I’m pleased to note that last week’s post about Greg Maddux coming to the Padres has been published in the latest edition of the San Diego Reader (p. 195, also online). [Full disclosure: Back in the mid-'90s, I played in a band with the editor who decided to run this. On a personal note, I hadn't been in contact with Robert for several years, so it was awesome to reconnect with him.]
If you’re just discovering Ducksnorts via the San Diego Reader, welcome and thanks for swinging by our little corner of the Web (and if you’ve been coming here for months or years, please bear with me as we get folks up to speed — you might enjoy looking back at some of the old posts, and there is a book update buried in here somewhere). Feel free to take a look around the place. If you’d like to join the conversation, read our comments policy and jump on in — we won’t bite. Well, maybe a little.
Here are some of our most recent posts:
- Maddux Comes to San Diego — Gee, this looks familiar.
So, what do you think of this signing? - Remembering Gwynn’s 3000th Hit — Feel free to add your recollections of that dribbler into right field in Montreal.
- Scoring at Petco — I sometimes do heavier analysis; this one takes a look at how well (or not) the Padres are using Petco Park to their advantage.
- Waiting for NOG, Pondering the Best in Padres History — As part of the book I’m working on (more info below), I’m trying to figure out who are the best Padres players ever at each position; maybe you have a suggestion?
And here are some blasts from the past that you might enjoy:
- Nine Signs You Think About the San Diego Padres Too Much — General silliness.
- Gap Dirt — Wow, I’d totally forgotten about this guy; one of the most ineffectually obnoxious fans I’ve ever met.
- Scoring at Petco — I sometimes do heavier analysis; this one takes a look at how well (or not) the Padres are using Petco Park to their advantage.
- Ducksnorts Unofficial Guide to Restaurants Near Petco Park — Pretty self-explanatory; we also have one of these specifically for taco shops.
- Ducksnorts: Best of 2005 — This is a downloadable compilation of posts from 2005.
- Padres Final Baseball Game at Qualcomm Stadium — Honestly I didn’t think I’d ever miss the Q, but sometimes I kind of do; not enough to ever leave Petco Park, which is a great place to watch a game, but there was a lot of history in Mission Valley.
Finally, I’ve got my hands in a few other things that might interest you (book update alert):
- Geoff’s Other Baseball Writing and Media Appearances — I’ve done some writing for other web sites, and I also pop up on the occasional radio program.
- Ducksnorts 2007 Baseball Annual — I’m writing a book about the Padres; this has all the latest information (publication date, price, contents, some excerpts, etc).
And if you still can’t get enough, I also write at a more general baseball blog called Knuckle Curve.
Okay, that should do it. Again, welcome and have a look around the place. If you want something to talk about today, this morning’s U-T is reporting that the Padres are looking at signing Marcus Giles (no shock there) and also everyone’s favorite ex-Dodger, Jayson Werth.
There you go. Happy Thursday!
141 Comments
Probably does not hurt to have a little link to personalities of the regulars Geoff…you know, for the new people.
I would hate for them not to know that Tom is constantly accused of being sarcastic, Masticore is late to parties, Peter has analysis, a cool name and a competing/complimenting website, Clayton is the resident nick-name guy, PF4L is well read, and I sometimes have to be talked down from the ledge on a game-to-game basis. There are so many others…what happened to Padres Gal?
Re: Padres Gal has moved to an Indians Blocg since Barfield was traded
Sounds like they got your name right and gave your site a link. Some of us weren’t so lucky when the Reader published excerpts from our site. No matter, good to see you getting the pub.
From SignonSanDiego…
Former Padres pitcher Brian Sweeney came to terms with Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Re:4 I wonder if the pads told him that he had not shot at making the big club this year? I thought he did well in the long relief role last year.
