Still recovering from Sunday’s festivities so this will be brief. Left the house around 11 a.m., didn’t get back till 9:30 p.m. That’s what I call a great day at the ballpark. 
Of course, it helps that both the Padres and the Storm won in walkoff fashion. And I got to hang out and chat with the cool kids.
Thanks to all who attended — I hope you guys had as much fun as I did. I’m not sure we’ll have time to swing another meetup this season, but I’m already hearing interest in a spring training shindig, so at some point we’ll want to work out the details.
Meantime, we’ve got photos up at Flickr:
If you’re viewing the slideshow, everything is in reverse chronological order. There’s probably a way to fix that, but whatever. You get the gist of it. Also, if I misspelled any names, misidentified anyone, etc., please accept my humble apologies and let me know so I can make fixes.
Thanks again to all. Be sure to let everyone else know what a great time you had (lie if necessary — it’s okay) so we can get even more folks out there next time.
Great Photo’s GY – Im disapointed that I had to miss both games they sounded like they were both great games!
So these 3 games against the dodgers is really make or break the pads could end up 1 game out of 1st and killing all dodger momentum or 7 games out and looking to 07.
Im also excited that the padres pulled up Manny Alexander who has a great future in this orginization, but I guess they did not have a choice because there are no SS in thier whole system who are even close to being ready.
Sorry one more rant.
I was also really impressed with the padres roster strategy over the weekend, 13 pitchers, 4 2B, 4 OF, 3 Catchers, 1 1B, just amazing.
Great day to be a Barfield huh? I feel bad for Josh!
SDPG this could be your chance to “cheer him up”! haha
Was Manny Alexander on the 40-man prior to being called up? Just wondering if we had to do some maneuvering to call him up.
If we can just hold on until September maybe we can call up some help. Our bench has taken a real beating and I think it’s made some of our regulars suffer without having the proper days off.
Who do you think will get a call once the rosters expand?
My guesses:
Sledge
McAnulty
Leone
Sweeney OR Brazelton
Thompson
Cassidy
All guys who ahve already been up, and are on the 40 man.
I hope they call up:
Sledge
McAnulty
Leone
Cust
Hill
Sweeny
Brazelton
Thomson
Cassidy
But I dought they will call all of them up because they would have to give them all big leauge pay for the month.
Hey, I had a great time yesterday. Great game.
I was thinking we’d be broiling out in the sun, but we were in shade until about the 7th or 8th inning. Enjoyed meeting everyone. Lotsa laughs, and no need to cry when it was over. ‘Cept maybe tears of relief after finally coming up with a very big knock. Can’t beat that. Plus a hot dog & soda with the ticket! Nice of Geoff to call in all his chits with the front office to get us that one!
Sorry not to stick around for the Storm game as it was another good one. Listened to most of it on 1090 tho’.
Thanks, Geoff, for putting it together.
Sept will be nice because if the padres can get hot and start to contend for the west/wildcard they can help rest the pen and have a lot of good options from the bench.
If the pads fall out of contention they can experiment with 3B, by playing Leone, P Mac and Hill there and see if any of them work out (not for a starting job next year but a good young utility IF who can start for someone if they go down). I will also be interested to see if a year in the minors helped out Brazelton and if he can put together a good major league start
Good morning, all! Poor Josh. He needs some comforting. Here’s a big hug from me, Josh!
I hope that the situation works itself out without Josh needing to take a leave of absence. Jim Rome mentioned this situation, so it’s starting to get more press. Due to the nature of this situation, I won’t make any theories or comments.
Also, please sign up for Steve’s FFBL on NFL.com! We’ve got eight teams signed up.
A meetup in Peoria for 2007 ST? Count me there! I plan on taking a trip out this year for a weekend and would love to meet others. Of course, I hope it doesn’t take me till ST to meet some of the other Ducksnorters.
Geoff, I have some pics from a couple of games that I was lucky enough to experience in the first row behind the Padres home plate. My seat was right in front of the “R” in Padres. I would love to share them with the rest of you! Can I zip them and email them to you to add to your photo book? I didn’t snap a Sports Illustrated covershot, but to be that close is really neat. I blushed every time a player looked in my general direction and averted my eyes like I was in the presence of the Holy Grail.
whats going on with Josh? I have not heard anything?
Steve – I don’t think we’ll be seeing Hill, he’s off playing for Team America (not the movie).
I’d love to see Cust, but figured we wouldn’t as he wasn’t on the 40 man.
Hi, PM! Here’s a link to the article
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2556053
There was a family “scuffle” between Jesse and young son Jeremy.
oops forgot about that Masticore
Oye! that is not a good story. Thanks for the link, SDPG. It think the game tonight is ESPN 2 too.
BTW, watched the Yanks and RS game last night, couldn’t sleep becuase of this damned kidney stone, and it is refreashing to see a team that can hit. Oh My God, thats what it looks like. What fun. No wonder the East coast doesn’t pay attention to West coast ball anymore, its just boring. I hope Giles is warming up and to see Giles, Mike and Mike all get hot at the same time, would be a dream come true.
