A Truly Special Mothers Day

Today was an extraordinary day for Dallas Braden. Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in Major League Baseball history. He sat down 6 while achieving perfection. It's the second time an Oakland A has accomplished the rare feat. Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter owns the first. He did so on May 8, 1968. For Braden though, this game was more than "just" a perfect game.

Braden lost his his mother to cancer growing up. What better ode to give his late mother than to re-write baseballs history books? However, the former Texas Tech Red Raider wasn't alone when the final out was recorded. Braden's Grandmother, who raised him after his mothers death, was in attendance. The two met for a long, emotional embrace in front of the A's dugout after his teammates celebrated the 4-0 masterpiece.

Baseball does an exceptional job promoting the fight against cancer. On this Mother's Day, many players wore pink wrist bands, arm bands, and batting gloves. Most of, if not all of that will be auctioned off with proceeds benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. What a perfect ending to a perfect performance to help raise awareness for the fight against cancer. I know Dallas Braden is proud along with his mother who is looking down on him.

As Mothers Day comes to a close, be greatful for the women here and in spirit that have made a difference in your life. Let's never let another special lady in our lives fall victim to cancer.

Baseballs Best Kept Secret

Living in the Panhandle of Texas, you mainly hear about the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros if you're a causal baseball fan. In fact, if you don't live on the west coast, then you aren't hearing about baseball's best kept secret. The San Diego Padres.

Most people will say San Diego will eventually crumble to the exceptional pitching and fiesty bats of the San Francisco Giants, but for right now, that's not the case.

The Padres are off to an early 1.5 game lead in the NL West with Jon Garland heating up on the mound. Garland (3-2) has pitched a few gems in his last three starts. His overall ERA is 2.06. He has only struck out 23 in his six starts, but his defense has had his back and he's not giving up runs. All of this while starting pitcher Chris Young is on the DL.

In addition to that, the Padres are dead last in batting average in the NL west, 19th in MLB (.249). The Dodgers, Giants, D-Backs and Rockies (in that order) all have higher team batting averages.

You might ask how they're hanging in there? They find ways to win with solid, not great, but solid pitching, good defense, and they drive in runs when guys are on base. Plus the sweet camo gear isn't hurting their cause...

I'm not saying the Padres are going to the playoffs, but I am saying give respect where it's due. These guys were picked to finish in the cellar of the NL west. Who knows? Maybe the wild card will go through San Diego this year. We'll get a better barometer on the Padres in the next week when they open up sets against SF and the Dodgers.