by Geoff Young on Jan 28, 2011
As a reminder, I am presenting at Saturday morning’s Ted Williams SABR Chapter meeting. The event is at Petco Park and starts at 9 a.m. Here’s the full list of speakers:
- Jason McLeod (Vice President, Assistant General Manager, San Diego Padres)
- John Ingham — “Clemente, Wills and Harry the Hat: The 1967 Pirates”
- David Nuffer — “Ernest Hemingway and Baseball”
- Geoff Young (moi) — “Great Pitchers Duels”
- Jim Smith — “Engaging Three Memorable Umpires and their Eras: Honest John Kelly (1856-1926), Chet Chadbourne (1884-1943) and Emmett Ashford (1914-1980)”
- Dan Boyle, Bob Hicks, David Kinney, Tom Larwin, Li-An Leonard, Fred Rodgers, and Andy Strasberg — “Umpires at Work”
It should be a blast. I hope to see you there!
by Geoff Young on Jan 28, 2011
This is Part 10 of a 13-part series examining the 65 men who have collected exactly one hit as a member of the San Diego Padres. The current installment features a man involved in Kevin Towers’ worst trade as Padres GM, two members of the inaugural 1969 squad, a man once traded for Randy Wolf, and a journeyman reliever who became great after leaving San Diego. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 27, 2011
The Padres held their annual awards dinner Wednesday night at the San Diego Hall of Champions. Thanks to their generosity, I had the pleasure of attending, along with folks from Friarhood, Gaslamp Ball, and RJ’s Fro.
Corey Brock offers the facts; I offer impressions as a fan… Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 26, 2011
The Padres reportedly will sign veteran infielder Jorge Cantu to a 1-year deal pending a physical. The club had pursued Cantu earlier in the off-season but backed off after signing Brad Hawpe to play first base.
In keeping with this winter’s trend of reporting roster moves well in advance of when they actually occur, details are fuzzy. From what I can gather, the deal appears to be for $850,000. For the sake of having something to discuss while waiting to see whether Cesar Ramos is involved, let’s assume this is accuratish. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 25, 2011
Steve at Friarhood Radio recently had me on his show to discuss Jed Hoyer’s off-season moves, the role of sabermetrics in today’s game, and more. I get all rambly, as usual, but it was good fun. Big thanks to Steve for the chat.
One item that came up in conversation is whether Nick Hundley can succeed as a big-league starting catcher. Others have expressed their concerns to me about Hundley’s ability this winter — many people see him as more of a backup type. It’s an understandable point of view, but one with which I do not agree. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 24, 2011
I touched on this game in my Epic Pitchers Duels series at Hardball Times, but it deserves further attention. To most of the baseball world, it is the game where Orel Hershiser broke Don Drysdale’s consecutive scoreless innings streak. To Bip Roberts, it is the game where Mark Parent saved his backside. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 21, 2011
I’m trying to come up with a game plan for 2011 and I need your help. What do you want to see here this year? Game recaps? Analysis? Snark? Minor-league coverage? Interviews? Chats? Question marks?
Give me some feedback. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with another year of whatever the heck it is I’ve been doing. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 20, 2011
The Padres avoided arbitration with all five of their remaining eligible players on Tuesday. Jed Hoyer appears to share his predecessor’s distaste for the “you stink, but we love you anyway” method of determining salary. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jan 19, 2011
My latest at Hardball Times examines the time Tim Raines begged the Padres to let him come play in San Diego and they wouldn’t do it. Reader David alerted me to this episode, which occurred over a period of several weeks before the 1987 season, when collusion against free agents was in full effect.
I followed baseball then, but not the Padres, so I wasn’t aware of how close Raines had been to signing here (or of how serious a role the Padres played in collusion). When I heard about it, I did a double-take. Then I did research and found myself getting enraged with each word that came out of then-president Ballard Smith’s mouth.
Would it have been nice to have two Tony Gwynns in the lineup? I think so.
If nothing else, the Raines affair gives me greater appreciation for why some fans are so mistrustful of management/ownership groups. I was here for Tom Werner’s misdeeds, which I found outrageous enough. In many respects, Smith’s treatment of Raines and the fans of San Diego was even worse.
If you can stomach revisiting a dark period in Padres history, read the article.
by Geoff Young on Jan 18, 2011
Reader LynchMob points out that according to Forbes, the Padres had the fifth highest operating income in 2009. Well, color me surprised. Continue reading ›
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