Ben Davis, Suicidal Tendencies & Stirrups

Look at those stirrups. That's how baseball socks are supposed to look. I remember when Jim Thome debuted with the Indians back in the early 90s, he became one of my favorite non-Padres because he rocked 'em the right way. It's become slightly trendy on a small scale in the past ten years or so for players to wear their socks high although most who do so favor the solid sock- it's not ideal but it's definitely better than the pajama pants look.

(I bet you thought I was gonna write about him breaking up Schilling's [Schilling?!?!] no-hitter with a bunt, didn't you? God, that was awesome.)

Mud and Matty V.

On Friday, jbox at Gaslamp Ball wrote about the Top Ten Padres Related Videos on YouTube (or TTPRVoYT if you prefer) and I realized today that my favorite PRV wasn't on the list. Mud and Matty V. were both there but individually. The video they made when Vasgersian got hired cracks me up every time.

That Guy Was A Padre? Volume II: Rick Wise

This seemed like a good idea for a running series that I'll soon abandon. Every now and then, I stumble across a card of a guy I had no idea was ever a Padre. Harold Reynolds was one of those; Rick Wise was another.
If you're anything like me, you remember Rick Wise for two things. One, he was traded for Steve Carlton and two, he gave the greatest single game performance in Major League history. On June 23 of 1971, Wise no-hit the Reds and hit two home runs in the same game. Nobody had done it before and nobody has done it since. One thing he does have in common with many before him and since him is that he ended his career in San Diego barely getting by on fumes. He pitched poorly in 1980 and '81 and gave up two runs in two innings in his sole game of 1982. The Padres released him April 16th, six days after Colt Morton was born and seven after Chad Reineke was born.

FoC's Third Annual Bip Roberts Day

In the only running theme here at Friars On Cardboard that has stuck so far, today, February 10th, is Bip Roberts Day. There's no rhyme or reason behind it, just that I posted a Bip card two years ago as a shoutout to my friend and former brother-in-law Corey who is a big Bip fan and then did it again 365 days later. Well, 365 more have passed so here we are again. Since this has become a yearly event, I went all out this go-'round (that's the way we talk in these parts, tell you what), I went all out and posted five cards instead of the customary one and, in addition to This Year In Bip Links like I did last year, I've gathered together ten (of course) Bip facts you may or may not know. First the facts:

1. Bip was picked from the Pirates system by the Padres in the 1985 Rule V Draft. After spending the obligatory full 1986 season with the big league team, the organization sent him back to the minors for all of '87 and most of '88.
2. Bip is currently employed as an analyst for the Giants. Ugh!
3. In addition to his familiar number 10 that he wore in San Diego, Cincinnati and Detroit, Roberts wore 2 as a rookie and later went on to wear 1 with the Royals, 6 with the Indians and 3 with Oakland.
4. He was traded by the Padres to the Reds for "Nasty Boy" Randy Myers following the 1991 season. He promptly made his only All Star team.
5. The second time he was traded by the Padres, it was for another player who would go on to be a San Diego fan favorite. He was sent to Kansas City before the 1996 season for Wally Joyner.
6. Bip played every position in the Majors except pitcher, catcher and
first baseman.
7. In 1997, Roberts was second in the National League with 107 singles. The only man with more was of course his teammate, Mr. Padre himself, Tony The Gwynn.
8. Bip maintained a blog for a little over a month last season. If he's anything like me, he'll come back to it at some point, fire off a flurry of posts in one week and then go back to neglecting it for a while. He can also be found on Twitter.
9. His uncle Roy Shivers played for the St. Louis (now Arizona) Cardinals from 1966 through 1972. He had the NFL's longest kick return of 1966, a 94 yard run.
10. In Pedro Martinez's famous near-perfect game in 1995, it was Bip who broke it up in the tenth inning with a double.

On to the links:
The great Punk Rock Paint created a 1988 Fleer of Bip as he didn't have a card in that set due to being in the minors all of the prior season along with a 1988 Topps Traded and a few "relic" cards for Padrographs' contest. He also made a number of Bipoganda posters and a ten dollar Bip Buck.

Speaking of Padrographs, five days ago he featured nine Bips. His entire blog is particularly Bipcentric as you can see from the eight pages of results that come up when you search "Bip" there. He has also cataloged all of his Bips in one spot.