I threw up a little bit in my mouth when I read that we were going after jaYson Werth. I hope he’s not our left fielder in ‘07, I’d rather even have sledge out there…but it sounds like DePodesta has a little crush on werth, so it might happen
First Piazza, then Maddux, and now Jayson Werth? No wonder we were interested in Bonds.
CM,
I heard she got her wish when Barfield knocked Padres Gal up after a long night on the town while trying to drink away the pain of being traded. They are currently planning their future together while taking up residance at Josh’s parents house in Texas, being extra careful of course not to do anything that might upset Josh’s brother Jeremy in fear that they might get pushed down the stairs.
I never liked Werth either but maybe if he’s our a-hole we’ll all grow to love him. It sounds like we’re going with quantity over quality when it comes to LF.
Another player succumbs to a video game injury:
Guitar video game hurt Zumaya’s arm
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061214/SPORTS02/612140388/1050
Fortunately our guys are safe, there’s no Corky’s jingle in Guitar Hero.
didn’t Werthless tell a bunch of fans out in left field that they were #1 (by use of a certain finger) a few seasons ago?
Nice KRS1…nice…
Re: 8 ouch!
Maybe I’m missing something-but how do Maddux, Piazza and Werth go together?
Not all are old, not all are bad clubhouse guys……..
Im playing her in the playoffs this week in the ducksnorts FFBL, I can email her and see if KRS1’s predictions are right.
Re: 13 all were ex dodgers
10.
I seem to remember him talking a WHOLE bunch of crap about us in the 2004 season when they eventually won the division. I could be a little foggy on that but I just remember that I thought he was the biggest A-HOLE by the end of that year. I had honestly kinda forgot about him because I have not heard his name in probably 2 years.
you can also throw Cruz, and ketchner in there as well
13: You left out “No wonder we were interested in Bonds.”
I picked up something a little more sinister than “ex-Dodgers.”
I’m pretty sure Werthless picked up where he left off in 2005, too. I recall a friend of mine saying so.
Steve thanks for the reminder…I got Ryguy this week…I was able to make a switch b/c of your post. Thank you!!!
My pleasure hope to beat you in the finals
CM, thanks for the compliment.
I haven’t seen it posted yet. Apparently the Pads offered up a contract to NOG. $3M-$4M
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20061214-9999-1s14padnotes.html
I’m the “nickname guy” huh? Isn’t that a nickname in and of itself? I can feel the universe warping as we speak…
re: 10 – apparently Dex of Gaslamp Ball is no big fan of Werth’s. This was linked to over on their site but thought I’d paste here too:
http://pfs76.blogspot.com/2005/03/why-i-dislike-jayson-werth.html
re: 4 – Is there any sports nickname anywhere better than the “Ham Fighters”? Maybe the “Mud Hens”
Re: 24 no Ham fighters wins.
I read somewhere that the d’rays are intrested in NOG. Cantu would look good in a Padres uniform right now.
My comment was meant to mean that we’re all of a sudden interested in players most Padres fans used to (or still do) hate. I might be in the minority when it comes to people disliking Greg Maddux, but I’m sure most Padres fans don’t have Jayson Werth and Barry Bonds on their Christmas list. And Piazza was always booed even after he was traded to the Mets.
I like the Dirt Bags from CSU Long Beach…but Ham Fighers are pretty cool too!
i always liked Maddux, FT (fat tony) always hit ‘em well
#24: Not to kill anyone’s buzz, but for the record, the team is “Nippon Ham” and its nickname is “Fighters.” A lot of folks make that mistake, but in Japan, teams represent corporations rather than cities. It’s too bad, because “Ham Fighters” would be a great nickname.
Is this name better than Coronado Mike?
Nah, I like CM better
Although maybe I’d need to see you at Easter/Christmas dineer to make an accurate judgement.
DePo is working on Werth? What does that mean? KT got to OK or deep-6 the deal in the end?
I’m confused. I don’t like Werth either. He was nothing special on the field.
31: Yes, that’s a better moniker.
