JOHN R. McCUTCHEN / Union-Tribune The Padres' Scott Hairston glumly walks away from the plate after striking out in the seventh inning.

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Mercifully for the Padres, it ended at 3:59 yesterday afternoon . . . a fitting conclusion to the “first half” of their season. The Braves routed the lackluster Padres 12-3 to push San Diego 21 games below .500. For the Padres, the best part about the traditional first half of the season is that it's over.

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As the encore to his record-setting, All-Pro, breakout season nears, Antonio Cromartie is going national, part of an effort by his handlers to increase his profile in the months and years ahead.

Sez Me . . . What to make of Brett Favre? That's a hard make. It tells you something about the barren waste that is our mid-July sporting landscape when a 38-year-old NFL quarterback sticks out like a sequoia. But that's how it is at the moment. We act as though Angelina and Brad are the first couple to have twins. And now Favre is the first athlete to backpedal on retirement.