Let’s Cut To The Chase, Season Is Over…..

Posted on May 18, 2012 by admin

Losing another series just exemplifies this season is over. There is no way this light-hitting ballclub should strikeout 14 times on last Friday and 10 more on last Saturday against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Hey Fans ! It’s not the Petco Park affect either ! This group of prospects cannot hit at all ANYWHERE period ! Padres’ GM Josh Byrnes is up against thew all and Josh has to do something immediately. This ballclub seriously needs a wake-up call through a major trade and a few releases. By review of the entire minor league system the Padres are stacked at 3rd base and Chase Headley would be the most attractive trade bait to offer now. A respectful switch-hitter, decent glove on the field, average foot speed and good eye at the plate with occasional power. Currently, there are a few clubs (Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, and San Francisco Giants), who are in the market for a 3rd baseman. Hmmm, Josh the market is beginning to heat up and maybe time to take advantage of it ? The following depicts my analysis on what the Padres possibly could receive if they do decide to send Headley packing to the clubs mentioned above:

  1. Send 3rd baseman Chase Headley to Philadelphia Phillies for prospects SS Freddy Galvis, P Trevor May, and P Jonathan Pettibone.
  2. Send 3rd baseman Chase Headley to Tampa Bay Rays for prospects SS Jake Hager, P Felipe Rivero, and P Chris Archer.
  3. Send 3rd baseman Chase Headley to Boston Red Sox for prospects SS Xander Bogaerts, P Matt Barnes, and P Stolmy Pimentel.
  4. Send 3rd baseman Chase Headley to San Francisco Giants for prospects P Heath Hembree, P Kyle Crick, OF Jesus Galindo, and P Eric Surkamp.

Therefore, the ceiling for trading 3rd baseman Chase Headley can only get higher as the season progresses. I anticipate a few more teams to enter the market as well with the likes of Oakland A’s, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets.

May Day ! May Day ! House Cleaning Begins…..

Last night Padres’ GM Josh Byrnes made a significant move by releasing 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson and promoting Everth Cabrera and Alexi Amarista from Tuscon. The free-agent acquisition of 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson was ONE of TWO biggest busts of former Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer. During Hudson’s stay here in San Diego, Orlando seem to me more enthused about carrying the role of Ambassador with opposing players when they were on 2nd base during the game. If Orlando is so intent on being spokesperson for MLB Executive Offices, Hudson has the time now to apply for MLB Ambassador under Bug Selig. For now, I will not mentioned former Padres’ GM Jed Hoyer’s other HUGE BUST.

Funny But Humorous Potential Giveaway Promotion…..

Coming soon on Memorial Day Weekend could be “Padres Handkerchief” Giveaway, to wipe the tears of frustration as fans endure the hardships of Padres baseball performance on the field. Yet, this Handkerchief can serve dual-purposes, to hide your face during laughter when the Padres mimics the Key Stone Cops.

Look Who’s In Town Looking To Get Healed…..

Ahhh the Los Angeles Angels are in town for a weekend series and guess what ? 1st baseman Albert Pujols is warming up ! Just what the doctor ordered !  A trip to San Diego and get that swing in order. I feared this scenario, especially when Pujols was struggling and knew sooner or later, Albert would be busting out of that wicked slump. Well, Pujols is about to heat up in Petco Park.

Okay, Padres Fans. It’s time to stand up and be strong. This season can’t get any worse and if so, major changes are over the horizon. A blues music video by Keb Mo titled “Stand Up And Be Strong” is very befitting to this post.

 

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The MLB talent supply system San Diego Prospects helps out the Los Angeles Angels….

