Sunday, February 24, 2008

Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton of Xtra Sports 1360 AM

Lee "Hacksaw" Hamilton, a guy a lot of Southern California sports fans have come to know, some of them love him others do not, but he was nice enough to stop by and answer a few questions on the Padres.


Padres Blog: How much credit do you give Greg Maddux to the success of Jake Peavy in 2007?

Hacksaw: Peavy is passionate about his approach to pitching. I think pitching coach Darren Balsley has had a bigger impact on him in terms of mental approach to pitching.


Padres Blog: Kevin Kouzmanoff showed why he was so highly thought of in Cleveland. How good will his sophomore season with the Padres be?

Hacksaw: The Padres patience paid off. They worked with Kouzmanoff on going the other way with pitches. After dropping as low as .111, he hit over 300 the last three months of the season and grew into a patient hitter. The bigger surprise was his mobility at defense was better than anyone thought.


Padres Blog: Assuming Mark Prior will be 100% when he makes his Padres debut. How much stronger does he make the Padres rotation?

Hacksaw: Prior could be the wildcard for Padres if he can get back by June. They will be paitient in building up his arm strength. The Padres are saying he'll have five minor league rehab starts if there are no setbacks but it takes time. Look for Shawn Estes to be back before Prior. Prior is (42-29) in his career and he's still young enough to get healthy and contribute.

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