Jake Peavy Hates You Bloggers

On Tuesday Jake Peavy was on the hill to disastrous effects. At the time I wanted to analyze it and perhaps make some comparisons to previous athletes who had to face adversity (sickness, injury, etc.) yet battled through it. Eventually I optioned out because it required research which I didn't have time for and I didn't want to "call out" Jake Peavy....dude wasn't feeling well, and he's about all we've got to claim as our own.

However, I decided I would touch on the Peavy Start, and would look at in a broader context based on something I read over at Gaslamp Ball. What was written over at GLB was a break down of Jake's comments of a radio interview with Darren Smith on XX1090 on Thursday afternoon. After reading the quotes I listened to the interview so I could get the context as well as hear the tone in which Jake gave them. The whole interview essentially revolved around Jake's illness and subsequent reports that were either visible on Twitter:

or other 'inaccurate' reports on blogs by fans:

The above quote is what shall drive my attempt to be as fact based as possible in looking at Jake's career.......that's right, it's stats time!

Jake Peavy has asserted that blogs are riddled with inaccuracies so it is with that in mind that we have turned to ESPN to provide Jake Peavy's game log for each season in question so as to give the most accurate view possible. I want to look at this week's start as well as some of the more important games from the last few seasons.

2009 Season
On June 2nd JP started at home against the defending champions. His start had been pushed back a day due to a sprained ankle in his previous start against Arizona. Jake pitched poorly against Philly and most of the camera angles were geared towards his left 'plant' foot to try and explain the problems. He didn't seem to favor the ankle but lasted just one inning. We would later hear that JP was suffering from an upper respiratory infection.
L 10-5 to Philadelphia 1IP 3H 4R/4ER 0HR 2BB 0K

2008 Season
On June 18th, with the season essentially over, JP got the start on a Wednesday night in The Bronx. The game lacked true meaning but at the minimum was a stern test that would be covered ad nauseum by ESPN. I was at this game and in Jake's defense he was thrown off his routine by approximately 6o minutes due to rain delay....a lot can happen in an hour.....especially in a beer garden (It wasn't a beer garden. Yankee Stadium was a dilapidated shit hole so really it was a beer stand next to a bathroom....but there was no line/it was dry/and we had an hour to drink/.......so it might as well have been a beer garden)
L 8-5 to NYY 4IP 6H 4R/3ER 1HR 2BB 4K

2007 Season
On June 24th the Padres were facing the eventual 2007 WS winner at home. The Gaslamp Quarter was teeming with Massholes and WE had just watched Chris Young pitch the series even on Saturday night (We were the guys skewering JD Drew all night out in RF). Jake had the opportunity to get the series win on Sunday afternoon against Josh Beckett.
L 4-2 to Boston 5IP 9H 3R/3ER 1BB 3k

On September 5th Buddy Black decided to pitch Jake on short rest to try and halt the surging Arizona Diamondbacks.
L9-6 Arizona 4IP 7H 8R/8ER 2HR 3BB 4K

On October 1st after having debated throwing Jake on short rest in game 162 against the Brewers they instead opted to have him on full rest in case there was a game 163 in Colorado. The Rockies hadn't lost in a month and Trevor blew game 162 when Anthony Gwynn Jr. scored after hitting a triple. Jake took the hill in Denver on full rest the next evening:
ND/L 9-8 Colorado 6.1IP 10H 6R/6ER 2HR 4BB 6K

2006 Post Season
On October 3rd JP had a home start in the opening round of the playoffs. The Cards jumped Jake like a back alley mugger and I sat in the LF bleachers in painful dismay......by the mugging and the fact that Cardinal Fans wearing Pujols jerseys walked through the aisles with impunity. Not even a 'go home', a 'you suck', or a 'stick it in his Pujols'. 'Tis baseball in San Diego.
L 5-1 St. Louis 5.1IP 11H 5R/5ER 1HR 1BB 2K

2005 Post Season
On October 4th JP started in St. Louis. He got bombed. It was later discovered that he was pitching with a broken rib received during a celebratory dog pile the previous week.
L 8-5 St. Louis 4.1IP 8H 8R/8ER 2HR 3BB 3K

The above games are factual in that the statistics are accurate however they are accompanied with my opinions as well as perceived value which I have attached to each game.

Nobody would argue the importance of the '05 and '06 playoff games nor game 163 in '07. It is my opinion that the '07 Red Sox game was of importance in that it was an opportunity for a home series win in an always difficult inter-league schedule as well as an opportunity to go against Josh Becket who was dominating the AL coming into that game. It is also my opinion that the short rest AZ start in '07 was an excellent opportunity for Jake Peavy to assert himself as a big game pitcher by dominating during a pennant race.

With nothing to play for but pride in an abysmal 2008 season Jake had a shot at the Yankees during their Stadium's farewell season. I'm personally irked by that one because I was there for the series and the Padres did nothing to convince New Yorkers that they weren't a AAAA team.

As for the game against Philly this week: I seem to recall Michael Jordan not only playing with the flu during an NBA championship series but dominating and winning. I think we can all agree that the demands on the human body made by basketball are significantly more than that of baseball. Didn't John Kruk famously say,

"Lady, I'm not an athlete. I'm a baseball player." ?

I was disappointed to see that Jake couldn't gut it out a little more and at least save the bullpen. As a pitcher it was he who controlled the pace of the game and this should have allowed him to last if he was ill (I'll go ahead and say that I feel entitled to demand more from Jake since I completed a game in my sport after having dislocated a shoulder and detached my left retina...not saying I'm bad-ass.....I'm just saying).

So while I have included indisputable statistics this post is riddled with my opinions thus making it unpalatable for Jake Peavy. That's fine. What I'm more concerned with is that Jake Peavy seems so surprised with the fact that someone twittered his whereabouts on a game night or that someone speculated that something might be amiss because he wasn't at a gym working out...

It is precisely because people care about that crap that he's able to make $11 million dollars a season.

For Jake to be peeved about a a fake Twitter account is understandable but to discuss fan interest in a tone that suggests contempt is bothersome to someone who has long been a fan of #44. The information age and instant access is making you a lot of money pal, and you'd be wise to acknowledge this fact.

Maybe all of those blogs (see:fans who write them) written out in the big cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York are on to something about our Ace.......maybe he is scared....maybe he knows he'd fail pitching under a microscope......God knows there are no microscopes in San Diego......This is merely speculation and opinion: the kind of 'inaccuracy' in blogging that so upsets Jake Peavy and his handlers.

Editor's Note: I'm a huge Jake Peavy fan and I wore my #44 to the game yesterday. I have also written defenses of JP on the following two blogs:
Peavy: scared or smart?
Peeved about the Peavy hype
While I love the usual competitive fire, I'm starting to grow a little tired of the off-field comments (trade speculation and fan critique) and the lack of results when the stage is at its biggest.