CHICAGO — I’m sitting in my hotel room listening to the soulful sax solo in “Jungleland” and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m openly weeping. I’ve heard it hundreds of times in recording and live and it  never seems more fresh than it does tonight. The Big Man blows those notes as if they came from his gut, not just his lips. And perhaps they did, but will do so no more. Clarence Clemons is dead and another piece of our shared experiences went with him.

Of all the Bruce Springsteen songs he’s written over the course of 40 years, “Jungleland” is my favorite. It is part rock opera, part poem about the struggles of the Magic Rat and the Barefoot Girl trying to survive in the seedy underbelly of New Jersey. There’s a sweet piano opening, a guitar solo, the Big Man’s sax solo followed by another soft, pretty piano riff. Bruce tells the story in his raspy, unforgettable voice. It ends with the Rat being shot, but even that he can’t  seem to get right.

“In the quick of the of the night they reach out to find their moment and take an honest stand,” says Bruce, speaking the story now. “But they wind up wounded and not even dead. To-night — in — Jungle — land.”

I saw Bruce and the E Street band for the first time in 1985 in the midst of his “Born in the USA” tour. I was on the Padres beat back then and as fate it would have it, the concert was at a place then called “The Horizon” in the Chicago suburbs near O’Hare. I met up with Ken Gurnick and Gordon Edes and a group of other writers who were then covering the Dodgers for their local papers. The concert blew me away and I’ve been a Bruceophile ever since.

The last time I saw the Band was on Nov. 8, 2009, in New York at Madison Square Garden. I was accompanied by my daughter, Joanna, who was five years old in ’85, but a full-grown woman of nearly 29 that night. She never could get my Springsteen thing, but she got it at the Garden. It was one of the last concerts of their  last two-year tour and they were playing whole signature albums by then. On that night, it was “The River,” the only time they’d ever done that one in concert. It is a mega two-album affair that predates “Born in the USA,” the album that put the group on the map. It was a singular show.

The 20 numbers on “The River” include some of Springsteen’s long-time classics. And when he was done with that, he still had another 11 songs in him. During his much more recent “Waiting on a Sunny Day,” a little boy joined the group on the stage and haltingly sang some of the lyrics. When it came time for the Clemons sax solo, the kid exuberantly yelled: “Take it Big Man.” The crowd uproariously cheered.

As it had become his habit in those last concerts, the then 60-year-old Bruce kept telling his fans that he wasn’t saying goodbye, only so-long “for just a little while.” Somehow, though, I had the feeling that it would be the last time I’d ever see the Band in that makeup. Clarence, after all, was nearing 70 and not in the greatest of health. If they stayed off the road for another two years it was doubtful that the Big Man would ever be out there again. They haven’t played together since and tonight those thoughts turned out to be prescient.

The band in its reconstituted form will undoubtedly tour again, but it will never be the same. As Bruce said today about Clemons: “He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band.”

Certainly, the Big Man’s memory will live on in those soulful notes he perpetually plays in “Jungleland.”

NEW YORK –- Dick Wiencek, one of the most successful scouts in Major League history, passed away in southern California from complications of a heart attack, his daughter, Susan Newell said on Sunday.

Wiencek signed 72 players, the most in baseball history, according to data provided by the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation. Among Wiencek’s discoveries are upcoming Hall of Fame inductee Bert Blyleven, Mark McGwire, Jim Kaat and Graig Nettles.

The well-liked and much-respected Wiencek began his baseball career as a player in the New York Giants system in 1947 and became a professional scout three years later. During his time in Major League Baseball, he was assistant general manager for the Angels from 1971-74 and director of scouting for the Oakland A’s from 1981-84. He retired in 2003 after working 56 years in organized baseball.

In 1976, Wiencek drafted and signed six Major League players in one year, still a Major League record, according to the Scouts Foundation. Those players were Steve Kemp, Alan Trammell, Dan Petry, Jack Morris, Dave Stedman and Steve Baker.

