I have decided, for the first time in 20 years, to participate in a general election. Ordinarily in life I try to stay as far away from politics as possible, but one measure on the California ballot and two political parties have convinced that it’s time for me to get off my butt and vote.

My presidential candidate has no chance of winning — in a game between the Red Sox and Yankees, I’m essentially backing the Eugene Emeralds — but that’s okay. The gesture is purely symbolic, and as symbolic gestures go, it’s probably better than the one I usually give politicians. (Of course, I’ll still deliver that gesture as well — might as well get my money’s worth, right?)

Anyway, it would be hypocritical of me to tell you to vote. That said, maybe you’ll like it. I’m hoping I will.

To the links…

• SD Native Girl notes that Matt Vasgersian is leaving the broadcast team after seven years. Apparently an (as yet undisclosed) opportunity came along that Matty couldn’t refuse. Vasgersian has been an ardent supporter of Ducksnorts over the years (even contributing the foreword to the 2008 Annual), but that’s not why I’ll miss him. I’ll miss him because he’s a heckuva lot of fun. And between singing Rush’s “Closer to the Heart” after a home run, offending El Camino owners in Missouri, and chatting with a “happy” Rick Sutcliffe, he and Mark Grant always managed to call a great game, even when there wasn’t a great game to call. As SD Native Girl says, this is great for Matty, but sad for us. Best of luck!
• The Padres have rounded out their coaching staff for 2009. Jim Lefebvre replaces Wally Joyner as hitting coach, while Ted Simmons takes over for Craig Colbert as bench coach. If we could turn back the clock 30 years, we’d also have the catching situation solved.
• History says writers should use examples to support, not contradict, an opinion. Melvin Nieves at the Sacrifice Bunt dissects a recent Nick Canepa column on the phenomenon of athletes leaving San Diego because… I’m not sure; the article didn’t make much sense to me. Incidentally, Melvin’s title rocks. I wish I’d written that title. Also, someone should tell those kids to get off Canepa’s lawn.
• Big Apple or no, Peavy is a goner. Jay Paris at the North County Times speculates on the future of Jake Peavy. People sure are spending a lot of energy thinking about something that hasn’t happened. Hey, that’s their right. [h/t Kevin]
• Ladies Taking Over Arizona. Katie at Ladies Locker Room sends us a couple of video interviews she did with Padres farmhands Mike Baxter and Sean Kazmar at the Arizona Fall League. We learn, among other things, that Baxter’s favorite player growing up was John Olerud. Gotta love Heart’s “Barracuda” rockin’ the stadium during the interview.
• The Battle for Seamheads Historical Baseball League Supremacy. The list of GMs who will fight for the first Seamheads.com Historical Baseball League championship has been published. I’m in some heady company here — Bill James, Curt Schilling, and several other familiar names.

That’s all for now. More links are available at the Ducksnorts delicious page, which I update as often as practical.

Tagged as: arizona fall league, barracuda, Baseball, bill james, california ballot, curt schilling, heart, History, jake peavy, jay-paris, jim-lefebvre, john-olerud, ladies-locker-room, matt vasgersian, mike-baxter, nick-canepa, north county times, padres, paul depodesta, sacrifice bunt, seamheads, sean kazmar, simulation, ted-simmons