Search results for ‘joe thatcher

We Have Assumed Control

Attention, all planets of the Solar Federation: With Wednesday night’s victory in San Francisco, the Padres now own the National League’s best record at 21-12. They have extended their lead in the division to 2 1/2 games and won another series. Thoughts? You know I have a few: Clayton Richard was very efficient. He needed [...]

IVIE 2010: Pitchers

We covered Padres hitters yesterday. As promised, here are the 2010 IVIE projections for pitchers: Starters N IP ERA Jon Garland 22 206.1 4.00 Kevin Correia 22 191.1 4.15 Clayton Richard 21 165.1 4.31 Chris Young 23 149.2 3.91 Mat Latos 22 134.1 3.78 Wade LeBlanc 20 88.2 4.51 Tim Stauffer 19 88.1 4.44 Cesar [...]

Mailbag: Spring Training Questions

Ryan from The Padres, Chargers, Illini Blog writes: Geoff, As it stands now, it seems like the roster is more or less set to start the season, or at least more set at this stage of the offseason than in years past. Given that (apparent) certainty, what are a few things you’ll be looking for [...]

Is Life Ever Good Enough?

I use baseball to mark the passage of time. The memory of specific events helps keep me grounded in a world that often makes less sense than I’d like it to make (forgive the fact that I grew up rooting for the Dodgers): 1981 — Fernandomania; Rick Monday’s homer off Steve Rogers in Montreal 1988 [...]

Brutal Is As Brutal Does

The Padres are boring. That’s the word on the street… a street apparently filled with people who don’t like baseball. Just give me a game to watch and the rest will take care of itself. There is no pressure with this team, no expectation of success. Every win is a surprise, a gift. Sometimes I [...]

Is It Giving Up if You Never Believed?

I met a girl at summer camp when I was nine. Laura was 16 and the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. We exchanged letters for a while, then got on with our lives. In my dream, we meet again for some forgotten reason. “It’s great to see you,” she says. “You, too.” We stare [...]

To Sweep and To Be Swept

Sunlight glimmers off the bay like sweat, like flashbulbs, a disco ball, coins from a slot machine, dice rolling, neon signs. Patterns of light moving impossibly fast, not moving at all. Stare long enough, it all becomes one. Time and meaning are lost, like the days themselves, swept out to sea. The Padres had Monday [...]

IVIE 2009: Relief Pitchers

You may have heard me on the radio during your Monday morning commute… if you happen to live in Montreal. Big thanks to Elliott, Shaun, and Denis at The Team 990 for having me on to talk Padres baseball. IVIE community projections catchers infielders outfielders starting pitchers I’ve also got a guest post up at [...]

OBG08 Revisited: Pitchers

We’re looking back at our pre-season community projections. On Wednesday we covered the hitters; today we turn to the pitchers. Left-Handers Justin Hampson, 2008   IP ERA Projected 48 4.21 Actual 30.2 2.93 Our most optimistic projection had Hampson at a 3.50 ERA. Joe Thatcher, 2008   IP ERA Projected 58 2.86 Actual 25.2 8.42 [...]

Don’t Believe a Word I Say

Daniel at There Are Better Deals in August asks whether it’s okay for the front office to lie. It’s a provocative question, and one that deserves attention. He cites a recent article by Derek Carty, my colleague at Hardball Times, that mentions Paul DePodesta’s blog as a possible propaganda tool. From Derek’s article: By sending [...]