More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

3 months ago: Fans look on as San Diego Padres Edgar Gonzalez, center, is taken from the field after Gonzalez was hit in head with a pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies Saturday, July 18, 2009 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Mark Neely and Mark Grant mentioned today that Edgar Gonzalez wasn't wearing the new protective batting helmet.  I hadn't noticed, but apparently he stopped wearing the bigger helmet after it popped off when he tried to avoid a pitch from Dan Haren earlier in the week.

I was so quick to judge Edgar before knowing the whole story.  I thought vanity had reared it's ugly pretty head again, but as usual I was wrong.  Edgar threw insults at the ill fitting helmet on Sign on San Diego:

It wasn't Haren's pitch that bothered the Padres.

It was what happened when Gonzalez jumped back. His new helmet, the one designed to give him more protection, flew off his head. Replays showed the helmet was coming off Gonzalez's head as Haren's fastball sailed by.

"That can't be good," Gonzalez said. "The problem is that it doesn't fit and it sits too high. My hat size is 7 1/8 and the helmet says for sizes 7¼ to 7 3/8. What kind of protective helmet fits several sizes?"

Padres trainer Todd Hutcheson made some changes to the helmet overnight.

"Once it fits properly, Edgar will have more protection," Hutcheson said. "But it rides too far up on his head. It needs to be seated lower and better. It's not his size."

It still strikes me as odd that a Major League Baseball team can't get a helmet that fits the player correctly.  They only got one helmet?  They didn't order it in his size?  They couldn't just put a chin strap on that sucker and get it back in action?

I still think every Padres player should be wearing these new helmets. 

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

"Go out there and relax. Do you hear me? Take it easy out there! RELAX!" (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Let me think about this. Record-wise, the Pirates are the second worst team in baseball. They've lost 8 of their last 10. And yet, they throw five up on us like it ain't no thing?

If the Padres are going to be competitive in 2010, they need to learn how to not only play up to their competition, but not come back down against a team who they should be able to beat handily. That is my strategic advice.

Padres pitching is a bunch of clinical giants via media.signonsandiego.com

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• Padres' pitching story is one tall tale - SignOnSanDiego.com
  Remarkable as it is that he's not even the Padres' tallest pitcher – that would still be 6-10 veteran Chris Young – Russell isn't that much taller than five others on the staff. Mat Latos, Ryan Webb and Aaron Poreda are listed as 6-6, one inch taller than Mike Adams and Clayton Richard.

• Cabrera wasting no time dazzling in bigs | padres.com: News
  It was in August, after a walk-off victory by the Padres over the Mets, when a handful of Latino players huddled in one corner of the Padres' clubhouse and began to giggle uncontrollably.

• Fort Wayne claims first Midwest title | padres.com: News
  Jaff Decker hit a two-run homer as Fort Wayne held on to complete a sweep of Burlington, 4-3, on Thursday for a franchise-first Midwest League title.

• Kingston leaves Padres for Mariners | padres.com: News
  Jeff Kingston, the Padres' director of baseball operations, was hired on Thursday as an assistant general manager with the Seattle Mariners.

• Chrissy's Outfit of the Day - KSWB
  Took me awhile to notice the snow.

More photos » by Chris Park - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Padres' Everth Cabrera (1) is mobbed by his team after hitting the game winning RBI single in the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 in San Diego. Luis Durango scored on the play and the Padres won 6-5. (AP Photo/Chris Park)

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• In Padres' victory, the kids are alright - SignOnSanDiego.com
  "Try doing a lineup without Adrian (Gonzalez), Will (Venable), Eck (David Eckstein), Kooz (Kevin Kouzmanoff) and Kyle Blanks," joked Black. "You're gonna have some kids."

• Rookie Durango has no fear of flying - SignOnSanDiego.com
  "Even if he's not an everyday guy, he's got a spot on the 25-man roster because of his speed," Padres General Manager Kevin Towers said after Durango's dash delivered a 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. "He's probably the fastest player we've had in my 14 years."

• Padres have speed to burn
  "Floating is the best word you can use," outfielder Tony Gwynn Jr. said of Durango's speed.

• Durango's speed wins it in 10th frame | padres.com: News
  Everth Cabrera's RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning on Wednesday lifted the Padres to a 6-5 victory over the D-backs at PETCO Park.

• For Bell, bad streak gets his goatee - SignOnSanDiego.com
  "Honestly, that felt really good," said Bell of his outing. "Some guys will say it's another game, but after the last three, that one felt good. These guys have been behind me. I needed to do something."

• PADRES NOTES: LeBlanc finally gets the message 
  "When I went back down, I realized I could get outs with my 85 if I just located it," LeBlanc said. "When I came back up, for the first time I took that with me. … I think it takes some guys a little longer than others. I'd like to think that I was one of those guys and I'm starting to do it. I'm starting to get it, but I still have a long way to go."