Posted on May 13, 2012 by admin

Ho-hum ! On Thursday 3rd of May, the San Diego Prospects sent reliever Ernesto Frieri to the Los Angeles Angels for two prospects INF Alexi Amarista and P Donn Roach. Golly ! Sur-prise Sur-prise ! Padres GM Josh Byrnes couldn’t get a higher qualified prospect back from the Angels ? Since when is a proven major league talent relief pitcher and four years under contract control is valued for TWO long-shot prospects ? Especially, one INF who has been evaluated as a potential utility player on a good team which we all know the Prospects errr Padres are far from that. At this moment, this trade heavily favors the Angels and this only demonstrates to the Fans in San Diego, the Prospects continue to trade proven talent for unproven commodities. This franchise truly operating like a junior mining company in hopes of raising more cash to execute more drill strikes for gold or silver and selling off the resources (talent) for additional cash OR land acquisitions (prospects). Who’s the next likely candidate to be put on the supply-chain conveyor belt for MLB ? I would say 3b Chase Headley, since the “Petco Park” ghosts have gotten into Headley’s psyche. Don’t be surprised if C Nick Hundley and OF Will Venable are added to the long list as well. All I have to say to Padres’ GM Josh Byrnes, do not make the same mistake that former Padres GM Kevin Towers did in trading 3B David Freese for aging CF Jim Edmunds, who was to replace Mike Cameron…COUGH COUGH. I rather see 3b James Darnell playing for the Padres then in another uniform..HINT HINT…Josh Byrnes.

The Lights Are On But Nobody Is At Home……

Attending the game against Miami Marlins on Saturday 5 May, regretfully noticed a very very low turnout of fans in the stands. SHAZAM ! This is only May ! I could not believe it, especially on T-Shirt giveaway night. At most, there were about 18,000 people in the stands. It appears to me the Padres Fans are voicing their displeasure and I don’t blame them at all. If the Padres continue to lose at the rate they are going, come Memorial Day weekend, I wouldn’t be surprise to see less and less people attending the games.

The Moores/Moorad Hoax Continues…..

It’s hard not to think why such bad luck continues to strike this ballclub. Though, perhaps one logical reason be could since Moores/Moorad became partners, they continue to operate this franchise as a profit based-driven entity. They really could careless about the Wins and Losses as long as their pockets are filled with cash. This franchise suffered another huge setback with the recent injury news of starting LHP Cory Luebke with a potential Tommy John elbow surgery. This is not the first instance, after John Moores demanded then Padres’ GM Kevin Towers to draft Matt Bush as the No. 1 overall selection in 2004, look what’s happened to this organization with the 1st round draft picks:

  1. 2004, No. 1 overall, Matt Bush (various off the field issues and eventually traded to Tampa Bay)
  2. 2005, No. 18, P Cesar Carrillo (elbow surgery, eventually released)
  3. 2006, No. 17, 2nd Matt Antonelli (broken wrist, eventually released)
  4. 2007, No. 23, LHP Nick Schmidt (elbow surgery, traded away for RP Huston Street)
  5. 2008, No. 23, 1b Allan Dykstra (hip ailment, traded away to New York Mets)
  6. 2009, No. 3, OF Donavan Tate (variety injuries, still in low-level minors)
  7. 2010, No. 9 P Karsten Whitson (did not sign, attended Florida University)

The evidence is there, no organization could have such bad luck for 7 consecutive years with their 1st round draft pick. If you don’t believe me, take a look at Tampa Bay or Washington organizations which have far done better than the Padres. It all boils down to the finances, run an organization cheaply and expect some major obstacles down the road. SEVEN years of un-productive 1st round draft picks has SET this franchise a DECADE behind. Your 1st round draft selections should have an immediate impact on your organization. Unfortunately, the Padres are seeing the inverse of this. If these picks were in the lower half rounds, I could accept the risks. but as you all can see, this isn’t the case. We can only hope this franchise sells rather quickly to eliminate the Moores/Moorad Hoax.

Over-hyped Front Office Personnel…..

Here’s one for your thoughts. The collectively franchise records of Boston, and ex-Boston associates are Cubs (14-20), Red Sox (15-19), and Padres (12-23). Mind boggling is the combined record of (41-62) with a whopping .398 winning percentage. Yet, the Sandy Alderson gang in New York have the Mets running at (19-15) record for a .559 winning percentage. Who was responsible last year for having the most drafted players (24) overall in the major leagues in the last two years ? The Padres, whom Sandy Alderson was responsible for the drafts during those years and come to think of it. Sandy does not have Adrian Gonzalez on his roster, and Jose Reyes left the Mets as well. So, come on folks ! who really had a profound impact on the Padres ? Enough said. Perhaps, we can hope O’Malley Family purchases the franchise and injects “old school” ways on operating a successful baseball operations department.

