Sez Me …

Baseball was founded on two things: Failure and rumor.

Gossip is much more fun, although in this era of Unsocial Media, the grapes from the vine can be stupid-bitter and much more toxic than anything Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper came up with during Hollywood’s golden age.

Anyway, as the second half of the MLB season begins, one has caught my eye, the snowballing rumor that Padres GM A.J. Preller’s seat is white-hot, that he will be out if his team doesn’t make the playoffs (a distinct possibility) and spend his time scouting Latin America, where he can find players to trade away.

It’s not surprising. But I’ve heard this all before, and I remain hard to convince.

It’s not a Manhattan Project secret that I’m not a fan of Preller, nor him of me. That’s fine. I have managed to get by without his bon mots during his time in charge, and somehow — thanks largely to late owner Peter Seidler’s loyalty to his GM — so has he.

He’s working on his fourth manager (Mike “Rose Colored Glasses” Shildt), and has yet to do much of anything more than spend hundreds of millions of Seidler’s money. His record is almost 100 games below .500. I can think of no GM — outside of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — who could get away with losing for so long.

But, I have been thinking this team may be Preller’s best work. As it is at this moment, it isn’t even a good club, terribly uneven, with awful elevator moments of good, just enough, and zilch.

While I’m certain the current ineptitude of the game as a whole has helped them remain hovering at .500, they have managed to remain in playoff contention despite their foibles.

Consider:

• The Pads’ top two starters — Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove — have been absent forever. Yu, citing personal issues, may be gone for the season. Joe could be back in a month. What Preller has done with the starting unit during their absence has provided enough buoyancy to keep their heads above the waves.

• Fernando Tatis Jr., their best player, the game’s best right fielder and up there among the most gifted athletes, has a stress reaction in his right femur and hasn’t played since June 21. There remains no timeline for his return.

• Manny Machado’s offseason elbow surgery damaged him at the plate for many weeks and he’s just now coming around to being a threat with the bat.

• Preller’s signing of left fielder Jurickson Profar prior to the season seemed like a $1-million afterthought to most (not me). He’s been their best player and his enthusiasm brings fun to the dreary.

• Expensive Xander Bogaerts hasn’t been near what he was in Boston, but he missed a lot of time with a busted shoulder and has just returned. Maybe he’s not as advertised, but there is threat there. He isn’t a stiff and you start because you’re better than your replacements.

• Robert Suarez has been a  find as the closer.

• Ha-Seong Kim is a fine fielding shortstop with a Gold Glove, and yet through most of the first half he was far too unreliable. He’s improved, but he’s been a run-saver in the past. Saving runs can mean wins.

• Preller drafted Jackson Merrill as a shortstop, and lacking a center fielder — so important in Petco — he put Jackson out there. Success. He’s a Rookie of the Year candidate and an All-Star.

• Preller made a trade with Miami for Luis Arraez, a batting champion in both leagues. He can hit a baseball with great regularity, although he isn’t very good at doing anything else. His production has dropped recently due to a jammed thumb, which makes me wonder why the hell he’s been playing with it.

I can just guess how much weight baseball managers carry. Shildt, who doesn’t seem to believe the media and fans have eyes, is a strong candidate for World Optimist Hall of Fame, who all too often sprays cologne on crap. But somehow he’s been a captain managing to throw enough lifesavers to keep his team afloat.

If Preller holds to form, he will buy, not sell, at the trade deadline — even if his team doesn’t appear playoff-worthy.

Alas, if the Padres play into October, the fishes will be sleeping alongside the rumors. …

Nerds say home plate umps blew nearly 17,000 ball-and-strike calls during the first half. So I don’t want to hear the blue men aren’t getting better. …

A Dodger won Home Run Derby. Now I like it even less. …

Derby TV ratings were the lowest since 2014. America (partially) wising up. …

Baseball’s All-Star Game is the only one of its kind that can do it. Players should wear their team uniforms. The ones they wore last week were designed by people who were asked by MLB fashion geniuses to come up with something swell after spending their entire lives in caves. …

Great news for the rest of the AFC East. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is dumping his other business interests to focus on the team. …

Billions of dollars are being spent on quarterbacks. And yet Patrick Mahomes is the only active NFL QB  under 35 who has won a Super Bowl.  …

Caleb Williams wanted more money from the Bears than he got in NIL at USC. Barely exceeded it — $39 million over four years. …

Baseball sign: “Nobody cares how hard you throw ball four.” …

San Diego sign on a car: “Dodging potholes. Not drunk.” We have so much to be proud of. …

RIP, brilliant Bob Newhart. When he arrived at Johnny Carson’s palatial Malibu home: “Where’s the front desk?” When asked why he never corrected his stammer: “What do you think got me my home in Beverly Hills?” …

RIP, Abner Haynes. There are backs in the Hall of Fame who weren’t Abner. …

RIP, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten everything you taught me. …

RIP, Richard Simmons. I never tried to do anything you taught me. …

RIP, Joe Bryant. I liked Jelly a lot, a marvelous talent who, unlike son Kobe, couldn’t consistently put it to use. …

Princess Kate went to Wimbledon and a big deal was made of it. Just because she had to pay for tickets. …

Rafael Devers home-runned so hard it broke a seat in Fenway. Know what that means? Bad seat. …

Fans broke through security prior to the Copa America finale when they heard it was possible a goal might be scored. …

Ingrid Andress admits she was drunk during her All-Star  Game butchering of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” There’s never been a clear explanation as to why it’s sung prior to our sporting events. But, patriotic as I am, I have to say that, if it were not, anthem problems would be few. …

I don’t know how many people go into work anymore, but if you do, does the anthem play before you sit down at your desk? …

If you “almost” did something, you didn’t do something. …

I know enough about politics to believe that, if you’re passing the torch, you’d better be sure the person you’re passing it to can grab it.