31: Much.
Padre fans dislike Maddux and Piazza? Umm I don’t think I’d say that at all. They were both HOF caliber players in opposition jersey nothing more-nothing, not even close to Bonds.
There is a lot of hate for Werth, a surprising level really for someone who is only replacement level.
34: Werth was actually pretty decent.
Cantu cannot field though.
Cantu looks good in a uniform if you don’t care if your players move. Just an atrocious defensive 2b without the offense to make up for it.
I’d be shocked if Giles chose to sign in TB instead of SD-they’d have to offer him a ton more money to make it worth it
36: Padre fans did dislike Maddux after the 98 playoffs when he drilled Leyritz, then got plunked in return by Hitchcock (with Leyritz catching) the next season. I don’t think people ever disliked Piazza, he stayed classy, San Diego.
37: Werth’s had one good major league year and an uneven minor league record. Not the worst 5th OF to have, for sure. Don’t want him starting.
Re: 40 The padres Lowballed Giles he will get better offers from both the Mets and Red Sox, the pads are looking for the SD discount once again.
Re: 41 I would say werth would have just as good of a shot to start in LF as sledge, Cust, Cruz, P-mac ect…
27: I though you were making some ‘roid reference, albeit I’ve never heard anyone speculate about Maddux, but Piazza, most definitely have. My bad.
I’m not as violently opposed to Werth-less in a Padres uniform as I am to Bonds…but it’s similar in tone, just not in volume.
He started his act against the rightfield rowdies back in ‘04. Flipped us off behind his back, where no umpire could see it. Points at the logo on his hat and chest, puts a hand to his ear…later he started pulling the same stuff in left, right up through ‘05.
Is he just having fun with it or is he really that big of a jerk? Hard to say. I’m not in the clubhouse with him. But the use of obscene gestures (and I’ve heard said language as well) towards a crowd that includes children does not speak in his favor. Nor does his apparent shared values with Milton Bradley.
I think Maddux would have to get the ball over 85 mph before anyone suspected him of using.
42: A 4 million offer when he was paid 3.85 last year isn’t lowballing. Even 3 million isn’t when his old team just cut him loose.
46: People have accused Maddux of cheating by scuffing the ball before, but steroids? Not to my knowledge, not even when he and Glavine did their “Chicks did the long ball” commercial.
It’s just good business to use the fact that Giles has other incentives to come to San Diego to our advantage. Hasn’t anyone here ever liked the benefits at a job better despite a slightly lower hourly rate?
I’m not going to fault the management of the ballclub for using good business sense.
BP’s stat o’ the day today:
STAT OF THE DAY
Top 5 NL Rotations, by SNLVAR
Team VORP SNLVAR
San Diego Padres 280.7 25.6
Houston Astros 269.6 23.4
Florida Marlins 164.9 22.7
Los Angeles Dodgers 226.8 21.6
San Francisco Giants 170.3 20.6
Have some of that!
Re: 47 & 48 i didnt say mangement was wrong for making that offer just that I think the Mets and redsox would offer more.
Re: 49 is that 06 rotation?
Our ‘07 rotation stands to be even better…
from ESPN Rumors
“Dec 14 – The East Valley Tribune is reporting that the Diamondbacks are talking to the Rangers about a trade for reliever Akinori Otsuka, 34, who could challenge incumbent Jose Valverde for the D-Backs’ closer job.
In return, the Rangers have inquired about young pitchers Dustin Nippert, Micah Owings and Enrique Gonzalez.
Otsuka had 32 saves and a 2.11 ERA last season.”
Aki was always terrible in AZ for some reason.
Not to be smart aleky, but could it be because it is quite a hitter’s park?
Do you guys take LA’s rotation of the SD rotation?
I ask b/c Yahoo ranked the Dodgers as winners in the NL winter, but the Pads as losers, citing the Dodgers great rotation.