SINK HOLE de Mayo…..

After trading P Ernesto Feiri away to the Angels. Padres’ GM Josh Byrnes indicated the Padres had enough pitchers on the roster and minors. Well, since that remark, we’ve seen Cory Luebke, Joe Wieland, and Huston Street hit the disabled list. Ummm, but do not worry Padres fans, any trades the Padres do, we will get back more pitching prospects.

You Didn’t Think It Could Get Worse….

In Spring of this year, the Padres gave THREE contract extensions to LHP Cory Luebke, CF Cameron Maybin, and C Nick Hundley. Guess what they all have in common ? They’ve been  Hoax by Moorad/Moores ! Cory is out with season-ending elbow surgery, Maybin is hitting .217 1 hr 9 rbi’s, and Hundley is hitting .178 2 hrs 13 rbi’s. Wow ! This is definitely not the Padres year, everything the Front Office, Coaching staff and players do is not going right.

Closing out this post with a hot blues music video by Joe Bonamassa, song titled “Taking The Hit”. Yes, this entire Padres franchise and Fans are taking a huge hit, 2012 is not the year. Time to pack it up and head to the beach.

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Only Minor Change In Dimensions Is Required, But Major Change in Scouting Is a Must…

Posted on May 6, 2012 by admin

Once again, the swirling whispers have returned in San Diego regarding the overall dimensions of Petco Park and how the ocean climate affects the flight of the baseball. Over the course of nine years as a season ticket holder, I’ve witnessed many visiting team players rake the ball out of the ballpark. This past Monday, on a night that was heavily influenced by the ocean’s climate, Brewers’ LF Rick Braun homered not ONCE, not TWICE but THREE times. This only reconfirms to me, there are players out there who can consistently hit the ball out of the ballpark. The key component is they can put the ball in play (i.e. put the wood on the ball) vice strike-out looking. So if at all, Petco Park field dimensions only require a slight modification, otherwise I would hate to see SOFTBALL games at San Diego.

If you analyze the field dimensions of Petco Park, you will see from right field to right center is the most crucial areas that will need some slight modification. A good proposal would to bring in the fences from right field to center field at 10 feet. This of course will have an impact on several things as well, I would do the following:

  • Move the visiting bullpen from the right field foul territory to behind right field fence.
  • Move the out of town scoreboard from the right field fence to the Upper Deck Budweiser billboard.

Now, with these slight modifications to the field dimension, there shouldn’t be any negative whispers about not being able to reach the stands for both righties and lefties.

In accordance to the changes of the field dimensions, a radical change to the Scouting department is required as well. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how to acquire the right personnel for your work environment. Many people in the corporate environment can do this very well and hire the right personnel for many different projects. This can be applied to baseball as well. where the scouts should draft the right personnel with the required skill sets for the ballpark. It has been since 2004 the Padres have been in Petco Park. Absolutely by now the scouting department should have produced more than two handfuls of good players with a few impact ones. Sadly enough, this isn’t the case with the carousel of the Front Office and General Managers as well. Many opposition players have made Petco Park look rather small from Shawn Green, Andre Either, Matt Kemp, Troy Glaus, Adam Dunn, Albert Pujols, Ramon Hernandez, and so forth.

Change the name of the Park as well when new ownership arrives…..

I think it’s time to dump the name of Petco Park when the new ownership takes over the Padres. Why ? because literally with a sharp drop of attendance and the Triple AAA roster this has become Litter Park. A name that would be most reflective to the San Diego community would be “Sempra Energy Field”. I am sure Sempra Energy would like to get involved with the new ownership to inject synergy to the franchise. Remember, when the O’Malleys owned the Dodgers at that time their prime sponsorship was Unocal 76. A major oil company back in the 70′s and we all know where Oil & Gas is headed for these days. Perhaps, in correlation to the field dimension changes there will be more power in terms of homers and exciting baseball to be had in San Diego with good players as well. Hey ! It does not hurt to dream, once in awhile dreams do come true.