Trammell, Petry and Morris all went on to star for the 1984 Tigers, who defeated the Padres in five World Series games. Trammell, now the bench coach for the D-backs under manager Kirk Gibson, was MVP of that World Series.

Wiencek was born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Michigan City, Ind., and moved to Kalamazoo, Mich., as a toddler, living there for 33 years. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy for 31 months before attending Western Michigan University from 1947 to 1949.

Wiencek moved to Claremont, Calif., due east of the Los Angeles area, in 1961 with his late wife, Miriam, and their six children, eventually settling a little further east in Rancho Mirage.

He won numerous “Scout of the Year” awards during his career and most recently was honored in 2005 with the George Genovese Lifetime Achievement Award by the Scouts Foundation, during their annual dinner in Los Angeles.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Anthony Rizzo said he is ready for the Major Leagues when asked on Friday night after his Class AAA Padres lost by one run to Fresno at what is now called Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium. And he didn’t sound cocky when asked the question.

“I’m just waiting for the call,” he said. “If and when it happens I’ll be ready and it’ll be a blast. Otherwise, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Ready for the Major Leagues? Rizzo nodded his head in the affirmative. “Yes,” he said.  He’s a cancer survivor so there may be good reason for that kind of confidence.

Rizzo hit his sixth homer of the season — a prodigious two-run shot deep into the right-center field bleachers — and third in as many nights in the 9-8 loss.  He went 1-for-3 with two strikeouts and a pair of walks. A big, strapping first baseman, in 15 games he’s hitting a gaudy .452 with 24 RBIs.

The left-handed hitting Rizzo was a big part of the deal that sent Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox. In San Diego they are waiting. The Padres, at .214, are currently the worst hitting team in Major League Baseball and their platoon of retread first basemen replacing A-Gon are Brad Hawpe   (.116, no homers, two RBIs) and Jorge Cantu (.140, one homer, six RBIs). That can’t last long.

Then again, Rizzo is just 21 years old and its a big jump from the Pacific Coast League to the Majors, Tucson manager Terry Kennedy acknowledged and Brandon Belt of the Giants recently discovered. Belt was all everything last year at all three Minor League levels. This year, with Cody Ross opening the season on the disabled list, Belt hit .192 with a homer and four RBIs for the Giants. Ross is off the DL. Belt will rejoin the Grizzlies on Saturday in Fresno.

The Padres are loathe for that to happen to Rizzo. He’s had only 62 at bats in Triple-A. So there’s no harm in waiting and Rizzo may not be the immediate answer anyway to the Padres’ hitting woes. They had trouble scoring runs last year even with Gonzalez in the middle of the lineup. So far this season, driving in runs has been a huge problem. They have 58 RBIs, 29th in the Majors.

Rizzo was just 18 when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, which is cancer of the blood system. He was a Single-A kid in the Red Sox’s system at the time and decided to take off what was supposed to be his first full professional season coping with the disease and fighting it. After six months of chemotherapy doctors told him he was cancer free. He has remained such for three years, he acknowledged Friday night.

No doubt, there’s a sense of urgency on Rizzo’s part to move on as quickly as possible to the next level. Afterall, any cancer patient is only as clean as his last test. So time is wasting here in Tucson when there’s a hole to fill in San Diego.

The Padres are as aware as any organization about living with cancer. Tony Gwynn, Dave Roberts and Darrel Akerfelds have all dealt with cancer in its various forms during the past year. With Rizzo they must balance out the normal growth curve of any player and what’s going on in his personal life.

“Maybe because of the cancer he’ll be able to handle the Major Leagues better than anyone,” said Kennedy, the Padres starting catcher on their 1984 pennant-winning team.

Rizzo says he’s ready to try it. The Padres have to determine when it’s the best time to bring him up.

LOS ANGELES –- Barry Zito doesn’t intend to look back. That just generates too many negative thoughts and feelings. Right now, he’s focusing on making his first start of the 2011 season on Sunday evening at Dodger Stadium after suffering a neck injury in a two-car collision earlier this week.

