Maddux feels good at start of year 23
By: DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | ∞
PEORIA, Ariz. ---- Greg Maddux said he felt good as he officially opened his 23rd season in the big leagues on Saturday.
Maddux, one of 32 pitchers in camp, said his decision to return for a second year with the Padres instead of retiring was a "done deal" early this offseason and he called the 2007 season enjoyable.
"You don't want to lose, but I'd rather the end season like that than lose by 10 games," Maddux said. "You want to be playing for something in September. San Diego is a great place to play and a great place to live. The ballpark, I haven' t seen one better in baseball. ... And you know what? The guys on the team are all good guys, too. They don't really get a lot of attitudes over here."
The 41-year-old said he hasn't put a lot of thought into his future. He enters 2008 with 347 career victories and could move into seventh place on the all-time list with 15 more wins.
"I haven't thought about it," Maddux said. "I'm worried about this year. We'll see how it goes and go from there. ... The first day is always good. It's usually the best you feel all year."
Prior loses count
Mark Prior was enjoying his first throwing session as a Padre so much that he lost his pitch count. Officially, he ended his session with 31 pitches thrown.
"You'd think a college degree would teach you to count," Prior said with a laugh. "It felt good. I felt pretty comfortable on the mound. I was able to focus more on some spots than mechanics and arm."
Prior, who is recovering from shoulder surgery last year, said he's currently on a five-day rotation for throwing off the mound as opposed to most pitchers' schedules of every other day. In between sessions, he plays long toss up to 130 feet and performs other activities.
Antonelli heats up
Matt Antonelli, the team's top overall pick from the 2006 amateur draft, appeared early at camp wearing a T-shirt on Saturday morning despite temperatures in the high 40s. He even mentioned feeling warm.
That's no surprise, considering Antonelli arrived in Phoenix on Friday after spending considerable time in Boston this month, where the average temperature has been 39 degrees, according to weather.com. It probably felt even colder than that for Antonelli, whose beloved New England Patriots were defeated in the Super Bowl two weeks ago.
"It was all right," said Antonelli, who agreed it was an enjoyable contest. "The New York Giants played a great game."
Cubs everywhere
With Maddux, Prior, Michael Barrett, Glendon Rusch and Jody Gerut, the Padres' clubhouse is teeming with former Chicago Cubs.
Trevor Hoffman said he definitely noticed a "Cub connection," while Maddux later joked with teammates that the Padres hopes of winning in 2008 were in trouble.
"I hope we don't get snake-bitten with all these Cubbies around here," Maddux said.
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