Light Posting This Week

Monday, August 18, 2008
by Geoff Young
Posting will be light this week. Nothing much is happening with the Padres right now (aside from the signings of Allan Dykstra and James Darnell, I suppose), and a few other projects are demanding my time: I'm working on a quick survey of compensatory draft picks through history -- We've already touched on Rafael Palmeiro being drafted by the Cubs as compensation for "losing" Tim Stoddard to the Padres, but how about the Blue Jays getting Shawn Green for losing Bud Black, or the Rockies getting Jody Gerut for losing Walt Weiss? I'm also working on the 1969 chapter of the Ducksnorts 2009 Baseball Annual -- ...
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Posted in 2009 Baseball Annual, Administrivia, Notes and Links | 58 Comments »

The Shape of Things to Come

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
by Geoff Young
Top of the ninth, two on, one out. Adrian Gonzalez steps to the plate. Braves manager Bobby Cox summons ex-Padre Royce Ring, who promptly hangs a breaking ball. Gonzalez swats it high and deep down the right-field line. He, catcher Brian McCann, and plate umpire Wally Bell all watch as it sails into the Atlanta night... just foul for strike one. Ring proceeds to fan Gonzalez. After a pitching change, Kevin Kouzmanoff lofts a harmless fly ball to center, into the waiting glove of another ex-Padre, Mark Kotsay. Game over. The Padres lose again. That's the season in a nutshell so far. The Padres play poorly, and then, when they get opportunity, it fizzles... or misses by a few feet, whatever. I'm not prepared to ...
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Posted in Game Recaps, Roster Notes | 161 Comments »

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Padres Pick Up Black’s Option

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
by Geoff Young
The Padres have picked up manager Bud Black's option for 2009 and reportedly would like to extend his contract even further. Quoth GM Kevin Towers: We thought he had a great year and he's only going to get better and better. He's a pro, he's smart, he represents the organization very, very well. The players like him. The longer he's here and the more people get to know him they're going to realize he's a ...
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Posted in Baseball | 92 Comments »

Black vs Bochy

Wednesday, December 12, 2007
by Geoff Young
I picked up the Bill James Handbook 2008 (aff link), and as always, it's got all kinds of good stuff inside. Among other things, it contains detailed information on managers and their tendencies. Seeing as how the Padres had a new one of those in '07 (Bud Black for those just coming out of a coma), I thought it might be instructive to compare him with his predecessor (Bruce Bochy for those... oh, never mind). Season Ticket Holders Night The winter season ticket holder event took place at Petco Park on Tuesday night. Tales of the Heliosphere has details here, ...
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Posted in Baseball, Future Friars | 244 Comments »

Managerial Non-Update

Tuesday, November 7, 2006
by Geoff Young
Sorry for the lack of managerial coverage -- I've been dedicating almost all of my time to the book lately (hope you're enjoying the excerpts). Here's a recap of where we're at and what's next for the Padres in their search for Bruce Bochy's replacement: All six candidates (Dusty Baker, Bud Black, Trey Hillman, Jose Oquendo, Tim Wallach, Ron Wotus) have been interviewed. Kevin Towers has said that he expects to have a decision made by Thursday or Friday. Mike Cameron has vouched for Baker, despite never having played for the man. This fascinates me ...
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Posted in Baseball | 36 Comments »

Bochy to Giants — Done Deal?

Thursday, October 26, 2006
by Geoff Young
The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Bruce Bochy has reached an agreement with the San Francisco Giants to replace Felipe Alou as manager. (Thanks to Brian Wilmer in the comments for the heads-up.) Everyone is issuing denials for now, as Bochy prepares to lead a team of MLB all stars to Japan on Monday. The San Francisco Chronicle has picked up on the story as well, so it sounds legit. Word is the deal is at least 3 years at $2M per year. The Giants are expected to announce Bochy's hiring in a Friday news conference. Love him or hate him, with Bochy moving on, this ...
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Posted in Baseball | 59 Comments »