270lbs and needed a kids game to tell him he's fat? Our hopes are pinned to a guy who couldn't commit himself to getting out and running hills and doing foul pole circuits during a time when Trevor Hoffman was about to become a free agent? Bell will be fine as long as he doesn't try to strike everyone out...... and he chooses Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls for his entrance.....
  

[Luol' Dong]

• This Chicago based blog will help you end any internal theistic debate that burdens you by posting your choice of prophets......on the best T-Shirt ever made....we have chosen. Your turn...

[619 Sports]

• This new SD blog formed by some old SD voices covers important local sports including the likely #1 overall pick in this June's amateur MLB draft who happens to be pitching in our own backyard: SDSU's Stephen Strasburg. We should all get out to Montezuma Mesa while we can to see a polished amateur pitcher who pumps the gas at 100 MPH. You'll never hear him say, "F#$K East County...I'm Stephen 'F#$*in' Strasburg !" for two simple reasons: He's from Santee (West Hills HS) and he's not a moron. Get out and see him pitch.

[KC Star's Jason Whitlock]

• In addition to the Chiefs getting a proven GM (Scott Pioli0 from the Pats), a new coach with a solid offensive acumen (Todd Haley from the Cards), they've now added a QB (Cassel) and veteran leader LB (Vrabel) at minimal cost (2nd rounder). How much better did the AFC West just get?

[Denver Post]

• First the Broncos acquire an excellent leader and Safety in Brian Dawkins. Then Jay Cutler was mentioned as a possibility in a three way trade for Cassel and he's now "crying a river" upset. Then Brandon Marshall was arrested early this morning......Did the AFC West just ebb, yet again?

[SD Union Tribune]

• No word on LT yet. AJ Smith gave his State of the Chargers Address and he was critical of himself and some unnamed players whose play either slacked or suffered off the field problems......hmmm: Castillo, Wilhelm, Cromartie, Weddle, Jackson, Williams, to name a few. Which way will the next month and a half go?

We've also acquired, like a rash, a stalker/agitator. He goes by the name: Tom Brady's Illegitimate Child Loves His New Step-mom.....but we'll make it easy and just call him Tom's Bastard Child. This New England fan thinks little of us (San Diego Fans) and we've been sparring all week...here's a small sample of the retarded conversation that sports fans engage in...

...under the subject line: San Diego Doesn't Deserve a Pro Team

Tom's Bastard Child

Wow you're a loser. Look, win 31 World Championships or so, then come back and we'll talk. San Diego is a 3rd reate pro sports now and is completely irrelevant in the national sports scene. Your choking under achieving teams, most reent window has closed and the Dolts will go back to being cellar dwellers once again. The Chargers bite dude, face it the Patriots are a perrenial contender, the Chargers uhmm are a joke man...[sic]

Chief
You came to me guy so I don't Need to come back and talk to you. If you want 31 championships go talk to a New Yorker...they're your stepfather.

You write poorly but if I was left to infer what your gibberish is implying I guess I would have to agree with you that SD is fairly irrelevant on the National sports scene. Most everything west of the Mississippi is irrelevant in the eyes of the World Wide Leader.

I would also argue that the Chargers are perennial contenders....'04-'08 does constitute 5 seasons....and we destroyed your team this season. Would you have made the playoffs had you beat us?

Suck it guy!

Enlightening isn't it?

This is the end...