OBG08 Revisited: Hitters

Wednesday, October 8, 2008
by Geoff Young
Back in February we did some community projections for the 2008 Padres. In the interest of accountability, here's how we measured up to reality. Catchers Josh Bard, 2008  PABAOBPSLG Projected425.278.357.410 Actual198.202.279.270 Yuck. Our most pessimistic projection had Bard at a 725 OPS. Michael Barrett, 2008  PABAOBPSLG Projected246.263.323.419 Actual107.202.274.298 We need a synonym for "yuck," preferably something that rhymes. If only there were such a word... Infielders Adrian Gonzalez, 2008  PABAOBPSLG Projected641.293.362.517 Actual700.279.361.510 We totally nailed this one. Imagine how many batting titles Gonzalez could win if he didn't play half his games at Petco Park and weren't Molina-brother slow. Khalil Greene, 2008  PABAOBPSLG Projected561.257.309.464 Actual423.213.260.339 Greene and Bard killed the offense this year, but we already knew that. Tadahito Iguchi, 2008  PABAOBPSLG Projected532.263.341.391 Actual337.232.292.306 Iguchi was actually a little worse than Marcus Giles in 2007, which just boggles the imagination....
Keep reading >>

Posted in Projections | 19 Comments »

Fifteen Singles

Wednesday, December 26, 2007
by Geoff Young
Did you know that the Padres once broke double digits in runs without the benefit of an extra-base hit? Yep, it happened against the Atlanta Braves at the Murph on September 20, 1985 (box score). Garry Templeton went 4-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, scoring four runs and driving in two. Tony Gwynn added three hits and drove in four runs, as the Padres cruised to an 11-1 victory on the strength of 15 singles and 6 walks. Right-hander LaMarr Hoyt spun five shutout innings to win his 15th game of the season. Southpaw Gene Walter worked the final four to pick up his third save. The Padres held a ...
Keep reading >>

Posted in Baseball | 21 Comments »

Padres tickets  Chargers tickets  Sports tickets

Interview: Steve Poltz, Part 5

Thursday, December 13, 2007
by Geoff Young
In Part 4 of our chat with singer/songwriter/Padre fan Steve Poltz poltz.com, Steve talked about Steve Garvey's homer in the NLCS in '84, shagging fly balls while Tony Gwynn took batting practice, and more. In our final segment, Steve discusses his meeting of Ken Caminiti, the heartbreak of watching USD alum Brady Clark struggle in Colorado, and his favorite baseball movies. *** Ducksnorts: How about the '98 team? Steve Poltz: Back in '98, Kevin Brown did it all. He was such a gamer; I f***in' loved that guy... [Ken] Caminiti, down in Mexico getting an IV... I have a memory of him driving on his motorcycle at Windansea -- that was the year I knew the whole ...
Keep reading >>

Posted in Interviews | 121 Comments »

California/Carolina League All-Star Game

Sunday, July 11, 1999
by Geoff Young
Last month the all stars from two Class-A leagues clashed at the Lake Elsinore Diamond to display their talents and bring victory to their league. My wife and I left work early and drove the hour or so up I-15 to the check out the game. We parked in a dirt lot (overflow parking for the big crowd) adjacent to the stadium, and as we made our way into the state-of-the-art facility, the home run hitting contest was just getting underway. After the obligatory stop at the gift shop to pick up a Lake Elsinore Storm cap, we stood in the concourse and watched Chin-Feng Chen, of the San Bernardino Stampede (Dodgers), knock a ball out of the park. Visalia Oaks (Athletics) first baseman Todd Mensik ...
Keep reading >>

Posted in Baseball | 1 Comment »