Short Hops: Baseball's new unwritten rule

UH, JUST KIDDING, BAR
Remember when David Wells nailed Barry Bonds with this smackdown in 2006: “He’s hit a few home runs off me while he was juiced. There have been a lot of ‘em off people when he was juiced.” And this gem early this season: “He’s been doing it since he could hula-hoop in a Cheerio and now he’s a big ol’ son of a bitch and he’s still doing it.” Well, that didn’t stop the SOB from doing Wells a huge favor. Years ago, Boomer bought a ball autographed by Babe Ruth for $7,000. Subsequently, he had Hank Aaron add his signature, and now he’s convinced Bonds to do the same, undoubtedly enhancing its value exponentially. So not only does Wells have the inscriptions of the top three home run hitters of all time on his ball, he could (if he so chose) add the next nine, all of whom are still living. Our advice before doing that: Wait for A-Rod to catch up.

SURVIVORMAN
Almost 20 years ago Scott McClain had a chance to be the quarterback at USC and was considered an NFL prospect, but chose instead to pursue his first love, baseball. After that, he appeared in nine games for Tampa Bay in 1998 and 13 for the Cubs in 2005. And until getting some recent play in San Francisco this month, that comprised the first baseman’s entire major league career. It has, however, been a quite notable career elsewhere. Toiling for seven organizations and in Japan, McClain accumulated almost 400 home runs, including 31 for the Giants’ Triple-A Fresno club this season. So much for the Giants’ youth movement.

GENERATION GAP
It may be more constructive to dissect the Dodgers clubhouse than their stat sheet to account for a collapse that saw them lose nine of 10 games (through September 26) and any shot at the Wild Card. “The tension here is getting to the point where we have two different teams,” pitcher Derek Lowe finally admitted. Team A is the vets, whose ringleader is the no-nonsense Jeff Kent. Team B is the kids, personified by James Loney and Matt Kemp, whose cooler-than-thou attitudes have not been as impressive as their numbers. In one recent volley, Kent publicly decried what he perceived as a lack of urgency by his immature teammates. “Who said he was a leader?” Loney retorted. Luis Gonzalez defended the former MVP: “Look at the back of his bubblegum card.” Lowe, who like Kent and Gonzalez, is in his twilight, fears he’s seen his last postseason unless the situation is addressed. “This has to be settled going into spring training,” he told the L.A. Times. “We can’t have the young players believing they are bulletproof. We’re also going to have to be very careful as an organization what kind of people are brought in next season.”

I LOVE YOU, MAN
Did Jake Peavy give Barry Bonds a lollypop? On the last pitch Bonds saw in a Giants uniform at AT&T Park, he rode a Peavy fastball to the warning track, where it was caught. On the way back to the dugout, Barry stopped at the mound, hugged the Padres pitcher and told him, “I love you.” Hinted Peavy, who had an eight-run cushion at the time, “That would be the only instance it would be OK to give up a home run.” So add this to the lengthy list of baseball’s unwritten rules: Always groove a pitch to an all-time home run king is his final at-bat at his home park.

HIT AND RUN
Short Hops’ recurring installment of slapdash observation and imprudent opinion:

Wells may have a sense of baseball history, but many players don’t know Johnny Hopp from Johnny Depp. Like Clay Buchholz who, after failing to follow up his no-hitter with another, admitted he had no idea some guy named Johnny Vander Meer once threw two in a row.

Roy Halladay had a recent four-start stretch in which he pitched two eight-inning complete games and two nine-inning incomplete games. Following that, he worked an 8 2/3-inning pseudo-CG. That one ended when the reliever that followed him failed to retire a batter.

The Giants have scored two or fewer runs in 21 of Matt Cain’s starts. Lest you feel sorry for the young lefty, who’s 7-16 despite a respectable 3.68 ERA, consider Hall of Famer Ed Walsh. In 1910, he went 18-20 with an ERA of 1.27.

Frank Thomas is just 12-for-50 against Tim Wakefield in his career, but seven of the hits are home runs. Those include five of the six he’s jacked in his pair of three-homer games.

The world reversed course as Matt Garza won at home and Wandy Rodriguez won on the road on back-to-back days. Prior to that, they’d been 10-30 for their careers at those venues.

Lance Berkman homered on September 21 for the seventh straight season, tying Lou Gehrig’s record (June 8, 1932-38).

QUOTABLES
“I was busy blowing on it.” — Red Sox manager Terry Francona, saying he didn’t see the ball that Tampa Bay’s Delmon Young misplayed into a David Ortiz walk-off homer.

"We’ve got a 260-yard approach to win the Open, and we’ve got to stick it on the green.” — Todd Jones on what the Tigers needed to do to make the playoffs.

“I’m surprised more people don’t get injured out there. It’s as bad as there is. It’s worse than playing in a parking lot. It looks like they had a monster truck rally. It’s terrible. There’s potholes. It’s bad. It’s unsafe.” — Adam Dunn on the Wrigley Field outfield where Ken Griffey Jr.’s season ended with a groin injury last week.

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