You’re as Good as Your Skills, but Only if You Use Them
Sun, Oct 8, 2006
by Geoff Young
My baseball career ended at age 15. Lack of identifiable talent, if you must know. But I did play tennis competitively throughout high school, and I was forever on the cusp of making the varsity squad.
The way the tennis team worked was that in order to move up the ranks, you had to play “challenge” matches against the guys above you. I was usually right at the top of the JV ladder, and I had some skills. Good ground strokes, when I was able to hit them. Good serve, when it was working. I could move around the court fairly well, although I was more comfortable at the baseline than at the net.
My problem was that although there were a lot of things I could do reasonably well on a tennis court at any given time, the chances that I actually would do more than, say, one or two of them well at the same time were pretty remote. I had some talent but no consistency. I could make some real nice plays, but I could blow some real easy ones.
In short, I couldn’t be counted on to get the job done when it mattered. And because I had some talent (being young, I overestimated how much, but that’s another story) it frustrated the heck out of me that “lesser” players were ranked above me. They did not possess the skills that I had, or that I thought I had, and I couldn’t understand how they were able to advance while I didn’t.
My nemesis was a guy named Jon. I constantly played challenge matches against him but never could beat the guy. And for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why. I hit my ground strokes harder than he did, my serve was stronger than his, I could cover more court than he could, and even my net game (not a strength for me by any stretch) was at least as good as his.
The only thing Jon had going for him, and it’s a big one, is that he could return almost any shot. He wouldn’t necessarily hit it hard or with a lot of spin, but he would put it in play and usually in a spot he wanted. His entire game was predicated on your making mistakes. And unless you were very good, chances are you would make those mistakes and he’d win with a smile, while you’d walk away muttering under your breath, wondering how he could beat you.
At the time, you’re thinking it’s luck. You can do everything better than he can, and you know it. But when push comes to shove, you can’t get all facets of your game working at the same time, while Jon’s game never varies. He’s consistent. He always executes. He has a plan; it’s not a sexy plan but he nails it every time and you walk away frustrated, every time.
At some point — and it may be years later — you have to acknowledge that even if you’ve got the better individual skills, unless you’re able to harness those and coordinate them all in a manner that allows you to win with consistency, you don’t have the better game. The serve, the ground strokes, the net game — none of that matters if you’re shooting yourself in the proverbial foot with unforced errors. If you routinely fail to execute maneuvers that are necessary to your winning a match and you subsequently lose the match, it’s nobody’s fault but your own. And it’s prideful folly to insist that you are the better player despite all evidence to the contrary.
Even if you are certain that you possess stronger individual skills than your opponent, the inability to use those skills to your advantage is a fatal flaw that needs to be corrected. If you are smarter and more self-aware than I was at age 17 (heaven help you if you aren’t), you should be able to examine your own game with honesty and identify the weak points, then work to address those points so that the next time you meet your opponent, you’ll be better prepared to do battle.
Luck will play a part, of course, because whether we prefer to acknowledge it or not, that is always an element. But anything you can do to help tip the odds in your favor is a good thing. Because the next time you get that chance, you don’t want to walk away until everyone else has fallen. And if you don’t believe that, then why are you even playing?
* * *
Congratulations to the Padres on a great season, and thanks for all the thrills. I have no doubt that next year will be even better. Is it Opening Day yet?
Picking up where last year's version left off, the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual provides in-depth analysis of and commentary on the San Diego Padres. Get your copy today.
October 8, 2006 at 10:13 pm
Hey Geoff,
First, this season was my first following “Ducksnorts,” and thanks for the interesting times! I spent a little while this evening feeling disgusted until I remembered the Pads were doing pretty well to win the west this year, and that things may get more interesting with a couple huge contracts off the books this winter.
Second, I got a kick out of your high school tennis team story, which was so much like my sad, silly young life it was eerie. If I still lived in SD, I’d say we should go hit sometime…
’till next spring…
October 9, 2006 at 5:33 am
Great column, Geoff, I enjoyed it, and it’s a good parable for how to think about this Padre season…though I would argue the PAds were lacking a key element in that mix, maybe hitting winners. What do I know, my wife’s the tennis player.