Lowlights of the Padres continues……

Nothing new here to report as usual, just basic same old news another Padres loss and more history being made against the Padres. This time it’s Brewers’ LF Ryan Braun slugging 3 homers and a triple on Monday of this week. As a long time season ticketholder, I can only wait out this bottoming of Padres inept baseball just like the astute investors in the gold, silver, oil and uranium commodities. Sooner or later, the bottoming will come and from there on out, it’s all positive baby ! The real question is which will hit 60 first ? The spot price of silver ? OR Padres Wins ? If I was a betting man, I would say the Silver.

As the Padres finished the month of April with a 7-17 record, the season is slipping away. Here is a blues music video featuring Monterey’s  John “Broadway” Tucker song titled “Slips Away”. Hang in there loyal Padres fans. I know this is brutally tough on the mind but we are inside the tunnel and there is a light at the end. That light is no longer an oncoming train but rather the end of the tunnel where a new owner stands to meet us.

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Petco Park is not the Issue, Nor is the Hitting Coaches….

Posted on April 20, 2012 by admin

Year after Year, we hear the same complaints “Petco Park is too huge” or “The Hitting Coaches are not communicating well”, but year in and out we get the same results. What is the common denominator here ? The PLAYERS. So with this being said, perhaps the professional scouting isn’t good as advertised per se. Otherwise, why can’t this group of so called major league players can not hit AT ALL on this level ? No plan of attack at the plate, striking out too many times per games, is very vindictive that this set of players have no clue or are over-hyped as professionals. By now, year 3 you would think these set of player would have progressed but this isn’t the case. What the fans of San Diego are witnessing before their own eyes is a direct reflection of the instability of the Baseball Operations for the last half decade. Until, this Franchise is sold, I refer to the song by Led Zeppelin “The Song Remains the Same”

The time is coming to re-evaluate Padres’ Manager Bud Black’s job performance and if there is one guy that could replace Bud Black, I would give it to Phil Nevin. Hell ! If the Padres Front Office is so cheap, why not give ex-Padre Phil Nevin a shot at managing this ballclub. We need a leader with some intensity and willing to challenge his players. Thank god, 49% of San Diego County can not get local TV broadcasts of the Padres. Atleast, the current ownership group is doing us a favor. Being a former Dodgers season ticketholder during Peter O’Malley’s tenure, I am pulling for O’Malley to bid for the San Diego Padres. Mr. O’Malley always cared about the fans and a strong minor league system. San Diego is the diamond in the rough and the O’Malley family could really make things very interesting in Southern California while taking the Dodgers/Padres rivalry to another level. As a long-time Padres season ticketholder, I would welcome the O’Malley family with open arms. Until a legit owner buys this Franchise, the Padres fans have a “Spoonful” of dung to deal with in the meantime. As I close this post out, here is a blues jam of Willie King called “Spoonful”. Willie passed away this March, though during his time on earth played at the small back woods juke joints in Mississippi. Do enjoy this awesome video.

 

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Thank Gawd ! The Prospects…Errr…Padres Are Not On TV in North County San Diego…

Posted on April 14, 2012 by admin

Wow ! Did a Tornado wipe out the Padres Dugout and left them in a chaotic state ? The story and reasons are getting old really fast. I don’t know about other Padres Fans but I am getting tired of the post game sessions. This Padres team seems not sharp on the field and lacks serious focus. There is no way that this Judy Punch line-up to lead the league in strikeouts, including an embarrassing 18 strikeouts last night. To be honest, for the very first time in my season ticket holder for 24 years (Dodgers and Padres), I am very embarrassed and down right unhappy that I spent hard earned money. I can accept hard lined drive outs or any outs in the field. But to say lead the league in strikeouts this early in the season is inexcusable !! I don’t care how many hitting coaches you bring in or fire and hire. It comes down to the basics, it’s the players. The only difference this year is 1b Yonder Alfonso and to be quiet honest that’s not enough. This franchise is handcuffed by Owner John Moores and the Matt Bush Karma still lingers. If you operate the franchise like Pick N Save, you will get Pick N Save quality in return. Our only hope for now, is the following:

  1. John Moores sells the franchise within 4 months.
  2. The Padres players come alive (crosses fingers) and have some marketability.