I may be a bit of a homer here, but I sorta like our rotation.
in 10 games he only pitched 4.2 innings and has an ERA of 23.4 with 16 hits and 12 runs, I dont know hitters park or not thats bad!
Re: 55 Penny, Lowe and Schmidt are bigger names than Young and Hensley
Does not mean they are better though
De Po is working the Werth deal around Towers? For the longest time, SD has had a great club house and I think Towers gives that significant wieght when considering players. De Po probably could give a crap if the guy is a jerk. I’m on Tower’s side, keep the clubhouse clear of jerks.
Re: 57 — Steve, I still think the numbers and talent level are on the padres side…Schmidt is a stud, no doubt about it (I wonder why he is with his 4th club in the last few years), but I still think Hensley is underrated and Maddux as a #4 starter is perfect…CY seems to be pretty good, but I want to see 1 more good year of production out of his mediocre, straight fastball before I am a full believer.
Overall, I still think the Pads staff is better. Magnified when you take into account salary!!!
Our softball team also has a no jerk policy. Kinda an oxymoron when I’m running the team though.
52-what makes ’07’s better than ’06’s?
Re: 60 I Agree, im saying thats why a national writer would say that the doggers have a better staff than the pads.
62: Peavy should bounce back. Maddux and probably Wells in place of Woody Williams and a couple months of Wells and other poor pitchers. Unless Young and Hensley both take big steps back, this year’s rotation should be clearly better.
64: It could be better, but I think the margin is smaller than you do. Both Young and Hensley could regress more than Peavy progresses, Maddux last year was really not much more valuable than Woody+Thompson, and we actually got a fair amount of value from our #5 starters. Park, Wells, Stauffer, and Estes combined for an 18.4 VORP. Wells beat that in 2005 (25.1), but he’s one big flashing red light on the health front.
OT: While the net effect is small, Dan Fox in an article at BP today notes that the Padres were #1 this year in MLB in generating runs via the stolen base attempt, netting a whopping 2.76 runs over the course of the season (and were one of only 4 teams in the majors to not cost themselves runs).
On an individual basis, Dave Roberts was #3 in MLB, generating 4.00 runs, and Josh Barfield checked in at #12 with 1.65 runs. Number 1? Ichiro! with 6.03 runs.
Frankly there isn’t a single sign that Hensley is going to regress next season. If he keeps his improved K rate from the 2nd half of the year and can keep the ball in park like he has in the past-then Bill James projections of Hensley having one of the best ERA’s in baseball next year might not be far from the truth.
He also has the whole winter to prepare to start instead of 3 weeks.
67: Was there a single sign that Peavy was going to regress from 2005 to 2006? It happens. His value will go up if he starts all season and gets over 200 IP, but why are we tossing out his first-half struggles? He was stretched out by June and July and they were 2 of his 3 worst months.
All I’m saying is, teams have often gotten themselves into jams assuming that players are either going to stay the same or improve, when they’re actually volatile. Young pitchers would seem to be especially volatile. Peavy, a much better pitcher than Hensley, went from a 53.1 VORP to 39.2. If I’d suggested that last winter people would have been telling me the same thing you’re telling me about Hensley.
I’m not predicting that he’ll fall back, just recognizing that it’s a legitimate possibility.
CM #1 Thanks for the intros. Since I’m new here to writing if not reading.Here’s my bio. 2006- Attended last Padre game alone in LA. Really.
Mike, did you really mean “formally” or should that have read “formerly?”
68: Some people actually did predict that Peavy might struggle in 06 because he pitched in the WBC. Not only did he not have all offseason to condition, but all that pitching might have worn on his arm a little. Now that might not be the case and maybe he had an off-year, but I think he’ll bounce back and put up a pretty decent line.
#69: Welcome to the comment section. Were you in full Padre regalia at that game? Probably wouldn’t have mattered anyway, since most of the Dodger fans left before the fireworks, anyway.
