Friday Links (9 Mar 07)
Fri, Mar 9, 2007
by Geoff Young
Before we get to the links, I have a quick book update. Actually, it’s that the update will come on Monday. Yes, this is a tease, but I promise I’ll make it worth your wait.
Onto the links:
- Finding 8th hitter a major priority (San Diego Union-Tribune). Who are the candidates? Good question:
Whoever bats eighth will be manning a crucial spot, Black said, because an effective No. 8 hitter is more apt to prevent the team’s pitcher from leading off an inning. Sledge, Greene and Kouzmanoff are among the candidates to replace Barfield, the team’s primary No. 8 hitter last year, and the bar was set fairly high.
My personal opinion is that spot in the order doesn’t matter nearly as much as getting the right guys on the field. But that’s easy for me to say because I don’t have to bat. Khalil Greene has the most experience in that spot, batting .262/.349/.404 from the #8 hole in nearly 500 career plate appearances. As a point of reference, Padres #8 hitters notched a .257/.295/.386 line in 2006.
- Lamar’s Brocail takes career to heart (Pueblo Chieftain). Here’s an angle on reliever Doug Brocail’s comeback last year that I hadn’t considered:
I wanted to prove a point. I didn’t feel like a stent was enough to take me out of the game… I knew it was kind of a guinea pig situation, but if it prolonged somebody else’s career, so be it.
There’s also a great bit in here about Brocail’s relationship with former Tigers manager Buddy Bell. I love what Brocail says Bell told him during their time in Detroit: “You will probably never start again in your life, but there was no reason you should have ever been a starter either.”
- Thompsons offer Padres double take on mound (Pueblo Chieftain). I’m pretty sure this is the last time I’ll reference a paper from Pueblo twice in the same post. Anyway, this one is on right-hander Mike Thompson and left-hander Sean Thompson.
- Old faces may fill out Bevo lineup (Portland Tribune). A quick look at who might break camp with the Triple-A Portland Beavers.
- Breit throws way into minors (cybersilhouette). Neat little article on minor-league right-hander Aaron Breit in the paper of his alma mater, Garden City Community College.
- Top 50 Prospects of 2007: 31-40 (AaronGleeman.com). Kevin Kouzmanoff checks in at #35.
- Best Base Runners in Baseball (Tiger Tales). I’ve known Lee Panas in the virtual world since we started chatting on the old AOL STATS message boards more than a decade ago. He always delivers the goods, and this is no exception. Former Padres Josh Barfield and Dave Roberts rank very highly on Lee’s list. Be sure to follow the link in the first paragraph to get a better idea of his methods. Good stuff.
Also, we’ve got a (relatively) new poll up asking how many different starting pitchers the Padres will use in 2007. Go make a difference, or at the very least, feel like you’re making one. 
Finally, we’ll fire up the first IGD of 2007 for Saturday’s televised game against the Rockies. It starts at noon PT, so there’s no excuse not to check in before you head out to the Tony Gwynn Classic. Well, there are plenty of excuses, but just be here.
Happy Friday, and go Padres!
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March 9, 2007 at 9:49 am
My sister just gave me an old baseball…definitely from my childhood…it is beat up, no doubt played catch with it on concrete…with some signatures. Hoping you guys can help me identify one of them…the ball is clearly from the 83-85 Padres. The signatures I can identify are Tim Flannery, Dick Williams, Tony Gwynn, Dave Dravecky, and Mark Thurmond. There is one signature that I can’t figure out. The first name looks like Ozzie and the last name seems to start with a U or a V. Any ideas?
March 9, 2007 at 9:52 am
The Padre’s bench is rated 2nd in the NL according to THT.
http://www.hardballtimes.com/m.....al-league/
March 9, 2007 at 9:55 am
#1: My money is on Ozzie Virgil Sr.:
http://www.baseball-reference......rgioz01%29
March 9, 2007 at 9:56 am
Thanks Geoff…I knew somebody would know. As soon as I read the name, I knew that was it!!!
March 9, 2007 at 10:03 am
1: If you got the signatures at spring training, it could be Ozzie Guillen. He was a Padre farmhand thru 84.
I can’t remember any major league Padres named Ozzie other than the Wiz. I don’t know where to look for coaches.
March 9, 2007 at 10:04 am
GY dropping the knowledge bomb.
March 9, 2007 at 10:06 am
“I’m not a play’a, I just crush a lot” should be Geoff’s tagline.
March 9, 2007 at 10:20 am
#7: LOL. It’s the first week of March and you’re already in mid-season form.
March 9, 2007 at 11:07 am
Nice articles at the Chieftain … what Brocail & both Thompson’s have in common is roots in SE Colorado … and that they all now are part of the Padres organization …
March 9, 2007 at 11:13 am
Hey Lynch, got a link?
March 9, 2007 at 11:19 am
Sorry Lynch, I just realized the link is on Geoff’s front page.
Dohhhh!
March 9, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Heads Up … next Saturday, March 17th, is the “Inaugural Storm St. Patrick’s Day Sip ‘n Swing Party … at the Lake Elsinore Diamond … http://www.stormbaseball.com/Main.html … free admission … can’t beat that … take some BP … see some fireworks … if you can’t get over to Peoria, this might be the next best thing … you’ve been warned.
March 9, 2007 at 5:36 pm
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/bo.....=270309103 … ouch … 2 long balls, Branyan and Cruz …
March 9, 2007 at 5:47 pm
A note of interest from a roto web site I check every once in a while …
In the Mets camp two veterans are battling for the 5th starter spot, and RHP Chan Ho Park took the clear lead on Wednesday allowing one run in three innings, while RHP Aaron Sele allowed four runs in only two innings pitched.
March 9, 2007 at 7:16 pm
Was reading BP … an article referenced the MLB Team Valuations … http://www.forbes.com/lists/2006/33/Rank_1.html … it’s from 2006 … but seems worth trotting out every once in a while … was surprised Padres are as high as they are (#15 out of 30) …
March 9, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Ah, it was a split-squad day … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=270309116 … KK with a bomb here, that cheers me up! Jake with what looks like a rough outing …