Two men with Padres ties celebrate their birthday today. Catcher George Williams, who appeared in 11 games for the Pads in 2000, turns 38. In the fifth inning of a September 2 contest against the Pirates, Williams hit the last of his 10 big-league home runs, a blast to right-center off right-hander Todd Ritchie that plated the late Mike Darr and kept the Padres close in a game they eventually lost, 6-3.
Preston Gomez managed the inaugural Padres squad in 1969 and stuck around through the first 11 games of 1972. He finished his Padres managerial career with a 180-316 record, and later managed the Astros and Cubs. Gomez turns 86 today and is still recovering from being hit by a truck in spring training. Our thoughts continue to be with him and his family.
#42@Kevin: I agree…AZ started hot, we started cold. They will hit their slumps, we’ll hit our streaks.
OT … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore?gid=280422108 … Gagne blows his 4th save of the season … but the Brewers are 3-1 in those 4 games … just sayin’ …
Hmmm I wonder whats wrong with mr Gagne he seems less affective since the league started drug testing…
Remember, the Pads were 13-13 last April (2007).
#54@JP: And did not make the playoffs…
#53@Steve C: Don’t say things like that — it’s completely ridiculous. Maybe you aren’t being serious but to make absurd statements like that without anything to back it up makes you sound stupid. Look at Gagne’s stats: http://www.baseball-reference.com/g/gagneer01.shtml Unless they started drug-testing when he got traded to Boston, I doubt that’s the reason.
Obviously, the blanket steroid accusations (and the opposite claim that a player is clean) is probably my #1 pet peeve. We have no idea who did or didn’t (or who currently is or isn’t) using steroids or some other form of PED. If a player slumps, it’s because he’s off the juice. If he has a career year, it’s because he on it. The perfect poster child for steroids is probably Brian Giles, if you just take a look at his career. But unfortunately it’s not that simple. Some of his decline in power was from aging and some from moving from Pittsburgh to San Diego. Maybe some is because he stopped using steroids but we don’t know anything about that. Until we do, it’s extremely irresponsible of us to make accusations without conclusive proof on everyone. This also goes to people who act like Barry Bonds is the greatest villian in baseball while either ignoring or excusing everyone else who was doing the same thing.
#56@Schlom: Umm I do belive that the mitchell had UPS recepts to Gange from Kirk Radomski…
#57@Steve C: So? If you look at Gagne’s stats you can see that he’s been terrible ever since the trade to Boston. Do you think that’s when they told him he was first tested so he stopped “cheating” at that point?
Also, wasn’t Gagne on that report for HGH which they don’t have a test for? So if he wanted, he could keep doing it unless one of his teammates turned him in like what happened to Braves OF Jordan Schaefer.
The game at Ft Wayne is underway …
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=milb&t=g_box&gid=2008_04_22_cliafx_ftwafx_1
I was joking in 55 because I’m still bitter about all of his years with the dodgers but you accused me of calling him out without any proof so I provided you the proof that he received substances that he should not have.
As shown by the mitchell report it is not ” it’s completely ridiculous” to think that Gange may have used a substance he shouldn’t have in the past.
http://files.mlb.com/mitchrpt.pdf
Page 404 (of the PDF) is the page I was refering to.
I’m anxious to see what Hensley can bring…he was great out of the pen in 2005.
#55@Steve C: #38@M. Peror: But remember, people in San Diego simply don’t like Barry Bonds. This is the argument I heard all off season from Ducksnorters.
#60@Steve C: I’m not debating whether or not he took any kind of illegal substance, just that it had any effect on his numbers. The actual information on him is on pages 265-267. The accusations are from nearly 4 years ago (although rumors of his steroid abuse dogged him his entire Dodger career according to this) but none of this has anything to do with his pitching now. He was good with the Rangers last season — not like he was in his Dodger days — but obviously a lot better then he’s been since the trade.
The problem with the Mitchell Report is that it doesn’t even pretend to cover everyone who played baseball, just those who used Radomski to purchase their drugs for them. So it’s just basically the Mets and people connected to LoDuca — I’m sure they aren’t the only ones. I don’t know why they are on such a hunt to catch people that used in the past, isn’t it more important to prevent current use?
#42@Kevin: Gotcha. I’m definitely with you then.
#63@Schlom: ” I’m not debating whether or not he took any kind of illegal substance, just that it had any effect on his numbers.”
Yes, that’s right; PED’s just don’t work. It’s all a placebo effect. AAS do not improve athletic performance, they just give you acne. Dude, there’s a reason athletes have been using them since the 50′s. They work!!!
#65@Pat: OK, then obviously Gagne stopped taking steroids on July 31, 2007. Brian Giles stopped taking them on either August 26, 2003 or maybe the 2002-2003 off-season, it’s hard to tell if he was taking them before he was traded. I’m going to say Trevor Hoffman stopped taking steroids on August 5, 2007 although he might have gone back on them until he stopped taking them on September 29, 2007.
I like the steroid accusation game! You can pretty much play it with any player. Scott Hairston started taking them in late July of last year but doesn’t anymore, Iguchi took them after he was traded to the Phillies but he apparently doesn’t do them anymore. I just wish I knew that steroids made into a major league caliber baseball player — I would’ve done them too!
#63@Schlom: The smoking gun (ie USPS recite) was on 404.
“although rumors of his steroid abuse dogged him his entire Dodger career according to this” this is more of what I was referring to with my original comment. The Mitchell report just confirmed the fact that he was willing to use substances that he was not supposed to, to help his game.
He did well in Texas but it was in only 30 games in somewhat low pressure save situations (the rangers didn’t have a shot to make the playoffs) and a weak division.
#66@Schlom: Knock yourself out playing whatever game you’d like, but ignoring the impact they have on athletic performance, which is what I perceive you to be going (and of course I may be totally off on that), is simply foolish.
“I just wish I knew that steroids made into a major league caliber baseball player — I would’ve done them too!”
Nice strawman.
#66@Schlom: Once again the one player I named has been documented in receiving a “performance enhancing substance.†I’m not realty sure where you are going with your argument.
The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Just trying to fit in…
#25@Steve C: Just to be clear, Minute Maid Park is a pitchers’ park, not a hitters’ park.
33.3 IP and 16 saves is still a small sample size…
#61@Masticore317: I would love to see Hensley take back his starting role. We was a good starter in ’06 as well as great in the pen in ’05.
#74@SDSUBaseball: I have no problem with that either!