Here's the most bittersweet piece of news today: Bullpen catcher Mark Merila is going to have radiation treatments for a brain tumor. He's very upbeat about it:
"This is actually the best news I could have gotten," Merila said yesterday via telephone from his San Diego home. "Three weeks ago, all the roads were looking pretty gloomy. Now there's reason to be optimistic."
Man, that's optimism. You love to see that. You have to remain positive and confident and Padres fans will send good thoughts.What takes away the sting a little while the team waits for Mark to get better... CARLOS HERNANDEZ IS BACK WITH THE CLUB!
"It was a surprise when they called me two weeks ago and asked if I could work in the bullpen," said Hernandez, who has remained a San Diego resident. "I told Bruce (Bochy) I was open to anything he needed. I'm glad they called me first.
Get better soon, Mark. And welcome back to the club, Carlos.About the game... I'm convinced that Brian Lawrence is Dr. Jekyll and/or Mr. Hyde. Taking 110 pitches into the 5th usually means somebody's taking one for the team. The game's out of hand and the manager's leaving his starter in there is a sort of passive aggressive punishment for not finding the plate. For Brian Lawrence though, it apparently means a win.
Stuff to get you started for the day:
- Gwynn signs a three year deal at State. And SDSU's bid for respect among collegiate athletics fans continues.
- Did you see when Olivo missed the suicide squeeze sign and swung away with Loretta on third? Loretta broke for home, Olivo swung, and got himself a triple that he had to apologize for. I hope the coaches gave him hell for that one. "How dare you hit a triple there? Don't you know we like to scratch and claw desperately for runs? Scoring position isn't scoring position around these parts!"
- And Trevor is tied now for second on the all time saves list. Congratulations Trevor! You show those record books what it means to be a dominant closer.