Sports Redux: Let's Learn About the Padres

This should be fun. The best team in the American League against the best team in the National League. Two of the greatest pitching matchups we'll see all season. A glimpse of old friend David Wells. It's not that crazy to say the Red Sox and Padres will be eyeing each other with visions of an October rematch dancing in their heads.

Daisuke Matsuzaka goes tonight in the first game. So this will be his second foray into an NL park, and the pitcher's he's had to bat against are Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. Welcome to America! Tim Wakefield goes against Chris Young; then, on Sunday, Josh Beckett against Pads' ace Jake Peavy in what will almost surely be the matchup in the All-Star Game, if not Game One of the World Series.

How are the Padres doing it? A lot of it is pitching. Starting with Peavy (9-1, 1.98 ERA), the rotation features the agless Maddux, the surprising Young, the hefty Wells, and the youngster Justin Germano. All are comfortably over .500 except Wells. The bullpen is anchored by stalwart Trevor Hoffman, along with Heath Bell and former Sox prospect Cla Meredith.

None of the regulars in the lineup are over .300, but most of them are close. 1B Adrian Gonzalez is the team's best hitter, at .295 with 14 home runs. They're getting some pop in the bat department from Mike Cameron, Jose Cruz, and Khalil Greene (a key member of Bill Simmons' Reggie Cleveland All-Stars), and some pop in the "miscellaneous" department from newly-acquired catcher Michael Barrett, who got traded last week after punching everybody on the Cubs' roster and two or three Chicago aldermen. At least that's the story we've heard.

Celtics fans: Kevin Garnett hates you! At least, that's one interpretation of the news that KG is putting his foot down about any possible trade to Boston. They won't say exactly why, but it seems to be that Kevin only wants to stay in Minnesota (there's a hell of a career move) or go to Chicago or Phoenix. Well...we didn't want you anyway.

The Bruins made it official, welcoming Claude Julien as their new head coach. Julien proudly annouced, "Defensively, we have to cut down on goals against, limit scoring chances, and be harder to play against." Not a bad idea. GM Peter Chiarelli said of Julien, "He demands execution," a sentiment that will surely resonate with any remaining Bruins' fans. He did mean that kind of execution, right?

Image of the classic Padres uniform (which we'd LOVE to see David Wells in) from the awesome Dressed to the Nines database at the Baseball Hall of Fame