Friday Links (11 Jan 2008)

by Geoff Young on Jan 11, 2008 (71) Comments

Before we get started, thanks to everyone who volunteered to help out with the book. Once I’ve finished about a dozen more player writeups, the first draft will be complete. The plan is to get that done today or tomorrow, then read through everything on Sunday and Monday to make sure I haven’t overlooked anything really stupid. Then I’ll start sending stuff your way, probably Wednesday or so.

Speaking of the book, I’m having a lot of fun with the player dashboards. I love the fact that Cla Meredith and Chris Young pitch on the same staff, and when you see how they recorded their outs in 2007, I think you can understand why. There aren’t two more different types of pitchers in all of baseball:

How batters fared against Cla Meredith and Chris Young in 2007

Significance? Dude, it’s cool.

On to the links:

  • My debut article at Baseball Digest Daily has been published: “Home Runs and the Power of Perception.” Much of this is review material for the regulars here, but I’ve tried to extend some of my findings so that they’ll be of interest to folks other than Padres fans.
  • Our friend Corey Brock at Padres.com examines the Padres corner infielders. In the article, Kevin Towers touches on one of the things I absolutely loved about Kevin Kouzmanoff last year:

    I never sensed a guy that was pressing, whereas most younger guys would press in that situation … wondering if they would get benched. But he played with confidence, even though he wasn’t getting his hits.

    Yeah, dude was a rock.

  • R.J. Anderson at Beyond the Boxscore interviews Paul DePodesta. Quoth DePo:

    My definition of a “Moneyball” player is much different than the common usage. I don’t see it as having anything to do with walks or on-base percentage or really any statistic. To me that really misses the point. A “Moneyball” player is an undervalued player for any reason whatsoever.

    I wonder how many times he’s had to repeat that sentiment over the years. My guess? Too many.

  • The San Antonio Business Journal talks about the Missions’ new coaching staff. Ex-Padre Terry Kennedy will serve as hitting coach, while Bill Masse will manage. Love this bit on Masse:

    Masse was a 7th round pick by the New York Yankees in the 1988 Amateur Draft out of Wake Forest University. He was also a member of the 1988 Olympic Gold Medal team in Seoul.

    In 1999, Masse portrayed Mike Robinson in the Kevin Costner motion picture “For Love of the Game.”

    I hear the movie kind of stunk, but that’s pretty cool.

  • Tracy Ringolsby at FOX Sports gives a quick rundown of the NL West. From the Padres section:

    Strength: Petco Park is a welcome sight for any pitcher, helping hide deficiencies.

    Yep, a park that helps hide deficiencies will get you 89 wins these days; I had no idea. Ringolsby neglects to mention Coors Field in the section on Colorado, the team he covers. So, does this fall into the category of “fair”? Or is it better classified as “balanced”? I can’t decide.

  • Gerry Fraley at the Sporting News ranks the NL rotations. According to Fraley, five of the top six are in the NL West.
  • Bill at Detroit Tigers Weblog wonders whether San Diego native Alan Trammell’s defense gets unfairly dismissed because of the long grass at Tiger Stadium.
  • Dave Studeman at Hardball Times discusses strategies for evaluating hitters, and uses Andre Dawson, Tim Raines, and Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn to illustrate his points.
  • Also at THT, Sal Baxamusa tackles the issue of what it means to be “average” (hat tip to Didi in the comments).
  • LynchMob reminds us that you can find pretty much anything on the Internet, including this video of Eugene Emeralds announcer Matt Keating repeatedly saying “Kellen Kulbacki,” among other things. One criticism: He should have said “boom goes the dynamite” when Kulbacki hit the home run. That would have been sweet.
  • Joe Posnanski discusses the Hall of Fame at great length. Although I still haven’t made my way through the entire post, his rant about orange juice is epic:

    I once went into a breakfast place in Jacksonville, and I ordered eggs and orange juice and the waitress said, “Oh, sorry, we’re out of orange juice.”

    Yeah. Out of orange juice. I want you to think about this for a moment.

    1. This was a BREAKFAST PLACE — one of those places that closes down at 11:30. It only served breakfast.
    2. This breakfast place was in Florida. You know. FLORIDA? Sunshine State?
    3. They were out of orange juice.

    I’m thinking he might be a fan of Lewis Black (hat tip to Didi in the comments).

