Why the Padres Are Worth Watching in '07

Marcus Giles was signed to a 1 year deal giving the Padres the lone pair of brothers in the league to play for the same team (or something like that). Putting Marcus together with brother Brian in the same clubhouse should make for some interesting ~~showers~~ press conferences post-game. The Brothers, Giles will be hitting towards the top of a productive lineup which will include emerging youngsters like Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Bard, and Kevin Kouzmanoff.

The rotation is pretty sick and amongst the best in the National League from top to bottom. 25 year old Jake Peavy is the ace of the staff -- combining some serious heat with a wicked curve and a sidearm delivery. Judging by his disdain for rent-a-cops, I'd say he's not afraid to dominate the inside corner.

Savvy veterans David Wells and Greg Maddux were signed to one-year deals rounding out the rotation. The two have won a combined 563 games in their careers, which I'm told was just a few pounds shy of Boomer's Spring Training weight. Luckily both studs have something left in the tank to make the Pad Squad a force in the National League once again.

Lastly, the Boch is out, and Bud Black is in. Black used to be the pitching coach for the Angels, and before that, he pitched for the Giants where he combined with Steve Decker to form one of the more notable pitcher-catcher batteries in baseball.