by Geoff Young on Jul 19, 2011
Three games, two last-place teams, one winner. This means everything.
To help us cut through the hype that inevitably surrounds a meeting of the Padres and Marlins in July, Dave Gershman of Marlins Daily has popped in to offer his thoughts on a few burning questions that the public demands be answered. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, without further ado, I give you Dave Gershman… Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 18, 2011
Saturday was strange. After scoring a total of five runs over the previous six games, the Padres erupted for 11 en route to a rare laugher over the visiting Giants. Jesus Guzman and Orlando Hudson homered, with Cory Luebke working seven strong innings. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 16, 2011
Refreshed from the All-Star Break and ready for more (let the floggings continue!), I’ve got a few things going on here and there. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 14, 2011
While we wait for actual games to resume, here are some links you might enjoy… Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 13, 2011
While Adrian Gonzalez was busy not boycotting the All-Star game, I was writing articles.
I’ve got two new pieces up at Baseball Prospectus. One is my usual NL West thing ($), while the other is a group effort (free) that remembers overlooked players of the past.
If the current Padres season has you down, here’s a little snippet from my NL West article that might make you feel better:
This past winter, the Dodgers spent nearly $58 million to sign and retain free agents — mostly mediocre thirtysomethings. They owe Matt Guerrier and Juan Uribe a combined $33 million through 2013. (They owe Marquis Grissom — who hasn’t played for the Dodgers since 2002 or for anyone since 2005 — a shade more than $2.7 million, but that’s another story.) The trouble is that Guerrier (4.10 ERA, 4.70 SIERA) has given no indication that he can help a contender down the stretch. Neither has Uribe (.207/.273/.306, .209 TAv), which means that whomever rescues Los Angeles from the McCourts will continue to “benefit” from their services for the next couple of years.
I would prefer to celebrate our own team, but right now, that is difficult to do. We will have to settle for schadenfreude. Or Haagen-Dazs… I could go for some ice cream.
Anyway, the group article features 18 players, including several with Padres ties: Greg A. Harris, Gene Tenace (my contribution), Tony Phillips (who was here ever so briefly), Willie Montanez, and Marty Barrett. San Diego products Mark Grace (SDSU) and Matt Nokes (Patrick Henry HS) also make appearances.
Enjoy…
by Geoff Young on Jul 12, 2011
I finally made it to a SABR convention, and was it ever worth the wait. This year’s convention took place in Long Beach, which meant that I could attend with relative ease (having to catch a plane is usually a deal-breaker for me, but a two-hour drive is no problem). Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 11, 2011
I didn’t see it, don’t even really want to know about it. I was watching Padres GM Jed Hoyer speak — along with former Dodgers GMs Fred Claire and Dan Evans — at SABR41 (I’m still sifting through my notes; a report will follow at some later date) when Aaron Harang and friends almost spun the first no-hitter in club history. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 09, 2011
Things started so well in San Francisco. Those first two wins against the Giants at PhoneCo Park lulled us into a false sense of competence. Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 07, 2011
Today’s links are grouped according to categories that work best if you don’t think about them too much. Go read stuff. It’s good for you… Continue reading ›
by Geoff Young on Jul 06, 2011
Good to see the boys take the first two in San Francisco. The wins haven’t come easy (big thanks to Andres Torres for getting thrown out trying to score on a pitch in the dirt with Pablo Sandoval up representing the tying run to end the seventh in Tuesday’s 5-3 victory), but at least they’ve come.
Heath Bell (2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K this series) is scaring the heck out of me. Oh, you’re in the market for an All-Star closer? Never mind; in that case, he’s awesome and worth whatever you can afford. Continue reading ›
Me, Elsewhere: Looking Toward the Season’s Second Half
by Geoff Young on Jul 16, 2011 (16) Comments
Refreshed from the All-Star Break and ready for more (let the floggings continue!), I’ve got a few things going on here and there. Continue reading ›