  • If you still can’t get enough Hall of Fame coverage, Joe Sheehan at Baseball Prospectus offers his thoughts (hat tip to LynchMob in the comments). Apparently a member of the BBWAA accused Rob Neyer of leading an anti-Jim Rice campaign? Ah, here’s something from Peter Gammons about Neyer being obsessed with “degrading Rice’s career.” Wow, bizarre. The thing is, Rice’s numbers do that without Neyer’s help. I guess there are certain sacred cows that cannot be tipped and Rice’s HOF candidacy has become one of them. Go figure.
  • Speaking of Neyer, he’s thrown together a list of the 10 best individual seasons in MLB history (hat tip to Kevin in the comments).
  • Nothing to do with baseball, but check out McCoy Tyner tearing it up on John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” Uh, wow.

There it is. Happy Friday…

Spring Training and Book Updates

by Geoff Young on Jan 10, 2008 (27) Comments

Okay, we’ve had a chance to come up with a spring training plan of sorts. From the poll, I see that the general preference is that we do this earlier rather than later. February 29 – March 2 is in the lead right now, but I have to say, the idea of getting way too familiar with Luis Rodriguez and a bunch of NRIs holds little appeal to me, so I’d like to shoot for March 7 – 9 instead. Anyway, here are some details:

Ducksnorts 2008 Spring Training Thang

Padres Spring Training @ Peoria, Ariz.

Dates: March 7 – 9, 2008
Price: TBD (depends on how many folks can join us)

What the package includes:

  • Hotel accommodations
  • Tickets to all Padres games
  • Complete limousine transportation in Arizona to and from all events, including airport
  • Dinners @ local steakhouse
  • Signed copies of Ducksnorts 2007 Baseball Annual and Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual
  • Sparkling conversation with your BFF

We’re getting kind of a late start on this (we’ll get the word out earlier for 2009), so if you could drop me a line asap to let me know if you’re interested, that would be sweet. I promise it won’t suck.

Book Update

Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball AnnualOn the book front, I’m getting real close to finishing the first draft (and only a week behind schedule!) — should wrap up today or tomorrow. Several of you have indicated an interest in lending your eyes to make sure what I’ve written makes actual sense (I’m told “makes actual sense” is a good selling point when it comes to books). Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten which of you has volunteered, so if those of you still interested could shoot me an email, I’d appreciate it. I’m asking for no more than a chapter, and I’ll have stuff ready for you by the middle of next week, if not sooner.

So, two action items:

  • Let me know if you’re interested in doing the Spring Training Thang
  • Let me know if you’d like to help with the 2008 Annual

As always, thanks much for your time. Go Padres!

Congrats to Goose on Overcoming Extreme Voter Stupidity Syndrome

by Geoff Young on Jan 09, 2008 (42) Comments

Congratulations to ex-Padre Rich “Goose” Gossage on being voted into the baseball Hall of Fame. Better late than never, eh?

On another note, three of the following five pitchers are in the Hall of Fame. One is still on the ballot, while the fifth has been dropped from consideration. Can you tell which is which just by looking at the numbers? (Answer below the table.)

Five Relievers
  G IP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 ERA+ WS SV
Statistics are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
#1 944 1701.1 7.80 0.65 2.60 6.87 119 188 310
#2 1002 1809.1 7.45 0.59 3.64 7.47 126 223 341
#3 880 1132.1 7.95 0.87 2.85 6.97 121 157 367
#4 1022 1289.1 7.91 0.62 3.39 8.73 131 198 478
#5 661 1042.1 7.59 0.66 2.67 7.43 136 168 300

I dunno, I’m not seeing a lot of separation here. Good thing the “experts” can ferret out things that aren’t readily apparent to the rest of us.

Who’s who? #1, Rollie Fingers (in); #2, Gossage (in); #3, Jeff Reardon (out); #4, Lee Smith (waiting); #5, Bruce Sutter (in).

You’ll recall that I didn’t like the choice of Sutter at the time. Comparisons to John Wetteland might have been overly harsh, but I still don’t see how Sutter gets in ahead of Gossage. And I don’t believe that Reardon is a Hall of Famer, but in light of some other choices, I’m not sure that he and Wetteland should have been so easily dismissed.

Anyway, we’re talking about Gossage. In the Ducksnorts 2007 Baseball Annual, I named him the #5 reliever in Padres history. Stealing from myself, here’s what I said about him:

Selected by the Chicago White Sox in the ninth round of the 1970 draft, Rich “Goose” Gossage made a rapid ascent to the big leagues. In his first full season as a pro, Gossage dominated the opposition in the Midwest League. The following year, he skipped Double- and Triple-A, spending the entire season in Chicago and holding his own.