71: After the WBC, some people might have thought it was a bit much on Jake’s arm. But anyone looking at his 2005 season last December would have seen better numbers than Hensley provided in 2006. Not to mention Peavy had a much longer major league track record, almost all of it trending in the right direction. But he still didn’t produce in 2006 like he had before. That could happen to any of our pitchers again this year. It could happen to more than one.
The point is, pitchers don’t have straight-line trend. When everything goes right, you win a championship. But denying that Hensley or Young could slip, or not preparing for it, is poor planning.
8 – classic
70 – I suppose it could be both…
Story here:
I’m a huge U. Miami Huricanes fan. I read the Scout.com Miami site quite and post on their message board as well… Anyway there, there was a guy who named himself “Canes Fan 4 Life” (without the spaces)… The funny thing was, that he actually omitted the “E.” So in reality he was “CansFan4Life” and every time I read it, I thought, “Yeah, I like that part of the female attomy too, but I haven’t called ‘em “Cans” since Junior High…”
So the moral of the story: be careful what you say about yourself.
CM/HF (#55),
The Padres rotation is better and it isn’t close.
75: I agree completely. Just the fact that Brazelton won’t start any games for us is a plus. Also, Maddux really is a big upgrade over Woody Williams. If Wells comes back, he’s likely better than CHP and Thompson.
RE all the NOG discussion: I don’t think it’s lowballing, it’s negotiating. We should start low since we have the inside track, and if need be, we can adjust upward to match other clubs. There’s no point in starting high and overpaying. We took the same approach last offseason with Trevor and OG. It’s the sensible, business-like approach. Frankly, I’m thankful we have a front office/management team who understands this and doesn’t jump into the deep end without checking the water first (Can you say 5 years and $55 million for Gil Meche? I know you can.
).
re 66 – that is definitely a factor from our offense in ‘06 that we will not have in ‘07. Better be able to make up for it in increased power…
75: Looks close to me.
I’ve listed the VORP numbers for our SP last year and this. Assuming that we sign Wells, it’s not a big gap. 3 of the SP are the exact same guys and the other 2 are back-of-the-rotation types. You’re not going to get major improvement that way. The only thing that makes the VORP gap look bigger is Brazelton. There aren’t even words for how bad he was.
If you go to WARP, Maddux was roughly 1 win better than Woody+Thompson. Our pack of 5th starters, including Brazelton, was at 2.2. When he’s healthy Wells beats a 2.2; he managed a 1.6 in limited duty last year. Give him a 4 for 2007. That’s a +3 WARP1 gain from the new starters. Not bad, but not that big either. And completely dependent on the health of two 40 year olds, one of whom missed most of last year.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Peavy get back to a mid-7 WARP, Young and Hensley slide down a notch, and Maddux/Wells combine for a 9. A small improvement, which is okay when you started with a really good rotation. The only way to make it not close is to inject an elite pitcher, which we’re not going to do.
Re 28: How about the University of Santa Cruz Banana Slugs. That, my frieind is a bizarre nickname.
Regarding the potential Jayson Werth acquisition, Dex, over at Gaslampball.com, links to an earlier post he did about sitting near left field at a Dodger game a couple of years ago. Pretty funny. Reminded me what a jerk Werth was out in left field when the Dodgers played us.
Buster Olney says the Pads are close to signing NOG…
RE: 80. As my license plate frame reads: “100% Slug” I was at UCSC when the chancellor, thinking the school lacked dignity tried to change the name to “Sea Lions”. The students revolted and eventually he caved. The resulting publicity has generated significant revenue in slug-branded products. FYI, the banana slug is a bright yellow 3 inch long slug that frequents the redwood groves on campus
RE: 83 I think the men’s ultimate Frisbee team and the women’s lacrosse team are much more intimidating with a large yellow slug on their jerseys anyways.
BoDog just reported that the Pads have 22-1 odds to win the WS next year.
