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Links for 4 Nov 08

Tuesday, November 4, 2008
by Geoff Young

I have decided, for the first time in 20 years, to participate in a general election. Ordinarily in life I try to stay as far away from politics as possible, but one measure on the California ballot and two political parties have convinced that it's time for me to get off my butt and vote. My presidential candidate has no chance of winning -- in a game between the Red Sox and Yankees, I'm essentially backing the Eugene Emeralds -- but that's okay. The gesture is purely symbolic, and as symbolic gestures go, it's probably better than the one I usually give politicians. (Of course, I'll still deliver that gesture as well -- might as well get my money's worth, right?) Anyway, it would be hypocritical of ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 35 Comments »

Links for 31 Oct 08

Friday, October 31, 2008
by Geoff Young

Happy Halloween! To the links... Sabathia's free agency could set up a big payday for Padres ace (San Diego Union-Tribune). Reader Nick G. sends us an update on the Jake Peavy "story" from Tom Krasovic. Quoth Peavy's agent, Barry Axelrod: Making this about money is not my style, nor Jake's style. I think we proved that. But at the same time, I don't think Jake should have to sacrifice anything. I don't doubt Axelrod's sincerity, but these millionaires need to let go of that whole "it's not about the money" thing. Even if they believe it, and even if they're correct in believing it, nobody wants to hear about Peavy's "sacrifice." Don't get me wrong, ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 8 Comments »

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Riffin’ on Carrillo

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
by Geoff Young

In response to Tuesday's item about right-hander Cesar Carrillo experiencing yet another setback in the Arizona Fall League, reader Christian offered this comment: The Cesar Carrillo news is disappointing. I remember watching the guy throw in game in a college world series qualifier against Joba Chamberlain. He was sitting 92-94 with a ton of movement and good secondary stuff. Hearing he is throwing 85-86 well into his rehab speaks for itself. Yeah, people forget just how good Carrillo was when the Padres drafted him. I was at Carrillo's pro debut in July 2005, and my observations at the time jibe well with Christian's: Carrillo threw 20 pitches in the first inning, 11 in the second, and 9 in the third. He was around the plate and ...

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Posted in Minors | 11 Comments »

Links for 28 Oct 08

Tuesday, October 28, 2008
by Geoff Young

Mmm, linkity link links... Padres remain a preferred spot for pitchers staging comebacks (U-T). Mark Mulder, Mark Prior, and Matt Clement all have expressed an interest in pitching for the Padres or, failing that, at least wearing the uniform. Mark Prior Halloweeen Update. Speaking of Prior, Planet Padres caught up with the right-hander at a local pumpkin patch, of all places. Petco Fences Moving In? For those who enjoy the occasional conspiracy theory, Melvin Nieves at Sacrifice Bunt delivers the goods. Padres hope their core of young players ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 2 Comments »

Writing the Book (27 Oct 08)

Monday, October 27, 2008
by Geoff Young

I had two revelations this past week: Working full time and doing physical therapy (I'm re-learning how to walk, which apparently is a skill one is supposed to have mastered by age 40) is exhausting. It's not realistic to assume that I'll be able to make significant progress on the book during the week. That's a lame excuse. What the heck do you think weekends are for, doofus? In that spirit, I put in 9 hours on Saturday and 9 more on Sunday. It is what I have, so it is what I will use. Anyway, I've pretty much finished the Player Dashboards chapter. I still have to check everything, of course, but the raw data is all in place. We're looking at about 70 pages. Last year's chapter ...

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Posted in 2009 Annual | 5 Comments »

Links for 22 Oct 08

Wednesday, October 22, 2008
by Geoff Young

Notes to self: Always add Sriracha to spaghetti sauce, stop leering at Yvonne Strahovski, listen to more Fishbone... Why not us? Comparing Royals' moves to Rays' decisions (Kansas City Star). Reader Didi sends this article by Joe Posnanski. There's plenty of good stuff in here, but looking beyond the article, what gets me is the fact that the Rays won 31 more games in 2008 than they did the previous season. In fact, they bested their previous franchise high in wins by 27. The Padres are coming off a season in which they fell by 26 games. I guess my point is that large yearly fluctuations can and do happen. In San ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 14 Comments »

Links for 17 Oct 08

Friday, October 17, 2008
by Geoff Young

The topic du jour seems to be Jake Peavy, so let's get busy... Paul DePodesta weighs in on the situation [h/t LynchMob]: "If you have something you value at one million dollars, it would be foolish to refuse to consider selling it for twenty million dollars. On the flip side, it would also be foolish to sell it for anything less than one million. The thing that makes the market work is that each player has a different value to virtually every Club." It's sorta sad that he has to explain this stuff, but there you go. Over at Gaslamp Ball, jbox talks about Peavy's apparent desire to leave San Diego: "He's in a ...

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Posted in Notes and Links | 20 Comments »