After a couple of mediocre years, Gossage blossomed as the White Sox’s closer in 1975, saving 26 games and posting a 1.84 ERA over an unbelievable 141 2/3 innings. To give a further idea of how the closer’s role has evolved, he actually worked 3 innings or more in over a third of his appearances that year.

The following year, Gossage was “rewarded” by being moved into the rotation. He did okay in that role, but was traded after the season to the Pittsburgh Pirates. His new club returned Gossage to the bullpen in ’77, where he dominated once more before jumping to the Yankees as a free agent that November.

Gossage spent seven seasons in New York and posted ridiculous numbers every year. During that stretch, no big-league pitcher who worked at least 500 innings came anywhere near his ERA of 2.10, the closest being Kansas City closer Dan Quisenberry, who checked in at 2.47.

In January 1984, Gossage signed as a free agent with the Padres. He enjoyed two brilliant seasons in San Diego before fading in 1986 and 1987. Unfortunately, what most people will remember about Gossage’s tenure with the Padres is the mammoth three-run home run he served up to Detroit’s Kirk Gibson in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series that blew the game wide open.

Despite the lingering memory of Gibson’s homer, Gossage remains a crucial figure in Padres history. His 83 saves are good enough for third all-time, and his first two seasons in San Diego are unsurpassed by any reliever not ahead of him on this list. With Tony Gwynn now in the Hall of Fame and Trevor Hoffman not yet eligible, Gossage should be the next ex-Padre inducted; it reflects badly on the voters that Bruce Sutter is in but Gossage is not.

Well, now it just reflects badly on them that Sutter got in first. And also the thing about Bert Blyleven. And now Tim Raines.

But enough of my crankiness. Way to go, Goose. Way to hang in there until they got it right.

Why I Hate Prospect Lists

by Geoff Young on Jan 08, 2008 (48) Comments

Like Jayne Cobb’s hat, they make me look like an idiot. Here’s my list from 2003:

A few lowlights:

#18: Mike Nicolas

In 2003, Nicolas likely will serve again as Rusty Tucker’s primary setup man, this time at Double-A. He already has the ability to put the ball past hitters; if he keeps his walk totals down, he could be another Felix Rodriguez.

Or not.

#15: Ben Johnson

If he can learn to use his strength, Johnson still could turn into another Brian Jordan. But I don’t like his chances now as much as I did at this time last year.

Hey, he landed us Heath Bell. All is forgiven.

#14: Cory Stewart

Although he doesn’t have the pedigree of some prospects, Stewart is making a name for himself; he could develop into a #4 or #5 starter, or he could become a swing man in the Terry Mulholland mode.

Stewart was the third guy sent to Pittsburgh in the Brian Giles deal. Jason Bay was one of the others; he didn’t make my top 20.

#13: Mike Rivera

He won’t be Mike Piazza. He probably won’t even be Jorge Posada. But he might be a better version of Jim Leyritz, and a guy with that skill set should be able to have a career.

At this point, anybody is a better version of Leyritz, and I’m not talking about baseball.

#10: Eric Cyr

With the plethora of young arms in the system, and given his history of injuries (Cyr spent time on the shelf again this season — shoulder tendinitis), if Cyr is to make it with the Padres, it’s probably as a reliever. Out of the bullpen he can concentrate on throwing two pitches for strikes and possibly become a power lefty a la Embree, Arthur Rhodes, or Mike Remlinger. Look for Cyr to get more work at Portland as a reliever before getting the call perhaps as soon as late May.

I saw his name pop up in the Caribbean leagues this winter, can’t remember where. Doesn’t really matter.

#7: Josh Barfield

Right now the biggest things working in Barfield’s favor are his athleticism and his extreme youth: he doesn’t turn 21 until after the 2003 season. Keep an eye on him at Elsinore. If he learns to draw a few walks, he could be something.

You already know his story.

#6: Justin Germano

If Germano can avoid injuries, he could develop into a solid middle-rotation guy. He probably doesn’t have the upside of Peavy but he could follow in the footsteps of, say, Brian Lawrence. Who wouldn’t like that?

Hate to say it, but he probably doesn’t have the upside of Lawrence either.

