Padres Press Clips Friday, March 18, 2016 Article Source Author Page Blash’s blasts, Weddle’s barbs fuel sports week UT San Diego Miller 2 Cashner allows first runs this spring UT San Diego Lin 5 Thornton on LaRoche, kinds in the clubhouse UT San Diego Lin 7 Padres sign Mike Olt to minor league deal UT San Diego Lin 10 Projecting the Padres’ 25-man roster UT San Diego Sanders 13 Roster rankings: No. 11 Yangervis Solarte UT San Diego Sanders 16 Jay, Kemp homer as defense hurts Cashner MLB.com Cassavell 17 Padres intrigued by potential of basher Blash MLB.com Cassavell 19 Padres sign Olt to Minor League deal MLB.com Cassavell 21 Padres sign 3rd baseman Olt to minor league contract Associated Press AP 22 Matt Kemp homers off Jake Peavy as Padres fall to Giants 8-4 Associated Press AP 23 1 Blash's blasts, Weddle's barbs fuel sports week Miller's lap through sports worlds hits Padres, Chargers, Aztecs — and the best player in college basketball By Bryce Miller | 6 a.m. March 18, 2016 A little bit about a lot … There’s no doubt Padres manager Andy Green perked up when JabariBlash hit another spring training homer. Blash is the most intriguing, high-ceiling guys among the team’s group of affordable Rule 5 pickups. When you see Blash in person, you understand why. He’s still learning how to protect a big strike zone. The man who hit 14 homers last August alone, though, gives you a chance to put a run on the board every time he digs in. The guy needs to be on the 25-man roster. … This week, I wrote about the remarkable, under-the-radar career of the San Diego State basketball player Skylar Spencer. The senior became the winningest player in Mountain West Conference history when the Aztecs beat IPFW on Monday in the opening round of the NIT. Once I posted a link to the social media platform Twitter, Spencer responded from somewhere in the bowels of Viejas Arena. The line from Spencer, a low-scoring defensive specialist, proved as humble as it was funny: “when you get an A on a group project but didn't do anything.” The decision by LSU to skip the NIT is a head-scratcher. Tigers coach Johnny Jones said preparing the team for next season was the primary reason, but injuries also factored into it. Some message, huh? If things don’t go perfectly, pack it up and quit. This wasn’t a team that finished a dozen games under .500 with a roster that dwindled to four players. The Tigers finished 19-14 and remained in the hunt for a conference title until the final weekend of the regular season. LSU was embarrassed by Texas A&M, 71-38 on Saturday in the SEC tournament. What happened to the “get knocked down, get back up” lessons you’re taught all the way back to youth sports? Bad look. Bad call. … 2 The rift between the Chargers and longtime starter Eric Weddle continued all the way through free agency, apparently. Weddle texted the U-T’s Kevin Acee after agreeing to a deal with Baltimore. It was easy to read between the lines: “I couldn’t be more excited and pumped to be a part of a championship organization who wanted me from Day One.” Championship team jab? Check. Wanted me from Day One jab? Check. … As a voter for the Wooden Award — given annually to college basketball’s best player — I’m not allowed to reveal my picks in advance. What I will say, though: Denzel Valentine of Michigan State had a nice season, huh? Since assists became an official statistic, no other player has finished the regular season averaging 19 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. In the Spartans’ five losses, Valentine either was absent or lacked help. The Dec. 29 loss to Iowa? Didn’t play. The other four losses? He averaged 22 points, with almost 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield is a legit finalist in the two-player race. The pure shooter could become the better pro. Did I mention Valentine had a nice season? … One of the most optimistic bits of news quietly trickling out of spring training in Peoria, Ariz.: Early on, new shortstop Alexei Ramirez is proving to be exactly what the Padres hoped he would be. The veteran, heading into Thursday night, led the team in RBIs and was tied for the lead in hits. That, while playing the type of solid defense that surprises absolutely nobody. Signing Ramirez seemed like a smart move at the time. So far, there’s no reason to feel differently. … A Sports Illustrated story this week on former San Diego State starKawhi Leonard mentioned that he still slides behind the wheel of the 1997 Chevy Tahoe he drove in high school and uses coupons from a sponsor to buy chicken wings — despite his most recent $94 million contract. 