My $.02 hot stove kickoff:
Pitching:
3 of 5 starters definite (JP,CY,CH) - can’t see any scenario where they trade Jake. We need some lefty starters, so if Estes is healthy look for him to take that 5th spot in the rotation. That leaves one starter. I think KT will make a run at Zito, and who knows? Stranger things have happened and Zito is definitely what you would call a different sort of guy. If we get him, I would see the team bring back Woody to be the 5th guy instead of Estes. Barring the Zito scenario, there are a number of guys out there the team can target for less money…but in a lot of cases you get what you pay for so hopefully the Kevin Towers Pitching Evaluation Magic will come through.
Offense:
C - Bard and Bowen are definitely here. Piazza most probably…not for the $8MM option, but I think he wants to stay and will come back for something more like $4MM.
1B - done
2B - done
SS - this will be Khalil, barring some A-Rod fantasies. Point has been made already that he’s too cheap for the next few years for the team to let him go, so someone would have to approach us with a great trade offer and given his injury history I don’t see any team doing this.
3B - I really wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up being Branyan. He played a good 3B, with the only bad play I can recall seeing him make being the throw to home last night. His bat was solid, as he hit for power and drew walks. Given the Padres’ seemingly glaring need for a new third baseman, expect other teams to be pricing their 3B talent at a premium. Towers rarely pays premiums.
CF - Cameron is a lock. Team controls that option, so he’ll be back and I’m happy with that. Would love for him to cut back on the K’s, but he’s at the stage in his career where unless they’re named Bond or Brady Anderson, you pretty much know what you’re going to get.
Corner OFs - my dream is for the team to resign Dave Roberts and trade Giles. I honestly believe that there will be plenty of teams who will buy into the “post-Petco rejuvenation” theory on Giles. His contract isn’t onerous…what I don’t know is whether he has a no trade or not. If he wants to put up #s again, he might waive that…if he just wants to hang out in San Diego, tan himself into leather, get bad haircuts and hit .260, then he won’t.
For the moment, I’ll assume I get my dream and we find a taker for Giles. The guy I want manning RF would be Sheffield. As has been pointed out, he’s got a lot of motivation to come back to the NL West and inflict some pain on LA. Plus, he didn’t have a negative exit from San Diego - he was dumped in the fire sale. He would be permanent-markered in to the 3 or 4 slot in the lineup every day and be asked to be ‘the man’. I think Sheff’s ego would love that.
That’s my speculation. Geoff, here’s a fun idea: have a contest for all DS’ers to submit their most likely opening day roster or lineup and see who gets the closest. Might be fun…
October 9, 2006 at 6:02 am
I think the Pads may make a run at Mulder to be honest with you. That’s our lefty right there.
2: Congrats on being a new dad. I’m a new one myself — my wife and I had twins three and a half months ago. It’s the best feeling in the world.
I like the “roster contest” idea — I’d like to see how close I would come.
October 9, 2006 at 6:30 am
Thanks Nick, and everyone else last night! We’re just over 24 hrs from THE moment…checking into the hospital tonight and they start the inducing tomorrow very early. Do you think Winfield Gwynn is a good first/middle name combo?
October 9, 2006 at 6:35 am
It’s an excellent combo.
My wife and I joked about naming our son Tony and our daughter Gwen.
Even I thought that would be a little over the top.
I’ll probably just stick to the animal thing — I did have a cat named after Graig Nettles.
October 9, 2006 at 6:39 am
By the way — GY — great job on the post, as usual. Very entertaining stuff.
I am not in the greatest mood today, but you have to be somewhat excited about 88-74, when the Pads weren’t expected to do anything. And a major overhaul of the roster is not necessary, as it was last season.
October 9, 2006 at 6:49 am
TENNIS?!?! I thought this was a baseball blog!!!
Oh wait, now I get it.
