Everything in Its Right Place
Tue, Apr 1, 2008
by Geoff Young
I couldn’t sit still on Monday. I can’t sit still a lot of the time, but on Opening Day it’s always worse. My nervous tics develop nervous tics.
I arrived downtown just after 4 p.m., wearing my Chris Young jersey, and toting my digital camera and scorebook. Mrs. Ducksnorts and I wandered over to one of the many fine establishments within walking distance of Petco Park, where we snacked on finger foods and quaffed Belhaven Scotch Scottish Ale on tap at $3.50 per pint.
I thought about the folks who are outraged at being charged more than twice as much for domestic swill at the ballpark. After brief consideration, I decided that “continuing to buy domestic swill at the ballpark” probably isn’t the most effective way to show one’s outrage. My crazy theory is that if fans stop buying the stuff like it’s water (which it is, but that’s another story), then eventually the Padres will have to adjust their prices. Until then, what’s the incentive?
I was on my way to a baseball game and an ecomomics lesson broke out. I hate when that happens.
Anyway, after snacking and quaffing, we headed over to the ballpark, where we picked up our free hats and watched the tail end of Astros batting practice. Behind us, kids were playing at “Park in the Park”; as we moved along the concourse toward our seats, the strains of a band playing classic rock gave me some nasty flashbacks.
Hi, this is .38 Special and we’re here to ruin your life. Have a super day!
Eventually we made it up into left nosebleed and found our seats. The Astros were introduced, and all the ex-Padres got nice rounds of applause — even Jose Cruz Jr. One of the endearing qualities of San Diego is that it doesn’t take much for us to forgive a guy. Pretty much go away quietly, and we’ll treat you like family. Seriously, if Marcus Giles hooks on with another team and returns to Petco Park, it will be to cheers.
The game, dude; the game.
Gotcha. Jake Peavy struggled a bit with his command early but looked sharp as the evening progressed. He tossed seven scoreless innings and finished with just four strikeouts. By my count he allowed two well-struck balls all night: a drive off the bat of Hunter Pence in the third that took Brian Giles to the warning track near Petco Porch in right, and a Miguel Tejada fly to right-center in the sixth.
Peavy worked a little too deep in the count at times — although he didn’t get much help in the fifth when third-base umpire Marty Foster ruled that Michael Bourn hadn’t swung at a 1-2 pitch that should have ended the inning. Peavy had to throw seven more pitches as a result, not that it mattered.
On the other hand, Peavy allowed just 5 two-strike foul balls, so he wasn’t wasting much energy there. His opponent, Roy Oswalt, threw 17 two-strike foul balls. The Padres did a nice job of making Oswalt work.
Tadahito Iguchi enjoyed his Padres debut, knocking two doubles and a single. Kevin Kouzmanoff worked three full counts but had precious little to show for his efforts. Adrian Gonzalez singled twice and scalded a ball in the sixth that looked like extra bases, but it hung up in the air and Bourn, who got a good jump, was able to track it down.
That sixth inning was frustrating to watch. It reminded me of last year’s Padres. They managed to load the bases with one out and come away with nothing. That shouldn’t happen.
They made amends the next inning. With Khalil Greene on second and two out, Paul McAnulty fell behind in the count, 0-2, before coming back to draw a walk. Tony Clark, making his Padres debut, whacked the next pitch into center field to bring home Greene with San Diego’s final tally of the night. It’s a sample size of one, but proper execution is always a welcome sight.
Speaking of McAnulty, he looked terrific at the plate. He lined a single to left in the second, grounded one into right-center in the fourth, worked an eight-pitch at-bat in the sixth before striking out, and drew the aforementioned two-out walk. He also spat on some pretty good looking pitches. Opinion is divided as to whether he’ll cut it at the big-league level, but I believe he can, at least in some capacity.
Josh Bard had good at-bats, as did Peavy, who drove in the Padres’ first two runs. He hit a ball to deep left in the second that plated Bard. Then in the fourth, with Houston looking bunt, Peavy smoked Oswalt’s first offering over Tejada’s head and into left-center, bringing home Bard again.
Giles? The box score says 0-for-4 with a walk, but he made Oswalt and company work. I show him as having seen 28 pitches on Monday. That helps in the ol’ “war of attrition” and gives his mates a good look at what’s coming their way.
The only downer was Scott Hairston. He had no clue what Oswalt was doing, and his at-bats against the Astros bullpen weren’t much better.