Wow…really slow news day today.
I guess TB signed Iwamura.
I’m scared to find out the answer – if we sign NOG, does that mean Todd Walker is an option in LF?
Todd Walker becomes a utility guy…
I still think the best move we could make is to get Pat Burrell for Linebrink…we become real contenders then…w/o a 40 hr guy we will struggle all year.
At least the dodgers are worse.
Re: 87 I think if the padres keep walker as a starter they would move giles to third and have Kouz play LF.
87, 88: We could still trade Walker. They’ve talked about him as part of a LF rotation, which is not exciting. How many players can be in a platoon, anyway?
Just 88: I’d like to get Burrell, but if he hasn’t hit 40 HR in Philly I don’t see him hitting 40 here. Maybe. He did have 37 in 02.
is burrell a 40 Hr guy in petco? his highest season total is 37.
89: Little chance of that happening. Walker turns into a utility guy or gets traded when/if NOG signs. They’d get worse defensively at 3 spots and Walker’s bat isn’t worth that.
Re: 92 is Kouz better defensivly at 3rd than Giles?
Also with LF Sledge and Cruz im sure are better defensivly than Kouz but if Cust or P-mac are put thier because of thier bat im not sure if there is a drop off in D.
93, 94: Kouz has been playing 3b continuously for years. Giles has played 1 game there since 2002. The reports on Kouz’s defense vary, but I’d give him a big edge just on experience. Definite downgrade at 2nd and in LF.
McAnulty’s a better defender than people think. Cust, no, but I don’t think he’s a realistic possibility. I’d rank the possible LF, bottom to top, defense only:
Walker
Branyan
McAnulty
Sledge
Cruz
with Sledge and Cruz pretty close.
89 – Sandy said they’re not looking for Giles at 3B
90 – I don’t think it’s considered a platoon if you have a bunch of sucky players sharing time
95 – I can’t imagine Walker would have much range in LF if he has such horrendous range at his regular position (2B).
I’d rather see Cust in LF if that was the case, and he’s horrible (in the field).
I am sure we will keep Walker and he will see time at 2B, 3B, and 1B.
I’m blown away … http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OR_OREGON_STORM_OROL-?SITE=ORCOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT … indeed, it was a dark and stormy night here in Corvallis … trees and power down … what’s this have to do with the Padres? Eh, nothin’, I s’pose … it’s just nice to be back online reading about sunny things going on in San Diego
Lynch…don’t feel to bad…it was a foggy night last night on “The Rock” and there are clouds in the sky today!
Lynch,
Don’t let CM fool you. I was in Coronado last night and even though it was foggy it was still freaking beautiful!
Question … why didn’t Tony Gwynn draw more walks?
Highest career batting averages without making the .400 Club
.342: Davey Orr (.366 OBP)
.341: Willie Keeler (.388 OBP)
.341: Bill Terry (.393 OBP)
.340: George Sisler (.379 OBP)
.338: Tony Gwynn (.388 OBP)
… kinda a crummy list to be on …
Tony swung at the first pitch he thought he could do something good with… and often swung at pitches only he could do something good with. Do you remember that unhittable Randy Johnson slider in the ‘98 playoffs he laced down the left field line for a double? Almost no one even makes contact with that pitch, and no one else keeps it fair. With his eye and bat control, he’s one guy I’m willing to say the usual rules about plate discipline need not apply.
If a hitter hits .350 (which he did often, and that’s a decent OBP by itself) and you don’t strike out much, not walking very much isn’t a knock against a hitter.
LM raises an interesting question. How many walks is it possible for a batter to draw? How does that tie in to SLG%? My immediate reaction to his question was that pitchers didn’t pitch around T Gwynn like they do to a Bonds or Pujols. Especially with the bases empty they were probably willing to go after him.
dprat is right, Tony would swing at pitches most guys would lay off. I’d bet that a large number of his 5.5 hole hits were on pitches out of the zone.