Originally Published: July 20, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.

The All Blacks’ impressive scrum effort, backed by a much tidier lineout display, was backed by a much tidier lineout display. They relished the chance to build their plays while also introducing six new players to Test match play.

The Fijians enjoyed their best moments in the middle of the second half, doing the All Blacks a favour as they introduced their substitutes en masse, ensuring those newcomers received a realistic introduction to Test play. That was most obvious for halfback Noah Hotham, whose start was made in the first half after an injury to starting halfback Cortez Ratima was injured.

Complementing the scrum performance was strong running consistently through the game by second five-eighths Anton Lienert-Brown, who took on the Fijians every time he touched the ball. He worked well with debut centre Billy Proctor, who also enjoyed an impressive display, marking the occasion with a try.

Another to score on debut was replacement hooker George Bell, who drove over for the last try of the game. 

The New Zealanders took full advantage of their 58 per cent first-half possession advantage to run the ball often, freed from the confines of England’s rush defence, to lead 26-5 at halftime. The Fijians’ accuracy did not help them, as they missed 26 first-half tackles compared to seven by the All Blacks.

While they improved in the second half, they were unable to complete the breakouts they achieved, several times losing the ball close to the All Blacks’ line.

The All Blacks settled into their routines, and it was a ninth-minute kick by first five-eighths Damian McKenzie to Sevu Reece on the right wing to create the first try. Reece passed inside to Proctor, who went to the ground. Quick ball saw McKenzie step through the line. He linked with fullback Beauden Barrett, and wing Caleb Clarke cut back against the grain for the try.

Three minutes later, from the first scrum, quick ball again saw second five-eighths Lienert-Brown make another break, and from the ruck Ratima, took a gap to score on starting debut.

Fiji struck back in the 17th minute, after a period in the All Blacks half. It was a cross-kick by first five-eighths Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula to wing Semi Redradra that opened their chance. In the tackle, the pass inside found fullback Vilimoni Botitu, who scored.

Proctor scorched onto the attack from the restart, and while points reward was not immediate, he was on hand from a 25th-minute scrum 15m out from the Fiji line when the All Blacks went right initially before moving back to the left, where Barrett fed Proctor through to score.

Fiji had no answer to the All Blacks’ scrum power, even on their ball, and from one scrum, the All Blacks pushed over the ball, won a penalty and kicked to the corner. Another penalty from the lineout play saw them opt for a tap penalty move. Hooker Asafo Aumua took the ball to the line, and it was No8 Ardie Savea, who was hard to stop whenever he had the ball in hand, running back across the ruck, who took the ball, propped and ducked through the defence to score.

Unfortunately, in the restart, Ratima was injured and forced to leave the field, giving Hotham his All Blacks debut.

In the follow-up play, Fiji attacked, and wing Jiuta Wainiqolo looked to have scored in McKenzie’s tackle, but a TMO check revealed he dropped the ball over the line.

Wing Sevu Reece was on the end of quick passing through the line to open the second half, scoring with his 17th Test match try three minutes after the start.

Clarke’s second try was denied in the 53rd minute after the TMO showed that the gap Reece took to create the movement was made possible because lock Scott Barrett took out Fijian replacement prop Haereiti Hetet off the ball.

But it was only a momentary setback as solid defence opened up more ball as the All Blacks flooded the field with their substitutes, who combined in the 58th minute when No8 Wallace Sititi ripped the ball free in a tackle. Hotham moved the ball to replacement prop Pasilio Tosi. He made ground before finding Sititi, who took the ball to the line, where replacement prop Ethan de Groot picked the ball up and charged over to score.

Sititi again featured with solid runs to set up the final try for Bell in the 76th minute.

Scorers: New Zealand 47 (Caleb Clarke, Cortez Ratima, Billy Proctor, Ardie Savea, Sevu Reece, Ethan de Groot, George Bell tries; Damian McKenzie 6 con) Fiji 5 (Vilimoni Botitu try). HT: 26-5.

Who’s ready for San Diego Comic-Con? Sure, last year was a little weird for the convention — there were a lot of Hall H cancellations amid the Hollywood strikes, and some panelists who did show up had to avoid talking about struck projects. One thing that didn’t change, though? A bunch of trailers dropped during the convention. Hopefully, we can look forward to that tradition continuing this July. The SDCC schedule for 2024 includes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Transformers One, Everybody Still Hates Chris, and more. There are also the usual suspects: Marvel will likely update its plans for the next phase(s) of its cinematic universe, and there will be several Star Wars panels. So far, it’s already been confirmed that HBO’s The Penguin and AMC/AMC+’s The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – The Book of Carol will debut trailers at SDCC. Other panel descriptions are more coy, only vaguely mentioning a first look or preview. Make your predictions/manifestations now, and check back as we update this post with all the new trailers that end up coming out of SDCC from July 25 to July 28.