You always hear the line “Its still early in the season” but my rebuttal is “I don’t care to be honest. Anytime during the season 2-7 is not good and especially if you are leading the league in Errors and Strikeouts offensively”

Time to close out this post, nothing else to say much about the Prospects errr Padres. A blues music video will perhaps ease the brutal painful feeling of being a Padres Fan. Albert Collins and the late Gary Moore “Cold Cold Feeling”. Oh yes, I got that cold cold feeling as Petco Park is so close to becoming a morgue.

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Storms Clouds Encircling Around Petco Park Like A Tornado In The Mississippi Heat Before Season Opener…

Posted on March 30, 2012 by admin

For those loyal readers, who might be curious as to why I haven’t posted much during the Spring Training. I have two reasons and mostly I prefer to stand back to observe on all the ongoing activities rather than bore you with the daily reports. Secondly, there has been so much activity in regards to the ownership that I felt being proactive rather than reactive would serve me right before I posted my true thoughts. So enough with this, it’s time to get to business and talk about the Padres.

Like What Mama Said….

“Boy ! Do not believe what they say about you, just do it and make yourself heard with your actions.” It takes a good group of people to get a job done. As I’ve been reading on the 2012 Padres so far, collectively they seem to be uniting as a cohesive group with a mental fortitude to prove the so-called baseball experts that last place pre-season ranking is nothing but a joke. My prediction is that Padres will have over 86 wins for the 2012 season and the young guns will make an impact. The 86 wins might not be enough to win the NL West Division, but the Padres will have a profound impact on who wins the division ultimately. So here is my NL West Division Prediction:

  • Arizona Diamondbacks
  • Los Angeles Dodgers
  • San Diego Padres
  • San Francisco Giants
  • Colorado Rockies

    • As you can see, I have the Diamondbacks repeating as the NL West Division Champs for the second year in a row. D-Backs Manager Kirk Gibson continues to get the best mileage of out his players and I don’t care what anyone says. But an effective Manager can make a difference with a couple of games during the season and usually determines who comes out ahead in the standings at the end of the season. The Dodgers, despite all the in-season turmoil of 2011 did quite well and Mgr Don Mattingly earned kudos. Though, the question for the Dodgers for this season is “Can they take it to another level and win the NL West Division?” With new ownership, I look for the Dodgers to make some trades during the season right up to the trading deadline which can affect the entire division standings. The Petco Park Kids will surprise many people though like always will come up short and the ownership status continues to impede the club’s ability to compete for NL West Division title. The Giants, have catcher Posey back but it’s still not enough as former Padres Bruce Bochy and Tim Flannery will be haunted by the Petco Park Kids during the season. Finally, Colorado Rockies not only are being overshadowed by the Broncos signing QB Payton Manning, but they do not have enough mojo in the cabana to compete with the rest of the division foes.

    The Petco Park Kids……

    In order for the Padres to live up to my pre-season predictions and have me look like Voodoo Chile of predictions, a few Padres players must come through. In my most humble opinion, I believe 1B Yonder Alonso, CF Cameron Maybin, and RF Will Venable will have breakout years. The second tier performance players like 3B Chase Headley, C Nick Hundley, LF Carlos Quentin, SS Jason Bartlett and 2B Orlando Hudson will provide enough bang that will ultimately create strong market value for their services elsewhere. My hunches are that mostly like all five players will be moved during the July’s trading deadline. My season’s surprise will be P Anthony Bass, who will accumulate 8 – 12 wins this season in-between roles of a spot starter and reliever. Another sleeper in the group is 3B/OF James Darnell, who might end up playing 3B by mid-season if Headley is traded for major-league ready prospects.

