ROAD TO A RIVALRY : SAN DIEGO CAN FINALLY COMPETE WITH L.A. FOR WEST SUPREMACY.Byline: Kevin Modesti Daily News Staff Writer Hands on hips in a Jack Murphy The name Jack Murphy can refer to:
Which would he choose? One pennant race? One beanball? The Padres manager, once a Padres player, hesitated. He smiled. Yes? ``To be honest with you,'' he said, shrugging, ``I can't say I remember any.'' There's a reason for that: there aren't any. Despite having been National League neighbors since 1969, and despite their interwoven in·ter·weave v. in·ter·wove , in·ter·wo·ven , inter·weav·ing, inter·weaves v.tr. 1. To weave together. 2. To blend together; intermix. v.intr. pedigrees, the Padres and Dodgers are not rivals. They are, at best, rivals waiting to happen. Or, as San Diego third-base coach Tim Flannery For the baseball player, see . Professor Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammologist, palaeontologist and global warming activist. Flannery was named Australian of the Year in 2007 and presently an adjunct professor at Macquarie University. put it: ``If you asked the Dodgers fans, they'd probably say there's no rivalry. If you asked the Padres fans, they'd probably say there is.'' When the Dodgers go to The Murph for four games starting Thursday afternoon, and when the Padres go to Dodger Stadium • • [ for the season's final three games Sept. 27-29, it will be the first time they've collided with a division title at stake for both teams. It will be the first time a Padres-Dodgers showdown has had the potential to produce anything like Bobby Thompson's home run, R.J. Reynolds' squeeze bunt, or the Astros-Dodgers playoff game Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship . Consider their history, or lack of it: They have never finished 1-2 in the National League West standings. In '84, the only year the Padres finished first, the Dodgers were 13 games back in third place. They finished 2-3 only once, in '91, when the Dodgers were nine games ahead of the Padres. Only once did they finish closer than seven games apart. That was in '86, when the Padres were fourth, 22 games back, the Dodgers fifth, 23 out. When their histories have crossed, the Padres have looked like second-class Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, citizens: The Dodgers finished ahead of the Padres in 23 of the 27 years they've both been in the league, including the first 15. The Dodgers' past two division titles, in '88 and '95, were clinched in San Diego. The most dramatic moment in Padres history, the home run that ended Game 4 of the '84 NL championship series against the Chicago Cubs, came courtesy of Dodgers hand-me-down Steve Garvey
Walter O'Malley Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. , then the Dodgers owner, was a crucial supporter of San Diego's bid to join the NL in '69. Former Dodgers general manager Buzzy Bavasi was the Padres' first GM. And five of the first nine Padres managers were ex-Dodgers. Ever since, San Diego fans have hoped the Padres would play their way out of Los Angeles' long shadow. Now comes its chance. ``This organization has always been somewhat self-conscious about its existence, because it feels it's been looked down on as the poor stepchild step·child n. 1. A child of one's spouse by a previous union. 2. Something that does not receive appropriate care, respect, or attention: "Demography has a reputation for being the stepchild of . . . of the Dodgers,'' said sports agent A "sports agent" is a person who procures and negotiates employment and endorsement deals for an athlete. In return, the agent receives a commission that is usually between four and ten percent of the contract, although this figure varies. Tony Attanasio, a San Diego resident who represents Bochy, Flannery, first-base coach Davey Lopes ``The players think about one thing - winning. That day. That game. That pitch,'' Attanasio said. ``But they know what's important. In their heart of hearts, this is a big thing, beating these guys (from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ). This is for the bragging rights for California.'' Their stadiums stand 110 miles apart. That's the closest in the NL. Only the Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. and Milwaukee Brewers, in the American League American League (AL) One of the two associations of professional baseball teams in the U.S. and Canada designated as major leagues; the other is the National League (NL). , are closer. And what has this familiarity bred? ``I think it's no secret that people down here don't care