On the bright side, Hairston looked comfortable in center field. He wasn’t really tested — well, unless you count the mind-bogglingly stupid baserunning of Tejada in the ninth.
Explain this to me. Your team is down four with three outs to go and you hit a fairly routine single to center. Why would you possibly try to stretch that into a double?
There are so many things wrong here, I hardly know where to start. First off, if you reach second safely, what have you done? You’ve put yourself into scoring position so that, say, a single can bring you home and cut the defecit to three runs. Well, I suppose there’s some value in that. Except for the whole possiblity of getting thrown out at second thing.
Fortunately there’s a real easy way to eliminate the risk of getting gunned down at second. It’s called “defensive indifference” and it’s what probably would have happened if Tejada had remained at first base. But even if the Padres hadn’t conceded the bag to him outright, it’s not exactly a secret that they don’t control the running game.
Why willingly introduce risk into the equation? Seriously, Tejada’s been around the game long enough to know better, but that is one of the stupidest pieces of baserunning I’ve seen in a long time.
Not that it mattered…
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.
April 1, 2008 at 8:24 am
Great game last night. I was sitting about 5 rows from the top of the LF pavillion seats and had a wonderful time at the Park last night. The family and I arrived at the Park around 3:30-ish and really had fun at the Tilted Kilt before hitting the Park.
Hairston looked pretty bad at the plate last nite, but did look good in CF. I thought the positioning on P-Mac was awkard at times as he was WAAAYYY off the line and playing more LCF then LF. But I guess when you’ve got Jake on the mound, you’re not expecting many guys to get around on his fastball.
Overall, great game. Would love to see us plate more runs with 14 hits, but seriously, 14 hits! I thought our offense sucked?
Should be interesting to see waht the team does off the rest of the Astros starters.
April 1, 2008 at 8:35 am
Love the “stream of consciousness” type of posts, Geoff. The analytical/statistical, reporting posts and interviews are always good, but it’s fun to hear what’s on your mind as well.
Tejada? Clearly he was interested in the post game buffet more than in winning the game.
April 1, 2008 at 8:43 am
Re: 2 he felt the drawing power of the Fish Taco!
April 1, 2008 at 9:01 am
I’m glad Geoff talked about plate approach, because that was my biggest takeaway from the game last night (we were there and had a great time, just like the rest of you). I thought Padre hitters did a pretty good job of making Oswalt throw a lot of pitches, getting into hitters’ counts and making him pay when he made a mistake. Oswalt was at 100 pitches through 5; I did not think that it was just an off night for him. We didn’t see a whole lot of this out of last year’s club, so maybe it’s a good sign.
However, Khalil saw a whopping 9 pitches all night, and swung at the first pitch in his first 3 at-bats; looks like I’ll continue to yell at my television every time he comes up this year…
April 1, 2008 at 9:07 am
4 … you bring your TV to the games?
April 1, 2008 at 9:32 am
Just got through last night’s comments … nice job, guys!
GY … thanks for the recap … it’s all about observations … helps me “be there” even when I can’t (which is usually).
Comment #94 from Stu in last night’s IGD bears reposting …
Stu Says:
March 31, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Waaaaaay off topic, but this has to be shared. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Padre mentioned in a New York Times op-ed…let alone two of them in one column.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04.....rooks.html
Must-read. Geoff, I nominate this for the Friday links.
… THANKS for the link, Stu!!!
April 1, 2008 at 9:35 am
Can anyone go up to Lake Elsinore on Thursday or Friday to scout Jim Edmonds?
http://www3.signonsandiego.com.....-saturday/
(Link thanks to Field39 also in last night’s IGD comments … mainly for it’s news about Latos’ shoulder, which Fuson describes as “soreness is typical for spring training” … feh)
April 1, 2008 at 9:39 am
7 … that UT link also has this goodie …
Black said newcomer Justin Huber’s first start could come tomorrow in left field against left-hander Wandy Rodriguez.
Here’s a UT writer’s blog thoughts on the subject of the pending roster decision when Edmonds comes off the DL …
http://www3.signonsandiego.com.....l-survive/
… who will survive?
April 1, 2008 at 9:40 am
7: Yeah, they weren’t too worried (publicly) about Schmidt’s elbow either. That’s why you can’t stop piling up high-shelf arms.
April 1, 2008 at 9:42 am
8: I’ve seen it reported that Gerut still has an option.
