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Friday Links (22 Jan 10)

Link sat alone in a boggy marsh, totally motionless except for her heart… Most veteran Padre on the club since 1969 (Gaslamp Ball). Fun list from jbox that might or might not benefit from my understanding what the heck he’s trying to do. Brothers in Baseball (Baseball Daily Digest). Another year, another set of Padres [...]

Chris Jaffe on Dick Williams

Over the past year or so, I’ve had the pleasure of reading through and offering comments on drafts of Chris Jaffe’s upcoming book, Evaluating Baseball’s Managers, 1876-2008. This work is both meticulously researched and vibrant, which means you’ll enjoy reading it now and referring back to it many times in the future as a definitive [...]

Where in the Cycle Are We?

Ray from Sacrifice Bunt recently asked in the comments: Does anyone think that [GM Jed] Hoyer is trying to build a team that will make the 2010 playoffs? It seems clear to me that Hoyer is treating this season as a way to get an idea for what he has and what he needs. Not [...]

Me, Elsewhere: A Whole Lotta History

I’m happy to report that my “Players Worth Remembering” series at Hardball Times is finally complete. If you love the history of baseball (and why wouldn’t you?), head on over to learn more about some players from years gone by that might have slipped under your radar: 1969-1989 1947-1968 1925-1946 1901-1924 Others (catchers and infielders) [...]

Kouzmanoff for Hairston

New Padres GM Jed Hoyer made his first trade on Friday Saturday, shipping third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and minor-league second baseman Eric Sogard to Oakland for outfielders Scott Hairston and Aaron Cunningham. I’ve thought about this trade a lot, and the word that keeps coming to mind is “fair,” which is one I didn’t tend [...]

Friday Links (15 Jan 10)

New year? What the heck, let’s bring back the Friday Links. Can’t say they’ll be here every week, but they’re here now: Alomar, McGriff and a Blockbuster Trade (New York Times). Tyler Kepner remembers an old Padres/Blue Jays trade. And yeah, Roberto Alomar got jobbed by the Hall of Fame voters (don’t worry, he’ll get [...]

Me, Elsewhere: Chatting with Dirk

Former Padres pitcher and friend of Ducksnorts Dirk Hayhurst has penned his first book. Bullpen Chronicles, due out in March 2010, is drawing advance praise from some big names and promises to be an entertaining read. I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dirk about his book, baseball, and life. As always, he has [...]

Be Still, My Beating Heart

The other day, reader Steve C posed the following question: Do you think the team is set with the roster as is or would you like for them to add another few pieces? I responded that I’d like to see a big-league center fielder and/or a veteran backup for Nick Hundley behind the plate. I’ve [...]

Reviewing the 2009 IVIEs

In the interest of accountability and because there’s not much else to do in January, I thought we’d look back at our community projections made in March 2009. First, the hitters:   Projected Actual   Player PA BA OBP SLG PA BA OBP SLG Comments Matt Antonelli 224 .237 .322 .343 0 – - – [...]

Me, Elsewhere: Bob Elliott, Nate Colbert, and Some Other Guys

The penultimate installment in my “Players Worth Remembering” series is up at Hardball Times. San Diego (well, El Centro) native and former PCL Padre Bob Elliott tops the list of third basemen, while original NL Padre Nate Colbert merits an honorable mention at first base. Also, this year I’m playing in BP Kings, a Scoresheet [...]