Notes and Links

by Geoff Young on Apr 20, 2005 (5) Comments

Baseball: Sandy Alderson

Baseball: Other

  • Stauffer 7 Scoreless; Mobile Drops 7th Straight (Scout.com). The latest down on the farm.
  • This is a little stale, but the Brewers signed RHP Ben Sheets to a monstrous deal last week, checking in at a reported 4 years/$38.5M. Let’s compare, shall we (through 4/18/05)? 
            Age    IP  H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9  ERA Yr   $M
Peavy    24 479.1 8.28 1.11 3.23 8.36 3.44  4 14.5
Sheets   26 847.0 9.11 1.06 2.08 7.47 3.91  4 38.5

    I guess you can probably figure out which signing I like better. :-)

  • Interview: Pad Squadder Erica. Gaslamp Ball’s obsession with the Pad Squad continues, and we’re all the better for it.

Satellite Images of Padres Affiliate Stadiums

I’m kinda seriously digging this Google tool.

Things Not Baseball

Don’t worry, I’m only trying to appear well rounded…

  • Kid, You’ve Paid Your Dues (WWDN). Wil Wheaton’s is one of my favorite blogs, and his account of the folks lined up at the wrong movie theater in LA two months in advance of the next Star Wars movie is hilarious. Seriously, don’t be drinking anything while reading.
  • Text Generator (Malevole). I think I found this via WWDN. Equal parts stupid, useful, and fun.
  • Pop.: 1 Plus 5,000 Volumes (LA Times). “When the state sends her paperwork, ‘I just sign wherever it needs to be signed: mayor, secretary, treasurer,’ Elsie says. ‘They know I’m the only one up here.’” [via Darren Barefoot]

Pads Hire Alderson

by Geoff Young on Apr 19, 2005 (6) Comments

For the kids out there who think Billy Beane invented sliced bread, Sandy Alderson was Beane’s predecessor as Oakland GM and groomed the latter to be his replacement. This is an intriguing move. We’ll have to see what exact role Alderson ends up playing for the Pads, but he’s a smart baseball man and a great guy to have on our side.

News of the Hiring

Analysis of the Hiring

What bloggers are saying about the hiring. Not much, actually. Kinda figured the A’s folks would be on it, but I guess that was a long time ago.

  • Sandy Lands On His Feet (Athletic Supporters). They call Alderson “one of the most important men in the history of the Oakland A�s,” citing his oversight of the late-’80s/early-’90s clubs that enjoyed a nice little run. Here’s my favorite quote: “The rest of the NL West should be on notice with Sandy Alderson resident in their neighborhood. He could take an already talented squad and move them into a dynastic mode very quickly.”
  • Padres New Pope (Baseball Musings). Because padres would be Catholic, get it?

Other Info

Some of these are a little old, but insight is insight, eh?

  • Speak Bluntly, and Carry a Big Bat (Business Week, Apr 2001). Talks about Alderson’s efforts to “fix” the strike zone, among other things. Deep thought: “In his three years on Selig’s staff and in the preceding 17 in Oakland, he has been a frequent critic of reckless spending. He even attends press conferences to scoff at the rich deals that are being announced.”
  • The Game of His Life (Harvard Law Review, Fall 2001). Alderson’s background, plus more on the strike zone and his disdain for escalating salaries.
  • The next commish? (Salon, Oct 1999). Great quote from Dennis Eckersley: “I’ve always been a fan of Sandy’s — until it comes to dealing with him.” I’d forgotten Alderson was on watch when the umpires resigned and MLB accepted. That was freakin’ brilliant.
  • MLB Swings Back At Steroid Claims (CBS News). I’ll ‘fess up, I didn’t actually read this one, but Alderson’s name comes up a lot.

I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about Alderson in the coming weeks and months, but there’s at least a little to get you started.

In-Game Discussion: Padres vs Giants

by Geoff Young on Apr 19, 2005 (108) Comments

first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Brian Lawrence vs Jerome Williams

Geez, could I have waited any longer to get this posted? I defer to Richard for the details on tonight’s contest. I’m not seeing a lot of success on the Padres side against Williams. For the Giants, Michael Tucker and Ray Durham have had the most success. J.T. Snow, too, but he’s not in the lineup.

Anyway, I’ll be lurking this evening: watching the game, making comments, putting together a little something on Sandy Alderson, etc. Feel free to hang out and chat.

