Ohh how sweet it is ! The Padres won a series from the Dodgers in a late thriller at Petco Park. Let’s hear it Padres Fans “We Believe“. That’s right San Diegans, it’s the Padres motto for this 2010 season “We Believe !” Just one game at a time and no one can ever take away the W’s from the Padres. This is no time to let down as the Florida Marlins are coming into town for the Weekend Series at Petco Park. Wouldn’t it be nice to pry Josh Johnson away from the Marlins while they are in town? Ohhh !! there’s nothing like dreaming and at times, dreams do come true.
What’s going on ?
Before the Dodgers vs Padres series, Dodgers’ Manager Joe Torre said this series he will find out the make-up of his ballclub. Ok, I get it, Torre is trying to motivate his team. But I have one serious question to ask. If that was the case, why did Torre have 3B Casey Blake, CF Matt Kemp, and C Russell Martin on the bench for the final game? All I know is, if I were the manager there is no way would I sit those players down during an important series. Well, Joe Torre’s handling of his ballclub brings back memories of Bruce Bochy (aka handling of Xavier Nady). Anyways, the Padres capitalize on this wonderful opportunity and took care of business.
Padres dip into the Bird’s nest for more resources
The Padres completed a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for 3B/SS Miguel Tejeda. I like this deal very much, and Tejeda will bring in some killer instincts to the Padres ballclub. Miguel will provide the much need protection behind Adrian and make the line-up even better than it is now. Hopefully, Tejeda will enjoy some of that San Diego Fountain of Youth (Sunshine and Wonderful Weather) that will ultimately rejuvenate his competitive juices during a pennant race. Welcome to San Diego, Miguel Tejeda. We Believe !!!
As the Padres defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by the score of 3-2 and took the series from the bums of the North as the bums left San Diego all Blue on Black. A classic blues rock music video by Kenny Wayne Shepherd band titled “Blue on Black”.
Alright San Diegan’s get out of your homes and plan a date with the Padres at Petco Park for one of the next three games against the rivals from LA, the Dodgers. Let’s support our fantastic team and give them the home field advantage. Just one game at a time baby ! I am very excited about this series against the Bums from the North. The last time the Bums were here, they swept our Padres. This time around should be very interesting to say the least. Padres Fans, check it out the boys are 4th in the MLB Power Poll.
Today, the Padres were off but they gained half a game on both the Giants and Rockies. Yes baby ! Can you dig it ??? I can already hear it in the stands during this upcoming series with the Dodgers, that joyful noise to our ears….BEAT LA ! BEAT LA ! With that being said, it’s time to close out this post with a blues music video by Derek Trucks Band, titled ‘Joyful Noise’.
On this Sunday morning on the eve before the Padres play the Pirates for the third and final 3 games series in Pittsburgh. The Boys from Diego weathered the elements of mother nature and the Pirates last night by beating the Bucs 9 – 2. Padres’ pitcher Mat Latos threw six innings en route to his staff leading eleventh win of the year. It is good to see Latos back in the rotation and providing the Padres with another outstanding performance. The key will be, how does Latos holds up for the remaining of the season and when will the Padres coaching staff pull back Latos before he surpasses their projected workload for the season. In either case, this will be an interesting activity to monitor as the season winds down during a pennant race. Last night’s win, assures the Padres a series win and only a win today will produce a series sweep.
Bud Black earned his pay
The Padres Front Office gave Padres’ Manager Bud Black a 3 year contract and this was well deserved. In my humblest opinion, Bud Black is the right Manager for this Padres ballclub and franchise. Ever since the Padres hired Black, there has been a level of consistency in manager’s decisions throughout the game. This isn’t a knock against former Padres’ Manager Bruce Bochy, but we all knew that Bochy was supplied with better personnel than what Black inherited after his initial season (2007). Let’s be realistic, even Bochy could have done well with the 2007 ballclub which finished second place after the 163 game of the year against the Rockies. Though, from 2008 thru 2010, Black has endured a period where Bud had to steer the ship and keep the players positive. Let’s be realistic, this is no easy task in any environment including those who work for a living. It’s always easy to manage or better yet go to work when things are fine and rosy. On the other hand when times are troubling with inconsistencies, shuffling of personnel and management you will really find out what people are made of. It’s very true adversity builds and defines the true character of a leader. In this case, Padres’ Manager earned his stripes and has been rewarded for his consistent positive outlook, empowerment of his coaching staff, and keeping the clubhouse loose by integrating rookies with the major league club. It’s about time a former pitcher has a profound affect in managing a big league team and breaking that mode of only former catchers are the best qualified managers.
