‘Why Not Padres?’ McKeon Asks

It’s happening. Right before their eyes. Once again.

Pick up any preseason baseball publication. Turn to any TV channel. Read any newspaper. Scan the radio dial.

The Padres, who broke the hearts of their fans and made fools of the experts last year, are once again the overwhelming pick to win the National League West.

The prognosticators ignore the fact that the Padres lost their Cy Young winner in the off-season when reliever Mark Davis took his 44 saves to Kansas City.

They forget that the Padres lack an everyday player in left field and have a crap shoot at third base and a risk at shortstop.

They disregard the team’s history of winning only one division title in its 21 years, finishing higher than fourth just four times.

There are hundreds of reasons that Jack McKeon, manager and vice president/baseball operations, can reel off as to why the Padres should not be picked to win the division.

Who wants the kiss of death anyway, right?

But Thursday morning, after addressing his complete squad for the first time this season, McKeon couldn’t help himself.

Maybe he was fired up by his own 20-minute pep talk, the one that he concludes each year by saying, “Winning is fun, and fun is winning.” Maybe it was the sun baking down upon his head. Maybe it was the breakfast cereal.

Whatever the reason, McKeon dared anyone to go ahead and come up with reasons why the Padres won’t win the division. Pick the Dodgers, he said, they should be favored anyway. Pick the Cincinnati Reds, they have the most talent. Go on the limb and pick the Atlanta Braves . . . they figure to be the league’s most improved team.

But if you’re smart, if you must pick a team to win the National League West in your office pool, McKeon said to go ahead and write down the Padres.

Don’t get him wrong. McKeon doesn’t want quotes showing up on an opponent’s bulletin board. But he can’t remember his confidence soaring to such a level before opening day.

The Padres are going to win the division, grab the pennant and take their chances in the World Series.

McKeon knows it.

He’s convinced of it.

He just won’t come out in so many words and say it.

“These guys know we can win this thing, they’re convinced they can,” McKeon said. “We’re not going to guarantee it, but there’s an attitude now that we know we can do it.

“We’re not going to be just a good club, we’re going to be a great club. I’m telling you now, we’ve got more guys who are winners on this ballclub than any team I’ve ever been associated with.”

Even the ’84 Padres, who won the National League pennant?

Without a moment’s hesitation, McKeon said, “Yes.”

So there you have it. The man who was irritated by all the prognosticators a year ago, who thought it stupid for anyone to consider the Padres the favorite, actually welcomes media confidence in his team.

“Early predictions are like the (NCAA) basketball pool,” McKeon said. “Who would have picked some of those clubs to win, and a team like Missouri to lose?

“Shoot, I picked what I thought were the favorites, and my secretary, who doesn’t know anything about basketball, is winning the thing. She picked Ball State to go this far, can you believe it?”

But McKeon challenges anyone to come up with a valid reason why the Padres won’t be playing in mid-October.

Go ahead, try.

You lost the man, Davis, who saved 44 games for you . Doesn’t this make your team actually weaker than a year ago?

“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good pitcher, and I’d like to have him back, but one guy doesn’t make a club. I don’t see him having that kind of year again. I just don’t see it. He was in an ideal situation. It was a career year is what it was.”

Your club has been doomed by miserable first halves each of the past two seasons. What makes you think it won’t happen again?

“We learned our lesson. I learned a lesson. And it won’t happen again. I was no different than the fans and the rest of you guys, I was waiting for Jack (Clark) to hit one out and take care of us. Then everybody started putting too much pressure on themselves. Now, I know that we have to be aggressive, we’ve got to make things happen, we can’t just sit around and wait for one big swing.

It seems that after you put together your greatest exhibition record in franchise history last year, you also thought the Padres would go all the way. What makes this year different?

“Last year, we were just hoping, that’s all. We were hoping (Carmelo) Martinez would get off to a good start. We were hoping (John) Kruk would bounce back. We were hoping about a whole lot of things.”

On and on, McKeon went. He talked about all of the Padres’ strengths. And if anyone needed any further convincing, he pointed at the late arrival who strolled into camp Thursday.

Jack Clark.

This is the man who led the Padres with 26 homers and 94 RBIs, with 14 homers and 42 RBIs in the last two months when the team found itself in a pennant race.

He took his time getting to camp, staying in the Bay Area on Tuesday to watch his son play T-ball and stopping in for a haircut and visiting with his agent on Wednesday before finally arriving late Wednesday night.

Clark vows it will be his final late start of the season.

“I’m going to pick up where I left off,” he said. “The whole team finished on a high note, so we just have to continue what we had going. We’re not searching for a new lineup or having a guessing game, so there’s no reason why we can’t keep it up.

“Even though we’re all behind schedule, there’s a certain excitement in the clubhouse that wasn’t here last spring.”

Said Padre starter Bruce Hurst: “I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel a difference in this clubhouse. It’s an air of confidence, a feeling of success. I think last year we proved to ourselves we can’t just step on the field and turn it on and off, and we’re going to benefit from that lesson.”

Said Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn: “It seems like there’s a whole lot of guys who have something to prove. There’s that feeling like this could really be something special.”

Hmmm. Could it be that McKeon really is into something, here?

“You make your own judgment,” McKeon said. “I’m just going on what I’m seeing.

“And what I’m seeing, I like a whole hell of a lot.”

Padre Notes

Even if the baseball commissioner’s office had not decided to play a full 162-game schedule, Padre Manager Jack McKeon said he disagrees with baseball purists who claim it would have tarnished the season. “Hey, what’s the difference?” he said. “We were going to play 158 games anyway, and whoever is the best team over that long of a period deserves to be champion. Now, if you’re talking about a 126-game schedule, yeah, that’s a difference. But being the best over a 158-game season wouldn’t take away anything.” . . . Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn can’t provide any explanations, but this first week of camp, he says, is the best of his career. “Usually the first week of camp I can’t even get the ball out of the cage, but now I’m hitting the ball better than I ever hit it. Maybe it’s the urgency of having a short camp. It’s hard to say if that’s a good sign or not, really, because I’ve always done pretty good the other way (.332 career batting average).” . . . Padre pitcher Eric Show, who underwent back surgery seven months ago, pitched for the third consecutive day without pain. “I’m feeling absolutely great,” he said. “I feel so good, it’s almost scary.” . . . Who was the most impressive pitcher in camp Thursday? Try Jon Matlack, a 40-year-old who just happens to be the Padres’ double-A pitching coach at Wichita. Matlack, a three-time All-Star who pitched West Palm Beach to the Senior League championship, left a half-dozen Padres shaking their head in amazement. “Hey, the guy could win 15 games right now,” Padre catcher Mark Parent said. “I’m dead serious.” Shortstop Garry Templeton yelled to Matlack: “You sure you don’t want to help us this year? We sure could use you.” . . . Tim Flannery, who retired from the Padres at the end of last season, arrived at camp today for his job with Ch. 8. When asked if he felt funny being in spring training without a uniform, he said, “You kidding me? I didn’t even want to be in spring training last year.” Flannery arranged a film clip in which he warmly greets everyone and promptly is kicked out of the clubhouse by McKeon, ignored by his teammates and neglected by a small boy seeking autographs. “This is great,” Flannery said. “I told my wife I still get the same rush as when I played, only I’m not hurting afterwards.” . . . Jack Clark, Ed Whitson, Thomas Howard and Dan Murphy arrived in camp Thursday, leaving pitcher Mike Dunne as the lone wanderer.