High and Tight.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Worst Team Slogan Ever

The Padres 2010 team slogan is..... "SD" STANDS FOR SAN DIEGO.

I guess too many people thought it referred to fellatio.

S my D, Padres!

Labels: fellatio, padres, slogans

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:36 PM 1 comments

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Huge Move by the Padres

Yep, the Padres, who up until now have not made any sort of transaction to help their ballclub since about 2008 (unless you count dumping Peavy for a bucket of baseballs a "help") are interested in acquiring superstar Jerry Hairston, Jr.

It's too bad the San Diego Padres traded Scott Hairston(notes) to the Oakland Athletics back in July, because it is looking like his older brother, Jerry Hairston Jr.(notes), will be joining the team, according to MLB.com.

The 33-year-old infielder-outfielder is a career .271 hitter in the National League and can play pretty much anywhere you put him. He had 10 homers last year and 39 RBIs in stints with the New York Yankees and Cincinnati Reds. That versatility is extremely attractive to GM Jed Hoyer, who has a lot of holes left to fill on his roster.

Hoyer is obviously not expecting Hairston to fill all those holes. He is hoping that the patience that he has shown this off-season is going to soon pay off with lower prices on free agents who are concerned that they won't have jobs when Spring Training rolls around.

After seeing the nightmares that the divorces of the Moores and McCourts have cause for the Padres and Dodgers, this is just a reminder that if you're going to own a baseball team, make sure you've already got a pre-nup.

Labels: jerry hairston, padres

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 12:51 PM 1 comments

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Offseason Target Idea #1: Jake Peavy

The Padres are for sale.

The Padres will be shopping everyone.

He's affordable now, but getting more expensive:
2009 opening day age: 27
2009 salary: $11 million
2010 salary: $15 million
2011 salary: $16 million
2012 salary: $17 million
Peavy signed a three-year, $52 million extension, which begins in 2010, on Dec. 12, 2007. The Padres have a team option for 2013 at $22 million, with a $4 million buyout.

Try signing Sabathia for that amount and you'll get laughed at, and Peavy's the better pitcher.

The problem? How much would it take to get one of the top three pitchers in the game?

I'm not one of the "trade Cano!" people, because I don't like trading young talent when it is at its lowpoint value-wise, but any package would have to start with the second baseman. The Padres do have a prospect (Matt Antonelli) they drafted first a couple of years ago who plays second, and he's one of the highest rated prospects in their system. That is, of course, because the Padres farm system is downright awful. Antonelli was scheduled prior to 2008 to begin 2009 as the starter on the big club. After a disastrous 2008 in AAA (.215/.335/.322, 7 HR) it's obvious he's not ready and possible he may never pan out. Cano would offer the Pads a significant upgrade.

Of course, they'd need a bit more. They'd be saving a chunk of change with dealing Peavy's salary, but he's their most marketable player now that Hoffman is in severe decline. To justify it, they would also have to get a number of those coveted arms from the Yankees system.

Hughes and Chamberlain are most likely off the table, so let's guess it would take Cano, Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Xavier Nady and Alfredo Aceves. The Padres outfield was/is awful, and Jackson could be a good player for a long time. Nady came up as a Padre, and could fill in immediately. Kennedy could fit right into their rotation and could shine in that ballpark and in the National League.

Food for thought, Mr. Cashman. Throw some things against the wall and see what sticks.

Labels: alfredo aceves, austin jackson, ian kennedy, jake peavy, padres, robinson cano, trade proposals, trade rumors, x nady

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 3:29 PM 3 comments

Monday, June 02, 2008

Shock and Awe

Mark Prior is out for the year. Again.
San Diego Padres pitcher Mark Prior will undergo season-ending surgery on his injured right shoulder, the latest medical setback to a once-promising career.

Padres manager Bud Black announced the decision to operate before Sunday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Prior, one of the top young pitchers in the game for the Chicago Cubs just a few years ago, has not pitched in the majors since Aug. 10, 2006.