As I close out this post, let’s truly enjoy every game of this magical 2010 season where I have now officially termed it as “We Believe”. The Padres are about to fly back home once they close out the final game of a 3 game series with the Pirates. The Padres have already ensured of taking the series by winning the first two games and effectively have taken the Pirates to the River. Ahh !!! With this being said here’s a video by Blues Artist Delbert McClinton, a song titled “Take Me To The River”. Have fun watching the boys today, San Diegans and when tuesday comes around guess who’s in town ?? I will leave that up to the next post.
Currently, China has taken over USA in Energy consumption and consequently there will be a race for Energy resources. In order to retain it’s Security and Social status, USA needs to step up to acquire more resources and protect those they own. As we now focus on baseball, the same can be applied. Believe it or not, all contending teams in the NL West Division are seeking pitchers thus an Arms Race is here. The team that acquires that pitcher who will put them over the top, will consequently win the division or better yet control the direction on what other teams will be faced to do before the trading deadline. These next few days (5 or less) are critical. How come ? Well, let’s break it down:
The first team to acquire that front-line pitcher to it’s pitching staff, will set the tone for the rest of the division.
Based on activity #1 stated above, other teams in the division will be pressured to get something done in terms of balancing the power in the division.
The question is, which end of the above scenario would you rather be positioned in? In my humblest opinion, I rather be the one who dictates rather than one who is trying to catch up. Therefore, the Padres are the ones who should take the initiative and dictate what it will take to overcome them for the battle of the NL West Division. In saying that, there are a few game changers that can be had by the Padres if the price is right. Let’s take a look at who.
Houston’s Roy Oswalt. The current asking price is rather high at the moment, though if the Padres were to toss in 4 players and have the Astros pay 1/2 of Oswalt’s salary this could possibly work for both teams. Oswalt would give the Padres that top line starter with World Series and playoff experience. The dude has won before in the playoffs and been in several tight races in September. Bottom line, people in San Diego will come out to see Oswalt pitching and a playoff appearance will bring in additional revenue for the Padres franchise.
Toronto’s Shaun Marcum. A young consistent pitcher who will bring added stability to the pitching staff and throws hard. The Padres will probably have to give up 3 players and on the bright side Marcum will be controllable for a few years salary-wise.
Baltimore’s Brian Matusz. A San Diegan, lefty and tall which fits the current mold of the Padres pitching staff. Something tells me, Matusz won’t come cheap, but Brian is also controllable for a few years and you can never have enough lefties in your system.
Florida’s Josh Johnson. I personally would put Josh in the category of Oswalt but with more potential down the road for the Padres. A very dominating power pitcher and can have an enormous impact on the division race. Josh will not come cheaply, but he’s another one who can put people in the stands and get the Padres to the playoffs. Huge return on investment in terms of potential revenue.
As I had alluded the Padres Franchise is in the driver’s seat right now, it’s time to DICTATE what it will take to win the division. As the San Diegan’s know, the past two months have been some earth shaking moments (earthquakes). Let’s see if the Padres Front Office stirs up the Arms Race in the Division and create a loud rumble. I hope it’s either Oswalt or Johnson from a fan’s perspective.
Another dagger thrown at the Padres in the National Media
Yet another MLB Sports Writer has denounce the Padres and basically predict a collapse upcoming. Take a look for yourselves Padres fans, Padres Collapse Due. I wonder if MLB Sports Writer Jon Paul Morosi has any indication about the world wide economy too and if he would be so bold to call out an Economic Collapse is coming. Morosi stated in the article, “The Brave will be there. The Padres won’t” – regarding the playoffs in October and “The baseball should be terrific, and it will be your last chance to watch the Braves and Padres play each other this year. One team is headed to October. The other is about to collapse.” WOW ! Dear Mr. Morosi, is there any concern about the upcoming Oil crisis ? The message of the day is don’t fear these outlandish remarks about the Padres. Which ever source you read, patch up things together and ignore the headlines as such as these. In October there will be a lot of believers in the National media regarding the Padres. Just do it boys and prove them wrong. At the end of the Day a Win is a Win and no one can take the Wins away from the Padres.
