Around the Mission: 3/12 Padres Links

PADRES: Antonelli is ready to finally be a hit
"He's got a lot of courage," Muser said. "It takes a guy to say, 'Hey, I've been going about this wrong.' He took responsibility. He's becoming a man. It is a tough game, a tough mental game and it probably was about 80-to-90 percent mental. I think he was at a point where he was trying to force it to happen: 'I gotta get a hit. I gotta hit it out.'

Garland’s movement good, mechanics so-so - SignOnSanDiego.com
"I could have kept going," said Garland. "Bud and I talked about it. I wanted the feel of pitching, sitting and pitching again."

Padres crank up baserunning pressure | padres.com: News
The Padres would like nothing more than an athletic team that can run itself into more runs. Toward that end, the green light is on this spring -- whether it's stealing bases or taking an extra base.

'No regrets': Giles calls it a career | padres.com: News
Brian Giles' right knee didn't feel right, so the veteran outfielder did what felt right. Giles, 39, announced his retirement Thursday morning, a month after having signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers in hopes of resuscitating an All-Star career.

Garland struggles with command in loss | padres.com: News
Jon Garland's second outing of the spring wasn't as strong as his first. The righty was hit for four earned runs over 1 2/3 innings Thursday as the Padres fell to the Cubs, 8-7.

Stairs draws rare start at first base | padres.com: News
Matt Stairs, in Padres camp on a Minor League contract, was in the lineup against the Chicago Cubs at first base on Thursday.

The Official Blog of Matt Antonelli: GROUNDHOG DAY
"I have been getting home from baseball around 6:00 PM every night and by the time I'm done eating dinner I pretty much go right to bed and wake up the next morning to do it all over again"

"Hairston looks worse than he is" by Padres Scorecard
"Scott Hairston arrived at camp Friday on a pair of crutches."

"I can't type as fast as I can think" by Padres Scorecard
"Black was introduced to Vegemite in 2007 when he saw a container of the Aussie "delicacy" in the locker of pitcher Adrian Burnside. Black made the mistake of asking for a taste. Burnside offered up a sample on a tongue depressor."

"Padres react to Giles retirement" by Padres Scorecard
"He is one of the best," said Scott Hairston, who played next to Giles in center as a Padre. "I learned a lot from Gilley in so many ways. Each and every at-bat, he’d grind it out, always with the same composure. He was a true pro."

Beers with Bob " RJ's Fro
"The wonderful Bob Chandler took some time out of his day to sit down and have a chat with us for close to 2 hours."

The Friarhood - Heath Bell on Twins Radar
"A 32 year old closer with one more year of arbitration is not exactly a great fit for this team."