Playoff Tidbits

Since the Padres' season could be over in less than 24 hours, we better get these thoughts out of the way now:

• We're sure Duke Castiglione is a fine reporter and there must be some people out there who like to look at him, but come on, he's no Erin Andrews or Bonnie Bernstein. Since ESPN refused to send Andrews to San Diego, we'll provide a public service and bring her to you here.
• Since ESPN is so in love with itself, surely it must have been just a mere coincidence that Chris "Boomer" Berman was sent to San Diego so he could call a game involving David "Boomer" Wells.
• Just before the start of Thursday's Game 2, as the Tigers-Yankees game was ending, ESPN cut away for a few seconds to show Wells in the bullpen at Petco Park. This was at 12:56 p.m. Four minutes later, when the Padres broadcast began, Wells looked like he had already gained a few pounds.
• Showing the same type of control he displays at the buffet line, Wells hit the first batter of the game, David Eckstein.
• In the second inning, the Padres actually did something good for the only time in the series. St. Louis' Juan Encarnacion, running like Jeff Kent, gets thrown out at the plate by left fielder Dave Roberts.
  
• That botched rundown in the fourth inning that allowed Albert Pujols to sneak in at second was the kind of thing you expect to see in the first week of the season, not in the playoffs. Maybe when these guys report to Peoria in February, they might have to lay off the Krispy Kremes for a while and actually work on some baseball drills.
• Berman and Hershiser kept saying "yesterday" when referring to Game 1 of the series, which was played on Tuesday. An announcer who doesn't know what day it is is kind of like a cab driver who doesn't know what street he's on.
• Does Hershiser read Minor-League Town? He talked about Peavy's mentality on the mound and how Jake the Fake lost his composure and had a "meltdown" after Pujols' homer in Game 1.
• Castiglione told viewers that Adrian Gonzalez informed him before the game that the Padres were loose and relaxed. That's good to know. Because we all know that if the Padres were not loose and relaxed, the first thing Gonzalez would do is admit it to the Duke of Bristol.
• Since the Padres were so loose and relaxed for Games 1 and 2, maybe it's not a bad idea to come out tense and nervous for Game 3.