Not-Joe-Randa coming to San Diego at the Trade Deadline

I could say a lot right now regarding this morning's acquisition of OF Ryan Ludwick from the St. Louis Cardinals but honestly I lack the capabilities. I'm kind of giddy...like JoJo the Idiot Circus Boy with a pretty new pet.....just too excited to be thinking TOO critically right now.....

 

I'm also going to the game shortly so I have little choice but to keep it short.

Please don't mistake my school girl giddiness for thinking that Ryan Ludwick is the messiah. He's not. But he is a big improvement in a line-up that needs a BIG IMPROVEMENT (he leads the NL in hitting with RISP).

Here's how I'm looking at it:

1. In terms of human resources, a minimal amount was ventured. Pitchers Corey Kluber and Nick Greenwood are fringe prospects. Neither were in Baseball America's top 30 for the organization prior to the beginning of the year. Again, little ventured.
2. The Padres showed a willingness to add a significant amount of payroll for a player who is also controllable during the 2011 season.

Both are important points but none more so than #2. Taking on payroll when the team hasn't exactly filled the seats this year shows a commitment to winning. This is an important statement by Jeff Moorad..... one that was painfully lacking during the Padres first 6 seasons in Petco Park.

Oh yea....we got Miguel Tejada too...for what it's worth.

JED HOYER's FINAL GRADE:
Incomplete
COMMENTS:
It wasn't a Joe Randa-esque move! Hooray!

(h/t to @matthewverygood for correcting my Tommy Boy misquote. Follow him on Twitter for expert quotation of Christmas Vacation, Spaceballs, Tommy Boy, and The Three Amigos )

Me not here: Great Moments In Padres Trade Deadline History

I'm a little late on this (wrote it last Friday) but I did a hokey little piece on Padres trade-deadline-transactions of yore for 619 Sports. My target was one Joe Randa....third baseman extraordinaire! Truth be told, I feel abad about being so critical of Joe Randa as I'm sure he is a stellar human.

In the end it is not so much the skills of a 35 year old third baseman that I'm critical but instead the low-bar set by previous management regimes. Nevertheless, I still feel bad about busting Joe's chops. Check it out over at 619Sports.net....

How many All-Star Games Do You Even Remember?

I'm sure this post will be riddled with errors which is, by my rationale, the point. All Star games are so forgettable that your mind cannot help but play with the facts.

The earliest All-Star game I can recall watching was in 1983.

Prior to that year there are only three that come to mind as being memorable. I know that Pete Rose ran over Ray Fosse to win a game. It was sometime in the 1970's, it gave the NL the victory, and Fosse broke his collar bone on the play. Fosse was never the same and a lot of people think Pete Rose is a dick because of it... I disagree. Catchers should be destroyed whenever they place themselves between a base runner and the safety of home plate. A lot of people think I'm a dick too, so you can form your own conclusions.



The second game I can recall was Ted Williams hitting a HR off of Rip Sewell's Eephus pitch. This could be totally wrong but I'm going by memory. It was probably in the '40s. Of course it could have been in the '50s. Does it even matter?
 (click "Read More" to continue)

Didn't pay attention to the year attached to the picture...still don't know

Someone struck out the side in the '20s or '30s. I think it was Carl Hubbel who K'd some crazy threesome like Gehrig, Ruth, and some other hall of famer. Who knows?

Although I wasn't born for the above games....the All-Star games themselves are forgettable. What about the games from my lifetime?

Here's the ones that I remember.... and I've watched.

1983 Fred Lynn Grand Slam---I lived in Chicago. It was at Comiskey. The AL killed Atlee Hammaker and the NL. Earliest recollection.

1989 Bo Jackson Lead-Off HR Against Rick Reuschel---Bo Jackson. Need I say more? I was playing in a baseball game and heard about it. Watched the tape when I went home.

199X Somewhere In Here Tony Gwynn Raced Around To Score The Winning Run In Extra Innings ---I think.

2006 Didn't Trevor Shit The Bed here?---Total blur.

2007 Chris Young Gets The LOSS---The year I did an on-line voting blitz to get CY that last spot on the NL team. That worked out well. Jake Peavy started this game.

2008 Josh Hamilton goes crazy in Home Run Derby---NUTZZZZ!!!! Quick....who won the derby?

2009 Heath Bell gets the LOSS---For Fuck's SAKE!!!

I'm not going to look any of this crap up because then I would have the correct answers..... which I do not need. It's an All-Star game. Who cares*!!! If you care then share in the comments. I actually care to hear what you remember.

*Although I am eager to watch tonight's game!

Me Not Here: Meg Whitman Fails To Vote on All-Star Game, Reserves Comments On Padres Snubs

The Great Padres All Star Game Snub Hullabaloo of 2010 got me thinking......how many of us complainers actually voted? I mean if you don't vote (similar to my beliefs in "real" political elections) can you really comment/complain?

After reflecting on the question the answer seemed fairly simple. At that point Meg Whitman entered the equation because.....well, she never votes.

Do me a favor and check it out over at 619Sports.net Go read it or I will detach your Latissimus Dorsi!!!

Jake Peavy Detached His What?

When the trade deadline passed in July of 2009 and Jake Peavy had been moved to the White Sox for four pitchers I knew little about, I made the following remark:

Jake has an ailment of some sort each year and I'd hate to see a guy commanding 25% of the payroll spending time on the DL. 4 for 1---Two quality left handers.

Most Padres fans would have said the same about Jake's rate of injury so I am no prophet. Fast forward to July of 2010.

Jake Peavy is likely done with a detached Latissimus dorsi. I said yesterday, that in all of my years watching and playing sports I had never heard of a human detaching their Latisimus dorsi. I mean it's detached... from the bone! Yikes. Think about the times you tear apart a chicken breast from KFC and then go listen to injury expert Will Carrol describe Jake's problem (h/t to 619Sports).

I hope the best for Jake but as a Padres fan I always hope for what's best for me, first and foremost. So thanks to Kevin Towers for dumping Jake's salary and penchant for injuries......detached Lat? Ouch!

Me Not Here--LT: San Diego's Cousin Eddie

I made a contribution over at 619Sports.net where I fabricated a pretty accurate parallel between Clark Griswold's cousin Eddie and ex-Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson. It's a hoot! Here's a snipet:

The interesting thing about family is that no matter how embarrassing they become they still have a special place in your heart. You don't abandon them for the tiniest of indiscretions. You don't judge them like you might a stranger. These are little lessons I've learned through the curious twists and turns of my life's path; and by "life's path" I am referring to the wisdom derived from the films of John Hughes. In fact it is Christmas Vacation that best provides council in assessing the icon who wore #21.

Ahhh, John Hughes and football. Click that link and get yourself to 619Sports.net