He had been trying to make a comeback with his hometown Padres this season, but his rehab process was shut down at extended spring training about two weeks ago when he had more soreness in the shoulder. Prior, 27, had surgery on the same shoulder in April 2007 while with the Cubs.

"I can't imagine how frustrated he is," Black said. "It looked like everything was on course. Then to have this happen I'm sure is extremely frustrating. I'm upset for him just because there was such confidence from him about how he felt."

The operation to repair the anterior capsule in Prior's shoulder will be performed at Scripps Clinic as early as this week by team orthopedics Dr. Heinz Hoenecke and Dr. Jan Fronek.

The Padres won't know when, or if, Prior will be able to pitch again until after the operation.

Labels: mark prior, padres, things that should shock no one

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:35 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 13, 2007

QOTD

Thanks to loyal reader Stan for the tip.

The newly extended (no pun intended, pottyminds) Jake Peavy on returning home for the winter:
"I go back and I still have people in Mobile go, 'Who do you play for again?' And I go, 'The Padres.' They say, 'They still have a team?' And I go, 'Yeah, man, we have uniforms and everything.'

Labels: jake peavy, padres, qotd

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:25 PM 3 comments

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Quality of the Umpiring Down, Quality of Broadcasting Up in Postseason

Instead of two outs and one on in a tied game, a blown call causes San Diego to get eliminated from the playoffs.

Usually, McClelland is one of the umpires I can stand, but he totally botched that call and it cost a team their playoff spot.

Of course, Trevor Hoffman did that as well, twice. So did Bud Black for having the managerial blinders on that most do when they put in their closer, and didn't pull Hoffman when he was struggling.

I kind of worry that if Torre sticks around, some year that will happen with Mo. When he's no longer the best option to be closing games, will he still be used in that capacity? Will our last memories of Mo be as a closer trying to hang on to something that has clearly passed him by? I'd rather see him be a setup guy than to see that.

On a side note, I have to say I was fairly impressed with TBS's coverage last night. I'm not sure if it was because the game was a last minute scheduling change and they didn't secure enough advertising, but in between innings going to a studio desk for a live discussion of the game is a fantastic idea. Cal Ripken isn't exactly the most interesting fella on the planet, but still it's the idea itself that has merit. Also I thought in general the booth announcers were generally far less annoying than what we've been subjected to in recent postseasons (Miller and Morgan, Buck and McCarver, Sutcliffe and O'Brien, etc). I wanted to name them, but to be honest I'm not 100% sure who they all were so I'll just neglect to mention any of them.

Of course being better than ESPN and FOX isn't hard, but it's nice to see someone trying.

Labels: announcers, padres, tbs, umpires

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 5:58 PM 2 comments

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Colin Cowherd on the NL vs. the AL

In a rambling, nonsensical diatribe today, Colin Cowherd described on his show "The Herd" on ESPN radio about how the Padres are the best team in the National League but would only be the fifth best team in the AL.

Ok, that's fine, a fair statement and a fair argument, although I don't 100% agree with it. It's defensible though, right?

Cowherd then goes on to blast the NL for being inferior. Ok, again, a fair statement. I'm sure he can back that up.

Cowherd's supporting argument:

"Just look at the All-Star Games. The AL owns them. Look at interleague play. Look at the last 5 World Series champions. The AL is just plain better all around, and it's not even close."