Time to wrap up this post and in doing so, here’s a great blues music video by The Groove Council called “Standing on Shakey Ground”. Ohhh Yeah !! That’s right Padres fans, the entire NL West Division, the rest of the MLB, Sports writers included are all standing on shakey ground as the Padres will rumble through the Division and make a post season appearance.
As BP finally capped the oil spillage in the Gulf Coast, Oil rigs are now traveling to Africa to seek promising oil drills in the sea. There is new hope for finding oil and the Padres are about to start off the second half of the 2010 season with hope of a playoff run. It’s time for all americans to stop messing around and take note of the spot price rise in Gold, Silver and Oil. The underlying fundamentals will never lie if you only take the time to perform some due diligence. With that being said, the same can be applied to the 2010 San Diego Padres as this team got what it takes to win the division and NL Pennant. The clock is ticking for Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer and the entire baseball front office. I personally think a big time starter will provide the last missing piece to this great Padres jigsaw puzzle. My hope is to see the Padres finish the year with 90 wins, Gold at 2,000 and Silver at 45. The real question is, do the San Diegan’s believe what’s happening before their own eyes or are they living off the past history and have no faith in the Padres. All I can say is, I expect Wade Leblanc to win 7 games in the second half and Aaron Cunningham to lead the offensive attack with 8 homers. It is good to have dreams as we all do know, if you dream enough some do come true. It all starts in believing…
As the Diamondbacks come into town for this weekend series, I have a Blues Music Video by Rock Band Aerosmith, off their Honkin’ on Bobo blues cd, titled “Stop Messin’ Around’. Yes Padres and Padres fans, time to stop messin’ around and let’s take care of unfinished business — capture the NL Divison and NL Pennant —
It’s about time !! The National League All-Stars have won a game and the last time was in 1996. That year, the Padres made it to the playoffs beating out the Los Angeles Dodgers for the Divisional Title during the last weekend of the season. The stars are lining up folks, do you believe ? Do you have faith Padres fans? On Friday night, it’s time the fans in San Diego to show up and urge this exciting ballclub to the finish line. How many of you think the Padres will reach 70 wins before the spot price of silver hits 70.00 ? If I were a betting man, I would hedge my odds on the Padres. But, come October the Padres will be there and hopefully we will have a parade in Downtown that San Diego deserves.
As the second half of the 2010 season is about to begin on Friday night at Petco Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Padres are the roadrunners, catch us if you can BEEP BEEP !! A closing video is by the rock band called Aerosmith as they play a blues tune called Roadrunner from their blues cd titled “Honkin On Bobo”.
Ahh, I know the Padres relievers and starting staff getting whack a bit as of late. But no worry Padres fans, every baseball season is composed of thirds. The key is to have a winning percentage for 2/3 of the major league baseball. Preferably start the first third (1/3) and end the last third (3/3) on winning note. As you can tell, the Padres have been struggling and there will be many naysayers coming out of the wood works saying the Padres are done. Believe me, this ballclub is far from being done. This All-star break is coming at a good time for the ballclub, it’s time to getaway from the ballpark and re-energize that competitive fire.
Who is Joe? What does he know that Padres fans don’t know??
After reading Ducksnorts today, I came across a story regarding the Coming Fall of the Padres by Sports Illustrated Joe Sheehan. Once I had performed due diligence on SI’s Joe Sheehan, I’ve come to a conclusion that Sheehan knows just as much as Ben Bernanke knows about the Economy which is nothing to brag about these days. Here are the findings:
Prior to the Spring Training 2010, SI’s Joe Sheehan predicted the Padres will finish 26th out of 30 teams in the 2010 season. If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself. SI’s Sheehan Smoking the good stuff.
Just before the 2010 Season begins, once again SI’s Sheehan tosses out his 2010 predictions with the Padres winning only 70 games and finishing last place. SI’s Sheehan doing his best impression of Cheech & Chong.
Analysis:
Per Sheehan’s thoughts on item #1 above, the Padres are currently 3rd in the FoxSports Power Rankings. Hmmm, Sheehan that’s far off from 26th.
Per Sheehan’s thoughts on item #2 above, the Padres have won 50 games and only need 20 more wins to surpass the SI’s guru prediction.
So, Padres fans draw your own conclusion now based on the facts given. Perhaps Sheehan should apply for an economic consultant to Ben Bernanke. Joe has the qualifications, he might be right 33% of the time.
As I close out this post, here’s a great blues music video by Gov’t Mule song titled “On Your Way Down”. This goes out to SI’s Joe Sheehan’s predictions. Hang in there Padres fans, we will have the last laugh.
