In This Town, the Hitting Coach Wears a Red Shirt

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
by Geoff Young
According to Tom Krasovic at the U-T, Wally Joyner has resigned as hitting coach [h/t Sacrifice Bunt] of the San Diego Padres. In lieu of an explanation, Joyner offers this curious quote: I came to the job hoping to put my experience and ideas to good use in teaching and coaching the Padres' hitters, but it has become obvious to me in the past few months that the organization's approach is different from mine. First off, I suspect the approach is less of a problem right now than the results. Second, although the results haven't been great, they haven't ...
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Posted in Baseball | 16 Comments »

All-Time Padres Team

Friday, September 19, 2008
by Geoff Young
Last week I mentioned an all-time Padres team that I've been assembling. This wasn't just an intellectual exercise. Our friends at Seamheads are running a simulation league this off-season with the best players from each big-league franchise, and they invited me to submit a 40-man roster for the Padres. Most of the choices were fairly obvious (I'd already ranked the best players by position in the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual), but some presented a challenge. Usually it came down to questions of longevity versus effectiveness. For example, Luis Salazar spent a lot more time playing third base in San Diego than Gary Sheffield did, but only one of those guys will help you win baseball games. I tried to stick with players who ...
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Posted in Baseball | 6 Comments »

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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 »

Quick Thoughts from Peoria

Monday, March 10, 2008
by Geoff Young
Just bullet points this morning: Bud Black, Wally Joyner, and Rick Renteria all threw during the big-league session we watched. Darrel Akerfelds pitched to minor leaguers over at the next field. Tadahito Iguchi had a nice batting practice session on Sunday. He showed more power than I'd expected. Tony Clark's kid scored 13 goals in two soccer games on Saturday. Relevant? Probably not, but that's the kind of thing you learn while watching guys take batting practice. Some lady asked, and he answered. Rock on. Colt Morton is a big dude. I already knew this, but it bears repeating. He also scalded a ball during Sunday's game against the White Sox, right back through the middle. Randy Wolf looked good on the mound. I didn't see any gun readings, but ...
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Posted in Spring Training | 11 Comments »

Interview: Steve Poltz, Part 3

Thursday, November 29, 2007
by Geoff Young
In the previous installment of our chat with singer/songwriter/Padre fan Steve Poltz (poltz.com), we talked about Celine Dion, great places to play music, and the effect James Taylor had on his love life in the '70s. This time, Steve muses on the connections between music and baseball, his work with Jewel, and what it was like to open for the Ramones... *** Ducksnorts: My wife came up with this question. A lot of musicians are also baseball fans. What sorts of connections do you see between the two? Steve Poltz: It's really weird because when the Giants were in town, Barry Zito was on his off day and [Tim] Flannery came down to the dugout. I was there ...
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Posted in Interviews | 79 Comments »

This Date in Ducksnorts (20 Nov)

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
by Geoff Young
More stuff from the land of once-upon-a-time: Ichiro Wins MVP, Padres Recall Several Prospects, and Joyner Joins Front Office (2001). I was probably too harsh on Ichiro, but he shouldn't have won the award. As for Wally Joyner's hiring, here's what I said back then: It's good to see the organization hiring guys like Joyner and Dave Magadan in key instructional and talent evaluation roles. These are men who understand the value of plate discipline, and their philosophy will help foster a better approach to hitting throughout the system. Not that their presence is a panacea for the Padres but it certainly should help. Still think Magadan got kind of a bum deal, but whatever. Dude has a ring, I doubt he's complaining. Kevin Towers: Deals of ...
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Posted in Baseball | 28 Comments »