April 1, 2008 at 9:44 am
UT now has a “minor league blog”! First entry is about the Portland Beavers …
http://www3.signonsandiego.com.....prospects/
April 1, 2008 at 9:46 am
RE: 10 Corey Brock mentioned that yesterday on an interview on 1360.
April 1, 2008 at 9:47 am
I’m a little suprised that Huffman is not in AAA I guess with Headley making the switch to the OF there is not room for him to play everyday. Also man there are a ton of 2B in portland.
April 1, 2008 at 9:48 am
Anyone here think Jim Edmonds, healthy or not, would have tracked down that missile that Adrian Gonzales hit in the sixth? ‘Cause I sure don’t. Michael Bourn’s got some wings on him.
April 1, 2008 at 9:50 am
When Edmonds comes back, you’ve got Hairston (R), Edmonds (L), Giles (L), Crabbe (S) in a pinch.
Then you have Mac (L), Gerut (L) and Huber (R).
I know Huber is new, but a) he’s our best backup 1B b) our 3rd catcher, which helps the bench immensely and c) he’s the other RH in the OF on a team where platooning is going to maximize our talent.
So for me, it’s Gerut and Mac. Mac’s the better hitter, Gerut the better fielder. As bad as our OF defense is, I’d rather have Mac.
April 1, 2008 at 9:50 am
14.
I think there are probably only a handfull of guys with the speed to get that ball. I’m not sure Cameron could have got that. It looked like Bourn got a good jump on it and the rest was pure speed.
April 1, 2008 at 9:52 am
15.
Totally agree. Gerut is a nice player if his health is back but I don’t see a huge need for him.
April 1, 2008 at 9:52 am
#12: Another loyal XX listener switches to 1360? What will Philly Billy say?
April 1, 2008 at 9:59 am
15, 17 Gerut also has minor league options, I was surprised to hear. Whether there is playing time for him in Portland is a different question.
April 1, 2008 at 10:02 am
I meant to say between Gerut and Mac — so send Gerut down.
April 1, 2008 at 10:20 am
Hey LynchMob - Are you going to be at the Beavers Home Opener on Thursday?
April 1, 2008 at 10:45 am
Re: 18 I was never a loyal listener, its not only the on air personalities that I don’t like its the fact that they spend over half of their time doing commercial breaks, traffic reports and live spots. I have about a 15 to 20 minute commute home and there has been several times that I have gotten in my car and caught literality the last 30 seconds of too much show or the BP show before they went to a commercial break drove the whole way home and as I pull into my driveway they sign back on to the air, its ridicules. I actually really like the BP show but I hardly ever listen to it because of the long breaks.
Now on my way home I listen to Petros and Money on AM 570 (LA sports talk station) because they actually are on the air most of the time.
April 1, 2008 at 10:50 am
[...] Opening Day. I hope you had as much fun as we did (full report at Ducksnorts). Beyond the thrill of a packed house at Petco Park watching Jake Peavy spin a shutout, here are a [...]
April 1, 2008 at 10:52 am
21 … no … I’m actually leaving for the Bay Area this afternoon … and won’t be back to Oregon until April 13th … so my first Beaver game is currently scheduled to be Sat April 19th … which seems a long ways away … I don’t know whether to hope Headley is still there by then or not
April 1, 2008 at 10:53 am
Corey Brock has a good blog entry up today …
http://coreybrock.mlblogs.com/....._no_2.html
April 1, 2008 at 10:55 am
15: You dont think Tony Clark is the better back up 1B?
I liked what I saw from Gerut in the spring, but if he has an option the choice is pretty clear.
April 1, 2008 at 10:58 am
FJ sees an interesting parallel from last nights game back to Opening Day 1998 …
http://padres.mlblogs.com/arch.....ros_0.html
April 1, 2008 at 11:03 am
Alderson has stated in a couple of interviews, that Gerut has an out in his contract, if he gets optioned out.
April 1, 2008 at 11:08 am
28 … ah, that makes sense then (ie. that’s why it’s not been common knowledge that he has an option) …
OT … Storm blog has post their Top 10 Padre Prospects list …
http://stormbaseball.com/blog/?p=18
April 1, 2008 at 11:11 am
I’ll have to dig through some boxscores to verify this, but I’m nearly certain that the Padres have now strung together a 25 inning scoreless streak on Opening Day, not having allowed a run since the second inning against the Giants in 2006. It’s definitely not a coincidence that Jake Peavy has pitched the majority of those innings.