It’s too bad it had to come down to this, but Padres’ Closer Heath Bell deserved to be on the NL All-Star based on leading the league with saves. This will give Heath a chance to save a game that hopefully will give the Padres home field advantage in the World Series. Ahhh Yes ! I know that comment may sound to drastic but hey dreams do come true. You just gotta have faith Padres fans !!
Nationals taking it to the Padres
The boys have lost the first two games on this road-trip while the Rockies have been coming from behind to pull out wins in their last two games. It’s time for the boys to suck it up and pull out the final game in DC before they move on to the Rockies Mountain state and face a red hot Rockies. It’s very important the Padres gain some type of momentum heading into the series with the Rockies before the All-star break.
It’s grinding time and the boys need to get their mojo working again. With that being said, here is a closing music video by Blues Musician Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Carlos Santana titled “I’ve Got My Mojo Working”. Do enjoy Padres fans !! Come on boys, take the final game in DC !!
Wow ! You got to be kidding me ! The best ERA in the Major Leagues and not one member of the pitching staff was nominated to the National League All-stars. Talk about a major insult ! I tell you one thing, if the Padres had a chip on the shoulders entering this 2010 season to prove to the league they are legit. What do you think this latest slap in the face will provide in terms of motivation ? You can’t tell me that the league leader in saves Heath Bell did not deserve a spot based on merit. What about Mat Latos ? Oh I can only imagine what type of motivation this will provide for the Padres pitching staff. I bet many people outside of this franchise, surely thinks this staff will crumble and the Padres will fade out of the NL West standings. I tell you, this Padres ballclub will not fade ! The National League has just created a monster in terms of motivation factor. Go ahead Padres GM Jed Hoyer, reload and lock the staff with another legit front-line starter.
Padres end the home stand series with Astros with another dramatic win…
For the 3rd consecutive day, the Padres pulled out a win against the Astros in late drama fashion. This team has no quit in it and continues to prove to many people the game is not over until the Fat lady sings. These late game winners is a sign of a championship caliber team and Padres fans there is something special going on in Downtown, specifically Petco Park. It’s time for the fans to show up and support this exciting team which NO ONE believes in other than those in that clubhouse and a few loyal season ticket-holders who have been through the struggles with this franchise. Let it be known the All-star snubbing of Padres pitchers will come back to haunt the National League.
Tell me who’s been fooling you ? As I wrap up this blog post, here’s a fitting music video to the National League All-Star Manager by Eric Clapton a blues song titled “Tell The Truth”. Tell me who’s been fooling who ?
Oh Yeah ! Guess what the boys are starting to get some national attention. Prior to this 2010 season, the only attention this franchise received in the national media was the comment Dodgers’ Owner Frank McCourt made in reference to his divorce proceedings “This will not be like the San Diego situation (Moores divorce proceedings)”. Well Mr. McCourt you have two things to worry about now, your franchise and the Padres. This past week, the Padres made the front page of USA Today Sports Section titled “Happy to crash party, Surprised Padres stand on top NL West” Since Aug 09, the Padres have had 8 consecutive winning months in baseball ! No other team has done that at all ! This is so similar to the silver situation, like silver the Padres are slowly getting the attention until one day they explode upon the national scene. The only question now is, who will reach the 90 mark, will it be silver at 90.00 per ounce or the Padres with 90 wins ? This second half promises to be an exciting one both baseball and economic wise.
The internal BIG BAT comes through AGAIN…..
On the day he arrived back from Portland, Padres’ OF Aaron Cunningham came through with a double in the bottom of the 8th Inning to set up the winning run. Aaron hustled immediately out of the batter’s box and turned a single into a double, this exemplifies the 2010 Padres — it’s all about hustle– I will say this much, Cunningham continues to MAKE the PLAYS and I firmly believe the Padres have the big bat internally. I rather see the Front Office go after another starter to supplement our rotation.
Potential commodities on the market
There are a few pitchers who I think can be traded if the price is right, they are Chicago White Sox Galvin Floyd, Blue Jays Brandon Morrow, and Orioles Brian Matusz. It will be curious to see whom the Padres Front Office goes after and attempt to acquire as another front-line starter.
Yes ! It’s that time to close out this post with a blue music video. This is Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and Blues long time Guitarist Humbert Sumlin singing “Standing on Top of the World” and “We gonna Fly”. Yes Padres fans can you dig it !!! The Padres are sitting on top of the NL West and National League.
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