• Stauffer settling into a groove for Friars | padres.com: News
  Tim Stauffer has a trim 1.42 ERA in September and has been quite successful since being promoted from Triple-A Portland as he prepares to face Pittsburgh.

• Unfinished Business: Kiddie Day At The Ballpark
  On a side note, Jacob Edward Peavy is going to be making his first start with the White Sox on Saturday. I'm very sad that he's not with us anymore, but it will be good for him to be on the mound again. He says he won't be 100%, but I hope he does extremely well. I MISS YOU LIKE CRAZY JAKE!!!

• Dave Winfield Home & Away Bobbleheads (SGA 5/3/03) " .400 in '94
  Imagine opening up your bobblehead box to find a rare bobblehead that just a small handful of fans received. Good times indeed for that fan.

• Chrissy's Outfit of the Day - KSWB
  Next time less Fire Fighters and more Chrissy.

More photos » by Chris Park - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Padres' Edward Mujica delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Chris Park)

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I will fully admit that I had gotten a head start on a post talking about how we got swept by the Diamondbacks.

I will also fully admit that I have no idea who Luis Durango is, and yet, he came in and he contributed and now I am gay for him.

I also will admit that when Heath Bell was in during the 9th, I figured a guaranteed loss, and his mere presence is what prompted me to get a head start on posting the L post.

Adrian Gonzalez is awesome. Eric Byrnes thinks he has a future in Hollywood. Luis Durango, on the basis of his one steal, is like the fastest guy I've ever seen.

Baby faced Heath Bell. Now he just has to get rid of that camo undershirt. via sandiego.padres.mlb.com

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• Bell hopes fresh shave will turn tide | padres.com: News
  "She told me ... 'Dad, beard, go put it back on," Bell said. "She told me she was mad and she was going to go cry. She went into the hallway and pretended to cry."

• Slumping Gwynn stands by his swing | padres.com: News
  "You fight that all the time when you're struggling, you want to make a change that will show up immediately," Gwynn said. "But it doesn't work like that. I have made enough changes over my career to know that you've got to stick with something, iron it out and then run with it."

• Hot Seat: Jeff Moorad - SignOnSanDiego.com
  And as we grow the payroll and as those young players mature, we believe that we have a foundation in place that has a terrific chance of competing as soon as next season and, frankly, over the long term on a consistent basis in the National League West.

• Unfinished Business: Park View Little League World Champion Tribute
  Recap of Little League festivities at the ballpark.

• Unfinished Business: Get Well Soon, Koooooz!!
  Unhealthy crushes on Kouz continue.

• Made in San Diego: A loss to the Padres, but a chat with David Eckstein? Priceless
  David Eckstein invited Padres blogger Byun Young to a game and a chance to chat.

• Made in San Diego: The continuation of happiness
  Padres Blogger Hyun Young receives a package from David and Ashley Eckstein containing a signed jersey and other gifts.

• Get in Shape With San Diego Padres’ Heath Bell - WSJ.com
  A Major League pitcher's new fitness regimen involves a very unlikely piece of equipment: a videogame.

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Padres pitcher Heath Bell, left, looks into the outfield as Arizona Diamondbacks' Mark Reynolds, right, rounds the bases after hitting a two-run homer during the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 in San Diego. The Diamondbacks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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• Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | ARI@SD: Hundley's slick stop and throw keeps it tied - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia
  09.15.09: Nick Hundley saves the ball from going into the dugout, then he fires home to Adrian Gonzalez to keep the game tied

• PADRES: Shorthanded Padres edged by Diamondbacks
  "I threw him the same (fastball) and he swung through it," Bell said. "He got that one. Right now I'm going through a tough time. ... You've just got to keep battling through it."

• Reynolds' HR rings up Bell again - SignOnSanDiego.com
  "Even when he hit it, I didn't think it was going out," said Bell. "I haven't lost my confidence. My mechanics are good. I've just run into some bad luck. If I had spread these three games out over a couple of months, it wouldn't stick out."

• Padres won't face Yanks, Bosox in 2010 - SignOnSanDiego.com
  But the Padres have no games home or away against the Red Sox and Yankees. "These things cycle through," said Padres President Tom Garfinkel.

• Padres announce 2010 schedule, Orioles and Jays coming to Petco
  The organization announced next year's schedule Tuesday, giving fans a reason to start planning for next year.

• LeBlanc's night spoiled as Friars fall | padres.com: News
  Mark Reynolds hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning on Tuesday to lead the D-backs to a 4-2 victory over the Padres before a crowd of 14,790 at PETCO Park.

• Mujica making second start for Friars | padres.com: News
  Right-hander Edward Mujica is making his second "spot start," but hopes to parlay his role into an audition for the Padres' rotation next season.

• Races heating up for Friars' All-Time 9 | padres.com: News
  There are no shortage of hotly-contested position battles going on for the Padres' All-Time 9 campaign, but first base isn't one of them.

