The Frozen Donkey Wheel of Petco Park

In the ABC drama "LOST" Benjamin Linus is told that he must move the island to save the island. This obviously seems like an insane, and impossible, request to make of anyone. Nevertheless, Ben, who's sole purpose in life has been the protection of the island, does as he is told. In the Season 4 finale, he turns a frozen donkey wheel that results in the island disappearing from it's physical location.

And all of this has really just been an excuse to tell you that I love LOST. Great show. Screw you guys who hated the finale.

I hope that moving the fences in at Petco Park is a more simple process than locating and turning a mystical frozen donkey wheel.

As you have no doubt heard by now, Petco Park's dimensions are changing for the 2013 season. Corey Brock had the story yesterday and you can read it here.

As highlighted in the article, the major moves are as follows:

• Moving in the wall that runs from the right-field porch to right-center 11 feet. The wall will also be lowered to match the height of the sub-eight-foot wall in left and center field.

• The out-of-town scoreboard in right field will be relocated. Seating modifications in that area will be announced later. In right-center, the wall will move from 402 feet to 391 feet.

• The wall in left-center will be moved in from 402 feet to 390 feet.

• The visiting bullpen, currently down the right-field line in foul territory, will be moved to center field behind the existing home bullpen area.

Again, I'm assuming by now you are aware of this. The "Move in the Fences!" argument has been perhaps the longest standing inter-Padres fan base argument in the franchises history. And those who campaigned, loudly, for such a move have achieved their goal. It does leave one wondering: what on earth will we argue about now?

But enough about that. The question is whether this is the right move or not. And anyone who tells you that they know for certain that this is a mistake or the right decision is lying. The walls are moving in 11 ft and 12 ft in right field and left field. That's substantial. An article on Fangraphs from January 3, 2012 shows that the effect of Petco on left-handed hitters was devastating regarding their ability to hit HR's. But you'll see an increase in left-handed hitters to hit singles, doubles and triples. Is sacrificing those singles, doubles and triples worth more HRs? Time will tell whether those numbers are effected at all.

It stands to reason that next year will see an uptick in HRs. And likely to follow, an uptick in offense.

What remains to be seen is how much of an effect this will have on the Padres pitching staff and bullpen, a strength for the Padres during their tenure in Petco Park. What further remains to be seen is whether this will increase the teams ability to lure free agents to San Diego. We aren't likely to know that for a few years once some data exist on how Petco Park plays.

On the more immediate horizon is this question: following a career year, will moving in the fences make Chase Headley more likely to sign an extension in San Diego? Was that part of the equation? I don't know the answers to these questions.

I was never for moving in the fences, as detailed in this blog post from 2011. But if the modification of the fences leads to a more successful team, I'm all for it. Because that's all that should matter. Will this make the team better? That's the only question that matters. Any argument regarding entertainment value of one style of baseball vs another is pointless and meaningless. Is this a smart baseball move? They've done their research in making this move. But does anyone really know?

And that's the takeaway here. The moving of the fences in raises a lot of questions. Questions that no one, despite all the data and research they've done, can answer. What is not up for debate is the fact that the Padres, in 8 years of Petco Park, experienced 4 of the most winning seasons in their franchise history. Whether the park had some, a lot, or anything to do with that is not clear. But to move the fences, despite the team's relative success, is a bold move.

In LOST, once the wagon wheel was turned, it caused the island to begin jumping through time. This was only stopped by detonating a hydrogen bomb.

Unintended consequences lurk with any move like this. That doesn't necessarily mean those consequences are negative. But right now, we simply don't know.

Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

And on October 3rd, 2012 on a early Fall night in Milwaukee the 2012 San Diego Padres season came to an end. And never has a 76 win season been more celebrated.

Baseball is a microcosm for life. Except in one, very distinct, way. Life, your losses stay on your record. It's one long season. In baseball, everything is cyclical. Everything starts anew in the Spring. And I can't wait.

For now, the Padres 2012 season is over.

The Padres end with 76 wins. That's 2.5 more than Vegas predicted, and probably about 15 games more than anyone expected back when the team was 19-40. A 100 loss season seemed eminent.

Then something crazy happened.

On May 18th, the Padres outright released Orlando Hudson and moved Bartlett to the DL list of lost souls. They were 14-26.

I remember vividly where I was when it happened. As non-on the field moments go, this felt BIG. Not Adrian Gonzalez traded big (was sitting on my couch obsessively updating Twitter waiting for the news) or Mat Latos trade (Christmas shopping with my wife in Pasadena). But nevertheless, this felt important. I was leaving court, driving out of a parking garage and had just turned on Darren Smith when I heard. It was, at the time, the highlight of the 2012 Padres season.

They finished May on a 3-13 run after this. Things were not turning around immediately. But the team felt, I don't know, more fun to root for. Youth on the field. Making errors one can come to expect from youth. But also bringing with them excitement.

June was a modest improvement. 12-15. Not great, but a far cry better than the 17-35 in April and May.

They didn't play under .500 in a month (3 days in October not withstanding) again.

They went 33-21 in July and August before a .500 September and a 1-2 October.

"Bad early. Good late." - Bud Black

That pretty much sums up the Padres season.

I was as despondent as I have ever been as a Padres fan at the beginning of the year. I am as optimistic as I have ever been at the end of one.

There will be time this Winter to discuss the amazing season of Chase Headley, what the Padres need to fill in the pieces in 2013 and the health of a very young pitching staff.

For now though, let's enjoy a great second half of a season, a sale that may have revived baseball in San Diego, and dreams of what 2013 may hold.

As Yonder Alonso put it on Twitter tonight:

I'm very sad to end the season. Wish we had 1 more month to do work! Back at it soon!!! Great W tonight!! #2013 is our year! DALE!

— Yonder Alonso (@YonderalonsoU) October 4, 2012

That one more month is coming...April 2013.

Extending Chase Headley

Chase Headley continued his torrid post-trade deadline pace last night by hitting 2 HR and knocking in 4 RBI, leading the Padres to yet another win in this 2nd half of 2012.

All told, Headley since August 1 is hitting .338, with 14 HRs, and 46 RBI. He will almost certainly hit 100 RBI this season, a feat not accomplished since Adrian Gonzalez in 2010.

But you all know this. I don't need to sell you on Chase Headley anymore.

What I'm here to talk about is extending Chase Headley. And what it might take to do that.

Chase Headley is currently paid $3.475 million on a one year deal. He is arbitration eligible in 2013 and 2014. Basically, Headley is a steal right now. But those days are about to be over.