Most batters are looking for a pitch they can drive. Guys like Bonds might even pass up a pitch they can hit for a single, instead waiting for a pitch in their zone. If they don’t get it they’ll take the walk. Tony wasn’t looking to hit homeruns so he’d happily slap that low and outside pitch the other way. Wade Boggs was very similar in that respect.
Wade Boggs was a another level from 1983 to 1989. He hit between .325 and .368 with between 89 and 125 walks. He had 200 hits and 100 walks for four straight seasons. For a short period of time, he combined Gwynn’s hitting ability with Rickey Henderson’s walk ability with the speed of neither.
Thanks dprat for that memory. It was awesome.
I think TGwynn just a freak with controlling his bat.
Why is PMac not considered for LF? Wouldn’t he be just as good as Sledge?
I think people are forgetting Slege’s year in Montreal during his rookie season…he hit:
398 Ab’s
.269 Ave
.336 OBP
.462 Slg
15 HR
62 RBI
45 R
Those are not bad numbers for under 400ab’s and in Montreal…they guy is a decent player and if you platoon him with Cruz it won’t be as bad as we have had…now, I would rather have 1 bopper, but for Sledge to be your #4 or #5 OF, you would not be that upset.
Sledge and McAnulty have eerily similar minor league numbers.
Sledge 308/401/490
McAnulty 305/398/493
Sledge has a full year’s at-bats in the majors and did just okay, 775 OPS, borderline OBP of 333. McAnulty hasn’t had enough major league at-bats to consider. He’s 4 years younger than Sledge. I’d like to see McAnulty get a shot, but I don’t know that there’s much to separate them.
Yeah but P Mac doesn’t look as athletic as Sledge. That always plays a factor, conciously or not. If we don’t get an established LF I say unleash P Mac and let’s see what he can do.
I’m still hoping for Dunn but it seems pretty quiet lately.
Listening to SA the last couple of weeks on XX, whenever he’s asked about left field, he always throws in the name of PMac along with Sledge, in a “don’t forget we’ve got PMac, as well.”
Sledge showed a lot of promise a couple of years ago in Montreal and the only thing that has held him back are injuries. I like PMac but if it comes down between the two I’d give Sledge the nod especially after the power the showed last year in Portland and my percieved idea of Sledge being much more athletic than PMac (or Kruk Jr. as I like to call him). I would love to see PMac get a shot somewhere but I just don’t know where it would be, he’s overmatched at 1st 3rd and IMO Left.
Cust and PMac need to go to an AL team where they can be hitters like Matt Stairs.
#24- I’m partial to the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs.
Free PMac!!!
Something about the Banana Slugs (the real things) that most people don’t know. The native peoples of the Santa Cruz Mountains used them for oral anethesia by rubbing them against their lips, tongues, etc., (so I heard on some nature show in the Bay Area)
True story – I told this to a friend of mine and convinced him to try it. He did and the slug just caused his mouth to get all white & gooey like the jars of liquid marshmallow. I’ll never forget his face when he did it. For some reason he did not feel any numbness either so it was a total bust. He did make a freind for life though in the banana slug. Our friendship didn’t suffer too much thankfully.
The Padres must have come to terms with Cust becasue they didn’t offer him arbitration and he was off their 40 man roster for some time. It looks like no one else had interest in him.
115 – should be anesthesia
I say that if we really want to help Paul McAnulty have a spot on the Padres’ roster, then we need to all agree to stick to the nickname that we heard Kevin Towers use for him at the 2005 Pizza Feed … THE HAMMER!
118, but what do we call Termell if he really start hitting? The Hammer fits him like no one else! Unless they do platoon, then it would be Sledge-Hammer…kinda cool!
TOTALLY UN-RELATED…
Did anyone see the show The Office last night? That show is freaking hillarious and last nights was the best one I’ve seen. I’ve been sitting here laughing to myself all day just thinking about it.