3 The context about how much Leonard has meant to the NBA’s Spurs came from San Antonio GM R.C. Buford. The team had to figure out the transition from prime-of-careers Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker to aging Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. Buford: “He changed the course of our organization. He gave us a second wind. He was the breeze in our sails.” There are more of those kinds of details, by the way, in a terrific piece about Leonard by the U-T’s Mark Zeigler that published in October. ... An ESPN story explained how Little Rock basketball coach Chris Beard broke his right hand by doing his best Roberto Duran impression on a dry-erase board Sunday at halftime of the Sun Belt Conference title game. Beard, as San Diego State fans painfully remember, left Viejas Arena with a plodding 49-43 victory Nov. 21 and motored into the NCAA Tournament. No damage was reported — human or hardware — unless you count the Aztecs’ pride. … The leaked NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday was a crime with few victims. Stretching out the show to two hours — including Charles Barkley’s epic struggle with an inanimate object (hint: touch screen) — became almost unbearable. As it became more evident that the bracket was legit, the best partbecame clear. The leak probably ensured the show will dial back to something reasonable — and watchable. 4 Cashner allows first runs this spring Padres' No. 3 starter gives up five runs, two earned By Dennis Lin | 10:40 p.m. March 17, 2016 PEORIA, ARIZ. — On the latest warm night in Arizona, the fly balls carried and carried. Padres outfielders Matt Kemp and Jon Jay, facing San Francisco Giants right- hander Jake Peavy, launched their first home runs of the spring, both over the right- field wall at Peoria Stadium. Meanwhile, Andrew Cashner allowed his first runs of the spring. The Padres' No. 3 starter was immune to neither the conditions nor a bit of mid-March sloppiness. Making his third start in Cactus League play, the right-hander went four innings on 67 pitches (39 strikes), surrendered five runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks, and notched a pair of strikeouts. The Padres wound up with an 8-4 loss Thursday, dropping to 4-11 in the Cactus League. "I thought he had a lot of movement on his two-seam (fastball). It was running out of the zone a little bit on him," Padres manager Andy Green said. "He had a little bit of a tough time commanding the corners, but that movement's a nice thing for him to have." Two of the runs off Cashner came in the top of the first, one on a 3-0 homer by San Francisco's Jarrett Parker. Cashner opened the second with consecutive walks, prompting a visit from pitching coach Darren Balsley, before a double play and another grounder got him back to the dugout. The other three runs came in the third. All were unearned, though Cashner did not help himself much. A baserunner who reached on an error scored on a wild pitch. A double, a hit-by-pitch and a two-run single followed. Cashner allowed more unearned runs last season than any other big-league pitcher. "He needs to go on the mound every day believing he has the potential to stop any threat at any time, because he's that good," Green said. "...Just got to keep battling and get better at that." 5 For Cashner, his fourth and final inning was much more to his liking. He used his change-up, sinker and slider to induce three quick groundouts. Kemp finished with his first three-hit game of the spring, upping his average to .318. Rule 5 reliever Josh Martin, who followed Cashner, allowed three runs on four hits. The Padres got scoreless innings from Daniel McCutchen, Kevin Quackenbush, Casey Janssen and Jose Dominguez. 6 Thornton on LaRoche, kids in clubhouse Padres reliever shares thoughts on ex-teammate's retirement, children in clubhouses By Dennis Lin | 7:27 p.m. March 17, 2016 PEORIA, ARIZ. — Here in Cactus League territory, the Padres are based out of the Peoria Sports Complex, just a 20-minute drive from the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. A recent controversy involving now-retired first baseman Adam LaRoche, at least in the case of one former teammate, has brought them even closer. Tuesday, LaRoche, a veteran of 12 major league seasons, abruptly announced he was “stepping away” from the game.