So what kind of contract would it take, realistically, to keep Headley? And at what number do the Padres say "that's too high" and walk away? Let's compare:

Chase Headley 2012
WAR: 4.9
Slash Line: .287/.370/.488
HR: 26
RBI: 98
UZR: 5.2
SB: 14

Aramis Ramirez
The Milwaukee Brewers, attempting to recoup the loss of Prince Fielder from both an offensive standpoint and a fan interest standpoint, signed the 34 year old 3rd basemen to 3 yrs/$36 million. The Brewers have been rewarded with a .295 BA, 21 HR, and 89 RBI for a WAR of 4.1.

From an offensive standpoint, Ramirez is having perhaps the most comparable season. It's not a perfect comparison. For one, Headley walks far more than Ramirez (69 vs 39) which translates to a higher OBP (.370 vs .358) and is a bigger threat to steal (14/20 vs 7/9). Ramirez, for his part, out slugs Headley (.523 vs .488).

But the biggest difference is their age. While Headley turned 28 this season, Ramirez turned 34 this season in his first year of a 3 year deal.

Conclusion: A comparable WAR and offensively numbers but older, Ramirez was worth the limited risk of a 3 year contract at $12 million a year.

Pablo Sandoval
Like Chase Headley, Pablo Sandoval was a homegrown talent. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002, Sandoval made his debut in 2008. He is a fan favorite in San Francisco, garnering the nickname Kung Fu Panda which as translated into a marketing an apparel boom for San Francisco. He is now playing his first of his 3 years on a contract signed this past off-season. It is a contract that gobbles up his arbitration years and was a viewed as a reward for Sandoval's renewed conditioning and weight loss regimen to rebound from a poor 2010.

Using his 2012 numbers is a bit difficult as he has been injured quite a bit this season. I'm not factoring in injuries in doing these comparisons because, frankly, they are unpredictable. Though it is worth noting that the Giants got only 117 games out of Sandoval this year and thus far 85 games this season. Surely this played into their decision somewhat. But, using the 2011 numbers, which in effect were the basis for the Giants decision to extend Sandoval, seems a more fair comparison.

In 2011, Sandoval was good for a BA of .315, 23 HR, 70 RBI. A slash line of .315/.357/.552 and a WAR of 5.9. That WAR was good for 3rd amongst 3rd basemen in MLB.

Conclusion: Sandoval is a fan favorite and one of the best 3rd basemen in baseball when he is healthy. But his weight and conditioning are a constant struggle have lead to another injury filled season. Sandoval will be under 30 when this contract expires. 3 yrs/$17.5 million.


The above are obviously 3rd basemen which is the most accurate comparison for Chase Headley. From a statistical standpoint, their are other 3rd basemen having similar seasons as Headley but their contract situation, either due to being far too large (in a big market) or in the midst of a rookie contract (and thus far too small) are not comparable. Examples: David Wright, Brett Lawrie, David Freese.

Below are a few players who have similar WAR's (as with any stat, this one is imperfect and is used here to find players, relatively speaking, similar to Chase in value) in comparable markets to San Diego and their contracts.

Alex Gordon (LF): WAR 4.7

From a franchise standpoint, the Royals compare to the Padres in a lot of ways. A small market team that has tried to build longer lasting success through the draft a strong farm system, the Royals have now begun reaching that point of locking up some of their younger homegrown talent. It has lead to a better season in 2012, though certainly not where the Royals want to be.

One of those young homegrown talents is Alex Gordon. And if the All-Star Game and HR Derby are any indiction, a fan favorite in KC.

Slash Line: .298/.367/.454
HR: 11
RBI: 63

By every metrix Gordon is having a down year in comparison to 2011, which was the season that earned his contract extension. In 2011, .303/.376/.502 and won a Gold Glove with a WAR of 7.1. Like Chase, Gordon was a heavily hyped prospect (2nd overall pick in 2005).

This 2011 season (again, a more fair comparable as it's the season that earned the contract which is the situation we are in with Chase) resulted in a 4 yr/$37.5 million contract extension for a player that is 28 years old.

Conclusion: Homegrown talent at the same age locked up for less than $10 million.

Ben Zobrist (RF): WAR 4.8

Zobrist was traded to Tampa Bay in 2006 for Aubrey Huff (you read that right). So in that way, he is not "homegrown" though he has been with the Rays for 6 years now. In 2010, he signed a 3 yr, $30 million extension with options in 2014 and 2015. He was rewarded for his breakout year of 2009 which looked like this:

.297/.405/.543, 27 HR, 91 RBI, WAR 8.3

This year, in his 2nd year of this deal, he is hitting .266/.373/.468 WAR 4.8. Hilariously, this is his Wikipedia page for his 2012 section: "On September 7, 2012, Zobrist hit a walk off homerun vs. the Texas Rangers. This event made Buggy very sad." I don't know what that means.

Conclusion: Rewarded for a breakout year that he has yet to repeat, Zobrist remains a integral part of a team consistently in the playoff hun. 31 years old. 3 yrs, $30 million.

Miguel Montero (C): WAR 3.2

Another homegrown talent, Montero is the highest paid player on this list. Well, he will be. Signing a 5 yr, $60 million contract this May. Playing into this decision was the Diamondbacks perceived lack of a suitable and comparable replacement should they lose Montero. Not seeing a comparable replacement for the price they were willing to go for Montero, Kevin Towers locked up his young catcher for the foreseeable future.

He is the 4th highest ranked catcher in MLB per WAR (3.2), ahead of Joe Mauer, Matt Wieters and Mike Napoli.

2012 Slash Line: .285/.384/.451
Age: 29

Conclusion: A homegrown talent at one of the more important positions on the field, the Diamondbacks locked up one of the best catchers in the NL at a hefty price, driven mostly by a lack of a suitable replacement.


Of these players, the most comparable to Chase Headley in my mind is Alex Gordon. Similar hype, similar breakout year numbers in a similar market.

As such, 4 yrs/$40 million seems to be, in my mind, a fair market value. Would I go as high as Montero? I don't know. The difference here then with pretty much everyone listed on this list is that the Padres believe they possibly have a replacement for Headley, at a far cheaper price, in Jedd Gyorko. But prospects are unknown commodities. And works in progress. It's worth noting that the top prospect in the Royals farm system is Wil Myers, an outfielder, and despite this they still locked up Gordon. OF obviously being a different beast however as their are 3 possible positions to play vs only one 3rd basemen on the field.

5 yrs/$55 million. That's the deal that I'd give Headley. It's less than Montero. It's comparable in yearly salary to Ramirez for a far better (and younger) player.

Whether the Padres can do it remains to be seen. But they should.

Hot August Nights (and Days)

The Padres just finished the best month of baseball since August of 2007.

The team that, at one point, was 20-41 on the season, just won 18 games in a month for the first time in 5 years.

Even the most optimistic of fans could not have predicted that a team with 13 players on the DL, including 3/5ths of the starting rotation and their closer somehow put together a month equal to a team featuring Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux, Chris Young as the starting rotation and Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Kouzmanoff and the Giles brothers.