April 1, 2008 at 11:13 am
Turns out Peavy swinging away on his RBI single was because he missed the bunt sign. Oops.
http://www3.signonsandiego.com.....d-slingin/
April 1, 2008 at 11:22 am
31: Hah! I was so sure he was going to bunt and was shocked when he swung away, but it sure turned out OK.
April 1, 2008 at 11:26 am
24 - Ahh, well I’ll be at that game too. I’m scoring Beavers games for Baseball Info Solutions this year, so I’ll be at most if not all home games.
April 1, 2008 at 11:27 am
Bud: Looks like you’ve been missing a lot of bunt signs lately.
Jake: I wouldn’t say I’ve been missing them, Bud.
April 1, 2008 at 11:46 am
34: Well played
April 1, 2008 at 11:59 am
Bay’s name has come up in several comments during the Spring … here’s a note from WC @ BP today (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7299, sub required) about this health status … which points to this swing analysis … http://www.baseball-intellect......n-bay.html …
(note: Video clips like the ones on that web site have never worked in my browser, do you know why?)
April 1, 2008 at 12:06 pm
#22: I know what you mean on XX. I’ve started changing back and forth between 1090 and 1360, hoping to catch one of them not on a break. I too like the BP show. Nevin is refreshingly frank, event though it likely upsets the front office. Also, he is frequently wrong, despite saying things with such conviction.
Rest of thread: Sorry about Steve C and I carrying on our own off-topic discussion. Opening night was great, btw. I have a newly found optimism for this team, having gone to the pre-season game with the Angels and last night. This line up, top to bottom, is pretty fun to watch right now.
April 1, 2008 at 12:21 pm
I’m not the biggest Nevin guy, but it is really nice to have someone actually speak their mind on the radio.
April 1, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Headley love by Kevin Goldstein:
http://www.baseballprospectus......chatId=447
April 1, 2008 at 1:01 pm
26: You didn’t ask ME, but Huber makes a lot more sense as our backup 1B than Clark. Huber is probably at least as good a hitter, is much more versatile, and also makes less than half as much money.
April 1, 2008 at 1:10 pm
40: Second that. Huber is certainly the better backup. He’s far more versatile like you said and if anything he’s a better hitter.
April 1, 2008 at 1:26 pm
41 … “better hitter” is not obvious to me … I saw Clark several times this spring … dude still swings the lumber (is that OK to say, Lance? … as long as it’s not major lumber?) …
April 1, 2008 at 2:00 pm
42: heh heh heh heh you wanted to say wood heh heh heh
April 1, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Just wanted to ask if anyone else caught the bit of ESPN’s “coverage” last night where the announcing trio was lamenting how the OF is a mess for the Pads and they just (paraphrasing Sean McDonough, who iirc was the p-b-p guy), “Don’t know who’s going to play LF!”
I literally started laughing out loud. And no, absolutely no mention of Headley or any ‘youth on the way up’, either. God that network is a piece of ____.
April 1, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Oh, and great recap, GY.
April 1, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I don’t see why they can’t carry both Clark and Huber. They don’t really have need for infield backups and there aren’t really any right-handed hitting OF’ers that would be any better then Huber in the system (at least until they decide to recall Headley).
After seeing Blum as the top pinch-hitter the last few seasons, I don’t see how they can get rid of Clark. There are probably players out there that are better fits then Huber (Matt Murton comes to mind) but they will actually cost something to get, unlike Huber who basically came for free. Plus, if Huber can actually catch, they can afford to pinch-hit with Barrett (or Bard when he’s not starting).
April 1, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Can the Rockies live anymore of a charmed life? Though they were losing 5-1 after 4 yesterday, they apparently get to completely play over the game from the start today. Whatever happened to games being suspended and resumed on a later day?
Granted, there’s no guarantee they’ll win today, but this is just ridiculous.
April 1, 2008 at 2:10 pm
46: You are aware that we only get 25 roster spots, right?
Why would we carry P-Mac, Huber, AND Clark??? Wouldn’t a defense-oriented middle infielder, or a guy who can play CF and pinch-run make for a more well-rounded roster than carrying all three of those guys?
April 1, 2008 at 2:23 pm
27.
I completely forgot about Clark. He is a better hitter LH — at least he has more power — but still I completely forgot about him.