In-Game Discussion: Padres vs Giants

by Geoff Young on Apr 18, 2005 (13) Comments

first pitch: 7:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Jake Peavy vs Brett Tomko

Having been shut down by the likes of Derek Lowe, Scott Erickson, and Jeff Weaver in a weekend sweep at the hands of the Dodgers, the Pads return home and hope to rebound behind Peavy. They’ll try to do it without shortstop Khalil Greene, who is expected to miss at least a month with a broken finger. Good news of a sort comes in the form of Dave Roberts, who has completed his rehab assignment and is expected to be in the starting lineup tonight. What his return means to Sean Burroughs and/or Xavier Nady remains to be seen. Regardless, the hope is that Roberts and his career .335 OBP somehow manage to ignite the Padres offense at the top of the order.

Storm Watch

by Geoff Young on Apr 18, 2005 (3) Comments

We trekked up the I-15 to watch the Storm host the San Jose Giants. Unfortunately, while the parent Padres club was getting shut down by Jeff Weaver and the Dodgers, The Elsinore contingent wasn’t faring much better. Thanks in large part to a 7-run fifth, the SJ Giants won the game, 14-5.

The Diamond at Lake Elsinore

Dave Roberts made his final rehab appearance, going 0 for 4 with a walk. He drew the walk on four pitches to lead off the first. After that he didn’t hit the ball out of the infield. Roberts saw a lot of action in the field (13 extra base hits allowed will do that to an outfielder) and looked okay, although it was a little troubling to see Cal League baserunners taking liberties with his arm. He does get props for bumping fists with mascot Thunder en route to his position to open the game.

Dave Roberts takes a hack

Fernando Valenzuela Jr. got the start at first base. He’s a big kid, built a lot like his dad. At the plate, he knows the strike zone and he has some power. Valenzuela provided one of the few bright spots for the home team Sunday, working the count full in the third before slamming one out just to the left of the 342 sign in right-center.

Drew Macias had an interesting first inning. In the top half, he positioned himself perfectly on a fly ball to left and, after making the catch, fired a strike home for an inning-ending double play. It was textbook. Then in the bottom half, he started walking off second base after a routine grounder to first. Presumably he’d lost track of the outs (although he was just the second batter of the game). I say “presumably” because I didn’t see what happened. Thinking the play was over, I had started scribbling notes in my scorecard before looking up to see Roberts being thrown out at the plate after a lengthy and quite baffling rundown. Such is the Cal League.

The starting pitcher for the Storm was Javier Martinez (BA #28). After missing all of last year due to shoulder surgery, Martinez is back at Elsinore, where he’d enjoyed some success in 2003. Before the injury, I liked him as a sleeper. Back then, his fastball checked in around 91-93 mph. Yesterday it was in the 86-88 mph range. His delivery looked free and easy, so maybe he just needs a little time to get the velocity back. Whatever the case, Martinez got pounded by San Jose: Half of the 20 batters he faced reached base, with 6 of the 9 hits allowed going for extra bases. Martinez was relieved by the enigmatic Edgar Huerta, who surrendered seven runs in an inning and two-thirds.

Despite the lopsided score, it was an enjoyable day at the park. (A bad day at the ball game is better than a good day at work, right?) They’ve installed a nice new video scoreboard in right-center at the Diamond, and the folks up at Elsinore really do run a good show. If you’re headed up for a Sunday afternoon contest and sitting behind home plate, be sure to bring sunscreen: the shade doesn’t arrive till the fifth or sixth inning. But sitting behind the dish is worth braving the sun and the young women who are less interested in the game than in the guys playing it; this is where the scouts and, frequently, the pitchers not working that day’s game sit, running the radar gun and tracking pitches. There is no better way to watch a game in my book.

In-Game Discussion: Padres @ Dodgers

by Geoff Young on Apr 17, 2005 (7) Comments

first pitch: 1:10 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Tim Redding vs Jeff Weaver

Pads dropped Saturday night’s game, 8-3. The usual culprits: sloppy defense, poor clutch hitting. And now the club has lost shortstop Khalil Greene to a broken right ring finger. Of all the guys the Pads couldn’t afford to lose…

Anyway, today the two teams wrap up their three-game series at Dodger Stadium. The Padres look to #5 starter Redding to help avoid a sweep. Not exactly the position they wanted to be in, but there it is.

In limited action, the current Dodger batters have hit .297/.422/.568 over 37 at-bats against Redding. J.D. Drew and Hee Seop Choi each have a homer. For the Padres, Phil Nevin hit .329/.392/.657 against LA in 2004. He hasn’t done much against anyone so far this year. Now would be a good time to start.

I’ll be at Elsinore, watching Dave Roberts, among others. Feel free to hang out and chat; I’ll check in when I get home.

Greene Breaks Finger

by Geoff Young on Apr 16, 2005 (Comments Off) Comments

Damn, damn, damn. Looks like Damian Jackson will get the call from Portland, with Geoff Blum and possibly Jesse Garcia making the bulk of the starts.