#5: Jake Gautreau

Gautreau possesses a smooth left-handed swing that generates doubles power. His stroke sometimes gets a little long, and he doesn’t have the lift that a classic home run hitter has. His statistical record at this point is comparable to those of Brad Fullmer and Corey Koskie at a similar stage of development… He needs to get more comfortable at second base, be a little more patient at the plate, and stay healthy. If he can do those things at Mobile this year, with Mark Loretta’s contract up at the end of the year, look for Gautreau to make a push for a starting gig in San Diego when the new ballpark opens in 2004.

Stay healthy? Not so much. Gautreau developed ulcerative colitis and hasn’t reached the big leagues yet.

#4: Tagg Bozied

If he can build off his success in the AFL and make a strong showing at Mobile, Bozied could arrive in San Diego in September and compete for a job in 2004. His upside is a solid #5 type hitter in the mold of, say, Jay Buhner.

This guy could hit. He couldn’t do much else, but he could hit.

#3: Xavier Nady

If he can lick the injuries and build on what he accomplished during the final two months of last season, expect Nady to arrive in San Diego sometime around the All-Star break. Although he may not put up big numbers right away, he’ll eventually be a force in the middle of the order. The peak of .280 with 30+ homers I projected for him last year still sounds about right to me.

He’s come a lot closer to my expectations than Sean Burroughs ever will. Burn…

#2: Mark Phillips

If he can learn to be more efficient with his pitches and avoid the lapses in control that have plagued him thus far, Phillips has the chance to be a front-end power lefty in the mold of Mark Langston or Al Leiter. But for now, he’s still a work in progress with very high upside.

Sigh. I really thought this kid was going to be great. I was a little upset when Kevin Towers shipped him to the Yankees for Rondell White. Okay, I was a lot upset. Okay, I was livid.

Of course, Towers is a lot smarter than I’ll ever be when it comes to pitching, and I feel much better now that the team doesn’t stink every year. That and the B-12 injections.

#1: Khalil Greene

Although he’s not particularly big, Greene is strong and generates good power to the gaps with his compact swing. He projects as a middle-of-the-order offensive threat in the vein of Rich Aurilia (the guy who hits .280 with 20+ homers a year, not the 2001 freak version). In the field, what Greene lacks in quickness and arm strength, he makes up for in instincts and quick release. He’ll never be mistaken for Ozzie Smith, or even Ozzie Guillen, but he should be an average defensive shortstop or perhaps slightly better. Greene probably has enough bat to withstand a move out of the middle infield, but with the Padres lacking any other legitimate options at shortstop within the system, he will be given every opportunity to prove that he can play the position at the highest level.

You know what? I think I mostly got this one. Hooray for me…

More Spring Training Thoughts

by Geoff Young on Jan 07, 2008 (24) Comments

We’ve got the spring training meetup poll going over there on the right. With very few precincts reporting, so far it looks like folks want to get together in the desert sooner (Feb 29 – Mar 2, or Mar 7 – 9) rather than later (Mar 14 – 16, or Mar 21 – 23). Typically I’ve gone toward the end, when big leaguers see most of the action, but it might be interesting to watch more of the kids for a change.

Anyway, if you have any interest in attending spring training as a group, please participate in the poll and/or leave comments so we can start making plans. On a related note, I’ve been talking to my buddy with the limousine company. I’d love to figure out a way to get him involved if possible. Whether that means driving out in a limo (we tried this for Cooperstown, which would have been hilarious, if not entirely practical) or just having one out there to shuttle us around town, I don’t know.

Links and Stuff

I’m on deadline with several projects (most notably the book!), but here are a few items of potential interest:

There you go. Enjoy, and remember: spring training; we’re doing that thing, yo, but we need a plan…

Friday Links (4 Jan 08)

by Geoff Young on Jan 04, 2008 (91) Comments

Got the coffee flowing, music playing: Massive Attack, Groove Collective, and George Benson if anyone cares. The Benson is his The Other Side of Abbey Road, which is full of Beatles songs and which absolutely sizzles. His guitar lines are so fluid, it’s disgusting. I mean, he’s not Joe Pass or Grant Green, but still. Apparently Benson recorded his album just three weeks after the actual Abbey Road was released. How sick is that?

Anyway, you come here for the baseball. Very well, then, let’s get to it:

Finally, thanks for all the suggestions regarding PadreBlogs.com. An aggregator is at the top of my list; I’m evaluating a few tools, but the book is priority #1 right now, so testing and implementation may take a while. Unless, of course, someone with mad skillz would like to volunteer their services. :-)

Oh, and be sure to vote in the spring training meetup poll to let us know which dates work best for you. Happy Friday!

