Dog Days Musings

Let's face facts: these guys are dead. When they aren't wasting the relatively rare strong outings by a starter, they are stopping just short of Curt Schillings' favorite approach -- drooping towels over their heads and hoping the bullpen doesn't self-destruct.

When Chase Utley went down all was doom and gloom but the Phillies surprised most of us with a few wins. Then Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino were injured within an inning of each other and Ryan Howard all but disappeared behind a veil of whiffs. Were it not for a resurgent Pat Burrell, whom they desperately tried to dump at every turn, the Phillies would be sinking even faster and further. Now, they must rely on Adam Eaton of all people to salvage a lone win in Milwaukee.

Don't get your hopes up.

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Well, Barry Bonds is now co-home run king of all time and as soon as today will be the new Sultan of Swat, at least officially. Bonds isn't likely to replace Hank Aaron or Babe Ruth in the hearts and minds of baseball fans, even in San Francisco when the dust settles, but he is going to wear the crown and no asterisk or other qualifier will rest beneath it unless something dramatic and unforeseen happens on the steroids front.

The royal we don't congratulate him.

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Jim Salisbury had an interesting column the other day on the endless and largely tedious exercise in following Bonds around the country as he pursued Aaron's record. The interesting part wasn't about Bonds, per se, but about PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres, where Bonds tied the mark and might break it today.

It seems when the Padres built the park, much admired throughout baseball, they determined to build it to favor pitchers, which let the record show, it most certainly does. The Padres' ownership decided pitching is the name of the game and their home field would thus favor hurlers. (Salisbury also noted there were rumors the Padres' management wanted to "Bonds-proof" the park. It seems Bonds has victimized San Diego's pitching staff more than any other. I doubt any management, even the Phillies", would go to such lengths.)

Citizens Bank Park, which opened the same season as PETCO Park, is as we all know not a pitcher-friendly park. Indeed, just the other night the Padres stellar starter Jake Peavy became the latest member of his sect to diss the Bank. He has hardly been alone. One can only assume the Phillies ownership, faced with the same design decisions several years ago, said in unison, what the heck, let's go for offense. At the time the Phillies had Jim Thome and Pat Burrell and an untested or proven Ryan Howard. They also had Cole Hamels and Gavin Floyd on the way and Brett Myers already in the majors, but David Montgomery, Bill Giles & Company were evidently more inclined toward the Mike Schmidt's of the world than the Steve Carlton's.

Nary a single pitcher has ever been heard to say anything but a disparaging let alone discouraging word about the Phillies' home. And none will. Local fans can drool all they want over free agent pitchers, only Adam Eaton types would consider plying their trade in this bandbox. Meanwhile, the Padres, hardly offensive juggernauts, are contending for the NL West lead on the strength of their pitching.