Quick word on the book before we get to links. I’ve completed drafts of three chapters; two more are very close to being done, another is at about 40-50%, and I’m just getting started on “2007 in Review.”
On that last point, I’ve gone through the past 14 months or so of blog postings and highlighted some of the most important points. From that, I’ve created a rough outline. Next steps are to flesh everything out, follow up on research inquiries I made several months ago, etc.
The outline is a bit ambitious, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to give everything the attention it’s due, but I shall do my best. To that end, and kind of the point of me telling you all this, we’ll be entering “terse mode” (for those of you who played “Zork” and other such games back in the day) over the next several weeks.
I’ll keep posting every day, but because my focus needs to be on the book right now, sometimes it will be little more than a prompt. Other times, it might be an excerpt of a draft I’m working on at that moment. I’m not sure. I just know that I may not be as “visible” for a while, and… well, now you know, too.
Okay, that wasn’t very quick. Links, anyone?
- Padres sign Iguchi (Friar Forecast). MB likes the signing of Tadahito Iguchi, and so do I. Even without crazy plays like this one, he’s a useful guy to have around until Matt Antonelli is ready. It’s a 1-year deal for $4 million; not a lot of risk there.
- Padres, desperate for outfield help, targeting Pirates’ Bay (ESPN, via Coronado Mike in the comments). Old rumors. Jason Bay doesn’t excite me much these days. The Padres will find someone, or several someones, to play left field next year, just like they did in ’07. Center field is the concern, and Bay doesn’t help there.
- 2007 Sabermetric Year in Review: San Diego Padres (Stastically Speaking, via Friar Forecast). Mostly review material, but well done.
- Tom Krasovic chat transcript (San Diego Union-Tribune). In response to a question about the aforementioned Bay:
Pirates will want a lot. He’s the face of their franchise. And the fans there would revolt if they don’t get a lot for him. You’ve got to feel for Pirates fans. Not much hope there.
- San Diego Padres Top 20 Prospects for 2008 (Minor League Ball, via Didi in the comments). John Sickels has posted his list. It seems very reasonable to me (I’m more down on Chad Huffman than just about anyone, which hopefully means I’m wrong). Sickels really likes the relievers taken in the Rule V draft.
- Economic principles guide free-agent contracts (Yahoo!, via Schlom in the comments). Vince Gennaro talks about this year’s free-agent class.
- Right on the sweet spot (Friar Forecast). MB offers his thoughts on what strategy the Padres might want to employ this winter.
- The 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot — A Roundtable Discussion (ArmchairGM). David Pinto, Dayn Perry, Dan McLaughlin, Matt Sussman, and Rich Lederer discuss the relative merits of this year’s crop of nominees.
Mitchell Report
This whole thing disgusts me. So many questions. So many visceral reactions, so few considered responses. I find myself wondering, among many other things, what, if any, impact the recent actions against Marion Jones might have on the course MLB chooses. But mostly I’m just irritated with everyone involved, myself included (hey, every ticket I buy helps support the system).
- The report (MLB). Yep, a 409-page PDF file to curl up with by the fire. You, your honey, a cup of hot chocolate, and the Mitchell Report. Good times.
- Thumbnails of players mentioned in Mitchell Report (Yahoo!). Yowza, that’s a lot of names.
- More Mitchell Report (Knuckle Curve). Calling my own number. I’ve read only parts of it, but these are some very preliminary thoughts.
- San Diego Padres named in Mitchell Report and all of the uses of the word “buttocks” (Gaslamp Ball). Dex lists the former Padres mentioned. Matt Herges? Gary Bennett?
Finally, for a bit of levity on a Friday, I present the timeless Cindy und Bert (thanks to my friend Alan for the heads-up). Happy happy, yo yo.
50: I for one would be thrilled if my kids ended up like Tony Gwynn. If he really were to do everything possible for his career he would have gone to the American League to DH in like 99.