    In summary, the Padres will make huge strides and climb up the ladder in the division standings, but the ownership fiasco will dampen their inability to move forward without an owner with deep pockets and passion to win.

    The Ownership Debacle Continues…..

    The sudden exit of Jeff Moorad and the latest swirling rumors of John Moores remaining in full control of the Padres, just humors me as I would imagine all other true Padres fans. This quite well compares to the Wall Street Shuffling being conducted on a daily basis by the twosome of Ben Bernanke and Timothy Geithner. Though, in this scenario, Moorad is Geithner, Bud Selig is Bernanke and Moorad being Alan Greenspan. Though, in the end we all know Greenspan (aka Moorad) would be thrown out because he didn’t have enough resources and thought Gold was not a viable currency. In either case, what all this amounts to is that the leadership or so called leadership in baseball has some serious issues. Why did they allow all of this to come this far and to reject it suddenly. Who’s not doing their due diligence and resting on their laurels ? In the end, this is good because hopefully the Padres will be put up for sale on the open free market. May the best bid win and hopefully the next owner/ownership group have a passion to Win and simply not profit only driven.

    Remember Padres Fans, John Moores is the owner who ordered ex-GM Kevin Towers to draft Matt Bush. We all know how that turned out and trying to cut corners financially with the number one pick in the draft is bad karma for the franchise. Let’s have an owner who wants to win  !

    Foxs Sports San Diego Limited Viewership….

    It’s less than 6 days to the Season Opener and majority of the San Diego County will not be able to watch the Padres on TV. Ummm, who’s clever idea was that ? You got to be kidding me that new broadcasting rights haven’t been settled yet ? What kind of project planning is this ? Once again, the owners are showing their true sides and holding majority of the San Diego Padres Fans hostage. But then again, the quality of product on the field has been less desirable, so Padres Fans this may be a blessing in disguise. In conclusion, once again the Padres Franchise is a laughable one at the moment until someone steps in to buy the franchise. Great Weather and Nice City can only go on for so long. How about great owner and awesome team ?

    As I close out this post, here’s an awesome musical video featuring Blues Artist Tad Robinson Band and Alex Shultz “Payback”. Yes, Padres Fans its time for us to give some Payback ! Voice your feelings about what’s going down in San Diego with the Padres Ownership.
     

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    It’s Spring Training Time !!..The Boys have reported to Peoria !…Snodgrass Muff Goes Virtual World Too !

    Posted on February 24, 2012 by admin

    Ahhh Yes ! The sounds of cracked bats and cleats digging into the infield and outfield grass. It must be time for Spring Training. Every team has high hopes to winning the World Series. Why not ? Every team is undefeated at this moment. This upcoming season for the Padres will be the moment of truth. Can the youngsters make a profound impact ? Who will be the top dog in the starting rotation ? Will the ‘Pen’ be as stable in the past ? Ohh !! Gotta love Spring Training !

    Yes, Snodgrass Muff has been redesigned to reflect the Padres New Logo and colors. In addition, a new and exciting feature will be the introduction of video segments in Virtual World that brings another dimension to Snodgrass Muff and it’s loyal readers. So stay tune and the show has just begun !!

    Here is a blues music video from blues artist named RB Stone, song titled “What I Used To Have”. It’s time the Padres get rid of what they used to have, that is a losing record. Let’s Go Boys ! Bring home the shining trophy this year !

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    It’s Time For Baseball Fans to Question Baseball Authorities…..