Such a month deserves a blog post.

August Behind-the-Numbers

Team BA: .264 (7th in NL)
Highest since August 2011

Team ERA: 3.79 (6th in NL)

HR: 26 (8th in NL)
Ahead of the Los Angeles Moneybags...er Dodgers.

OBP: .328 (4th in NL)

Favorite Game of August: 8/21/12 vs Pittsburgh. Headley's 2 run HR walk-off.

2nd Favorite Game: 8/27/12 vs Atlanta. Casey Kelly, one of the key pieces of the Adrian Gonzalez trade, makes his MLB debut going 6IP, 0R, 3H, 4SO and throwing 87 pitches.

But perhaps most telling to why the offense is suddenly clicking. Strikeouts. In April, only 1 team in the National League struck out more than the Padres (192).

In August, only 3 teams struck out less than the Padres (194).

And when they get on, they are getting over. The Padres stole more bases than all but 1 team in the N.L. in August (25). Nor do they squander base runners, grounding into the fewest double plays in the N.L.

Were they a paper tiger, beating up on lesser competition thanks to the scheduling Gods? Hardly. The month of August featured 21 games vs teams within 5 games of a playoff spot or better (Cincinnati, Atlanta, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Arizona).

Ask any Padres fan and my guess is they will tell you that, as a fan, this has been the most enjoyable month of this season by a long shot. But it's a fading memory unless it leads to bigger things. In 2009, the Padres ended the season in August and September going 32-23. This followed a June and July in which they went 17-37. And was later looked at as the first inclination that the 2010 team would win 90 games.

If the Padres play September above .500, it will be the 3rd month in a row they've done so, something they did only once in 2011 (14-14 in May). More importantly, it may be the same bellwether for 2013 as it was back in 2009.

Already you have seen the front office take notice that the team as constructed is perhaps closer to contending than previously believed. Chase Headley wasn't moved, and in turn the Padres were rewarded by Chase who lead the league in HR and RBI:

Chase Headley finished August with the most HR (10, tied) also and RBIs (31) in baseball. Last #Padres player to do so with Caminiti, 8/96.

— Follow The Padres (@FollowThePadres) September 1, 2012

The rest of the baseball world is starting to notice as well. Just this week, two articles came out highlighting the recent Padres surge and the prospect of a competitive future that now may be closer than previously believed. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, wrote that the Padres look like a team that may contend "sooner rather than later."

Fangraphs tempered their expectation somewhat, writing this week that "suddenly .500 looks less like a goal and more like an expectation."

But really it comes down to this. Baseball is suppose to be fun. It's a pastime. We watch because it's fun to watch. Except, for most of this year, it hasn't been.

Until now.

All Quiet on the Trading Front

"So, you're telling me there's a chance."

That seems to be the message being sent by Padres GM Josh Byrnes today. As the trade deadline passed, nary a peep was heard from the front offices of Petco Park today.

Instead, the Padres spent most of their time leading up to the trade deadline extending pieces they believe will help them win in the more immediate future. Quentin is here to stay for awhile. So is Huston. Which begs the question "how badly do we need a closer on a sub .500 team?"

The answer with those two extensions seems to be that the front office of the Padres expect to compete. Soon.

But despite that, most expected the Padres to jettison their most coveted piece. Chase Headley. The market was weak for third basemen. With an extra wild card, there were even more teams willing to be buyers at the deadline. Chase's contract is more than reasonable.

As first pitch in Cincinnati was thrown at 4:00pm Pacific, hours after the deadline had passed, there was Chase Headley starting at 3rd.

It had been reported in the days leading up to the deadline that Byrnes was looking for a Latos-esqu deal. Talks appeared to progress to something beyond simple talk with at least Baltimore and Oakland. But teams weren't willing to meet the Padres high demand. The market never changed. The Padres took very few calls reportedly on Tuesday. And there stood Chase Headley, the longest tenured current Padre, still a Padres on Tuesday night.

This is the right call. The message is clear from Brynes. They expect to compete soon. If that is the case, you don't send a key cog of that wheel away for prospects. That's rebuilding. Byrnes appears to believe the rebuilding is over.

For the many shortcomings of the 2012 San Diego Padres (and there are many, though some through no fault of their own i.e. injuries), Chase Headley is not one of them. Yes, one can cherry pick statistics and point out his faults. The fact that one has to cherry pick stats to such a degree to find fault in a player, however, says everything you need to know about a player.

I don't know how one scouts and analyzes this season for the Padres. The team today is so different from where this season started that one almost has to throw out the first two months. We still don't know what the starting rotation would have done had the ghost of Tommy John not haunted Darren Balsley's staff.

I do know that, even fully healthy, this team as is is not winning a newly fully loaded NL West. Tweaks will need to be made. But Chase Headley is part of the solution, not the problem.

Of course, no extension of Chase followed his no-trade. At least not yet. Which will leave the door open this winter for us to all go through this again.

Defending Chase Headley on his Birthday

Happy Birthday Chase!

There is only one person that has lived that has lived up to the moniker "savior." And even He has his detractors.

Chase Headley was cursed with being presented to the San Diego fan base as a savior to a struggling offensive lineup. Headley was the 2007 Texas League Player of the Year and was considered one of the top prospects in the Padres organization. A 2nd round pick out of the University of Tennessee, success followed Chase Headley at every level.

On June 15, 2007, thanks to an injury to Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chase Headley was brought up to start at third base. He was hitting .357 at San Antonio at the time. He quickly obtained the moniker "savior" despite the organizations (and common sense) best attempts to lower expectations. He made his Major League debut in Wrigley Field in 2007, when he played 8 games. He was brought up again in 2008 (June 17th) to start a game at Old Yankee Stadium. Last year, when the Padres were bringing up Anthony Rizzo, I wrote about the fallacy of putting the level of expectations that we as fans did on players like Headley and Rizzo.

The takeaway? Headley wasn't a savior. He was simply an above-average baseball player. But to a fan base expecting the Bryce Harper of San Diego, there was no greater crime. And it is a crime that Chase Headley continues to pay for.

In 2011, Chase Headley finished in the Top 10 of 3rd basemen in the following categories: AVG (10th), OBP (3rd),SB (3rd), BB (7th), RUNS CREATED (9th).

Is he a power threat? Not really. Though people whose view of baseball is as regimented as a blueprint assume he should be since he plays a corner infield position. Bud Black often uses Headley in power positions in the lineup, though admittedly, who else should bat 3rd or 4th on this team right now? Yet what Headley does do, and does it well, is get on base. In a park and with a lineup that will not produce many 3-run HRs, the Padres need to manufacture runs to win. And you can't manufacture a run without having people on base. For as much debate (read: bitching) there is about the park and its dimensions, Chase Headley is a rare player who can and has had offensive success in Petco.