Zito’s rented Cadillac was broadsided on its right rear side by a taxi that ran a red light on Wednesday evening in Hollywood at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Sunset Plaza Drive. Zito was trying to make a left at the time. The crash rattled the veteran left-hander, sending him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he spent three hours. He had an X-ray that night and was released. On Thursday he showed up at the ballpark wearing a neck brace and was sent off for an MRI that evidently showed no severe damage.

Sans brace, Zito underwent therapy and threw to a catcher on the flat surface of the right-field grass hours before Friday night’s game. Beforehand he proclaimed himself fortunate. Afterward he said he felt well enough to make the start.

“Everything was normal. I’m really blessed in that right,” Zito said. “It’s scary. It’s a scary sound hearing metal hitting metal. If I hadn’t made a decision to hit the gas when I did, he would’ve hit me in the front and it would’ve been a whole different story.”

Zito added that his neck still felt sore.

“It feels a lot better than it did yesterday,” he said. “We’ve been treating it a lot. I expect to feel even better tomorrow.”

The Giants are still reserving judgment about Zito’s availability on Sunday. They have a day off Monday before playing the Padres in their home opener at PETCO Park on Tuesday afternoon. Manager Bruce Bochy said he probably wouldn’t move Madison Bumgarner, Tuesday’s starter, into Zito’s spot, if necessary. Instead it may be a start by committee.

“It looks good,” Bochy said on Friday about Zito pitching. “He has a couple of more days to feel better and improve. When you lose a starter that’s not easy to replace. With a day off the next day that does allow you to use your guys in the bullpen.”

Pitching coach Dave Righetti gave a thumbs up.

“I like where he was today,” he said. “There’s no question about it.”

PEORIA, Ariz. –- The Padres added Minor League right-hander Samuel Deduno to the 25-roster and officially placed Mat Latos on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday as the club played its final Cactus League game of the spring against the Brewers at Peoria Stadium.

Latos has a strain of his right shoulder, but the good news is that he is significantly improving, manager Bud Black said, and will travel with the team to St. Louis for the season opener. If everything goes as planned, Latos will throw off the mound on Thursday prior to the game against the Cardinals at Bush Stadium.

“Latos is doing well,” Black said. “He’ll play catch today and probably tomorrow and if things go well hopefully a side session on Thursday in St. Louis. But he’s doing much better. We think he’s turned the corner in regard to the inflammation.”

Latos last threw against the White Sox here on March 21 and reported soreness in his shoulder two days later. The White Sox scored three runs in the first inning that night without recording an out before Latos settled down to pitch into the fifth inning.

Latos struggled this spring, allowing 10 earned runs, 16 hits and nine walks over 10 innings in his four starts.

In other news, the Padres made a Minor League trade on Tuesday sending Single-A first baseman Allan Dykstra to the Mets for Double-A reliever Eddie Kunz. Dykstra, a San Diego product out of Rancho Bernardo High School, was a first-round selection (23rd overall) in the 2008 First-Year Player draft and was a questionable choice from the very beginning because of degenerative hip condition. The right-handed Kunz was 7-8 with a 5.34 ERA in 42 appearances (12 starts) last season for Double-A Binghamton.

SURPRISE, Ariz. –- Injured Giants closer Brian Wilson threw soft toss without incident again on Sunday in nearby Scottsdale, while his teammates closed the Cactus League portion of their spring schedule with a 7-4 loss to the Royals at Surprise Stadium.

Wilson will remain behind in Arizona. The Giants broke camp and headed back to the Bay Area where they play their annual three-game Bay Bridge Series against the A’s beginning at AT&T Park on Monday night. The season opener is in Los Angeles against the rival Dodgers on Thursday at 5 pm PT.