That said, I still drop Gerut.
Here’s the reason: we need OF platoons to be any good this year. Huber gives us more RH power, and he’s a better hitter than Gerut all-around. Against lefties, I really don’t want to see a lineup with 2 LH outfielders — it’s a waste.
April 1, 2008 at 2:26 pm
48.
I don’t see the point of a defensive oriented middle infielder. Iguchi and Greene are going to play everyday, and they aren’t going to be lifted for a defensive replacement.
So you’re going to carry a lesser bat off the bench for what? Days Callix Crabbe plays? The one day where both Iguchi and Greene are hurt? Just get through it and call up Edgar/Luis the next day.
As for pinch runners…ugh. Gerut isn’t fast enough to steal bases, so there aren’t many times I really need a pinch runner. And most people don’t consider Gerut all that much of a CF, either.
If we had a speedy defensive CF (that hit righty), I’d be with you. But we seem to be lacking one in the org.
April 1, 2008 at 2:27 pm
SI says that Edmonds is the most over-rated NL player while Khalil is the most under-rated: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.c.....ons/1.html
I don’t know that I agree with the over-rating on Edmonds. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to play like he did in his heyday. We just want a competent CF.
April 1, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I guess my comment didn’t post correctly when I tried the first time. Anyone else notice ESPN’s announcing team discussing what a “mess” the Pad’s OF is? They went as far as to decry the fact that ‘there’s no one to play LF’ - no mention of Headley or ‘youngsters on the way up’… but I guess I shouldn’t be too shocked given that it’s ESPN.
April 1, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I saw that SI.com article too and thought the same thing. I don’t think anyone expects Edmonds to have another season like 2004, do they? It is that much of a surprise that Edmonds has declined from one of the greatest CF seasons of all-time? I wouldn’t think so.
As far as the bench goes, I think they have the best options up at the moment. As long as they are going to carry 12 pitchers, the players on the bench have to be able to hit. Since none of the available options (Rodriguez, Robles) can, why bother with them. The weak spot of the team is the outfield, so doesn’t it make sense to have more backups there then in the infield?
April 1, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Oh, crap. Well, now everyone knows I’m a blockhead…. (#s 44 & 45)
*slinks away in shame*
April 1, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Frankly carrying another infielder is a stupid idea, we do realize that Crabbe is on the roster right? How many back up infielders do they need?
When is the last time KG came out of a game when he wasn’t hurt?
April 1, 2008 at 3:08 pm
49, 55: Agree. A defensive-minded infielder is right there with “third catcher” in things a team doesn’t need. I’d much rather have guys on the bench who can hit.
Now a quality defensive CF who’s healthy, right-handed, and doesn’t completely suck at the plate, that would be worthwhile. Hairston is likely to get a much sterner test in center tonight.
April 1, 2008 at 3:08 pm
54: That’s OK TLB. The other night I posted something with a misspelling and hit the stop button on the browser, then corrected the spelling and hit submit. Sure enough, two identibal, back-to-back posts by yours truly: one with a misspelling and the other with the correct spelling.
April 1, 2008 at 3:15 pm
51: Read the Verducci piece. He’s probably right about Edmonds being overrated by many people, but he tries to make too much of a statement about the Padres not realizing it. I believe we gave up fringe prospect for him and St. Louis is picking up some salary (not so sure about the latter). It’s not like the Padres paid through the nose with the expectation he would be our CF for years to come. We picked him up no the cheap for one year.
April 1, 2008 at 3:27 pm
58: I believe the Cards sent us $2 million of his $8 million salary. And don’t say we traded a fringe prospect for him, or else Peter will cry…
April 1, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Edmonds isn’t “rated” by anyone. So how can he be overrated? Is Randy Wolf overrated?
April 1, 2008 at 3:57 pm
44, 45, 52 (and 54?) I really hate watching the teams I follow on national TV… browsing a media guide for 15 minutes before the game doesn’t really prepare you the way that following the team all season does. When they started ripping on the Pads BA from last season, I screamed “PARK EFFECTS!!!” at my TV, but I don’t think they heard me cuz they just kept gabbing on about it.
April 1, 2008 at 4:19 pm
61. I find the concept of browsing through the media guide before the game, complely unaccetable. If it is your job to talk about MLB, you need to have a working knowledge of all 30 teams. Most of the talking heads have a working knowledge of a half dozen major market teams, and that is about it. In depth knowledge, forget about it. I am dumbfounded by the number of sports commentators who choose ignorance on a daily basis.