Of course, if you only view offensive success in HRs and RBI, I see why your disappointed. I also see you have a painfully narrow view of what a successful baseball player looks like. While HRs are not the be all, end all, RBI is as imperfect a stat as W are for a pitcher.

The Padres have many holes to fill. Middle infield, corner outfield, half the starting staff is injured. Let's not go creating problems where they don't exist. Chase Headley is one of only a few players that the Padres have that produce consistently, are durable, plays solid defense, and is homegrown (for whatever value you put on that).

Imagine a world in which Chase Headley was not presented as the savior of a franchise, but simply a minor league prospect brought up to replace an injured starter. Consider how much leeway you give Anthony Bass or Wieland. And then ask yourself why unrealistic expectations cloud your opinion of one of the few bright spots on this Padres roster.

Extend Chase Headley and build a lineup around him, Maybin and Alonso. But if you think Headley is part of the problem, I'm not sure we are watching the same games.

Headley had the audacity of not being Brooks Robinson. For this, some fans will never come around to him. But if your expectations are that high, strap in friend, because life is going to be really disappointing.

Chase Headley: Savior, Switch Hitter, All-Star?

I was going to write up a post about whether the Padres should be buyers or sellers and whether this current winning streak is a good thing. But that felt too negative as I was going to come up with some angle how this winning streak, while fun, could prove detrimental to the Padres long-term goals.

See, negative.

I finally decided "screw it, winning is fun and I'm going to enjoy this while I can. Why rain on this parade?"

So, since it's been a few days since a post and today is an off day anyway, I decided to pick something more positive.

Who will the Padres All-Star Game representative(s) be?

Look, if you are a gambling man, the choice is easy. It's Heath Bell. Deserving no doubt. Bell is tied for second in the National League in saves and is easily the most recognizable Padres to fans that don't reside in the 619 area code (or have Padres games constantly running on their MLB.tv).

There have also been calls for Mike Adams. Another worthy candidate. In 36.1 innings pitched, Adams has given up 5 earned runs. 5 total. He has 40 strikeouts in those same 36.1 innings pitched.

I could even see an argument for Tim Stauffer, certainly after the last month he has put together.

But allow me to pause the adoration for Padres pitching staff (deserved as it may be) and present the case for Chase Headley.


This picture chosen specifically for you lovers of the brown uniform. You know who you are.













But this offense is terrible, you're saying. None of the position players deserve to go, you scream.

Respectfully, I disagree.

When Adrian Gonzalez was here, the Padres could pretty much count on at least one position player making an All-Star Game. Same with Tony Gwynn before him.

But look a little closer at Chase Headley's 2011, and you will see that, not only does Chase Headley deserve to go, he may deserve to start.

Admittedly, I'm a Headley apologist. I display his bobblehead on my desk at work proudly.


See, there he is.












Here is your Top 5 vote getters at 3rd base in the NL:
1) Placido Polanco
2) Chipper Jones
3) Pablo Sandoval
4) David Wright
5) Scott Rolen

Guess who leads NL 3rd basemen in BA?
Chase Headley, at .299 (note: to include Pablo Sandoval you have to look at a minimum PA of only 150, in which case Greg Dobbs of FLA leads NL 3rd basemen in BA at .300 with 203 PA vs Headley's 268. But I digress)

The five leading vote getters per BA?
1) Polanco - #5 (.288)
2) Jones - #10 (.252)
3) Sandoval - #3 (.293 in 150 PA)
4) Wright - #16 (.226)
5) Rolen - #9 (.252)

Headley is not being overlooked due to a power shortage either. While Headley has only 2 HR's, no one in the Top 5 of vote getters has double digit HR's (The most? Chipper, at 7)

If BA is a bit archaic for your taste, then keep in mind that Chase Headley leads these Top 5 vote getters in WAR (1.7). Second closest is Sandoval, at 1.5. Headley leads all 3rd basemen in Runs Created/27 outs and is 5th in the NL for extra base hits (The only member of the Top 5 ahead of Headley? Chipper Jones).

I could go further down this SABR road but it's really a forest of numbers and acronyms. Suffice to say, Chase Headley is the most valuable offensive player on the Padres by nearly every statistical metric. And he is outpacing nearly every National League 3rd basemen in nearly every important statistical category as well.

Chase Headley, All-Star? If the idea of the All-Star Game is to showcase the best players in Major League Baseball, Headley deserves and has earned a spot. He doesn't need to start, but he deserves to be on this team.

That being said, a 37-45 team in 4th place (that's right, 4th! Suck it, Dodgers) is unlikely to get more than one player elected. And that player is going to be Bell.

Maybe it's for the best. As a team that must work within a budget, perhaps it is best left unsaid how good Headley is. Keep the demand for Headley low, keep his price low.

And keep him in San Diego.

So, mums the word. Headley? Headley who?

The Fallacy of a Savior

It's official.

The San Diego Padres have played their last game in the Pre-Rizzo era. They lost 5-3 to Colorado. But the loss to the Rockies was quickly overshadowed by Jed Hoyer's official announcement of something everyone with an internet connection already knew. Anthony Rizzo is being called up from AAA Tucson and will start on Thursday vs Washington.

I am understandably excited. I think any Padres fan paying even the slightest of attention is excited. An offense that has been lackluster all year (though admittedly better recently) will get a shot in the arm from Rizzo who has made the Pacific Coast League his personal playground, all but forcing the hand of Jed Hoyer to call up their prized prospect earlier than expected.

Expectations are high. Of course they are. And to some degree they should be. Rizzo and Casey Kelly were the major pieces of the Adrian Gonzalez trade, a trade that will, for better or worse, define Hoyer's GM tenure.

But let me say this. Perhaps we temper expectations. Perhaps we take a breath, allow Rizzo to get accustomed to playing at the Major League Level and let him come into his own. If he goes 0 for 4 on Thursday, let's not freak out. If he struggles out of the gate, let's not toss around the word "bust" to quickly.

The promotion of Rizzo reminds me of the last time the Padres brought up their hot, young prospect. His name was Chase Headley, who was quickly nicknamed (somewhat tongue - in - cheek) "The Savior" despite Kevin Towers attempts to lower the expectations upon his arrival. So, with Rizzo on his way, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to look back at the promotion of the "Original Savior," Chase Headley (for this exercise, I'm using 2008 when Headley played 91 games. He played in 8 games in 2007).





Headley's first game in 2008 was on June 17th. At that time, the Padres were 31-41 and were 6.5 games back in the National League West.

The opponent? New York Yankees in New York (the final year of old Yankee Stadium). As it happens, I was in New York for this series and got to see Chase Headley's first game.


