I enjoy being able to succeed, sure... But the extracurricular stuff and the things that come with it, that's not what I seek.

Who said?

“I enjoy being able to succeed, sure... But the extracurricular stuff and the things that come with it, that's not what I seek.”

a) Donald Trump
b) Terrell Owens
c) Khalil Greene
d) Randy Moss


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Greene, Blum, Hairston deliver late to spark critical comeback victory
By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 15, 2007

Khalil Greene showed no emotion as he dropped the bat and trotted toward first base. The celebrating was left to his Padres teammates, who jumped and shouted last night once their poker-faced shortstop launched a 10th-inning fastball.

Even before the blond bomber's 22nd home run landed in the left-field seats at Petco Park, the Padres knew Greene had delivered an exhilarating, 5-4 victory over the last-place Giants to firm a playoff bid that had been flagging.

Greene's 406-foot drive off former Padres minor leaguer Dan Giese, one of three Giants relievers who faltered, kept the Padres 1½ games ahead of both the Phillies and Dodgers in the wild-card race. It also moved them three games behind first-place Arizona in the National League West, with 16 games to go.

“It's a great comeback win, no doubt,” manager Bud Black said.

Greene's tiebreaking connection off a first-pitch fastball from Giese, who was selling cars in San Diego earlier this summer, was one of several uplifting developments for the home team. Twice the Padres erased a deficit of two runs: in the fourth, on a two-run home run by sizzling Kevin Kouzmanoff off starter Barry Zito; and in the ninth, via Scott Hairston's leadoff home run – his fifth homer in 32 at-bats against the Giants this year – and Geoff Blum's RBI double with two out.

In the big scheme of things, more significant than those feats may have been the sharpest performance by pitcher Chris Young in the seven weeks since two torso strains diverted him.

Young, who had been 0-4 with a 6.23 ERA since an oblique strain sidelined him on July 24, finished seven innings for the first time since Aug. 19. He issued no walks.

“I think he's going to rise to the occasion here in the next couple of weeks,” said Black.

Young is so important that American League scouts were studying him last night, as part of the prevalent view among contenders that a healthy Young, when aligned with Jake Peavy and Greg Maddux, would make the Padres a potential National League champion. When Young strained his oblique, he was 9-3 with a 1.82 ERA.

“I feel like now I'm back to where I can let the ball go, know where it's going and make pitches,” Young said. “Being able to get my work in between starts is big. Stuffwise, I felt good. Physically, I had no limitations. I was able to let it go.”

Still, Young stood to take the defeat after rookie Eugenio Velez, all 160 pounds of him, tripled and scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the seventh, breaking a 2-2 tie. Raising the score to 4-2, Ryan Klesko singled with two outs off Heath Bell in the ninth.

Hairston reached the first row in the left-field seats when he muscled a fastball from closer Brad Hennessey. After Blum's laser past third base scored pinch-runner Brady Clark, victimizing Steve Kline, it appeared that Mike Cameron's 400-foot drive to right-center would score Blum to win the game. Then speedy Rajai Davis made like Willie Mays in the 1954 World Series; Davis ran far and gathered the ball with an over-the-shoulder basket catch.

“Petco Special,” Cameron said, shaking his head.

Greene knew his blast was sufficiently struck. Problem was, there were all those giddy teammates waiting to mob him as he circled the bases.

“I enjoy being able to succeed, sure,” Greene said. “But the extracurricular stuff and the things that come with it, that's not what I seek.”