Man, that sure sounds compelling! Except:

The All-Star Game is a terrible example of "league vs. league" supremacy when comparing entire leagues. The All-Star game is, by its very definition, a collection of superstars from both leagues pitted in a game against each other in which almost all of them play. The game is not managed or played like a regular game. The fact that a bunch of superstars from one league have repeatedly won an exhibition against a bunch of superstars from another league is meaningless - it has no bearing whatsoever on the strength of the teams in those leagues. There are 750 Major Leaguers on active rosters for most of the season. Roughly 8% of those are on the All-Star rosters. I am of the belief that the 92% remaining of players have a far greater effect on pennant races and quality of teams and leagues than do the 8%.
All time in interleague play, the AL leads the NL 1,387- 1,317 (.513). That is not a significant difference. a .513 winning percentage is not dramatic. This season the AL beat the NL by a .544 clip. Again, not overly definitive. However, this is the best and only example cited by Cowherd that could even remotely back up his statement.
Last 5 WS champs:
Cardinals (NL)
White Sox (AL)
Red Sox (AL)
Marlins (NL)
Angels (AL)
The Al leads 3-2. This is of course not significant as the leagues have traded off every year. The closest a 5 year stretch could be is 3-2. This would be better used to support an argument that both leagues are fairly matched. I assume Cowherd chose "5" because if he'd chosen "4" they'd be dead even. If we go 6, add in Arizona (NL). Even. 7? Yankees (AL). 4-3.

Is there a point to all of this? Yes. Cowherd is an idiot. Also he doesn't research any facts and I assume most of his audience just takes what he says at face value. I actually agree with him on the premise, but his argument is backed up by mirrors and gorilla dust.

He's not different from most radio hosts, though. Why are these guys on the air again?

Labels: colin cowherd, douchebag, espn, padres, statistics

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 2:35 PM 1 comments

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Perfect Day of Baseball

Personally witnessed the Padres demolish Brandon Webb from the Hall of Fame Bar Patio at Petco Park.

Dined on some fine seafood at the PCL Club.

Yankees beat Red Sox.

Damon adds salt to wound.

Matsuzaka pitches like ass again against Yankees, but this time finally loses. "The Japanese Savior"'s ERA vs. NYY for his career now sits at 6.98.

Anaheim Angels of Anaheim come storming back to beat Seattle in dramatic fashion, moving the Yankees one game out of the wildcard.

Labels: angels, johnny damon, mariners, matsuzaka, padres, petco park, redsox

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:52 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Baseball Tonight Should Hire This Man

Tom Krasovic, a guy who may actually understand statistics and their values, is actually employed as a sportwriter? Will wonders never cease.

Now I realize all of these stats are thrown out in order to support his hometown team, but they're actually used correctly, so he gets a pass for even homerism. I rip enough sportswriters on here, so when one writes an article like this, they're deserving of a little kudos.

Some highlights:

The easy explanation is that the Padres are pitching well. They lead the majors in overall ERA (2.92) and bullpen ERA (2.11). Their starters (3.36) lead the NL in ERA. Skeptics will point to Petco Park as a contributing factor. And they should. The place is a boon to pitchers.

But even when ballpark factors are accounted for, Darren Balsley's pitchers are dusting the field. According to baseball-reference.com, which adjusts for ballparks, San Diego's corresponding ERA is considerably better than anyone else's. The NL team that is second to San Diego in the Web site's "ERA-plus" is Arizona, which trails the Padres by 1½ games in the West.

The Padres are ninth of 16 NL clubs in runs scored. And when the offense's combined on-base and slugging average is adjusted for ballparks, it ranks behind only five others in the NL, and none of those is from the NL West.

As to how good the Padres really are, they actually might be better if one believes that overall run differential is a good measure, which CEO Sandy Alderson does.

The Pythagorean win-loss record created by analyst Bill James estimates a team's win-loss record by the runs scored and runs allowed. Alderson has said this is typically more accurate for predicting a team's future record than its actual win-loss record. The Padres have scored 78 runs more than they have allowed and have a Pythagorean win-loss record of 43-25. Not only is that well above their nearest pursuers such as Arizona (36-34) and Los Angeles (36-32), it is the best in the majors.

ERA+? OPS+ (explained but never directly mentioned, albeit)? Bill James? Run differential? Pythagorean records? I would love to see this guy try and explain any of this to John Kruk.

Labels: good sportwriters, padres, statistics, tom krasovic

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 9:33 AM 1 comments