Chase Headley being announced at Yankee Stadium




Despite the Padres losing 8-0 in this game, Headley went 2 for 4.

Rizzo's first game will be on June 9th. The Padres are 28-35, 7.5 games back in the National League West.

Headley hit .245 in 13 games in June of 2008, hitting 3 HR (I know, I know, hard to imagine now) but striking out 17 times in 53 AB's.

But he also showed improvement, increasing his BA in each subsequent month in 2008 (July = .244 ok ok, that went down 1 pt; August = .280; September = .293)

He ended 2008 hitting .269 with 9 HR's and 38 RBI in 91 games. He also hit better Right Handed than Left Handed (.276 vs .265). This is of course notable for his struggles from the right side of the plate throughout his career.

The Padres...not so great, finishing 2008 63-99 and last in the National League (ironically, this team also had the highest payroll of the Petco Park era).

Now, I consider myself a Chase Headley apologist. I'm a fan, what can I say. Have been since he first got here. And I've often noticed a light undercurrent amongst the fans that Chase Headley has been a bust. Has underperformed based on his talent level.

I disagree. Has he played below the expectations? Yes. But considering the expectations were that he would be "The Savior" I would argue no player could have. But he is beyond a serviceable MLB player.

And keep in mind, Chase Headley was not only asked to be the savior of a franchise struggling but he had to do it while learning a new position (LF). Headley was and is a natural third basemen (has been since the University of Tennessee).

This time around, Hoyer is doing it right. Rizzo isn't being asked to play a position he's not comfortable with. He's being brought up to start in a home game vs the Nationals at a time the Padres are hitting, well, better at least.

Geoff Young of Ducksnorts said it best I think, "Try not to be too bummed out if he only has Adam LaRoche’s career."


Rizzomania has officially landed. Let's try to enjoy it for a bit before the cynicism sets in.

The Case for Petco Park

The San Diego Padres scored 13 runs today on 23 hits.

Let me say that again.

The 2011, shutout 8 times, San Diego Padres scored 13 runs on 23 hits.

It should come as no surprise that they were on the road when this happened, playing in Miller Park, a far more favorable offensive setting.

The 23 hits were the most for the Padres since 08/12/03 vs Atlanta. It was the first 20 hit game for the Padres since getting 22 hits vs Milwaukee on 08/11/09.

It was a good day.

And now they travel to Colorado, as hitter friendly a park as there is. Players appear, using nothing more than my own observations, appear to be hitting the ball better, harder, and with just a bit more confidence (most notably Ludwick and Hawpe who have been much maligned to start this season).



This kind of offensive output on the road lead many today to the obvious questions/complaints about Petco Park. There is a loud, though I argue still minority opinion that Petco Park should be modified in some way to lend itself to more offense. This argument was given a local media voice in the form of Darren Smith of XX1090 when he posted on Facebook "Padres scored 22 runs in three games at Miller...21 in their six-game home stand. Nope, PETCO doesn't matter." This was followed by a lengthy discussion in which the common refrain from those in favor of modification point to the lack of "excitement" in games played at Petco Park.

This argument really got started in force on Saturday night, where, after being shut out by the Diamondbacks (the Padres 8th shut out of the season thus far), Chase Headley was quoted in the San Diego Union Tribune “I don’t care who you bring into this ballpark, it’s not going to be an offensive club, it’s not. So we as an organization understand what type of team we have to have to win and it’s always going to be based around pitching and defense. So I don’t necessarily think it’s a personnel problem.”

I've personally had this argument more than once and, since the issue is complicated and getting all my points across in 140 characters was proving to be impossible, allow this to be the case for keeping Petco Park as it is.

1) The Petco Park Advantage
Petco Park opened in 2004 marking this the 8th season in the park. In 7 complete seasons in Petco, the Padres have 2 NL Western Division titles. In their entire franchise history prior to moving to Petco they had 3 ('84, '96, '98). They accomplished this despite never having a team salary higher than $73 million (2008).

If you judge success not by division titles but purely by wins, then keep in mind that the Padres 90 win 2010 was the 4th highest win total in franchise history, despite a paltry $45 million payroll. (It's worth noting that the worst year for the Padres came in 2008 where they won 63 games while spending $73 million).

So was it coincidence that the most successful stretch in Padres history coincided with the opening of Petco Park? I seriously doubt that. The Padres have committed to a strategy as a franchise to build teams around good pitching and defense and a focus on small ball and speed. To that end, the Padres are consistently near the top of MLB in team ERA and, more recently, SB's. Petco has turned average pitchers into league leaders and saw only the 4th Cy Young in franchise history in 2006 with Jake Peavy. Pitching and defense. That's Padres and Petco baseball. And it has, for the most part, proved to be successful.

2) The Money Game
Let's live in the real world. The Padres will never be one of the biggest spenders in baseball. Jed Hoyer has said publicly that, eventually, the Padres eventually will operate around $70-75 million a year. For reference, this year a payroll of $75 million would put the Padres 20th in MLB in team payroll.

Furthermore, of the top 10 player salaries in MLB this year, only 2 of those players (CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay) are pitchers. The point? Offense cost money. Money the Padres don't have and won't have anytime soon (thanks John Moores!).

So, maintaing Petco Park as a pitchers park allows the Padres to continue to utilize the pitching and defense strategy while being able to work within the financial reality in which they operate. Ryan Howard cost money. Aaron Harang? Considerably less.

3) Atmospheric Conditions
The jewel of downtown San Diego is Petco Park. It was the catalyst for one of the most successful neighborhood renovation projects in the United States. It's aesthetically pleasing being located in the Gaslamp Quarter and near the San Diego Bay. Beautiful and quintessentially San Diego. The location could not have been better.

Except that it is probably the primary culprit for the lack of offense in Petco Park.

It's not a surprise nor a secret that Petco plays less as a pitchers park during the day time. What's missing during the day? Marine layer. Thick sea air that moves in each night and essentially acts as quicksand to fly balls. As a piece of purely anecdotal example, last year, Adrian Gonzalez did not hit one homerun at home aft 8:00pm. That's not coincidence.

So unless you are willing to move Petco Park to La Mesa or move the fences in 100 ft, it may not much matter.

4) Winning Breeds Excitement
Finally, there is the argument that Padres baseball = boring baseball. This is obviously a more subjective point. But, dare I say, that offense doesn't make a team exciting. Winning does. The Padres play, more often than not, close games. A byproduct of low scoring games no doubt. Which would seem to translate to games that are often up in the air until the 9th inning. Which would seem to translate to excitement. But, beyond the brand of baseball the Padres play, I would argue that winning, no matter the score, is exciting. Last year the Padres were near dead last in team BA yet won 90 games and was one of the more enjoyable seasons in recent memory (from a personal level).

