Comeback Kids
Back during the 2010 season, the Padres had a bunch of kids on a team that wasn't expected to do a thing. Someone forgot to tell them that they weren't any good. All they did was to compete in the …
Sorting Through the Talent
Most people I know that grew up in America have played some sort of ball - either baseball or softball - and most have some notion as to how the game is played. So far as baseball, so very few …
First Pitch Already Happened
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/29/21816/ In case anyone missed it, Major League Baseball has already had opening day for the 2012 season. In fact, the Oakland Athletics and the Seattle Mariners have already played two games, the Mariners winning the opener early on Wednesday …
Dodgers Sold For $2.15 Billion
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/28/21742/ (Image: Magic Johnson) Late Tuesday evening, embattled Dodgers owner Frank McCourt sold the team and half control of the land surrounding Dodger Stadium to a group headed by former Los Angeles Lakers NBA superstar Magic Johnson. The controlling partner …
The Home Stretch
The last week of spring training - of Cactus League play for the Padres - is more serious in terms of individual performance. Competition for spots on the 25-man roster becomes more intense. With the Padres, Andy Parrino and Everth …
Up The Middle
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/24/21514/ Every ball club has a weakness or two, even the New York Yankees. While the Yankees could use some more starting pitching (as can the Red Sox and the Dodgers), and the Chicago Cubs are weak at the corners …
Backroom Politics of Baseball Ownership
http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/mar/23/21401/ So far as the state of Padres ownership goes right now, we know that John Moores has been and remains the owner of the club with a 51% stake. We know that in January Jeff Moorad, CEO and managing …
Okay, Now Jeff Moorad Steps Down As CEO
The official press release from the Padres this afternoon reads like this: "JEFF MOORAD STEPS DOWN AS CEO OF THE SAN DIEGO PADRES SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres announced today that Jeff Moorad has stepped down as the …
The Stauf Abides
One of the few things the movie Bull Durham got wrong about baseball was the nickname. Ballplayers have two nicknames. One nickname your teammates give you, which generally sticks with you throughout your career. The other one your manager gives …
Nicked Up
Padres catcher Nick Hundley was signed to a contract extension which will keep him in a Padres uniform at least through 2014, Hundley told reporters on Tuesday. Hundley is due to receive $2 million in 2012, which will not change. …
Take Two
Split-squad games are beneficial, they serve a purpose that would likely go unserviced otherwise. You bring around sixty players into a big league camp. You usually only use five or six pitchers per game unless things get out of hand. …
Camera on Cameron
There has been a small vacuum here in San Diego, so far as baseball goes, so far as identity of the franchise goes. Not that the Padres haven't tried. Not for a lack of good veteran players like catcher Nick …
Power Chase
Third baseman that aren't named Wade Boggs are supposed to have power - at least, that's the conventional thought among baseball's best minds. Exceptions like Boggs are sometimes made (Boggs averaged only 8 home runs per year but finished his …
Making A Case
Most people that follow baseball and are a particular fan of a team, will find a player to root for who is an underdog. The underdog will be someone who performs far above expectations, perhaps a player achieving that which …
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain
At the very least, once the Wizard of Oz was confronted by Dorothy and her pals and then discovered to be an ordinary man, he apologized and told them they all had what they needed all along. He apologized for …
Moorad to Withdraw Application
The Padres say Jeff Moorad will withdraw his application to complete ownership transfer, but will remain as CEO of the San Diego Padres. Moorad headed an owners group that had agreed to purchase the team from John Moores in 2009. …
Finding a Hole in the Wall
With due respect for what outfielder Will Venable did to a Yu Darvish fastball Wednesday afternoon - crushing it off of the tall wall in deep center field - outfielder/first baseman Kyle Blanks figured out how to one-up Venable. The …
Yu Might Want To Rephrase That
Thirty-six pitches were closely monitored by over 150 media members on Wednesday, making the Peoria Sports Complex unusually lopsided. Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish made his spring training debut for the Texas Rangers, throwing 2 innings of scoreless ball, striking out …
Sleeper
The middle girl is always the problem child. I love mine very much, but holy hell. She found out I'm writing about the Padres this evening. "Dad, they suck!" They don't suck, darling. They're under-appreciated. Underachieving. Underrated. 71 1/2 is …
Faith, Who Needs It?
You don't have to believe. No law is written in Western Civilization that commits anyone to a belief. Baseball was born here. That probably has a lot to do with a lot. Faith is something you don't have to get …
Cool Heat
Did Padres newly-acquired reliever Andrew Cashner really throw a baseball 103 mph yesterday afternoon in Peoria? Not likely. If it actually happened then it was by accident. The Padres didn't want for it. Neither did Cashner. No need to interview …
One More Game
Used to be, there was a winner in the National League and a winner in the American League, and that was it. The two teams then went on to play in the World Series. The box scores in the newspapers …
Will the Real Owner of the Padres Please Stand Up?
Pretending to set the opening day roster of the Padres is easy compared to solving the question of whether the ownership of the club will somehow become resolved before April. Technically, John Moores still owns the Padres, regardless of the …