October 9, 2006 at 6:55 am
Thanks, guys. I’m not in the best mood either but as Nick G. notes, we’re in way better shape right now than we were at the same time last year. We’ll be talking more about this in the coming months.
Clayton: Great idea on the roster contest. I’ve got a few things to take care of before we get to that, but it’s on the to-do list.
Steve: Our new tagline will be “All Tennis, All the Time”; catchy, huh?
October 9, 2006 at 7:11 am
I’m actually a little sick of hearing about how great the Dodgers’ future is when we have solid guys at 1b, 2b. ss (if he stays healthy),c for years to come.
And throw SPs Peavy, Young and Hensley; RPs Meredith and Linebrink.
I’m not even including the “old” guys. I think we look all right.
What about this possibility?
Joe Torre gets fired (inexplicably).
Bruce Bochy gets fired (humor me here).
Joe Torre comes to SD.
October 9, 2006 at 7:11 am
I knew a guy who idolized Superman and ended up having twins named Clark and Kent. Pretty funny.
I’d love to see them take a shot at Mulder. Heck of a lot cheaper than Zito.
October 9, 2006 at 7:30 am
10
Clark and Kent, that’s great.
That’s what I was thinking too — Mulder is more of Towers’ M.O. Damaged goods, get him cheap, big upside. Someone brought the Mulder thing up on DS a little while ago, and I’m pretty intrigued by it. I bet Zito’s going to be too expensive — he’s going to be asking for like $15 million per.
October 9, 2006 at 7:53 am
Padres off season roster breakdown:
Under Contract:
Peavy
Giles
Young
Hoffy
Option:
Cameron
Linebrink
Piazza
Klesko
Control:
Gonzalez
Greene
Barfield
Bard
Bowen
Meredith
Hensley
Adkins
Sweeny
Sledge
Johnson
Cassidy
McAnulty
Thompson
FA’s:
Woody
Estes
Park
Brocail
Embree
Seanez
Wells
Willamson
Blum
Branyan
Belhorn
Walker
Roberts
October 9, 2006 at 8:01 am
Wow if anyone wants a little cheering up go read the yankees message board at http://www.yankees.com it is hilarious (as are most NY fans).
Makes you glad the padres fans are a little more civilized.
October 9, 2006 at 8:05 am
Wow Keith Law really digs into Bochy. http://insider.espn.go.com/esp.....=law_keith
October 9, 2006 at 8:35 am
#14 I completely agree with the article, in fact I said the same thing when Piazza didn’t pinch hit for Bard.
I’m sure that Bochy is a nice guy and the players like playing for him, but I’m not convinced he’s the guy that’s going to win a title for San Diego.
Great article Geoff…I played tennis in high school and college..I had no idea that you played as well. What high school did you go to?
October 9, 2006 at 9:12 am
I’m with Nick, Mulder should be an option for the lefty starter that SD needs. I don’t think that the Cardinals are going to just let him go, though. Probably will offer him a contract.
Question that ran through my mind last night was, given that Woody had pitched 5 innings despite lack of control, shouldn’t Clay Hensley be in to start the 6th? I kept hoping that Clay was going to get into the game earlier.
If Doc leaves, should Giles be moved back to LF and have Ben Johnson start in RF? I’d like to see what he can do for a full season. Unless, the organization doesn’t think very highly of Ben’s success. Note the confidence the club has in starting Greene and Barfield.
BTW, Barfield needs to lay off the first pitch. Boy, that was frustrating.
October 9, 2006 at 9:14 am
I have a feeling that if roberts leaves then the apds may move giles to left and platoon Sledge/Johnson in right.
October 9, 2006 at 9:18 am
Hi! Sorry I wasn’t at the IGD for last night. But, I will add my little blip about how this was my first year as a Ducksnorter and that I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. So much better than the MLB fan forums.
I’ll be around to post about the off-season moves that occur. And I’m up for a Ducksnort meet-up in Peoria!
October 9, 2006 at 9:36 am
16: After 162 regular season games the season boiled down to 2 ABs - Barfield once again hacking first pitch, as if other teams don’t have scouts, and Woody hanging one to Encarnacion. Woody shouldn’t have been there at that point, if you’re tied after 5 with Woody, you push away from the table.