48: I used to be heavily involved as a referee on the indie circuit. I bowed out this year. It was fun while I was in college, but with an 8 to 5 job, my weekends became too important for me to journey all over Southern California for $20 and a potential injury.
50: Couldn’t you use the “it’s simple to sit here and pass judgment” defense on any lawbreaking activity? I’ve never robbed a bank, but even if someone robbed it to feed his starving family, that doesn’t make it ethical. I agree with the basic conceit of your posts — let he who is without sin cast the first stone — but I think it’s a little tedious for you to sit here and attack people who just want to root for people who abide by the law and the rules of the game. It’s naive to expect a player to be clean, but it isn’t naive to hope for it.
From what I’ve seen, Geoff Jenkins is plus defender.
He ranked pretty highly among left-fielders in Pinto’s Probabilistic Model of Range:
http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/023979.php
Another name up near the top: Scott Hairston!
45: You’re kidding right? Tone is so hard to determine…
Phantom, maybe I’ve seen you. I used to really follow wrestling and would read socal uncensored religously daily and would head out to lots of wcwa and upw shows.
Of course you being in wrestling lets us know why you are so forgiving of steroids.
52: I think you kind of proved my point — you just compared using steroids to robbing a bank. That’s exactly what I’m trying to counter — too many people are equating them. I understand that probably no one who reads this blog played sports at any high level, I doubt that anyone even played Div I sports. I think if you did, your perspective might be changed.
I wouldn’t mind seeing a 2008 lineup of:
1. RF-Giles
2. 2B-Iguchi
3. 1B-Gonzo
4 .3B-Kouz
5. LF-Jenkins
6. SS-Greene
7. C-Bard
8. CF-McLouth?
I put Gonzo in the three hole simply to stagger the lefties and the righties.
Any thoughts on an ideal, yet realistic 2008 lineup?
55: I used to post on SCU as PhantomPretender. I never worked a WCWA show becuase the only show of theirs I ever attended was their last one when Pearce started the riot. I mostly did AWS, some Rev Pro and Rev X, EWF, WAR, and a few others. I was pretty close to the New Japan people for a while and I used to do a lot at their offices in Santa Monica.
55: Also, the best bump I ever took was a running dropkick from Austin Aires. It was at a War show at the dojo in Santa Monica in a singles match against Adam Pearce. I never saw the footage, but from what I heard, it looks like Aires absolutely killed me with the kick. It helps that he actually did dropkick me just below the chin…
I’m surprised I’m as ambivalent towards steroids as I am, given the things I used to hear about Masters when he was at UPW. I also got pretty close to some of the New Japan guys and was bummed when I found out some of them did steroids. Being that close to them though, I also understood why they did it because they wanted to make it so bad.
MLBTR reports we’ve signed Glendon Rusch and wonders with Estes, Hensley, and Germano if we’re done in terms of starting pitching.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2007/12/padres-sign-gle.html
Re: 61
I would be very surprised if Josh Towers is not signed in the next few days.
I like the fact that the Padres are picking up these low cost, potentially high impact pitchers. Every pitcher is going to look better then he really is pitching in Petco so I think the Padres should maximize this by picking up as many pitchers as possible. Then, if some of them pan out, they can trade them for things they need.
On related note, I’m hoping the Padres pick up Mark Prior. I can’t imagine that he’ll cost much but he has as much potential as pretty much any starter available. 2003 was a long time ago but I think it’s worth a gamble that he might have another season like that still in him. He’s still pretty young, only 8 months older then Jake.
The SF Chronicle is reporting the Diamondbacks got Haren fot a 6 prospect package built around Carlos Gonzalez.
63: They also traded Jose Valverdge to the Astros for Chris Burke, Chad Qualls, and Juan Gutierrez.
This still doesn’t concern me all that much. Maybe it should, but it doesn’t. Is there much left in the D’backs farm system at this point?