Can’t get the pictures or slideshow at work, but I know what everyone looks like now anyway.
Thanks again to Geoff and his wife for all the effort they put in to organize the event. It was a blast! Great to meet everyone and so much fun to watch a game with a group of big time Padres fans and very knowledgeable baseball fans!
Cheers to y’all!
Thanks for the games, Geoff.
Good to see everyone and chat about baseball in general and grumbling about the lack of hitting with the bases juiced LIVE and in person.
The same disease seemed to afflict the Red Sox into not hitting yesterday night either. Bases juiced, 1 out against Rivera and the Sox lost the game in extra inning. Yup, glad as a Padres fan to be able to share the feeling with the BoSox. Of course, seeing Mirabelli grounded out in that half of the inning for the last out was great. Take that, you malcontent.
Good win and great to see the Storm pitchers having such confidences to throw the change ups at any count.
I had a blast. Thanks again, Geoff and Sandra.
I also had an awesome time yesterday at the game. It was great meeting everyone! Hopefully we can do it again sometime soon, ST or HOF next year would be a blast.
GY – thanks for the pics … a good day for Ducksnortvillers …
NickW – I’m gonna be at HOF on July 29, 2007 … I’ve overdue to make a room reserveration … but I’m gonna be there even if I have to stay in Oneonta or Albany … a time with DS’ers would be great!
dprat – wanna explain that t-shirt?
Didi – nice to see you having some fun for a change
HOF would be awsome!
I’m definitely making a strong effort to go to the HOF myself. It’s about 90 mins from my house…maybe a little closer to two hrs.
I tried going to Orbitz and Expedia to look up packages for HOF weekend but it looks like it will have to wait a couple of weeks — I don’t think they’ve started selling plane tickets for that weekend yet. I use this cool freebie program called TravelAxe for hotel rooms, its like a meta-search that checks out a bunch of the travel sites (great for Vegas trips), I’ll have to play around on that when I get home tonight and see what kind of rates I can get. If I find anything super good I’ll let you know.
Masticore, why don’t you open your house to the DS’ers to stay next July to see Fat Tony get inducted??
Nice to see a win…I was sitting next to the bullpen most of the game. Brocail was litterally jumping up and down, hi-fiving us when the game ended…he seemed happier that he did not have to pitch than the team actually winning the game…
Heard a certain Padres pitcher in the bullpen when Blum was hitting late in the game say “Come on Blummer…do something for once this season!”
Saw Scott Williamson start to warm and then complain of neck pain and sit down.
Cla Meredith and Clay Hensley throw NOTHING that goes straight. Everything moves, even when they are just warming up.
Heard Brocail giving the scouting report to Linebrink on the hitters he was going to face in the 8th…when talking about Prancer (Eric Byrnes) he said to give him “Nothing High. Keep the fastballs low and the sliders low and away. Throw them in the dirt.” So what does Linebrink do? First pitch down…next two were high fastballs. Wonder why Prancer got the hit? Oh yea, he hits high pitches.
Hoffy was all business…trying to figure out what he was looking for…he went through 3 bags of chaw looking for just the right handful or something. Very strange.
One last thing…with Ackerfelds not at the game, the bullpen became like a frat house. Those guys were throwing things at each other, making fun of each other, and trying to hit the CF’er with pumpkin seeds. They were having a competition to see how far they could shoot the seeds out of their hands. Pretty hysterical.
Tough to watch a game, pitch-by-pitch when you are sitting at the bully…they are often times more entertaining than the game itself.
Thanks, Mike, for the bullpen view. Very candid, except for the juiciest part of gossip in your post. No hints on who was saying the same thing I was about Blum? Sounds like it was a toga party at the Delta House for the bullpen yesterday.
SDPG: Awesome! Yes, please feel free to send pics. I once sat directly above the dugout at the Q. Very strange when the guys would come in off the field. I remember Ollie and Kotsay looking straight at me a couple times.
CM: Good stuff on the bullpen. I’ve noticed on a few previous occasions that Brocail is very animated out there.
I’m really not sure what the big deal is with the Barfield thing. I mean, who here hasn’t sent their 47 year old pops hurtling down the stairs on occaision? Let he who is without sin cast the first stone! (sorry, couldn’t resist the biblical reference since they were “getting ready for church”).
On the 31st I think we’ll see Cassidy get called up and Thompson optioned in case for the postseason roster.
Ryguy – I think you’re right! Cassidy has been doing well closing for the Beavers …
It was a great time at the ballpark made even better by the win. Thanks Geoff, for putting it all together and thanks to everyone else for showing up. Spring training is a long time between meetups, how about a meetup at a local watering hole?
Great stories from the bullpen Mike. It sounds like those guys are loose, hopefully it rubs off on the regulars and they get in a groove.