    Posted on January 14, 2012 by admin

    Let’s face it ! The game of baseball relies on it’s fan base. It is the Fans who can have a profound affect on the game of baseball. If the fans don’t buy tickets, no one makes a profit. Why is the game of baseball allowing potential owners to purchase a franchise without deep financial pockets. Secondly, why was the San Diego Padres franchise not put up for a public auction for potential owners outside of baseball to place a bid for the franchise ? Isn’t this America, where opportunities exist for anyone such as Mark Cuban. Public perception of the San Diego Padres franchise is reaching the lowest point in history, and baseball needs to address this quickly. The loyal fans of San Diego has seen 1b Adrian Gonzalez, P Jake Peavy, RHP Health Bell, and RHP Mike Adams all leave due to financial reasons within the last 36 months. I do not subscribe to the philosophy things will change by building through the farm system. Why? You may ask. Simple, once a few players establish themselves as the upper tier players in the league as with Gonzalez, Peavy, Bell and Adams. The Padres will send them out for yet around round of prospect packages. Don’t get me wrong, this type of business model can be very successful provided, the franchise has a stable baseball operations and ownership. Ahhh ! which we all know in San Diego has not been the case ever since Larry Lucchino left San Diego. What I like to see is MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to place the San Diego Padres up for public auction and if Moorad can win the bid through a formal and organized bidding process so be it. Otherwise, this all seems like a shaddy business transaction and public perception can have a huge negative impact on the franchise.

    The orchestrated trade of All-Star 1b Adrian Gonzalez to Boston Red Sox and the migration of ex GM Jed Hoyer and Assistant Jason McLeod to Chicago Cubs within 12 months has many Padres Fans wondering if Moorad can actually run a franchise. Remember, Moorad has fired several good baseball operations personnel from Sandy Alderson, Grady Fuson, Kevin Towers and has let others walk away Hoyer and McCleod. You wonder why Chris Gywnn just recently left for a lateral position with the Seattle Mariners as Player Personnel Director. As I said, public perception is critical not only the fans have been watching but apparently other owners in MLB have been as well. It’s time MLB to put the San Diego Padres franchise up for public auction. Let the formal process decide who has the deep pockets to buy the Padres. MLB is doing this with the Los Angeles Dodgers, shouldn’t the Padres Franchise be treated the same way ? Both franchises were literally taken down by similar circumstances.

    Time for some blues mojo and here’s Blues Band named Dicky James and the Blue Flames with a song titled “Everybody Got To Pay”. Yes, that is right MLB, everybody got to pay and have deep pockets to own a baseball franchise.

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    Josh Byrnes Moves Closes Out 2011…..

    Posted on December 31, 2011 by admin

    Well, I’ve been taking the silence stance for the past few weeks to see what truly unfolds during the Josh Byrnes inaugural winter season as Padres General Manager. Being a long time season ticket-holder with the Padres I have vested interest to see what goes on and noting the dealings with the Angels in the adjacent county provides me great opportunities as well to take in some good old baseball. Let’s be real about this, spending hard earn money on a good entertaining team is one thing I pride myself and a stable legit franchise  as well. Thus, why this season, the Padres have to make a statement. The franchise can ill-afford to lose more season ticket-holders who been with the ballclub since 1998 or before. We expect to see results now, especially with too many front office personnel moving in and out like there is a gold electronic transfer fund deposit in the Padres executive offices. No, I will not bore you of the world economics which will have an enormous impact on society but I will try to keep this baseball related, in particularly the Padres state of affairs. With that being said, what has Padres GM Josh Byrnes done since taking over the Baseball Operations for the Padres ?

    Hmmm, let’s dig deep into what Padres’ GM Byrnes has done so far.

    1. RHP minor league prospect Jeremy Hefner was picked up by Pittsburgh Pirates in waiver wire, and then later acquired by New York Mets. (Note: Hefner was drafted by Alderson).
    2. RHP Andrew Carpenter was picked up by Toronto Blue Jays in a waiver wire.
    3. Released UT Alberto Gonzalez.
    4. Signed Free Agent OF/1b Mark Kotsay.
    5. Traded LHP Wade LeBlanc to Miami Marlins for C John Baker.
    6. Traded LHP Nick Schmidt to Colorado Rockies for RP Hudson Street.
    7. Traded OF Aaron Cunningham to Cleveland Indians for RHP minor league prospect Cory Burns.
    8. Traded RHP Mat Latos to Cincinnati Reds for RHP Edison Volquez, 1B Yonder Alfonso, C Yasmani Grandal, and RHP minor league prospect Brad Boxberger.
    9. Traded C Luis Martinez to Texas Rangers for RHP minor league prospect Ryan Kelly.
    10. Traded minor league prospects RHP Simon Castro and LHP Pedro Hernandez to Chicago White Sox for OF Carlos Quentin.