Spring Training Meetup?

by Geoff Young on Jan 03, 2008 (32) Comments

For those interested, my latest article at Hardball Times focuses on some strange games in recent history. The Padres aren’t well represented, although Andy Hawkins’ no-hit loss as a member of the Yankees shows up here (and I suppose if you really want to push it, Josh Barfield’s dad played in that game).

Jason Bay? Mewelde Moore?

From 2003: Jason Bay turned out to be a little better than I thought, Pedro de los Santos is now Freddy Guzman, and Mewelde Moore plays in the NFL. Kevin Beavers? Omar Falcon? This place was a zoo.

[Insert rim shot here.]

Uh, You Mentioned Spring Training?

Right. To the topic at hand: Last spring a bunch of us got together in Peoria and had a blast. We should do that again.

Let me rephrase: We need to do that again. Who’s game? Let’s hear some ideas…

Poll added:

{democracy:49}

Do Everything

by Geoff Young on Jan 02, 2008 (11) Comments

The idea was that I’d take some time off between Christmas and New Year to relax before pushing hard to finish the book. The reality was that I found myself involved in three other projects:

  • I’m honored to announce that I’ll be writing at Baseball Digest Daily in 2008. Joe Hamrahi and company do awesome work over there, and I’m proud to call myself a member of their team. This doesn’t take the place of any of my current projects, but rather augments them all. When in doubt, do both, or in this case, do everything.
  • Houston Astros outfielder Hunter Pence is now blogging at Inside the Ballpark, brought to you by b5media, the fine folks who let me blab endlessly over at Knuckle Curve. My involvement in this project consisted of watching it happen and thinking how cool it is to be blogging alongside a big-league ballplayer. When it doesn’t directly affect the Padres, I’ll be cheering a little for the Astros this year.
  • Finally, I’ve launched PadreBlogs.com. There are enough of us doing this stuff now that I think it might benefit readers and writers alike to have some kind of directory that makes it easier for us to connect with one another. This site is in beta, or maybe even late alpha, so suggestions are most welcome.

So, now that my “vacation” is over, I’ve got a book to write. Meanwhile, for those of you who find announcements tedious, perhaps these will be more your liking:

  • July 5, 1985 @ Three Rivers Stadium — Garry Templeton became the first (and only) member of the San Diego Padres to be intentionally walked four times in a game. The Padres lost, 5-4, in 12 innings, courtesy of a Johnnie Ray sac fly off Craig Lefferts.
  • How freakish is it that Templeton drew four intentional walks in a game? Well, it’s happened just eight times over the past 50 years. Four of those games belong to Barry Bonds; the others belong to Manny Ramirez (2001), Andre Dawson (1990), and Roger Maris (1962). Go figure.
  • June 5, 1997 @ Coors Field — Archi Cianfrocco became the first (and only) member of the San Diego Padres to hit into three double plays in a game. The Padres lost, 9-7, in 11 innings, on a two-run homer off the bat of Larry Walker against Terry Burrows.

Terry Burrows? Really, I had no idea…

Hola, 2008

by Geoff Young on Jan 01, 2008 (5) Comments

A decade ago, something pretty special happened in this town. I’d say we’re about due again. Happy New Year!

Adios, 2007

by Geoff Young on Dec 31, 2007 (11) Comments

It’s the end of the year as we know it, and I feel fine. Last year at this time, I ran a list of the most popular articles at Ducksnorts in 2006. This time around, I thought I’d try something a little different and give you a list of my favorite articles from 2007, i.e., ones I enjoyed writing the most. I hope you like them, too:

Kevin KouzmanoffWinter Warm-Up: Temecula. In January, the Padres hosted a free event in Temecula to get fans of the Padres and the Lake Elsinore Storm fired up for the coming season. Several players and San Diego icon Randy Jones participated in a Q&A with Storm radio broadcaster Sean McCall. Among other things, we learned that the first two home runs Jones allowed in the big leagues came off the bats of Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, that Paul McAnulty grew up idolizing Andre Dawson, and that Clay Hensley likes chicken piccata. We also got our first look at some new Padres, including left-hander Justin Hampson and third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.

Khalil GreeneGreene Feels at Home Away from Home. In March we tackled the issue of Khalil Greene‘s severe home/road splits. I’ve re-run the numbers after the 2007 season, and those results will be presented in the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual; the short version is that, for his career, Greene hits like a cross between Kevin Elster and Dale Sveum at Petco Park, and like Alfonso Soriano away from San Diego.

