Why couldn't he pitch Like that for the Sox?

I’m in San Diego this week, so I headed on down to Petco Park to check out the Padres – Cards game. Smoltz was the starting pitcher for St. Louis so I assumed I would see the Padres put up some big numbers.

It seems that Mr. Smoltz is a lot more comfortable pitching in the NL than the AL. He got out of a minor jam in the 1st inning and then cruised from there giving up only 3 hits over 5 innings. He didn’t walk anybody either. In fact, he looked like the Smoltz that we thought we were getting, a guy who, while past his prime, can still fool hitters and put your team in a position to win. I would have liked to see him pitch one game like this for the Sox, but they couldn’t keep him around with the numbers he was putting up.

Just when you start thinking that the Red Sox front office isn’t patient enough with players, up comes Julio Lugo to pinch hit for the Cards. His box score for the day? GIDP: Lugo

One other item from San Diego. There is a statue of Tony Gwynn in the park outside center field at Petco Park. Here’s what the Padres website says about the statue:

TONY GWYNN STATUE
The 9-foot, 1,200-pound bronze likeness of “Mr. Padre” was unveiled at the Park at the Park prior to the Padres-Phillies game on July 21, 2007 as part of a “Tribute to Tony Weekend,” honoring the 2007 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. The statue was molded by sculptor William Behrends, whose artistic credits also include a statue of Willie Mays at San Francisco’s AT&T Park. The statue and surrounding plaza includes bricks with personalized messages from fans.

Have you seen Tony Gwynn lately? 1200lbs! Sounds like they got the “likeness” part right.

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Why couldn’t he pitch Like that for the Sox?

Alan Draper

Alan Draper

Alan Draper