Sixty-five men have collected exactly one hit as a member of the Padres. Over the next few months, we’ll look at every one of them, five at a time. Continue reading ›
Off-Season Plans
Now that I’ve said as much as I care to say about the 2010 season, it’s time to start looking forward. This is subject to change according to life and what not, but here’s the general idea at least through the end of the year:
- Mon: I Almost Prayed in Albuquerque — When I drove from San Diego to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, I chronicled my trip in the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual. I had it in my head to turn this into a book-length manuscript, but writing books (ones that are worth reading, anyway) is hard work and I set the project aside after a couple of chapters. This is the first chapter, which covers the first day of my trip. It runs about 4500 words, which I’ll spread out over the course of 8-10 weeks. I’ve gone back and forth on whether to publish this, but I think it holds up and I’m pretty sure I’ll never finish the book, so what the hey.
- Tue: I’m keeping this spot open. I may use it, I may not.
- Wed: Me, Elsewhere — This will continue to be my regular spot at Hardball Times. I’ve got some fun (well, I think they’re fun) articles in the works.
- Thu: One-Hit Wonders — Sixty-five men have collected exactly one hit as a member of the Padres. We’ll look at every one of them, five at a time, starting with Ed Acosta and ending with Jaret Wright.
- Fri: Friday Links — You know ‘em, you love ‘em. They’ll be here like they always are.
I’ve committed, so now I have to deliver. I tell you these things because otherwise I’ll spend the next few months sitting on the couch, staring into space. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (and not that I won’t do some of that anyway), but life is short and the off-season is long.
Thursday Links (14 Oct 10)
Go crazy… Continue reading ›
Dances with Spreadsheets: Rolling Sevens
I’ve been tracking various items of interest this year. Most of them have something to do with the Padres’ record in 2010 and how it compared to other seasons. As you might imagine, this year’s bunch landed among the top five in club history in many areas. Continue reading ›
Friday Links (8 Oct 10)
I’m still working on my season wrapup. Every time I sit down to write, it comes out “lkjasdf” or “qweiopu” or even “)*(#@%)*#$!!!” I do have some thoughts, but I’m finding it difficult to articulate them. Meanwhile, we’ve got lots o’ links… Continue reading ›
Revisiting IVIE 2010
Back in March, we released the Ducksnorts community projections (hitters, pitchers), lovingly dubbed IVIE in honor of former Padres first-round pick Mike Ivie. Like most projections, they were fun and probably less useful than some folks might prefer to believe.
In the interest of accountability (and fun), I thought we’d look back at our guesses and see how we did. Hitters are ordered by actual OPS minus projected OPS, pitchers by projected ERA minus actual ERA. This places the most pleasant surprises at the top for both groups.
Reader Pat joked at the time that “our projections are not park adjusted.” Although he was being funny, he also may have been right. We badly overestimated the Padres offense and underestimated their pitching. Continue reading ›
Me, Elsewhere: Game 162
My latest at Hardball Times offers a real-time accounting of the Padres’ final game in 2010. I would have written a better ending, but non-fiction is unforgiving that way.
Assuming I can get my act together, I’ll post some final thoughts on the season later in the week and lay out plans for the coming months of baseball darkness. Meanwhile, I found writing about Game 162 to be a cathartic exercise in much the same way launching my television into the street would have been — only cheaper and less likely to provoke the authorities.
Save yourself. Save your television. Read the article.
Open Thread: Special ‘Misery Loves Company’ Edition
That sucked. Still, it was a great season… far greater than I could have imagined.
I don’t have much to say right now, but maybe you’d like to get something off your chest? Now would be a good time.
I’m also going to use this as an excuse to link to a better Paul Carrack song:
Don’t shed a tear for me,
My life won’t end…
He wasn’t singing about baseball, but he should have been. It will break your heart.
Let Me Stay Here a While
by Geoff Young on Oct 18, 2010 (19) Comments
I am of two minds when it comes to the Padres’ unexpected success in 2010. It is satisfying to know that a team that had the second lowest payroll in baseball and that was given little chance at finishing anywhere other than last in the National League West notched 90 wins (fourth most in 42 seasons of Padres baseball) and wasn’t eliminated from contention until the season’s final day. The team, despite a paucity of resources and talent, battled to the end and represented the city well enough that people in parts of the country accustomed to paying as much attention to San Diego as to Pago Pago had to take notice. Continue reading ›