"Don't Care" is a 1994 (see 1994 in music) single by American death metal band Obituary. for people up there,'' said Padres pinch-hitter and former Dodger Chris Gwynn, who, with brother Tony, grew up in Long Beach. ``San Diego, to me, seems to be happy hating that L.A. thing.'' Tony Gwynn, the six-time NL batting champion, said it's ``definitely a one-way kind of thing. It's no big deal to them (L.A. fans). But our fans make it to be the Battle of the Titans. Everybody here has put a lot of stock in beating L.A.'' But do Padres players care more about winning the division because - this time - they can do it at the Dodgers' expense? Not really, Chris Gwynn said. ``Coming from where this organization was the last four, five years, I think it would be special whoever (the Padres faced),'' he said. Tony said the Padres would like this to be the start of a beautiful rivalry because ``we don't really have a natural rival, like the Dodgers have the Giants.'' A rivalry, though, is forged not on the freeway but on the field. And there, the Padres have rarely done their part. The team's modest history made San Diego fans slow to join the bandwagon in April and players fearful they'd jump off during a June slump. But when the Padres bus pulled into the stadium parking lot after a disappointing June trip, they were greeted by 3,000 fans. ``From then on,'' said Padres infielder Jody Reed, another ex-Dodger, ``there was mutual affection.'' Still, the Padres know their fans are, well, fickle. It's one of the differences between this and any other would-be rivalry. ``We'll probably have as many Dodgers fans as Padres fans here (this week),'' Flannery said, noting the short freeway drive. ``And we'll have a lot of people who think they're Padres fans, who could be Dodgers fans before it's over. ``I grew up in Anaheim. I know the mentality down here.'' There was a time when the best the Padres could hope for was to play spoiler spoiler: see airplane. 1. spoiler - A remark which reveals important plot elements from books or movies, thus denying the reader (of the article) the proper suspense when reading the book or watching the movie. 2. , to trip up the Dodgers' run to a division title. ``It was our one purpose in life, to keep them from clinching,'' Tony Gwynn said with a laugh. This week, they have a higher purpose. Frustrating the Dodgers is no longer the objective, only a large part of it. Welcome to the first all-Southern California pennant race. The Padres, who have the most to gain, hope it's not the last. Dodgers vs. Padres By the Numbers Where the Dodgers have the edge Category Numbers Home Runs 142-134 Steals 115-101 ERA 3.49 x-3.72 Saves 49 x-41 Strikeouts 1,116-1,100 Double Plays 139-123 W% at home .600-.573 W% vs. lefties .600 x-.537 W% on grass .575-.558 W% at night .565-.524 W% by 1 run .600-.585 W% Ex. Inn. .643-.524 Where the Padres have the edge Category Numbers Runs 729-652 Average .266-.253 Slugging .402-.387 Total Bases 2118-1986 On-base % .338-.318 Complete games 5-4 Shutouts 11-10 Errors 112-116 W% vs. NL West .643-.519 W% on the road .553-.533 W% vs. righties .572-.557 W% Day games .646-.561 Team leaders Category Dodgers Padres Average Mike Piazza, .347 x Tony Gwynn, .355 Home Runs Mike Piazza, 34 Ken Caminiti, 34 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in Eric Karros, 104 Ken Caminiti, 118 Runs Raul Mondesi,85 Steve Finley, 118 Steals Delino DeShields,44 Ricky Henderson,35 Wins Hideo Nomo, 15-10 Joey Hamilton, 14-8 ERA Hideo Nomo, 3.29 Scott Sanders, 3.10 Saves Todd Worrell, 43 x Trevor Hoffman, 36 Strikeouts Hideo Nomo, 216 Joey Hamilton, 170 x - Leads National League All Statistics through Monday's games. CAPTION(S): 4 Photos, Chart Photo: (1--color) Ken Caminiti MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. candidate .320 avg. 34 HR 118 RBI (2--color) Greg Vaugh 40 HR 115 RBI Brewers/Padres combined (3--color) Joey Hamilton 14-8 199 innings 170 strikeouts (4--color) Tony Gwynn .355 avg. Six NL batting titles Chart: Dodgers vs. Padres: By The Numbers (see text) |
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