Barfield has been deadly on first pitches for the season (999 OPS), but it sure seems like most of that was done before August.
In a sick way I was glad to see a fist of evidence smashed into the face of the “Walk Pujols” Padre fans.
October 9, 2006 at 9:52 am
RE: #’s 14 & 15
Can’t argue with Keith Law’s take. I’m sure my wife is under the impression that the Pad’s manager’s name is Mother-F@%&ing Bochy after hearing it from me constantly for the past seven days. Inexcusably bad management. The REALLY funny thing is the Cardinals didn’t dominate every game.
Despite that, can we really expect a big front office shake up in the off-season? I would like nothing more than to see KT and Boch get the axe with Alderson installing DePodesta as GM and hiring a Ken Macha-esque manager. Realistically, however, we will most likely be subjected to another year of close-but-no-cigar performance from the hometown nine.
October 9, 2006 at 10:05 am
20: I’d give Towers a B+ on this season, with an A- for everything after January. No reason to punish him, he acquired good players who simply stopped hitting.
Bochy made some terrible decisions in the playoffs, but you have to wonder what great decisions could have overcome that batting with RISP. Last night was his worst night of managing. One reason I’d like to keep the team largely intact is because if you don’t, you lose the training that (hopefully) took place over the last 5 days. That’s on the personnel side, I’m not sure Bochy has it in him to change.
October 9, 2006 at 10:06 am
From the “For What It’s Worth Department” from the Chicago Sun-Times:
“The playoff merry-go-round could affect the Cubs in another way if the San Diego Padres are eliminated by the St. Louis Cardinals. Padres manager Bruce Bochy, who has a year remaining on his contract, has been a Hendry favorite, and Hendry might approach the Padres for permission to speak to Bochy.”
Sorry, I can’t share others’ enthusiasm for getting rich of Bochy. This team played hard everyday, came back strong after some crushing losses and managed to win the west while turning over most of the roster. I don’t think managing is all strategy and in-game managing. Otherwise, Bucky wouldn’t always be looking for a job. I think a large portion of the job is managing the personalities you have and I think Boch did a good job of making a team out of a bunch of strangers.
October 9, 2006 at 10:11 am
21: Some of the blame for the post-season roster construction has to land at KT’s door, also.
The largest failing of the offense all year is that they rely on BA w/RISP too much. As any stat-head will tell you, BA is the most unreliable component of run scoring. An increase in team SLG% should be targetted in the offseason.
October 9, 2006 at 10:11 am
Hey check this out — it’s what Woody Williams has been going through since last season. I guess his sister murdered her husband . . .
http://www.signonsandiego.com/.....dside.html
October 9, 2006 at 10:16 am
22: I was going to write something about Showalter, too. With Bochy, you get a manager who seems like a good fit for the regular season. Uses his whole team, develops a fairly consistent routine which may be important for the bullpen, rests players who need it. His love for the empty husks of Castilla and Young hurt the team, but you’re not going to find many managers who would have pulled the plug sooner. In the playoffs, though, you’re 81 outs from going home. If your manager can’t change gears and you don’t have a dominant team, your postseason ends early.
Is there a manager who combines Bochy’s positives over the regular season with astute postseason decision-making?
October 9, 2006 at 10:20 am
25: Someone suggested on this board several days ago that what Bochy needs is a better bench coach than Sgt. Mjr. Tony Muser. Iirc, the argument went that the best approach would be to combine the clubhouse-friendly Bochy with a shrewd in-game tactician on the bench.
October 9, 2006 at 10:21 am
23: I believe they’re going that direction, which is why I don’t expect both Roberts and Giles to be here. You’ve got to get some power from 3b and a corner OF, combined with a decent OBP. They’ve seen what happens when a team is too dependent on stringing together singles.
