Sockers Lead League in Championships--and Uncertainty

Potpourri . . .

Now comes the worst of times for the nine-time indoor champion Sockers.

Off-season.

It’s no holiday for these guys.

When the playing stops, it is time once again for concern about whether the franchise will survive to win again or the league will survive to be conquered again.

If both of those things happen, then it is a time for concern about salaries under a cap that may have to shrink once again to try to keep things going.

Then there is the concern about who will end up elsewhere, if, indeed, that is really a concern for this franchise. It does not seem to matter who puts on the uniform. These guys win.

I hope Jack Clark does not aspire to get into any kind of a job involving personnel assessment when his playing career ends.

We all know what he thought of Tony Gwynn, right?

I wonder how he would assess himself at this point in the season. Going into the weekend, he was batting .226 with four home runs and 15 RBI. His nemesis, Mr. Gwynn, was batting .357 with two home runs and 31 RBI.

What’s more, the J. Clark whom the Padres retained, Jerald Clark, was batting .288 with three home runs and 16 RBI.

It looks as if Joe McIlvaine knew a little more about talent than the other J. Clark.

However . . .

We’ll get a taste of the accuracy of McIlvaine’s scouting reports when we see how Fernando Valenzuela does with the Angels, assuming he gets the call to the varsity.

Remember that the Padres, so woefully lacking in a No. 5 starter, were not interested in Valenzuela because their reports indicated he was through.

Excuse me, but did you miss it too?

Did you miss the fact that San Diego has a new sports franchise?

The San Diego Zooms.

Zooms?

Right. The San Diego Zooms of the National Cycling League. I assume they will be pedaling season ticket sales all over town.

A victory has never tasted worse than the one the Padres’ Steve Rosenberg got stuck with Thursday night (or Friday morning) in Atlanta.

Poor guy comes in to try to save the game and gives up a three-run homer to lose the lead. Lo and behold, Darrin Jackson hits a home run, and Rosenberg gets the win instead.

Please, no one ever ask him about his first National League victory. The elephant man was prettier.

What does the National Football League schedule-maker have against the Chargers?

In the first seven weeks of the season, they play at Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles and Anaheim. The only home games are Atlanta and Kansas City.

With a beginning like that, the lads may have a leg up on a fourth straight 6-10 season.

Of course, they could ruin it and go 5-11.

Absent once again from the Monday night schedule, it seems the Chargers are simply too boring for prime time.

How in the world are the Padres staying so close to first place?

If manager of the year was being voted upon today, it would be between Greg Riddoch and Atlanta’s Bobby Cox.

Anyone making such a suggestion in March would have been ridiculed.

Look out for Houston’s Craig Biggio this afternoon. He is batting .688 in day games.

It must have something to do with his body clock, because it’s a little hard to tell night from day in the Astrodome.

Does Jerry Glanville leave tickets for Jim Presley?

(Actually, the only ticket Presley seems destined to get is an airline ticket home.)

It was interesting to note that the top three teams in NCAA history in terms of pitching changes are San Diego State 1982, San Diego State 1984 and San Diego State 1991.

And Sparky Anderson is know as Capt. Hook?

Maybe Jim Dietz should be Admiral Hook.

Al Lunginbill is quoted in the June issue of the College Football Assn. magazine.

Lung inbill?

The Sockers are looking for investors, either major or minor, to help support the franchise. The only problem is that all the guys in town who have money already own the Padres.

Surprisingly, it seems there is less interest in the Sockers now than there was early in their run of championships. The fan base seems to be dwindling rather than expanding.

It has been suggested that the Sockers’ dynasty is bad for the Major Soccer League, but maybe it should also be suggested it is bad for them as well.

Is it possible San Diego fans are bored by excellence?