Considering the Padres are 7-14 at home, no argument that this year's Padres, to this point (today's game being the obvious exception) have been boring. But I argue that they are boring because they are losing. Call me crazy, but I'll take 2-1 wins over 13-12 losses everyday.

I beg to differ with Chase Headley. This year, it is the personnel. Doesn't mean this team can't turn it around. As a team they are hitting far below average and it stands to reason that a course correction is coming (if not already here based on the series in Milwaukee). But when every everyday player other than one (Bartlett) is on pace for 100k's, you can put that team in any park from Coors to Williamsburg and it won't much matter.

So I say, keep the fences where they are. Adapt to the park, don't make the park adapt to the team.

Aimless Tuesday Ramblings

I was out of town this past weekend so that would be the reason for the limited updates. Hope every one's 4th was fun. Here are some random thoughts on the Padres I had:

- Adrian Gonzalez was named to the All-Star team to the surprise of no one. He will be travelling alone however (also to the surprise of no one) as he is the lone Padres representative. Adrian is also a bit open about his desire to take part in the Home Run Derby. With 22 homeruns (4th highest in the NL) and an open NL spot, it would seem to make perfect sense. It would seem...

- Edgar will not be making the trip to New York because the All-Star Break is "wife time."

- To meet Adrian's 8-4 goal before the All-Star break, the Padres have to win 5 straight after last night's 3-1 loss. That loss moved the Padres to 3-4 in their last 7.

- Greg Maddux will NEVER WIN AGAIN!!!!

- Greg Maddux can still pitch though and last night was a great example.

- Interesting move by the Brewers this weekend landing C.C. Sabathia. A new high water mark for mid-market/small market teams.

- I've been a fan since he got here but I am over Khalil Greene. Look, we had some fun, some laughs, but its over. Time to move on.

- In things I know little to nothing about, the Padres scored big in the Amateur signing day last week, landing 5 of ESPN.com's 10 best prospects. Check Paul Depodesta's blog for far better information on that at It Might Be Dangerous.

- And speaking of Depodesta, he put a call out to fans for suggestions on what to do with this team. Essentially, play GM. My answer, sell. Forget this season, get rid of Wolf, Giles, Greene, load up on prospects and look toward next year. It doesn't take a Herculean effort to win this division, but speed might help.

- $1 days at Petco! $1 hot dogs, $1 drinks, $1 off beer. Only 8 home games left in July.

- Luke Carlin has a cannon for a right arm. If only he could hit.

- Chase Headley may strike out a lot but he already has 5 home runs since joining the Padres a few weeks ago.

- The Padres can't score more than 3 runs at home! Last night was no different.

- I'm now openly rooting for a team below .500 to win the NL West

An AL Bloodbath

- Since leaving for Cleveland the Padres are 2-7 including a sweep by the Yankees and losing 2 of 3 to the Indians and Tigers. Needless to say, interleague cannot end fast enough. Luckily, misery loves company, as the National League, once again, has a losing record against the American League (save the Cubs sweeping the White Sox and the Reds taking 2 of 3 from NY). Minnesota comes in next and one can only hope the Padres can find a way to win a series.

- The Padres are 13 % more likely to strike out with runners in scoring position then any team in the NL. That stat attributes much of the offensive woes the Padres face. It's not getting guys on that seems to be the problem, it's the bats clamming up once they do. Last Thursday in NY, this was made abundantly apparent where, in the 2nd inning the Padres put guys at 2nd and 3rd with no one out. Strike out, throw out at home, strike out ended the inning. Bases loaded with 1 out in the 3rd, similar result. As the guy sitting next to me at Yankee Stadium said "the Padres should be up 7-0 right now." To which all I could say was "Yup, but you get use to it. I've seen this movie before."

- I understand the lineup choices are a bit limited with the nagging injuries to Hairston and Kouzmanoff, but PMac in the 5 hole? Really? That's the best we can muster!

- Adrian Gonzalez hit his 21st homerun yesterday, opposite field shot (as it turns out, 1/3rd of his homeruns this year have been opposite field shots!). Then he was intentionally walked his next two times up. The book is out, and until Headley asserts himself as a legit threat (which he will) and/or Kouz comes back, Adrian might as well leave the bat in the dugout. Interestingly, Adrian has driven in 22.5% of the Padres runs this year, by far the highest on any team.

- Chase Headley had a tremondous start in NY at the plate (a less impressive defensive start so far, although if the Padres could figure out where to play him and, you know, let him play there, this wouldn't be such an issue.). But at the plate, Headley went 2-4, 1-4 with a HR, 1-4 with a double in the three game series in NY. He followed that up with a 2-4 plus a homerun day at home against Detroit, a 1-4 game on Saturday before his 5-game hitting streak came to an end on Sunday, going 0-4 with 3K's (note: his 4th out was a warning track shot). I would say Headley is as-advertised as to his offense.

- An interesting article today in the San Diego U-T here. Basically, the Moores are getting divorced and California is a community-property state which basically means the divorce is suppose to go 50/50 in regards to property. So who takes over the Padres?

- I talked this up a bit last week but be sure to head to Ducksnorts.com/blog and find Parts 1-3 of the interview Geoff Young did with Sandy Alderson. Interesting stuff.

I'm saving the full Yankee Stadium report until I get the pictures from the trip. However, I will say this (and likely repeat during that post). Here are the stadiums I've been too now (active stadiums):

1) Petco Park

2) Dodger Stadium

3) Chase Field (AZ)

4) U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago WS)

5) Wrigley Field

6) Angels Stadium

7) Yankee Stadium

8) Miller Park (Milwaukee)


As you would guess, Petco is first but one cannot compare a brand new stadium to one built in the 1920's.

Greetings from the Big Apple

You know what would be awes0me...having a team that knew how to run the bases! I would take a team that would recognize that they are a slow team!!!!! Adrian, I love you, but you are slow sir.

Anyway, stopping by to say hey to everyone. Was at Yankee Stadium today, the mecca of baseball stadiums and it lived up to expectation. The Bronx is a Zoo (words are fun!). Hung out at a Yankee bar, meet some interesting people. All went well, except of course for the game itself. Josh Banks deserved a better fate after essentially shutting down the Yankees today. And of course that base running.

The positives? Chase Headley is swinging it and some tremondous defense today which is something we couldn't say the first two games.

In the end though, get us the hell out of the AL! Tough road trip.

Full NY report with pictures next week!

Head East Young Man

Tomorrow morning I leave for the bright lights of New York City! As a brief primer, here is what I have on-deck in the Big Apple:

1) Josh Banks vs. Joba Chamberlein on Thursday Afternoon...and it's cap day. I have never been to Yankee Stadium and as this will likely be the only time I can go before they tear it down, you can bet I'll be taking the whole thing in. A lot of pictures will follow but for sure things I will see are going to be Monument Park, the Yankee Stadium sign outside, and the bar scene around the park.