I finally had a chance to look over the 2010 schedule. Let's see what we uncover:

April

We start out with a 6 game road trip in Arizona and Colorado. MLB must be making a bid to make Opening Day a National Holiday because it's on a Monday and there's a start time of 2:10 PM Pacific. Why would they do that unless they assumed we'd be able to get the day off to watch the game? They must have thought that through.

We then come home for a nice 9 game series. No travel day after Colorado, but the Padres can get their rest during one of those annoying days off in the middle of a series. Just so we know it's not just us, I just looked at theBraves schedule and, while they start at home, they get the day off in the middle of their opening series before immediately travelling to San Francisco and then down to San Diego (back to back day games) and then they get another middle of the series break. 

May

The notable thing here is the 13 game stretch where we'll be in SF (after a 3 game series in Houston and a travel day), home against Dodgers for 3, home against SF for 2, away for the Dodgers for 2, and then at Seattle for 3. Maybe not the worst stretch we've ever had travelwise, but still.

June

Not a lot to note except that we go from Philly to New York (Mets) on subsequent dates for night games. There's a nice homestand in June against Seattle, Toronto and Baltimore. We then move on to Tampa after that. I'm hoping that's a good homestand for Padrs fan representation, pulling our hated North East rivals, the Canadian team and Baltimore, who nobody roots for.

One other interesting thing to note is that while the NL West draws the AL East for interleague play, we don't face the Yankees or Red Sox. Tampa I'm guessing will be more like 2009 Rays as opposed to 2008, Baltimore is Baltimore and Toronto is a wild card. Still, if we're competitive next season, and if the Yankees and Red Sox are reloaded and dangerous, that may turn out to be a nice little break for our guys.

July

We get Fourth of July at home against Houston. 1:05PM start time for the fourth so go watch your fireworks somewhere else (or the night before most likely). 

A roadtrip in Washington and Colorado finishes our All-Star Break.

August

August is our month on the road. Ten games at home and nineteen on the road (19! The Tower ya ken) By then, we'll either be so sick of the team that we'll be glad to see them go, or we'll be anxiously hovering by our televisions and radios, hoping our boys come home safe.

September

Start off with a 10 game homestand against the Giants, Rockies and Dodgers. This is where we get well or play spoiler. And then a 10 game road trip at Colorado, St. Louis (for 4!) and Los Angeles.

We end September with 4 at home against the Cubs. Much nicer to play the Cubs at home towards the end of the season when most of the vacationers are back to school. Any Cubs fans that show up during that series will be transplants who we can freely heckle  with things like, "If your city's so great, why do you want to be so far away from it?"

October

The season ends with 3 in San Francisco.

**********

Overall, there appear to only be a few annoying spots in the schedule and a quick check of a few other schedules makes me believe that the Padres aren't worse off than others. In some ways (the AL East scheduling), we may actually pull an advantage. I wish we could start the season off at home, but at least there aren't any "home for 3" bits to it.

So when do you want to plan some Gaslamp Ball Meetups? 

More photos » by Denis Poroy - AP

Manny Pacquiao threw out the first pitch and then punched his fist through a batting helmet to demonstrate the need for improved safety equipment. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

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Well, my bold prediction of a Padres win did not come through and you know who was responsible? That's right. Heath Bell. Again.

Bell gave up a home run in the 9th to Mark Reynolds with the score tied. Is anybody else worried about Heath not holding it down in the ninth? Is anybody worried that next year's Padres will be able to beat "good" teams, but then play down to bad teams? Is anybody even paying attention anymore?

Jeff Moorad High School Photo???

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• I was thinking last night that a good weekly feature for Gaslamp Ball would be us interviewing spirits about the Padres using a Ouija board.  If I were reading a baseball blog that's exactly the kind of thing I'd want to read.  Two dudes with their hands on a planchette talking to dead people about baseball.  Maybe even summoning deceased Padres.  The problem is that I've heard too many scary stories about people opening themselves up to demonic attacks by using Ouija boards.  No thank you.
  
• As soon as I heard that Kyle Blanks had heel pain way back at the beginning of August, I knew his season was over.  I knew because I got me a case of the Plantar Fasciitis last Spring.  I thought I got mine from a dirty mattress in the orient, but after reading everything on the internet I found that you can't catch it that way.   Plantar Fascia takes forever to heal, especially since people have a hard time staying off their feet.  Some people suffer from it for years and even decades.  It doesn't help either when you weigh the same amount as a baby elephant.
  
• Speaking of "fasciitis"... did you hear that Jeff Moorad got himself a case of necrotizing fasciitis 12 years ago?  It's a viscous flesh eating disease.  It has to be treated aggressively within the first 72 hours or you're dead.  He obviously survived and he took inventory on his life and decided from that day until his last that he wanted to own baseball teams.
• I emailed Pad Squad Andre to see if he had heard the rumors that Petco Park was haunted.  He told me that it was good to hear from me, which wasn't even close to an answer to my question.
  
• We should talk more, this was fun wasn't it?