Chris OxspringWeekend in Peoria: Everything but the Games. Toward the end of March, several of us met up in Peoria to watch our Padres prepare for the season. We got our first glimpse at many of the young prospects, and reader Didi and I inadvertently ran into ex-Padre Chris Oxspring, who was in camp with the Brewers. We chatted with Oxspring briefly and wished him luck. He was, as I’d remembered from sitting near him behind home plate while he charted pitches at Elsinore some years before, a personable guy whom I wanted to see succeed.

Jake PeavyPeavy, Padres Roll in Opener. There’s nothing like Opening Day. Jake Peavy and company spun the team’s first ever shutout in an opener, and Bud Black earned his first win as a manager at any level. Everything seemed possible in April. It always does.

Greg MadduxPadres Drop 2007 Home Opener. The Padres lost, but Mrs. Ducksnorts and I enjoyed excellent sushi before the game, Greg Maddux looked terrific in his San Diego debut, and Heath Bell caused me to wonder why the Mets had given up on him. Most importantly, baseball had come back to town.

A Lot Can Go Wrong in a Game. This one wasn’t exactly “fun” to write, but it’s instructive to re-read. Anyone who believes that Tony Gwynn Jr. or Matt Holliday ruined the Padres season needs to understand that winnable games lost in April were at least as much to blame.

'Welcome Ducksnorts' scoreboard message at Petco ParkWe also had some good monthly roundtable discussions with other Padres bloggers: April, May (Part 1 and Part 2), June. I ran out of steam after the All-Star break and stopped doing these. Guess I need to work on my conditioning. ;-)

Kouz Control. Speaking of Kouzmanoff (which we were a few paragraphs back, remember?), this is when I first started to think the Padres really might have something. I loved watching him develop over the course of the season.

As Urban Legends Go, This One Is Full of Kruk. John Kruk thinks the Padres have retired #44. Evidently he hasn’t seen it on the back of the NL Cy Young Award winner.

Some Pictures Are Bigger Than Others. A disappointing series against the Red Sox reminded me of how my expectations as a fan have changed over the years and that it’s important to remember where we’ve been. Nowhere is it written that life has to be this good.

'Hall of Fame induction ceremony crowdIn July, I drove to Cooperstown for Tony Gwynn’s Hall of Fame induction. A full recap will appear in the 2008 Annual, but parts already have been chronicled here:

Honestly, this trip beat the crap out of me, but now that I’ve had a few months to think about it, I’m pretty sure I’ll do it again when Trevor has his day.

Scott HairstonTrade Deadline Post-Mortem. The Padres made a lot of moves this past summer. In separate deals, they acquired Michael Barrett, Milton Bradley, Joe Thatcher, Scott Hairston, Rob Mackowiak, and Morgan Ensberg. All but Barrett and Mackowiak contributed in a big way down the stretch.

Parsing Peavy. This one just makes me feel like an idiot and serves as a reminder that maybe it’s not always good to read too much into someone’s words.

Ducksnorts logo, ca. 2001
Decade of Ducksnorts. We celebrated our 10-year anniversary in September, which makes me feel very… old.

Kyle BlanksStorm Watch: Elsinore Takes Lead in Series against Lancaster. Once again, we had more good times this year trekking up to Lake Elsinore, where many of the Padres’ top prospects played at least part of the season in 2007. With luck, we’ll see some of these kids in San Diego on a regular basis before long.

Reality: You’re Soaking in It. And of course, our inevitable frustration at the way the season ended. Not pleasant, but important to remember. Keeps us hungry and what-not.

Mike CameronAfter the season, we attempted to tackle one of the biggest issues facing the Padres over the winter: what to do with center field now that Mike Cameron‘s current contract had ended. First we identified some basic requirements for playing the position at Petco Park, then we examined the defensive abilities of available options, discussed what types of hitters might thrive in San Diego, and considered what it might cost to acquire targets we’d identified.

We also had a nice chat with singer/songwriter/Padres fan Steve Poltz: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5. We wandered all over the place in our discussion, but this is the most fun I’ve ever had interviewing someone, and I’m honored that Steve spent so much time talking about his passions with us.

Finally, we wrapped up the baseball analysis by looking at Black’s first year as manager — specifically, how it compared to Bruce Bochy’s last — and naming our Top 10 prospects for 2008.

***

Well, that was fun. We should do it again sometime, eh?

Happy New Year and stuff…