October 9, 2006 at 10:42 am
Didi (#16), Mulder is an interesting case for St. Louis, if they want him, they need to get it done quick, otherwise, if they offer arbitration, he’ll except it in a heartbeat b/c MLB rules require that team offering arbitration to a player can only cut his previous year’s salary by 20%. For a guy coming off shoulder surgery, they don’t want to pay him that much with the question mark of his surgery…
October 9, 2006 at 10:44 am
Another darkhorse in the LHP race is Sean Thompson. He’s on the 40, and will probably get a fairly long look in camp next year.
I saw him pitch for Mobile this year, and he’s got pretty decent command and three solid pitches. He left the ball up some late in the game and got hit around a bit, but he’s got potential.
He’s not a front-line starter by any means, but he’s probably a notch above the Stauffer/M. Thompson/etc. flotsam.
October 9, 2006 at 11:53 am
I’m in a fog over what to do. The easy answer is hitting, but almost any Yankee starter was better than any Padre hitter and Detroit bounced them in 4. I like Zito but question his ability to shutdown top lineups, which takes us to Schmidt, who is a health risk…..
My real hope is that the trauma I inflicted on the tender ears of my family will be repaid by a Padre WS victory in the next three years.
October 9, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Of the FA’s and option guys, I’d like to see Linebrink, Cameron, Branyan and Embree back for sure.
After that, I don’t at all mind seeing Blum, Roberts and Piazza.
Woody is ok too IF we can get another pitcher.
I give a big NO to Bellhorn, Brocail, Estes, Park, Seanez, Walker, Williamson and Klesko.
Wells seems like he’s going to retire so that takes care of that.
Then, we need a 3B (at the very least a righty half to play for Branyan). I wouldn’t be opposed to trading Giles for help either.
October 9, 2006 at 12:09 pm
re: managers
Joe Torre is not a good manager, at least when it comes to managing a baseball game. He is Bruce Bochy — with a great team for the past decade. He is a respected “baseball man” who is fair with players and overestimates the power of being a veteran. There is no reason for the Padres to hire him. He’s Bochy with a better resume.
Bruce Bochy is not a good manager, of course.
At some point, I would expect Alderson to do what the Athletics do — select a manager who knows what his job is — middle managment. A manager should be there to carry out the wishes of the president and general manager, not to put his own terrible imprint on the team.
October 9, 2006 at 2:04 pm
32: Exactly. Joe Torre is nearly as bad as Bochy.
That said, how long do we have to wait for the Padres to get rid of Bochy or at least re-define his role?
October 9, 2006 at 2:06 pm
Keith Law: I might not even let Bruce Bochy on the plane home
October 9, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Just heard on XX radio….Philly Billy suggesting that he would offer the Cardinals, Brian Giles for Scott Rolen…..they were talking about the chance of trying to trade Giles and that there aren’t a lot of teams that would take him and his $10 million salary…
October 9, 2006 at 2:18 pm
Giles was #40 in MLB in wRAR*. Cameron was 28th and Gonzalez was 36th. It’s hard for me to want to get rid of our third most productive hitter.
Random Salary stuff:
Giles $9M
Cameron $7M (Option)
Hoffman $6.5M
Peavy $4.75M
Seanez $0.2M (Buy Out)
Piazza $0.75M (Buy Out)
Linebrink $1.75M (Option)
Young $0.6M
That’s $30.55M. Other guys are either free agents or simply don’t have 2007 contract information available yet.
October 9, 2006 at 2:19 pm
35: Of course, I’d still trade Gilly for Rolen if he’s healthy.
October 9, 2006 at 2:41 pm
No way the Cardinals are going to let Rolen go.
Honestly, do we really think that stupid trade idea is going to come through? And Giles is not bad. He’s just not the hitter he used to be. Getting rid of Giles without getting any legitimate power hitter is useless.
Can Giles bounced back from a dismal season by his career standard? I’d like to think that he can. However, platooning him with another OF is not a bad idea. After all, he’s been playing the most games for the Padres since moving to Petco Park.
Joe Torre is not a good manager. I’d rather have Bochy. However, the idea of getting another bench coach is probably a good one. Tony Muser seems to be a nice enough guy but he’s either not forceful enough with his suggestions or Bochy ignored most of those. Either way, he should be replaced.
