Headley To Bat 7th; Huber To Portland

Padres top prospect, Chase Headley, will start in left and bat 7th in Tuesday night's opener in Yankee Stadium. The much anticipated move should add offensive depth to a line up that has been reliant on Adrian Gonzalez for much of the season. To make room for Headley the Padres sent Justin Huber down to join the Beavers in Portland. FF has not been this excited over a homegrown prospect since Khalil Greene ascended through the system 4 years ago.

Vegemite Mates

We loved the Union-Tribune's sidebar on the Justin Huber, the Friar's man from down under. The bottom line is that Vegemite is not only tasty, but offers great nutritional value for Men at Work.

TOP 5: JUSTIN HUBER'S FIVE FAVORITE USES FOR VEGEMITE, THE AUSTRALIAN SPREAD MADE OF YEAST EXTRACT.

• It's not butter - Toast and crackers are the mainstays.


• Meat substitute - Sandwiches, with or without cheese.


• Vegemite shake - Mix it with milk, shake it up.


• This is nuts - Mix it with walnuts and again have it in a sandwich.


• Smile when you eat - As entertainment value. Serve it to Americans and watch their reactions. It is always good for a laugh.

Anyone for a Cooper's Sparkling Ale?

Headley Finally Arrives

The Padres front office has finally pulled the trigger on Chase Headley's promotion. He will presumably take over left field from a revolving case of the following characters: Scotty Hairston, Paul McAnulty, and Justin Huber. Kevin Towers has also indicated the Headley may be used to spell Kevin Kouzmanoff at third. He was quoted as saying,

I think the environment is much better than it was three weeks ago. We have got a lot of guys contributing offensively. When he gets here, he shouldn't have to feel like he's got to carry this ballclub. We're playing good baseball now... To me, now is kind of the right time to have him here, when things are going well.

This move has been alluded to for some time, though it appears that Headley may not see action until the Yankees series starts. A corresponding roster move has yet to have been made, but Scott Hairston's hyperextended elbow could move him to the DL, providing extra time for the front office to make a move.

FF is relieved to finally see the club's top prospect leveraged. We firmly disagree with the mantra of the "bad environment" that Towers has been spouting recently. The bottom line is that struggling club is great way to offer some low-pressure playing time for a prospect to get comfortable. Given the club's general lack of success in bringing prospects on board, we recommend the Friars completely retool this process. Everyone in baseball - and sports in general - knows the story: play well or someone else will get your opportunity. This is another opportunity for KT to learn from AJ.

Sitting On The Walk Of The Bay

The San Diego Padres patience at the plate pays off late as they outlast San Francisco in the opener of a 3 game, weekend set by a score of 7-3 in 13 innings. Common place for the Friars this season has been letting opportunities slip through the cracks, and Friday evenings tilt was no different as highlighted by Kevin Kouzmanoff's tough night that included grounding into a triple play in the 8th and a rally ending twin killing in the 10th frame. The Padres 3rd baseman had a chance to redeem himself in the 13th when he found himself at the plate with the bases juiced and just 1 out; Kouz could not come through again as he popped up to the first baseman. Fortunately for Kouzmanoff and the Padres the Giants pitcher lost the strike zone and walked in the deciding run as he issued a free pass to Khalil Greene. An RBI HBP followed, and a 2 run single by Justin Huber capped the 4 run inning in front of a perfect inning by Trevor Hoffman.

Pad Points:

Cha Seung Baek looked great as he struck out the side in order to pick up his 1st win as a Friar.

The Friars used their 20th pitcher of the season on Friday...its still May!!!

No team in the NL West will post a record of over .500 in the month of May

Bryan Corey (who as previously noted by FF pitches with his spikes on the rubber) had his spikes slip out from under him as he was pushing off the rubber, it was a balk and lead to the Giants tying run on the 7th, it will be interesting to see if Corey makes an adjustment.

Peoria Pairing

As the San Diego Padres get set to open their Inter League play Friday evening in Seattle FF is asking for one player to make a very short trip from Portland to Seattle and take over for a group of unproductive left fielders. The Padres have obviously been trying to "go green" and wait until they traveled to the pacific northwest to call Chase Headley to save the additional fuel, how else can you explain Headley not being with the big boys? The Beavers are at home taking on the Las Vegas 51's this weekend and FF will be disappointed if the Padres leave Seattle without Headley.

As much of a Paul McAnulty fan as FF has been, it does not appear that he is a good fit for this club or ballpark. The Justin Huber experiment can be deemed a bust (although the slugger hasn't gotten too many chances). Scott Hairston has enough pop to stick around as a reserve OF, but should never again be considered for a full time job. At this point there is no reason for the Pads not to dip into their farm system again, and this time hook the big fish.

The Pads dropped 3 of 4 against a solid Cubs team who took advantage of their opportunities, as good offensive teams do. In Thursday's 4-0 snoozer, the only part of the game worth mentioning was a beautiful, run saving, diving catch by center fielder Jody Gerut. The center fielder continues to impress FF with his overall play, we can't wait for balls of his bat to find holes.



Pads & Ends

The Swing 'n' Miss Friars have struck out an amazing 29 time over the last 2 ballgames ~ thats a number that would make Phil Nevin and Rob Deer blush!

As reported by FF earlier in the week; Jim Edmonds has signed with the Cubs and hit 6th and roamed CF for them in the series finale. Edmonds stroked a soft single to right in his first at bat and wrapped into an inning ending double play in his second AB. The former Friar finished 1-4 to raise his batting average closer to .200.

Glendon Rusch has officially declined the Padres minor league option and is now a free agent.

Adrian Gonzalez continues to use a tan glove during day games and black leather for contests under the lights.

Tony Clark will get himself some AB's this weekend as the Friars plan on using the big switch hitter as their DH.

Friars Claim MLB Basement

The Padres lost yet again, staking the claim to Major League Baseball's worst record at 11-19. Such a statement isn't exactly the way I had hoped to welcome my son to world and world of Friar fan-hood. Then again, this is perhaps the proper introduction to San Diego sports, as we have all had to learn how expect the worst to stay sane. But I digress - back to more of the same for this season of discontent. Justin Germano continued his streak of poor outings, allowing 5 earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. Most of the damage came by way of the long ball. The Marlins managed 3 bombs, accounting for 5 of the 6 overall runs the plated. Kevin Cameron (3.72 ERA in 8 outings) and Wil Ledezma (1.08 ERA in 16+ innings) both posted perfect relief outings and should be considered by Bud Black for promotions in the bullpen's world order. Offensively, the Padres collected just 7 hits across 4 batters; Kevin Kouzmanoff did his best T. Gwynn impression with a 4-4 nights, including one double. Khalil Greene finally belted his first home run to give the Friars half of their runs in the 6-4 loss at Dolphin Stadium on Friday night. Colt Morton spelled Josh Bard, but has yet to claim his first knock of the season.

Mendoza Line Watch
The following players are currently at or approaching the infamous Mendoza Line, with nearly 1/5 of the season gone:

• Paul McAnulty - .222


• Khalil Greene - .217


• Josh Bard - .209


• Tony Clark - .208


• Justin Huber - .200


• Scott Hairston - .198


• Callix Crabbe - .160


• Jim Edmonds - .160


• Colt Morton - .000