Before we get to the links, I should say a couple things. First, I’ve been informed by more than one person that hating on David Eckstein haters is about as novel and interesting as hating on Eckstein himself. So I won’t do it anymore, at least not out loud. I will find original ways to bore you instead.

Second, when I was writing full time, I lived and breathed baseball. I had a lot of time to read. Now, with the day gig infringing on things like sleep and having a life, I’m lucky if I can skim through stuff. I try to offer insightful commentary, but where that fails, I rely on snark because snark is cheap and easy. I’m not proud; I do what I must.

The important point is that even if my comments sometimes come off as being dismissive of someone else’s work, they aren’t meant that way (on the Internet, nobody knows you’re hilarious). I link to stuff because I find it interesting on some level. If I disagree with what the person says, I tell you. If I don’t find their point of view interesting, I don’t link in the first place… it just isn’t worth my time and whatever stupid thing I might have to say that compels you to go read and hopefully merits at least a chuckle in the process.

Now that I’ve ruined the joke by explaining why it’s funny (or in this case, why it’s not funny), here are your links. Go read them before I have a chance to say more stupid stuff…

• Things I’ve been wrong about (Ray tells me I’m modest) (Sacrifice Bunt). From the article: “I thought even my 78 win prediction leaned toward the homer side, and went as far as renewing that prediction about a month into the season… I simply didn’t believe in the team’s offense, who currently rank at exactly 100 OPS+.”
• Padres’ pitch translator spells it out at Petco Park (U-T). Ever wonder about the pitch info on the scoreboard at the ballpark? Well, wonder no more. It’s all right here.
• Changes to Maris and Mantle’s Batting Totals (Baseball-Reference). Count me in the “Get it right, even it means upsetting a few people” camp of recording history. Good on ya, Sean.
• Padres Acquire Nick Green (Padres Trail). Green provides the Padres with more depth at Portland. He’s this year’s Josh Wilson. Here’s hoping Green isn’t called upon to pitch in extra innings for the big club. (Apparently he, like Wilson, did that last season.)
• Accepting Randomness (FanGraphs). Whenever I see the word “randomness,” my ears perk up. It’s like saying “cookie” to a dog. Dave Cameron gives us a good reminder here. Taleb would be proud.
• History of the doubleheader, part III (Hardball Times). Chris Jaffe concludes his investigation of a disappearing phenomenon.
• Thinking about strikeout rates (Hardball Times). Craig Glaser presents his case against using K/9 in the evaluation of pitchers.
• Bullpen anchors San Diego Padres (Los Angeles Times). So nice of you to notice. [h/t Gaslamp Ball]
• Deadline Dealings (Baseball Prospectus). Marc Normandin compares the haul that Arizona got for Dan Haren with last year’s Jake Peavy deal. [h/t reader LynchMob]
• It’s not the Hilton, but it’s close (Watson Files). In the minor leagues, sometimes a defensive substitution is made because a guy gets stuck in the bathroom between innings and needs firefighters to help him escape. Sure, why not.
• Latos and Schilling (Inside the Padres). I’m glad to see someone else make the comparison between Mat Latos and Curt Schilling. I’ve expressed that sentiment privately to a few folks, but been afraid to say it loud… Although I don’t believe in jinxes, I don’t discount the possibility they might exist. It’s kind of a problem.
• Card of the Week: 1983 Topps #451 Ted Simmons Super Veteran (plus a bonus HOF poll) (Baseball-Reference). Simmons is the Padres bench coach now, but he was a heckuva ballplayer in his day.
• Field of Nightmares (Hardball Times). Steven Booth shares his experience of watching the dearly departed Pacific Suns of Oxnard.
• Hall of Fame Comps (Joe Posnanski). Honestly, the recent inductions of Bruce Sutter, Jim Rice, and Andre Dawson should open the door for dozens of guys… most of whom won’t ever get into the Hall without a ticket.
• The Next Great Sabermetric Hall of Fame Cause (Walk Like a Sabermetrician). Jeff Bagwell is an interesting case. I’ve got him in the same group as guys like Fred McGriff and Gary Sheffield. I wrote about that once, but I can’t find it. Maybe I’ll tackle it again someday… kind of like that Dawson/Luis Gonzalez/Dave Parker piece I’ve been contemplating for… a while. [h/t BBTF]
• Bass, Brach finding success in Minors (Padres.com). Fluff piece on a couple of right-handers.
• 2010 Trade Deadline – Possible NL Trading Partners (PadresFuture). Hey look, a new Padres blog. From the article: “[Josh] Willingham and [Jeff] Keppinger would help this lineup immensely. Not a lot of starting pitching available that the Padres could realistically go after.” I am still down with picking up Willingham if it’s at all feasible.
• Major League Pitchers 34 Percent More Likely to Be Injured Than Fielders, New Study Finds (Science Daily). This isn’t terribly surprising, but it’s always good to validate what we think we know. One aspect of the study concerns me: “The study authors analyzed Major League Baseball disabled list data from a single internet website for the years 2002 — 2008.” I wonder if anyone vetted that single internet web site… GIGO and all that. Be sure to check out the related stories sidebar… fun stuff.
• Meet the Padres, America’s Team (FanHouse). Tom Krasovic weighs in on the Miguel Tejada deal and observes that “the Padres’ offense has evolved into one that’s average, or perhaps better than average within the stale NL when ballpark factors are applied to the raw data.” Ballpark factors. Sing it, Kras. I also love that the Padres are 97-65 over their past 162 games.
• Hoyer hopes deal will ‘energize’ Tejada (U-T). Quoth Jed Hoyer: “We’re happy with the way Chase has played third base defensively this year. He has struggled a bit against left-handed pitching this year (.195), and that’s something Miguel can provide. Frankly, I blame myself for this. We wore Chase down. He had a great April, with no ability to rest at all. Buddy (Black) and I both felt like a big part of that was, he was probably exhausted. This will probably allow him to get some rest.”
• Hoyer still looking at trade possibilities (North County Times). With Kyle Blanks out for the year, the Padres might be looking for outfield help. Also, they could add a pitcher in August… too bad efforts to land Roy Oswalt fell short. That could have been fun, if expensive.

That’s all for now; more as it happens. Happy Friday…

Tagged as: andre dawson, bruce sutter, chase headley, curt schilling, dan haren, david eckstein, hall of fame, it's the most wonderful time of the year, jake peavy, jed hoyer, jeff bagwell, jim rice, josh willingham, kyle blanks, mat latos, miguel tejada, nick green, oxnard, roy oswalt, ted-simmons