October 9, 2006 at 2:47 pm
I’m not so sure about Rolen…apparently the Cardinals and Tony LaRussa are pretty down on him lately. I would certainly consider it if there was a chance of pulling it off.
October 9, 2006 at 2:51 pm
In my opinion, that Keith Law article is completely unfair and it’s obvious that he has not watched too many Padres games this season. He basically only wants Cla Meredith to only pitch to one hitter, and we all know that would be a terrible use of Cla’s talent. Double-switching in Khalil was the only way to maximize Cla’s use. Also, Law says we should have used Piazza to pinch-hit for Bard instead of Branyan. Which pair of hitters would you rather have up, Bard then Piazza, or Piazza then Branyan? Especially when LaRussa would have brought in a lefty to face Branyan. Bard has been clutch all season, and it would have been best to let him hit, which is exactly what Bochy did.
Honestly, I don’t complain much about Boch and generally tend to agree with in-game management choices. Sometimes he makes me wonder, but part of being a manager is being second-guessed. Also, usually Bochy’s move works out.
Being a manager isn’t just making strategy moves during a game. It’s handling the personalities on your team and putting guys in a situation to succeed. Every player who comes through San Diego absolutely gushes about Bochy and about how great a manager he is. And we’ve seen him put guys in a position to succeed through the way he handled the catching situation this year. There’s so much more to being a manager than what you see during a game, and Bochy does all of that excellently. Bringing in a new manager would be a mistake.
October 9, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Well, I’ve recovered from last night, with some help of the Chargers. It stings like hell that especailly, in my view that the Padre beat themselves last night and arguably in game two. In tennis (I played in HS too), its called unforced errors and the Padre had a bunch. Any time you leave 14 RISP, I call that a unforced error.
Winter thoughts:
Trade Giles if you can get a better hitter (shouldn’t be too hard). Guy is a declining vet (DV) and SD is making him real soft.
Get a legit 3B (obviously). A-Rod is a dream but so was Kevin Brown.
Consider trading Khalil for a better hitting SS.
Resign the Dr.
retain KT. Not sure about Bochy. Would rather have Torre then Bochy, but bochy instead of baker.
This team is close. We had enough pitching and D, but not enough bat. The emphasis this winter should be more pitching a better bats.
And as always, a BIG thanks to the tennis stud who makes this blog possible, our fearless leader on and off the court. Thank you Geoff for a another great season.
October 9, 2006 at 3:02 pm
I just posted my first installment of my top 25 minor leaguers…
October 9, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Peter, thanks for the post. If it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I’d have a clue who was playing for us in the minors, except for the few players that get talked about.
October 9, 2006 at 4:33 pm
I listen to ESPN710 in the afternoon. They were discussing the Dodgers and potential offseason moves and they brought up Zito. John Ireland said that he has been told that Zito is Towers #1 target this offseason.
Good to hear they will go after a top tier guy, but I don’t see it hapening. Isn’t Boras his agent?
October 9, 2006 at 5:10 pm
I’ve never subscribed to the fire-the-manager-and-shake-things-up movement, but now I’m not so sure. The team had no personality this year, and I don’t see them signing or trading for a big-time player who will immediately energize the club and the fans.
Hiring a new manager could send the message that the players and the fans should not be content with making it to the playoffs, and that the organization expects better results.
Maybe that is all pop psychology, but am I the only one who thinks something big needs to change?
October 9, 2006 at 5:58 pm
re: 41
I don’t think acquiring A-Rod is a dream, like it was a month ago. The Yankees are expected to field offers for him, and I don’t think they have to get comparable value.
Buster Olney wrote about it in his blog the other day.
http://insider.espn.go.com/esp.....ney_buster
October 9, 2006 at 6:33 pm
Not sure if Alex ‘Love Me’ Rodriguez would fit into the clubhouse.
Plus, everytime I hear his interviews, he sounded fake.
And Scott Boras is his agent.
