Ho Hum Man

The usual suspects are claiming they "called" Drew's game winning shot off Trevor Hoffman last night, and as outlandish as that might seem, it's really not. During Drew's AB, even I casually remarked to my son:

"Drew could end it right here, or Quentin behind him."

No big deal. That's not the same as "predicting" the homer - but it was also more than blithely stating the metaphysically possible, as if Hanley Frias was at the plate. Despite two strikeouts, Drew hit the hardest ball off Peavy all night, a gapper to left center flagged down by Mike Cameron. Hoffman, who's not nearly as dominant in Chase Field, was exceedingly careful with Drew in the ninth, considering Tracy had just walked. Hoffy nibbled on the outside edge, falling behind 3-1 before finally missing inside for the gamewinner. It certainly could have ended differently, but one didnt get the feeling Drew was overmatched against The Greatest Closer in History.

Hoffman has now yielded 3 homers in his last 5 innings inside our cozy hangar, and while that's probably an anomaly ( his career allowance is one homer per every eleven innings), it's worth noting that Drew's line drive barely cleared the fence and would've been an out in many venues, including Petco Park.

That doesnt mean it doesnt count - it counts plenty - it just underscores how much more vulnerable Hoffman, or any pitcher really, is in our bandbox. Same thing for Montero's homer - and Sledge's - all outs in alot of parks.

No complaints about the postgame celebration last night. You walkoff against Trevor, you get to smile, pump your fist, toss your helmet and get mobbed at home plate. That's the rule - even if it's April. Especially the way Drew snatched victory from the clutches of doom. It's a pleasure to watch the guys' genuine, youthful, over the top enthusiasm after an improbably huge win. Just turn it down a notch during the game, fellas.

It's an old joke that batting coaches like to sidle up to hitters in the dugout immediately following home runs to earn a little camera time, and dammed if Kevin Seitzer wasnt draped all over Drew on The Kid's giddy walk from the dish to the dugout step. Understandably, everybody's jubilant, but this wouldnt be the first time we've rolled our eyes at Seitzer's self promotional zeal.

All that aside, this could be a big boost for such a young club's psyche. In a game filled with frustration, angrily thrown helmets and near humiliation (Sutton and Grace were basically laughing at Arizona's ineptitude v Peavy all game), the lesson learned is :

Now matter how bad things seem, no matter how overmatched you look, baseball rewards teams that play in the moment, not those trapped in the past or future.

In that vein, our game MVP could easily go to Drew, whose "moment" stole the game as well as headlines from Peavy and the pitiful attendance. Or perhaps to Chad Tracy for enabling the win with a base on balls when things looked bleakest. Instead, we vote for the man we feel most responsible for the win: Brandon Webb, who quietly kept a percolating Padres offense in check while Peavy was plastered all over mlb.com. It's vintage Webby, lurking in the shadows, ho humming his team to another victory.

And this one, for a recently freefalling team and their disillusioned fans, came none too soon. 

  ( photo courtesy Matt York/AP)