Commentary

Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

Blast from the Past: Mark Phillips Outrage

Tuesday, November 25, 2008
by Geoff Young

What a fool I used to be. Those are Neil Peart's words, but they apply here as well, so I'll use 'em. When the Padres traded Bubba Trammell and minor-league left-hander Mark Phillips for Rondell White back in '03, I was... a little less than pleased. I actually vented in three parts: Part 1 includes this gem: I realize I may not be the most objective person when it comes to talking about Phillips. I've seen him pitch on several occasions and I even once had the chance to chat with him while he was charting a game at Elsinore. But beyond the fact that he seemed like a nice enough kid, he has a serious arm. You just don't see a lot of young lefties ...

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Posted in Trade Analysis | 5 Comments »

One Less Reason

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
by Geoff Young

As you are no doubt aware by now, the Padres have traded Greg Maddux to the Dodgers for two minor-league players to be named later or cash. According to Tom Krasovic at the U-T, "By Oct. 15, the Padres will choose two Dodgers minor leaguers from a list of five already agreed upon by the two clubs." Cash apparently is an option that "would come into play only if injuries weaken the identified trade list." Thoughts? Yeah, I have a few... I'm thrilled for Maddux. He's a class act who has ...

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Posted in Roster Notes, Trade Analysis | 41 Comments »

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IGD: Padres vs Diamondbacks (30 Jul 08)

Wednesday, July 30, 2008
by Geoff Young

Padres vs Diamondbacks 7:05 p.m. PT Channel 4SD, DIRECTV 748 AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 187 MLB, B-R Petco Park doesn't fool me often, but I really thought Jody Gerut had himself a go-ahead pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth on Tuesday night. Man, he crushed that ball. Oh well, it was fun to imagine for a moment that we might come back and win after being thoroughly dominated by a thoroughly mediocre pitcher for most of the evening.

Posted in Game Recaps, In-Game Discussion | 166 Comments »

IGD: Padres vs Braves (13 Jul 08)

Sunday, July 13, 2008
by Geoff Young

Padres vs Braves 1:05 p.m. PT Channel 4SD, DIRECTV 740 AM 1090, FM 105.7, XM 188 MLB, B-R Saturday night's game can be broken into two distinct categories: Good: The '98 team was honored before the contest (Gaslamp Ball has sweet photos). Chase Headley drew his first walk of the year. Greg Maddux stole a base. The post-game fireworks show rocked. Not so much: A Braves fan sitting near us kept asking Tim Hudson for his warmup jacket throughout the game. Joe Thatcher gave up a mammoth homer to a Ferengi (I'm pretty sure that violates at least one rule of acquisition). The fireworks show included "Hero" as sung by Bob Dylan's ...

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Posted in Game Recaps, In-Game Discussion | 28 Comments »

A Little Execution Never Killed Anyone

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
by Geoff Young

It's the eighth inning of a 1-1 tie. You have runners at first and second, nobody out. The batter chases a 2-1 pitch at the ankles on a bunt attempt. You don't score. You proceed to give up two solo shots in the top of the ninth and then go down without so much as a whimper in the bottom half. That is terrible baseball. What's to analyze?

Posted in Game Recaps | 168 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (21 Jun 08)

Saturday, June 21, 2008
by Geoff Young

Fun win Friday night. A buddy of mine scored us some sweet seats in the Toyota Terrace for the excellent price of free. Among other things we got to see Greg Maddux pitch a gem and Chase Headley knock his first homer in San Diego. My wife and I particularly enjoyed watching Headley and Khalil Greene homer, as well as watching Paul McAnulty battle in the eighth to work a walk against Detroit's Joel Zumaya and then fall over the fence along the right-field foul line to make a game-ending catch. We saw all three of those players when they were at Lake Elsinore (not at the same time), and it's cool to see them now contributing at the big-league level. The only ...

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Posted in Game Recaps, Minors | 4 Comments »

Here’s to Humble Foundations

Friday, June 13, 2008
by Geoff Young

That was satisfying. We took the in-laws out to the ballgame -- sprung for Toyota Terrace seats, first time this year. They picked a good time to visit. Mom is from the old country, but I was heartened to see that she chose to root for the home team rather than Hiroki Kuroda. She digs the long ball. Jake Peavy looked sharp. He was efficient with his pitches (12 per inning) and made a few terrific defensive plays. Maybe he paid extra close attention to Greg Maddux while he was on the disabled list. Fun with Small Numbers In about 3 1/2 weeks, the Padres have ...

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Posted in Game Recaps | 15 Comments »