October 9, 2006 at 7:01 pm
47: None of that should matter. He’s not a free agent, his contract will be getting paid (and is only I think 16 million per year that the Yanks are paying him), and who the heck cares what his personality seems to be according to the media, or if he sounds less than genuine. All that matters is that he’s one of the best baseball players in the league, he would probably add 5 wins to the team, but it’s doubtful that the Padres have enough talent to acquire him.
In other dreaming big free agent news, I would like to have Zito, just worried about the cost to acquire him when he isn’t a number 1 starter and will be tying up so much of the payroll for years to come.
Great season for the Padres, and it sucks that we have to wait so long for it to start back up again. For now, go A’s. Thanks for all the excellent work, Geoff.
October 9, 2006 at 7:24 pm
RE 40 - excellent points
Don’t recall Keith Law playing, managing or holding a management level position in baseball. Which team is he associated with? Most of the writers are way off on even their predictions for the playoffs, so why we would heed their sage advice about on-the-field matters is beyond me. I’d tend to trust a big league catcher who has been with the organization for going on 20 years a little more than a self-proclaimed pundit with a pen.
October 9, 2006 at 7:35 pm
Big KT Fan (49), Law used to write for Baseball Prospectus and Riccardi hired him with Toronto.
LaMar (43): thanks.
Kevin (46), Don’t forget, while the Yanks may WANT to trade A-Rod, he does have no-trade privledges…
Also (everybody) if we could get A-Rod (who I think would rebound nicely and play well as a 3B - I don’t think he could play SS, he’s gotten bigger) who would you give up, Chris Young, Jake Peavy? The Yanks aren’t going to give him away…
October 9, 2006 at 7:37 pm
49:
Keith Law is not a self-proclaimed pundit with a pen. He is not a writer by trade.
Law spent 4½ years with the Toronto Blue Jays as a Special Assistant to the General Manager.
You should at least google someone before you rip them.
October 9, 2006 at 7:39 pm
49: Keith Law spent four years as a special assistant/advisor to J.P. Ricciardi in the Blue Jays front office.
Therefore, he’s not your average “self-proclaimed pundit with a pen”.
I admit you’re right on that assertion with most guys, but not Law.
October 9, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Wow, jinx.
And hey, Peter, good work, as always.
October 9, 2006 at 7:47 pm
50:
A-Rod would play 3B with the Padres. So it doesn’t matter that he can’t play SS as well as he used to. The Padres 3B problems are the reason they are being mentioned as a possible destintation.
October 9, 2006 at 7:50 pm
50:
As long as the new team is willing to pay all or almost all of A-Rod’s salary, the Yankees won’t be asking for comparable value for him. So something like Hensley and Linebrink for A-Rod is possible. The Yankees wouldn’t ask for the Padres three best players.
October 9, 2006 at 7:56 pm
Kevin, I agree that they wouldn’t ask for the Padres three best, but they’d likely ask for one of the three best and w/ their pitching needs…
The “SS” was actually directed elsewhere, someone near the top mentioned him as a Greene replacement.
October 9, 2006 at 8:01 pm
I don’t think they would have to give up Peavy or Young. If the Yankees asked for one of those, the Padres could certainly turn them down.
October 9, 2006 at 8:13 pm
I think Peavy for ARod could be interesting, but I don’t think it would be done. ARod would want to play short again which could play into moving Greene to 3B which could work out for San Diego.
October 9, 2006 at 8:21 pm
Alex Rodriguez would be an amazing acquisition. There’s no single player I wouldn’t trade for him and I’m not sure if there’s even a combination of two players I wouldn’t give up.
October 9, 2006 at 8:30 pm
Re: 45
ChrisK,
What do you have in mind to inject some personality into this team?
October 9, 2006 at 8:42 pm
59:
Well said.
October 9, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Kevin & Richard, I mostly agree, but I wouldn’t give up any combo of Young/Peavy/Gonzales… It’s not that A-Rod isn’t statistically worth it, it’s that we’re too thin without at least two of those guys.