Don’t spoil it KRS1…I tivo’d it and have not seen it yet…
Scrubs too…so shush…
Now, if you want to talk about 30-Rock…that show is freak’n funny as well!!!
CM…
DUUUDE!!! JUST WATCH IT!!!
Scrubs was good too but last night The Office took the cake!
My wife won’t be home for another 2 hours and I am with my Goddaughter tonight…won’t have a chance to watch it until Saturday afternoon…
Go to the Office Blog to talk about it…please…
http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?showforum=44
Haha okay I won’t ruin it for you!
According to the U-T, the Padres have offered Werth a contract along with St. Louis and 2 other clubs.
Please, please, Werth, take the one that St. Louis offered you. I’ll pitch in a few extra bucks if it helps.
I wonder if they are all minor leauge deals?
Is Barry Zito completely off the Padre radar?
How am I supposed to feel about that again — Disappointed that the Padres, as usual, aren’t players for any of the big free agents OR Elated that the Padres are showing some restraint in the face of insane FA spending?
And, no fair, saying ’some of each’. It’s one or the other.
Elated, the pads staff is pretty good as it is I dont think they need an over-priced lefty, they need an over-priced righty who plays left.
126: The article says Werth has four major league deals on the table.
128: Well put.
As predicted, the day after Matsuzaka signs, Boston trades for a reliever, —-Donnelly. Scratch that SD/Boston trade for an left fielder.
Philly still needs a set-up/closer…and they still don’t like Pat the Bat!!!
Seriously, I need to get over my man-crush!!
LaMar #72, I go somewhat often to Padre games in LA, but after an incident 2 years ago when I was minding my own business and wearing a modest Padre shirt, I now wear gear with significance to me but unrecognizable to our friends up north. With a group or for day games I’m guessing its safe with Padre gear in the lot.
131: I’ve read enough negative things about Burrell that I’ve grown leary of trading for him. All the positive talk about him that I’ve read here reminds me of the Boston fans talking themselves into loving JD Drew, albeit on a much smaller scale. The only mitigating factor is all the vitriol comes from Philly, not always the most rational fan base.
Obviously all the LF trade candidates have negatives so it’s a matter of picking your poison, assuming we even go down that route. At this point I’d prefer Jenkins over Burrell and Dunn over either.
Boston is still without a closer, I’m kind of surprised there hasn’t been a Linebrink for Crisp/WMP deal. Seems like it would be a good fit for both teams.
#115: Awesome story. Disgusting, but awesome.
#120: Yes, and without revealing anything, I will say there was a particular scene where my wife and I laughed about as hard as either of us has ever laughed at a TV show.
The Office is awesome, definitely my favorite show on tv. Last night was especially good, which was inevitable since it was twice as long as usual.
As long as it doesn’t turn in any bad seasons, “The Office” is one of the best shows ever.
I’ve never watched The Office.
Sorry for the moratorium guys…got to watch it tonight with my wife. That scene where Michael uses the magic marker…maybe one of the funniest scenes ever…Seriously, my wife almost fell out of the couch!!!
#138: Yep, that was the one.
The office is pretty darned funny, quite different than the British one, which is also funny but more subtle and menacing.
On Padres thoughts, M. Giles, yeah, I am still big on Burrell, and I really would not be into a Linebrink for Wily Mo Pena or Crisp deal (although I could live with Crisp). Pena is Reggie Sanders/Brian Jordan/Rob Deer all over again, except Jordan and Sanders could play defense. Watching Pena in the outfield is like watching Phyllis Shlafly at a leather bar – uncomfortable.
And he can’t draw a walk to save his life. Sledge is a better player.
Check out Sledge’s splits in AAA last year. The man just mashes LHP. He had an 1.100 + OPS against them in AAA and hit well against lefties in the Show too. He needs a platoon partner, it just needs to be another LH hitter.