2) Grab your fanny packs kids, I'm heading on a Double Decker tour bus. Look, I'm not there that long, its a big city, so I want to see as much as I can while I'm there. City Tour of Manhatten, just like the Muppets!

3) Checking out CBGB. For those non-music fans out there, CBGB was THE premiere punk club in NYC. While music is no longer played there, the building and interior is still there and still gross!

4) Metropolitan Museum of Art or The MET, you know, for culture and stuff.

5) Trying not to trip over the homeless guy who looks exactly like Willie Randolph...wait, that is Willie Randolph! Tough town...

6) Finding terminally ill people to bring to Chase Headley so the savior can heal them. Anything less would be a disappointment at this point.

So there you have it, if anyone has anymore suggestions on what to do/see in NYC, let me know. Otherwise, GO PADRES!!!!!

Oh, and finally. Whenever I'm asked why I hate the Yankees (and Red Sox for that matter) it usually has little to do with the players. I like Derek Jeter and ARod. What I hate are the finances of Yankee baseball and the ownership. The latest exhibit, this classic line from Hank Steinbrenner in reference to his ace getting hurt running the bases:

"My only message is simple. The National League needs to join the 21st century," Steinbrenner said in Tampa, Fla. "They need to grow up and join the 21st century."
"Am I [mad] about it? Yes," Steinbrenner added. "I've got my pitchers running the bases, and one of them gets hurt. He's going to be out. I don't like that, and it's about time they address it. That was a rule from the 1800s."

Classic! Baseball is played with 9 guys Hank. 9 in the field, 9 at the plate, and it's suppose to be the same 9 guys! Now, baseball fans debate the DH over and over again, but Hank takes it to a new level. Hey Steinbrenner, sorry your pitchers are so out of shape that they can't run around the bases without getting hurt. Didn't realize they made them so fragile in New York!

The Padres Take Manhatten!!!!

Well, the Bronx really but the Muppets never made a movie there. Either way, the Padres continue interleague play on Tuesday by making a rare visit to Yankee Stadium. Jake Peavy made his career debut at Yankee Stadium in 2001 and this Tuesday the Padres will unveil yet another young talent. Chase Headley, by virtue of both the DH and the DL (Hairston hurt, Giles sore, and now PMac "day-to-day") has finally been called up and will likely start, in some capacity, on Tuesday.

Chase Headley is not Roy Hobbs yet he begins his Padres career with Roy Hobbs like expectations. It's important to remember a few things:

- Headley is playing a position that is not his natural position. The Padres drafted Headley as a third baseman long before Kouzmanoff was in the picture. (Another reason why the MLB Amature Draft is not done to fill immediate need).

- Headley is a slow starter. Or so it seems from his season in Portland so far. The first two months of the season in Portland were dreadful for Chase. He has since been mashing however.

- Major League pitching is not Triple-A pitching. If it were it would be Major League pitching.

- His debut is in Yankee Stadium...enough said there.

All that being said, you can't help but be excited to see Chase finally up with the big club. Now, if only he could pitch the 7th inning...

Cleveland Series Wrap-up

Not much to say here. The Padres drew a tough pitching matchup in two of the three days. While Cleveland avoided Peavy, the Padres had the Major League leader in wins (Cliff Lee) followed by the AL Cy Young (C.C. Sabathia).

Padres had chances yesterday though but an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance by Maddux coupled with another Cla Meredith shellacking did the Padres in. Maddux yesterday, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, made a throwing error and threw over 100 pitches. Not the typical Mad Dog day. And while I can't be upset about the Padres scoring runs and hitting sac flys, it would be nice to see base hit instead of sac flys to keep innings alive for some crooked numbers.

The nice thing is the NL West across the board had a tough weekend, so it may not have mattered all that much.

The Padres get a better pitching draw against the Yankees, avoiding Chien-Ming Wang (who is likely heading to the DL anyway) while throwing Peavy and Banks in the three game set.

Ducksnorts.com writer Geoff Young sat down with Sandy Alderson to discuss all things Padres and baseball. Sandy Alderson is the current Padres CEO and is one of the architects of the Moneyball strategy. Check out part 1 here.

NOTE: This week will be light on post as I will be travelling to New York on Wednesday to catch the Padres day game on Thursday. It's the final year of Yankee Stadium and the Padres are playing them. I had to go.

Meet the Mets, Greet the Mets, Come on Everybody and SWEEP THE METS!!!

Well, things have gotten a little bit interesting suddenly. While the Padres remain 9 games below .500, the prospect of ever even sniffing .500 suddenly does not seem laughable. Thanks in part to a 5 game winning streak that includes a 4 game sweep of the suddenly nose-diving Mets, the Padres find themselves in a spot that they have not been in since the first week of April: hopefully.

Last year, I hated seeing Tony Clark coming to the plate. Hated it more when Chris Young was pitching. For some reason, I felt like Clark was a consistent Padre killer. So when they signed Clark last winter I thought "great, a big thumper off the bench." Up until Sunday that "thumping" had not materialized. Apparently he only needed to face the National League's best closer (statistically speaking of course, we know where the real best closer resides!) in a full count, down by 2 with 2 guys on situation. Tony Clark's homerun capped an improbable sweep, winning 3 games 2-1 (including beating Johan Santana) then rebounding on Sunday from down 3 in the first to immediately get those runs back in the bottom half of the 1st. Now the Dodgers come to town and the Padres have a chance to move into third. 6.5 GB and 9 from .500. If this team is at .500 by the All-Star Break and within 5 games, things will get very interesting indeed.

Headley Watch: Word is that Headley will finally and mercifully make a Padres debut when inter-league begins next week. Kevin Towers has said that the sudden change in the Padres fortune has relieved the pressure of bringing up Headley, as opposed to have him come up while the team was scuffling in May and be seen as THE SAVIOR. They still seem hesitant to let him play left though. Perhaps they see something in PMac and Huber that I don't. Hard to imagine Headley plays left worst than those two.

- Jody Gerut has turned it on in the past week and presents a legitimate speed threat at the top of the lineup who is now hitting for average. The power is still not there (although how much power were you expecting?) but getting on-base is, and that has been key to the Padres sudden winning ways.

- Jake Peavy is said to be returning from the DL this Thursday, a day game against the Dodgers, after throwing a simulated game yesterday.

- I love rooting for Edgar Gonzalez. I don't know why but I do.

- Tonight, Greg Maddux goes for the Padres. Somewhat under the radar, Maddux has quietly had a tremendous year, especially at home. The Dodgers send rookie Henshaw who, while sometimes erratic, has electric stuff and a high K/9 rating. Never good when playing the Padres.

