Her face is soft, her eyes deep, but there is no red in her cheeks; she has long forgotten innocence and will make him forget it, too. That’s okay, though, because he’ll still have links… Continue reading ›
Me, Elsewhere: Arizona Fallin’
As I mentioned the other day, we drove to Phoenix this weekend to take in a couple of Arizona Fall League games. Well, now I’ve got an article and photos at Hardball Times to prove it.
You’ll notice that no current Padres are mentioned in the piece (although 2008 draftee Jason Kipnis is, and boy did he have a great game). That’s mainly because the Padres didn’t send any real prospects to the league this year and the three players I saw didn’t do much. Still, I’ll post more about them in a separate article here at Ducksnorts. Meanwhile, head over to Hardball Times and read up on the AFL. Enjoy…
I Almost Prayed in Albuquerque: Twin Cinema
In Summer 2007, I drove from San Diego to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. This is Part 4 of a nine-part series covering the first day of my journey.
Meanwhile, the radio signal had started to fade (or the brassy horn arrangements had started to grate — can’t remember which), so I popped in another CD. The New Pornographers‘ Twin Cinema easily makes my top five albums of the 21st century, and its quirky, punchy tunes would help me endure the flat drive to Gila Bend. Continue reading ›
Cameron Maybin: When a Player’s Perceived Value Plummets, That’s the Time to Grab Him
I heard about the Cameron Maybin trade while I was in Arizona, taking in some AFL games (more on that later in the week). I thought about it a lot on the drive home and shared the gist of my conclusion on Twitter:
Even if Maybin ends up stinking, so what? Webb and Mujica can be replaced and Gwynn *needs* to be replaced. I’m not seeing downside.
Edward Mujica throws strikes but doesn’t use the inner half of the plate and is susceptible to the long ball. He soaks up low-leverage innings, which is useful to a team in a Ramiro Mendoza kind of way. Guys like Brandon Gomes, Evan Scribner, and any number of inexpensive free agents should be able to do the same. Continue reading ›
Friday Links (12 Nov 10)
One of the great things about doing crossword puzzles is that you get to use words that you would never, in any other circumstance, get to use. “Oleo” is my favorite. It shows up at least twice a week and usually is accompanied by a clue that reads, “Fridge item that you don’t call by this name unless you grew up in the Great Depression.” Here’s how the word might be used in a sentence: “Would you like some links with that oleo?”
Why, yes, I would; thanks for asking… Continue reading ›
One-Hit Wonders: Jack Cust to Mike Dupree
This is Part 4 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 includes a designated hitter trapped in the National League, a future Padres minor-league manager, a player who clashed with Larry Bowa (could I be more specific?), a man who once was part of a trade involving the current Padres bullpen coach, and the precursor to Brooks Kieschnick that never quite materialized. Continue reading ›
Me, Elsewhere: Derek and the Dominoes
My latest at Hardball Times concludes the four-part series that offers an alternate version of the 1987 draft based on what we know now (took me long enough, eh?). There isn’t much of a Padres angle in this installment, although Derek Bell makes an appearance.
Remember when the Padres stuck Bell at third base in 1993? He started 18 games there and hit .382/.411/.588. Unfortunately, he also committed eight errors, which negated his offensive exploits.
Anyway, read more about Bell and the other seven players taken at the end of our revised draft if you’re so inclined.
Tuesday Links (9 Nov 10)
Pretend I said something clever here. I won’t tell if you don’t… Continue reading ›
DePodesta Rejoins Alderson in New York
The Mets have hired Paul DePodesta as vice president of player development and amateur scouting. DePodesta, a holdover from the John Moores/Sandy Alderson regime, rejoins Alderson in New York.
During his time with the Padres, DePodesta always went out of his way to make bloggers feel welcome. As Gaslamp Ball’s jbox notes, “Paul was a really nice dude.”
I wish DePodesta well in his new position.
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