Interviews

Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

Series Preview: Larry Borowsky Talks Cardinals

Monday, May 19, 2008
by Geoff Young

After a long and miserable road trip, the Padres return home and try to remain relevant in 2008. Their first opponent is the St. Louis Cardinals, who visit Petco Park for three games starting Monday night. To learn a little more about the Cards, I chatted with Larry Borowsky of the excellent Viva El Birdos. Ducksnorts: Last year was the Cardinals' first losing season of the century; this year the team is off to a strong start. What has changed, and do you see them remaining in contention? Borowsky: Aside from the obvious changes (no [Walt] Jocketty, no [Jim] Edmonds, no [Scott] Rolen, no [David] Eckstein, etc.), the big difference has been the performance of the starting rotation. This year's group is as rag-tag as ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 67 Comments »

Series Preview: Dave and DMZ Talk Mariners

Friday, May 16, 2008
by Geoff Young

The Padres head next to the Pacific Northwest to face their bitter natural rivals, the Seattle Mariners, in a battle to determine which end of I-5 (all 1381.29 miles of it) is most dominant. In preparation for this dramatic and important event, I chatted with Dave and DMZ of USS Mariner fame to get their take on the 2008 M's: Ducksnorts: This is a question I ask myself about the Padres: Are the Mariners a good team playing poorly or a bad team? How competitive did you think the M's would be in 2008, and have your expectations changed at all based on what you've seen in the first six weeks of the season? Dave: The Mariners aren't the worst team in baseball, so ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 51 Comments »

Padres tickets Chargers tickets Sports tickets

Series Preview: Joe Aiello Talks Cubs

Monday, May 12, 2008
by Geoff Young

With the Padres headed to Chicago for a four-game series, I decided to check in with Joe Aiello of View from the Bleachers for the latest info on the Cubs. We now turn the blog over to Joe... Ducksnorts: The Cubs have gotten off to a terrific start and have a very balanced attack. Can they sustain this level of play and, in the suddenly revitalized NL Central, will it be enough for a return trip to the post-season? Aiello: I think they can. I'm not just saying that as a fan of the team. If you look around the NL, everyone is beatable. When the Mets traded for [Johan] Santana, everyone ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 29 Comments »

Series Preview: Mac Thomason Talks Braves

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
by Geoff Young

The Padres continue their East Coast swing with three in Atlanta starting Tuesday evening. To learn more about the 2008 Braves, I checked in with Mac Thomason, of the venerable and most excellent blog Braves Journal. Ducksnorts: The NL East looks to be tight again this year. How do you like the Braves' chances? Thomason: I'd like it better if I was confident in John Smoltz's shoulder or Rafael Soriano's elbow. The Braves are going to score some runs; they're outscoring the Phillies this year even with the Phillies' park advantage. But right now the starting pitching is a huge mess (I realize that the Braves have been better at preventing runs than scoring them so far, but looking at ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 45 Comments »

Padres Farm Report (5 May 08)

Monday, May 5, 2008
by Geoff Young

Before we get to Sunday's games, here's a brief chat I had with John Conniff, of MadFriars.com, about his impressions from a recent trip to Portland: Ducksnorts: The big names at Portland, of course, are Chase Headley and Matt Antonelli. How do they look so far this year? Conniff: Obviously by the numbers that they are putting up not that great. The big difference that I could see from them this year from last at San Antonio is they are both having trouble adjusting to the fact that Triple-A pitchers can throw strikes early in the count with their secondary pitches and have better fastball command than Double-A. Consequently they are both hitting behind in the count it seems nearly every time and are ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews, Minors | 2 Comments »

Series Preview: Craig @ FishStripes Talks Marlins

Friday, May 2, 2008
by Geoff Young

After a tough series in Philadelphia, the Padres head to Miami for three against the Marlins. I recently caught up with Craig at Fish Stripes, and we talked a little about his team. Ducksnorts: The Marlins are off to a surprisingly strong start in 2008. What have been some of the key factors, and will they be able to sustain their early success? Craig: The Marlins have basically slugged their way into first with the help of an excellent bullpen. The Fish are second in the NL in home runs (37), fourth in slugging percentage (.444), tied for second in triples (8), and sixth in batting average (.261). Along with a bullpen that has picked up where it left off last year and is fourth in ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 21 Comments »

Series Preview: Tom Goyne Talks Phillies

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
by Geoff Young

The Padres head to Philly for three starting Tuesday evening. Among other things, this means I got to pick the brains of Tom Goyne, proprietor of the estimable Balls, Sticks, & Stuff, about his team. (We did this last year, too, and had more fun than you can shake a ball, stick, or stuff at.) Without further ado, I turn the blog over to Mr. Goyne... Ducksnorts: How many games do you see the Phillies winning this year, and will it be enough for a return trip to the post-season? Goyne: Given that the ...

Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 28 Comments »