Wilson injured his left oblique on March 17 against the Angels and hasn’t thrown in a game since. Barring any setbacks, he’s slated to toss a bullpen session on Tuesday after which the Giants will make a decision about his status. The Giants don’t have to set their 25-man roster until Thursday morning.

“He played catch today and he felt fine,” Bochy said. “He’ll probably play a little more catch tomorrow and it’ll be Tuesday as far as getting up on the mound. We’ll evaluate it after that.”

Wilson was the Major League leader with 48 saves as the Giants won the National League West and ultimately the World Series this past season. This spring, he appeared in five games, allowing a run on three hits for a 1.80 ERA. Whether a total of five live innings will be enough work to put him on the roster for Opening Day is the pending question.

“That hasn’t been determined yet,” Bochy said. “We’ll talk about it after he takes his bullpen and we see where he’s at. The good news is he felt great throwing today. If he makes the type of progress he needs to make, once he take his bullpen we’ll have a better idea of what we’re going to do.”

SURPRISE, Ariz. –- Giants rookie first baseman Brandon Belt received some good news on Sunday and it had nothing to do with him making the team.

Belt received the Harry S. Jordan Award as the top first-year player in camp this spring, it was announced before the Giants closed the Cactus League portion of their schedule against the Royals at Surprise Stadium. The vote of his teammates, coaches and trainers was unanimous.

Belt said he was still awaiting word from Giants management on his status: big league or Triple-A.

“They’ve told me absolutely nothing,” said Belt, who was in the cleanup spot and playing first base on Sunday. “I have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m just trying to do my best every day and whatever happens, happens.”

Belt is traveling with the team back to the Bay Area where the Giants are playing their annual three-game Bay Bridge Series against the A’s beginning at AT&T Park on Monday night. The season opener is in Los Angeles against the rival Dodgers on Thursday at 5 pm PT.

Manager Bruce Bochy said before the game that there certainly will be an answer by then and that the last couple of spots on the big club are still up for grabs. The Giants don’t have to set their 25-man roster until Thursday morning.

Belt’s chances of making the team certainly increased with the calf injury to Cody Ross, who’ll start the season on the 15-day disabled list and is expected to miss the first three weeks.

“It makes us get more creative, that’s for sure” Bochy said. “Does it make it any easier? Maybe a little bit. We lost a pretty good bat in Cody Ross. That will certainly play into it when we make that decision. [Belt] would give us another left-handed bat on the bench or we could do what we did in the past. We came off a great year last year. We could go similar to what we had last year when we started the season.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Our new WordPress system makes it possible for me to blog via my BlackBerry so I’m taking a first stab at it.

The D-backs have made two moves the past few days that could’ve been announced three weeks ago — Russell Branyan to the 40-man roster and Joe Saunders in the starting rotation. Branyan will undoubtedly get a long look at first base and Saunders, who missed a start because of the flu, is third in the rotation behind Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson.

Saunders is owed $5.5 million this year and despite manger Kirk Gibson saying he was fighting for a starting slot, Saunders was always going to be in the roto if healthy. Branyan, a veteran who is all bat and little glove, has been the best hitting corner infielder in camp all spring. A few weeks ago, GM Kevin Towers was asked about Branyan’s situation. He told this writer to make his own assessment. That assessment back then? On the team. Branyan is this spring’s Aubry Huff, who looked like a stiff in the field during March 2010. We all know how well that worked out for the World Series-winning Giants.

With six days to go until Friday’s opener at Colorado, Gibson and Towers are still toying with the final two spots in the rotation. Barry Enright has one of them. But when Gibson was asked which one he said he didn’t know. Never too late to guess.

Armando Galarraga and Aaron Heilman are fighting for the other slot with Zach Duke recovering from a broken hand. When asked how Duke is progressing Gibson said the damaged appendage was starting again “to look like a hand.” As opposed to a fig?

My guess is that these guys have neither heard of the Lindbergh baby or Gray’s Anatomy, the medical textbook, not the TV series! In these cases, confirmation of old news is better than no news.