Damn, damn, damn.

In-Game Discussion: Padres @ Dodgers

by Geoff Young on Apr 16, 2005 (Comments Off) Comments

So there’s your first shutout of the year. Three hits and a walk against Derek Lowe, another lackluster performance from Woody Williams. Tonight’s matchup looks a little better for the Pads.

first pitch: 7:10 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Adam Eaton vs Scott Erickson

I’ll be honest: Prior to this series, I didn’t realize Erickson was still pitching in the big leagues. After throwing a total of 27 innings over the past two years, Erickson served up 6 runs in his first start of 2005. It’s commendable that he’s trying to keep his career going, but Erickson hasn’t been even marginally effective since the late-’90s. At age 37, a comeback doesn’t seem likely.

Pads are hitting .264/.361/.463 against right-handers this season. Brian Giles (.357/.522/1.000), Xavier Nady (.423/.464/.808), and Ramon Hernandez (.400/.500/.650) lead the way. Sean Burroughs (.250/.318/.300) and Phil Nevin (.045/.087/.045) pull up the rear.

Eaton likes pitching against LA, sporting an 8-2 lifetime record against the Dodgers, with a 2.43 ERA. At Dodger Stadium, he is 4-0 with a 1.11 ERA over eight career starts.

Talk it up, y’all!

Ducksnorts Unofficial Guide to San Diego Taco Shops

by Geoff Young on Apr 16, 2005 (4) Comments

Someday, when you least expect it, you might get hungry. Where better to eat in San Diego than at a taco shop? Here are a few of our favorites. Got some of your own? Leave ‘em in the comments. ¡Buen provecho!

[Updated 10 Apr 2008.]


Name Location Submittor Comments
El Asadero 6866 El Cajon Blvd. Dex  
Lolita’s Taco Shop 7305A Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Geoff Best carnitas in town
El Indio Multiple locations Brian G.  
Adalberto’s Mexican Food 2498 Market St. Jeff Open 24 hours, drive-thru, and best carne asada burritos this side of Barrio Logan
Las Cuatro Milpas 1857 Logan Ave. Jeff Absolute best Mexican
Cotija’s 810 3rd St. Funkinstein Hands down, never had a better breakfast burrito; they use real, thick sausage and bacon, no skimpy stuff, and great hash browns
Carne’s Main St. & 805 Funkinstein Best carne asada chips/fries
Otay Farms Markets 1716 Broadway Funkinstein Best authentic Mexican: fresh tortillas on the barbacoa burrito is a slice of heaven; they also have the best homemade guacamole
Santa Fe Meats 2514 Main St. Funkinstein  
El Cotixan 4370 Genesee Ave. LynchMob  
Super Sergio’s 4125 Convoy St. LynchMob Great carne asada
J.V.’s 1112 Morena Blvd. Tom Cheap with great burritos which are huge; the breakfast burritos are good too
La Posta #8 3980 Third Ave David Best carne asada ever
Javier’s Sombrero Multiple locations Dave P. Don’t hold their being Blink 182′s favorite restaurant against them–they are excellent taco shops; the Special Burrito is fantastic gooey goodness
El Zarape 4642 Park Blvd. bee1000  
Cessy’s 3016 Carlsbad Blvd. Jerry  
Oscar’s Mexican Food 225 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd. Jerry  

Related Info

In-Game Discussion: Padres @ Dodgers

by Geoff Young on Apr 15, 2005 (21) Comments

first pitch: 7:40 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4
matchup: Woody Williams vs Derek Lowe

ESPN still has Elmer Dessens listed as tonight’s starter for Los Angeles (sorry, the team in Anaheim doesn’t get that name in my book), but the U-T has Lowe, so we’ll go with him. Among Dodger regulars, Jeff Kent has had the most success against Williams, hitting .371/.488/.743 over 35 at-bats. That’s a pretty good sample, and these are two guys who’ve been around a while. I think it’s safe to say that Kent owns Williams. On the other side, Lowe has spent his career in the AL and doesn’t have much of a history against current Padres, who have hit him to the tune of .333/.373/.396 over 48 at-bats. Stealth power source Geoff Blum has the only homer.

Couple of good signs: The Padres are outhomering the opposition, 13 to 6. They’re also outwalking them, 54 to 27.

Former Friar farmhand Buddy Carlyle has resurfaced with the Dodgers. Many moons ago, I had this to say about him: “I really thought Carlyle was going to be what Brian Lawrence has become. I have no idea where he is right now, but he’s only 24 years old, and I still half-expect him to surface in North America at some point and pitch in the big-leagues again.”