    Look closely, Josh Byrnes like his former colleague Hoyer used Padres pitchers and pitching prospects in trades. There is one problem to this scenario. The Padres still have many Outfielders on the team and there is more work to be done before the plane can leave the hanger. I am a bit concerned about the amount of pitching the Padres have given up this year. I am wondering who is going to be the next Gomes this year when the Padres gave up so much pitching for SS Jason Barlett. Also, I feel that OF/1B Kyle Blanks can do much more that Carlos Quentin if Blanks is given a fair chance. It will be a huge mistake if the Padres do indeed trade Blanks this year. Kyle has shown previously that Petco Park is small with his hitting abilities, Blanks just needs playing time and Mgr. Buddy Black should give him some time, unlike what Black did to Aaron Cunningham.

    So what is my opinion of the Josh Byrnes winter moves ? I am not impressed yet, just a few shuffling of blocks around and stacking up the chips for more major trades to come shortly. To me the Padres do not have a player that I can say “Hey we need to go to a game to see this player”. The Padres franchise needs to step up to the plate, their neighbors north of them has made a sales pitch to many of the north county residents for a better value per buck to watch baseball. One last statement to make, when is Jeff Moorad going to buy the team outright and show us season ticket-holders that he will bring a winning ballclub to the City on a yearly basis, not bi-yearly or bi-decade basis.

    I want to wish all my loyal readers a Happy New Year and the best for 2012. Here is the last blues video of the year by ex-Bad Company Vocalist Paul Rogers singing “Muddy Water Blues” as the Padres franchise is in deep muddy waters and the competition for fans has been turned up a notch by the Los Angeles Angels.

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    The Josh Byrnes Era Begins…..

    Posted on November 27, 2011 by admin

    Like his predecessor (Hoyer), Byrnes has been actived in one month as the latest Padres’ General Manager. A few transactions have been completed and here they are:

    1. Released RHP Evan Scribner (acquired in trade with D’backs for 1B Tony Clark) and OF Cedric Hunter (3rd round pick in 2006).
    2. Released RHP Jeremy Hefner (5th round pick in 2007).
    3. Released RHP Wil Inman (acquired in trade with Brewers for RHP Scott Linebrink).
    4. Signed OF Mark Kotsay.
    5. Traded LHP Wade LeBlanc (2nd round pick in 2006) for C John Baker.

    Once again, a few more pitchers have been disposed by the newest Padres GM. Even more ironic is that Hunter, LeBlanc, and Hefner were drafted under Alderson/Fuson regime. If you further investigate we can see the Scott Linebrink trade to the Brewers for LHP Joe Thatcher, LHP Steve Garrison and RHP Wil Inman by ex Padres GM Kevin Towers was dismal. Only Thatcher came through and the highly touted Garrison and Inman never reached the Padres roster. Though ironically these players were all released and picked up by other organizations which tells you something.

    The Rule 5 draft is approaching on 8th December and I am very intrigued to see what Padres prospects will be selected. If I were a betting man, I would hedge some silver on the following players:

    1. 1b, Matt Clark drafted in 2008 a lefty with power. Most likely destination (Cubs or A’s)
    2. RHP, Matt Buschmann drafted in 2006, a favorite of ex-Padres Scouting Director Grady Fuson. Most likely destination A’s.
    3. LHP, Nick Schmidt drafted in 2007, former first round pick. Most likely destination (Cubs or Mets or Mariners).
    4. LHP Rob Musgrave drafted in 2008, teams are always looking for a southpaw for their pitching staffs. Most likely destination (Mets).

    For now, let’s see what unfolds and I shall sit back to observe closely. Atleast in the Padres community it will not be a boring off-season. The Padres have a tradition to make more news during off-season then they do during the regular season. It’s time to wrap it up, here’s an up and coming rising 16 yr old blues star Andy Poxon with the song titled “Don’t Burn Down That Bridge”. Oh Boy ! I hope the possible loss of Clark and Schmidt does not come back to haunt us and that bridge is burnt down.

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