It's Official...Jim Edmonds Hates San Diego

Seriously? Two scolding doubles last night? Jim Edmonds, the poster child for every player that plays past his sell date hit two doubles for the Chicago Cubs last night. Edmonds you'll remember was so anemic at the plate that even on a team full of anemic hitters he stood out, to the point that he was finally released. Now this...and so it goes this season.

The Cubs are in town this week with the best record in baseball. Not many could have hoped for a win last night between Carlos Zambrano and newly acquired starter Baek. Still, ever the optimist, I thought the fight shown by the Padres (and I guess really I mean Adrian, more on this in a second) was inspiring. Look, things can be spun however you want. The Padres went 5-5 on their last home-stand. Improvement? Yes. Satsified? No, not when those 10 games come against the Cardinals, Reds and Nationals. Still, the point was the same. Fans can see a clear difference in the style of play on the field, even in a loss.

Adrian Gonzalez is having some kind of year that is being lost in obscurity here in 4th place San Diego. AGon hit his 17th home run last night and is now the NL leader in RBI's, an amazing feat considering he has almost no protection in the lineup and does not exactly hit in a Murderer's Row of a lineup. It seems more than likely now that AGon will be the Padres representative at the All-Star Game.

What's amazing this year is as bad as things have seemed (and really, part of me just thinks this team is snake bit), the Padres are only 9.5 games back. A large deficit for sure but not insurmountable considering the quality of the NL West and that Arizona has finally come back down to earth. Of course, this goal would be buoyed by the promotion of Chase Headley...but that's for another time.

Tonight, the Cubs send Jason Marquis against Wil Ledezma (is it me or does it feel like the Padres have about 10 "starters" right now while Peavy, Young, and Estes are DL'd?)

BIG NEWS!!!!!
Left Coast Bias will be making the trip East in three weeks to see for the first (and only) time Yankee Stadium as the Padres take on the Yankees in mid-June. Full report on the activities later but wanted to give you a heads up.

Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

I return today after an 11 day hiatus to finish finals, begin an internship and entertain out-of-town guests. So, what have I missed?

- Jake Peavy was placed on the DL and the optimistic approach appears to be about 6 weeks on the shelf. This is devastating obviously but that devastation is tempered somewhat by being 12.5 games back. Essentially what I'm saying is, its not as if the Padres need him right now. And if this thing doesn't get turned around (and quickly) there is no reason to rush him back. I posted here a few weeks (months?) ago that Peavy's pitch counts I thought were abnormally high for this early in the season. Now he has a sore elbow. Maybe it's connected. Maybe whatever Prior has is contagious. Either way, Peavy is out.

- And now, so is Chris Young. If you watched or were at the game on Wednesday, the scene was something out of a horror movie. I saw the ball hit off CY, but wasn't sure where. His back was turned to the camera on Channel 4 and when he turned around a stream of blood was running down his face. Very Wes Craven. It appears he fractured his nose and will miss at least one or two starts.

- 10 minutes later, Josh Bard was knocked out with a high ankle sprain. The culprit in both incidents? Albert Pujols. I must say though, Pujols was pretty classy regarding the CY incident, saying in the paper that he "would have rather grounded into a double play then to have that happen."

- This obviously necessitated some moves by the front office which meant FINALLY Chase Headley would be brought...wait...what? Oh, no Chase is still in Portland. It's not about his salary though...no way...definitely not.

- The Padres find themselves 12.5 games back yet in the last two weeks have shown some semblance of competitiveness which I imagine is encouraging. What isn't is having the top two pitchers knocked out and having no catcher with big league experience.

- Trade rumors abound and the thought is that absent a major turn around, major trades will be made. Brian Giles contract ends at the end of this year so one would have to think he is on the block.

- Did I mention that Chase Headley is not up with the club yet?

- Ever the optimist, I can say that the NL as a whole is not exactly lighting the world on fire. Also, there is recent precedence for teams turning it around in the second half (Astros, Mariners, etc). It's possible. So I say, do not go gently into that good night...yet.

* Apologies to Dylan Thomas

**BREAKING NEWS** Jim Edmonds Released

This news is coming third party so I will try to do it justice but as I get details I will post them.

Essential, what I've heard via someone who was listening to Sports Radio 1090 in San Diego is that the Padres have released Jim Edmonds from the roster. As has often been written here, Jim Edmonds had been a colossal hole in the middle of the Padres lineup and had clearly lost a step in the outfield. Our fears were realized earlier this week when Kevin Towers went on the air to publicly say that it was clear Edmonds bat and legs had slowed down. Moves were promised upon their return, and moves have taken place. So...now what.

Jody Gerut and Nick Hundley did NOT play in Portland last night, perhaps indicative that they are coming to San Diego by this weekend.

Chase Headley remains their top prospect, and bringing him here will push a platoon into Center between (likely) Hairston, Gerut, Crabbe, and the Aussie.

It seems increasingly likely that the Padres will be in a position where they HAVE to sign Jacques Jones. He can't hit but the guy can play some D and brings much needed speed to a slow team. And he strikes out a lot, so he'll fit right in.

Other options: Reggie Willits, Felix Pie (who also can't hit, and who knows what the Cubs would want for him), and my yearly answer, Ken Griffey Jr. That's a pipe dream of course, as he wants to go to a contender (which the Padres are not currently) and he is likely far to expensive. Doesn't mean we can't wish for it though!

More info as I receive them!

Updates:

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has the story here.

Fight the Apathy!!!!

The title to today's post is taken from Sullivan's article today in the U-T. In that article, Sullivan points out that the time to make changes on this team is now, while fans are angry but paying attention. As is often the case in San Diego, apathy can set in quickly and the fastest way to drive your fans off the cliff and into oblivion...a 12-22 record.

Fear not, change is on its way. So we've been told. Kevin Towers has said publicly that changes will be made once the team returns from there East Coast trip. What will those changes be? That's anyone's guess, but based on KT's public admonishment of Jim Edmonds skills yesterday on Sports Radio 1090XX one would have to assume it involves Edmonds. Probably not a great sign that Crabbe pinch hit for Edmonds last night in the 9th.

NOTE: As has often been said in this space, Edmonds should not be batting 5th. He's not today and the Padres just scored 2 in the first. Talk about small sample size but still...

Ledezema gets the start this morning in Atlanta, giving Peavy a day off. Headley is beginning to rake in Portland and Jacques Jones is still unemployed (and sadly, I think designed for a Towers pick-up...let's hope Towers learned his lesson about putting aging, offensively challenged in important positions in the field.

Finals continue so a short post. Mostly to tell you I'm still here and still following the team, although with studying, not as diligently as I was. If/when moves are made this week or next, I will let you know.