April 1, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I assume that we are talking about espn? They seem to take pride in their ignorance outside of a few exceptions. It’s like they go out of their way to seem as stupid as possible. Here’s a story on the front page of the website today:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....id=3324199
It talks about how A-Rod makes more then the entire Marlins roster. What’s that have to do with anything? Don’t they know that you could easily put together a really good team of players who each make less then $1m? Hanley Ramirez is making $440k this season and I’m not sure whether I’d rather have him or A-Rod this season — and I’d definitely want Hanley for the next five seasons when he makes probably $25m rather then A-Rod’s $150m.
April 1, 2008 at 4:39 pm
59: Thanks Phantom. Sorry Peter, I clearly misspoke regarding that prospect.
April 1, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Interesting to see who BB uses at Catcher tonight. Bard swung well last night, but he’s 1 for 5(.400 OPS) with Barrett hitting 5 for 11(1.000 OPS)
Should give some insight if it really is going to be a time sharing arrangement like they talked about in spring training.
April 1, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Nice preview of the AAA Portland Beavers at MadFriars …
http://padres.scout.com/2/742402.html
April 1, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Intersting story, Marcus Giles bailed on the Dodgers.
http://www.insidesocal.com/dod.....n_the.html
April 1, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The ESPN announcers were amazing. They’d call our offense awful. In the next sentence, they’d talk about the park being a pitcher’s park as if it were completely unrelated.
They never drew a connection between the two.
April 1, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Alan/68: That is funny and I noticed it too. In fact, I notice it quite a bit. One of the announcers also said it was a doubles park and NOT a triples park when, in fact, it is the other way around. Of course, triples are extremely rare and the Padres don’t have a lot of speed (like he said), but it seems like there’s no attempt to look at the park by itself … or at least to realize that it also hurts other teams a lot, too.
April 1, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Oh, and great recap, Geoff …. as usual.
April 1, 2008 at 6:10 pm
69. Yeah, that was Orestes. “It’s not a triples park because the Padres don’t have a lot of speed.”
Ummm, that doesn’t make the park not a triples park; it just makes the Padres not a triples team.
April 1, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Re: 67…maybe his padres ties made him feel it was a great opportunity to stick it to the Dodgers….ha.
April 1, 2008 at 6:18 pm
72: Marcus Giles is just a dumbass.
April 1, 2008 at 6:20 pm
71: Exactly.
I think it’s still an interesting issue … that is, what kind of team to build and things like that. But it is pretty much fact that the park suppresses offense of pretty much all forms. And you can’t talk about the Pads’ offensive numbers without at least mentioning the park that they play in half of the time.
Like you said, it seems like a lot of times people mention this, yet fail to realize that it is part of the reason those reported numbers don’t look that good …
April 1, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Like Rob Neyer has said, unless the talk is about Coors Field, most people seem completely clueless about park effects. Or are really lazy. We’re not most people
Arizona seems to get a complete pass on the offense question, too, even though its road numbers were awful last year.
I think the “offense is terrible” thing has replaced “fixation on fielding .pct” as my No. 1 announcer pet peeve. Speaking of which, Geoff, why does Mr. DS Annual ‘08 forward writer continue to harp on fielding pct during telecasts?
April 1, 2008 at 8:31 pm
#57 - Thanks Pat, makes me feel a bit more “normal”…
And to everyone else that heard how shitty ESPN’s “coverage” was - AGAIN / As usual - yyyeeaaaaa…. I’m gonna need that OPS report on my desk this afternoon….
[/terrible Office Space bite that can't even hold a candle to GY's awesome use!]
April 1, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Re Tejada’s baserunning:
Good God, Geoff —
Have you never watched a Cubs game?
April 2, 2008 at 11:46 am
LynchMob,
What’s your browser?
April 3, 2008 at 10:04 am
#77: Not in a while.
April 7, 2008 at 1:14 am
[...] It’s not Padres news, but Dodgers news is close enough. Turns out Marcus Giles decided not to join the Dodgers at the last minute, basically screwing them because they gave up on signing two other players who are now unavailable. (H/T Field39) [...]
April 18, 2008 at 6:39 am
[...] Young’s article at Ducksnorts is entitled Everything in Its Right Place, which he describes as, “Coverage of Padres Opening Night game against the Astros at Petco [...]