October 9, 2006 at 8:50 pm
The Yankees would probably go with Young or Peavy and Linebrink or Meredith…
October 9, 2006 at 8:55 pm
I wish I could offer a solid suggestion of a personality-inducing player, manager, bat boy (remember when the Padres’ bat boy had an afro? I guess that was too interesting, so even he cut his hair!) or anyone else. Right now, very little excites me about the Padres.
I remember players like Tim Flannery or Eric Owens. Not great players, not game-changing players, but players you could root for. Khalil fits this description to some extent these days. Fans have latched onto him because he is exciting to watch in the field, and is unlike any other player (or maybe girls just think he’s cute).
Then we had players like Gwynn, Caminiti and Finley who were both game-changing players and also exciting to watch. Not exactly a dime a dozen, of course, and I don’t know of a current player who fits the bill. I’m sure others here will have suggestions.
October 9, 2006 at 9:09 pm
Re 51
Fair enough. I should have Googled Keith Law before ripping him. My comments were about writers in general, as I obviously know little about Law.
Would I be correct in saying that Law was a writer who became an assistant who went back to writing?
The Blue Jays during the Law era:
2002 78-84
2003 86-76 (.531)
2004 - 67-94 (.416) 2004
2005 - 80-82 (.494)
I guess being a genius is a little easier from behind the pen than on the field after all. Now we know why he went back to writing.
October 9, 2006 at 10:08 pm
65: Wouldn’t your insult make more sense if Law had been a manager that screwed up and was fired rather than an assistant to the GM that elected to resign?
October 9, 2006 at 10:54 pm
65: Plus, I’m also a self-appointed expert, and I know I couldn’t manage a major league team for many, many reasons. But that doesn’t make Bruce Bochy any more compotent. It doesn’t mean he is good at what he does.
For example, just because a music critic can’t write or play music doesn’t mean their criticism of Britney Spears is false.
October 9, 2006 at 11:02 pm
I think Cameron should fit your bill, Chris, Ks and all. At least he doesn’t have to run odd routs to make highlight catches (Eric Owen, at least his rep; my memory is foggy). Personality can be one of those vague or subjective complaints. Whether Cameron or Gonzalez or Young, I think this team is OK there.
October 9, 2006 at 11:39 pm
I like how my e-mail was included by Travis in an anti-Bochy comment. Makes me proud.
October 10, 2006 at 2:37 am
Re 66 - If Law chooses to write about in-game strategy, he should be judged on his team’s record during his tenure with the Blue Jays. Law is insinuating that he would be a better in-game manager than Bochy (who shouldn’t even be on the plane ride home, according to him), so we can only look to how his team fared when he had some level of responsibility in the overall decision-making process. Unfair? Maybe. A little like lambasting a manager that takes a mediocre team to a first-place finish and then is sniped as a bad in-game strategist by a writer- failed assistant GM -writer.
October 10, 2006 at 3:25 am
re 67 - “For example, just because a music critic can’t write or play music doesn’t mean their criticism of Britney Spears is false.”
You are 100% correct.
“But that doesn’t make Bruce Bochy any more competent. It doesn’t mean he is good at what he does.”
And just because Law was an assistant to a GM and writes for ESPN doesn’t mean he is competent or that his in-game strategy is any better than Bochy’s.
From the posts I’ve gone back and read about Law resigning his position with the Jays he seems to be a nice enough guy. I also have no idea how good he did in his position, so my claiming he failed is unwarranted.
Mostly, I’m just a Bochy fan, and I was especially irked today by ESPN’s poll asking readers who they would rather have on their team, Terrall Owens or ARod? Millions of readers will see this poll, and a large number will now equate the two (as if they were comparable). That would be like me asking: Who would you rather hire as a writer, Keith Law or Jason Blair? Irresponsible, defamatory, and a sign of the times, I’m afraid. Is ESPN owned by FOX?
October 10, 2006 at 5:31 pm
BigKTFan, might I suggest that you read “The Book” by Dolphin, Tango and MGL.
October 10, 2006 at 6:55 pm
Thanks, Richard. You’ve mentioned that before and seem sold on its ideas. I will have to order it.