Well, I think that puts a bow on yet another successful Bip Roberts Day. Make it a good one!

Hey, Jake Peavy Fans!

Most of my readers (meaning at least two out of all three of you guys) know I'm not a Jake Peavy fan. I liked the chance he gave us every five days but as far as a human being, ehh. I won't go into details since I've already bored you with that.
Anyway, I know a lot of you are fans of the guy so you would probably get more joy out of this than I would. Not to say I don't think it's one of the raddest bobbleheads I've seen; I'd just like to pass stuff along to those who would be happy to have it like others have done for me. So, if you if you don't have this and would like to, email me your address (wordsplusnumber[at]yahoo[dot]com) and you'll have a shoebox wrapped in brown paper on your doorstep in no time.

Answering A Student's Questions About Blogging

This post has nothing to do with Eric Show- I do have a post on him coming up in a day or two, though. It was a reader request and I aim to please.
A few days ago, I got an email from a Melanie who is a Broadcast Communications major at CSU East Bay and is currently doing research for her Sports and Media class. She's one of the four or five readers of this humble little nerdblog and had some interview questions about sports blogging. Gaslamp Ball got the same set of questions and posted their answers. Since I'm always in the market for filler, I thought I'd do the same...
1. Where did you grow up?
Ravenswood, WV
2. What was it like to be a kid, a teenager, or a young person in that time?
It was pretty boring. A small, redneck town, it wasn't the best place for a young punk rocker.
3. Did you decide to go to college? If so, did it help you in pursuing become a sports blogger?
I went very briefly. It had no impact on my eventual blogging.
4. How did you first become interested in becoming a sports blogger?
Probably after reading and getting immersed in other blogs such as Gaslamp Ball. I had a short lived blog called Pads And Ends before starting Friars On Cardboard which I started because I like baseball cards and no one else was doing a blog that was strictly Padres cards and nothing more.
5. What did you read before you became a sports writer (newspapers, books, magazines, etc)?
All of the above.
6. Who are/were your favorite authors?
Jim Bouton, Jeff Pearlman, John Steinbeck
7. What sports did you play?
baseball
8. Did you have a favorite sports team growing up?
The Padres
9. Did your parents have a favorite sports team that differed from yours? If so, how did that affect you?
My mother didn't care about sports until I did and then it was just for my sake. I didn't know my father.
10. How did you use media in your everyday life before your career?
For information and time-wasting.
11. How has the internet, instant messaging, instant video uploading and other new technology impacted the way you report today compared to five or ten years ago?
I have never done any reporting, haha
12. How do you deal with coaches or club owners who may or may not want to share information? For example, the Giants issue with Barry bonds and the Balco investigation.
This has never been an issue in the kind of blogging I do.
13. How have sports news and entertainment changed in the span of your career? For the better? For the worse?
Blogging seems to be taken more seriously now. They are now cited as sources and the mother's basement jokes seem to be dying down. I think Rob Neyer's move from ESPN to SBN will further legitimize the sports blogging community.
14. What would you say is the most challenging part of being a sports blogger?
Writing when I don't feel like it. Which I don't do, so it's not challenging at all.
15. What is the most exciting part of being a sports blogger?
I got pretty excited when I found out Jeff Pearlman read my blog and it "made (his) day".
16. What are some major sports events you recall covering? Did that change your perspective?
I haven't covered any events.
17. What kind of skills are necessary in order to be a sports blogger?
The abilities to write and research. For more serious bloggers than myself, the ability to make deadlines.
18. Where would you say the future of sports blogging is heading?
I think it's taking over. People won't tolerate the BS that comes along with traditional sources when they realize they don't have to.

Dickey Thon And Some Shoutouts

Since I'm always giving the almighty Gaslamp Ball its proper respect around here and I shouted out RJ's Fro and .400 in '94, I thought I'd toss out a few more links today. Well, that and I don't know shit about Dickie Thon.
About a month ago, multi-blogger Steve Adler (no, not that one!) sent me the Friarhood shirt shown above. It is so comfortable! They've got a wide selection of shirts, including Team Latos and the Pen-itentiary ones the bully rocked last year.
As far as card blogs, my favorite has to be Orioles Card O' The Day. And, yes, he really does update it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I'm impressed. Kevin has two other phenomenal blogs as well- The Great 1965 Topps Project and NumerOlogy.