Trying to remember the 2010 Padres: Game 4 (the rehab assignment)

You have entered a site engaged in a highly complex experiment... an experiment designed to test the parameters of my mind....and my mind is becoming stronger with each exercise. All of my neurons are functioning smoothly...

If you were at any of these games of which I speak or remember watching them to an Enberg/Grant soundtrack then I suggest you test yourself too. There are a number of ways to can do this. Begin by closing your eyes. Then grit your teeth. Now think. When you're finished start reading. I'm going for a glass of water.

For further series explanation [go here]

GAME 4 of 18
May 6th, 2010
Lake Elsinore Storm (Padres) v. Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers) @ The Diamond in Lake Elsinore, Ca.

WHAT I THINK I KNOW...

Of my first four games in 2010 two of them were at Lake Elsinore. This was also my last Storm (Padres) game and as such I have little difficulty recalling the details.

***
I went to this game with Friarhood Steve and Cheri Bell. Once there we met up with Peter Friberg and a friend met through Twitter named Chris (aka @Sportsbrain). Going to games with particular people and meeting others there helps to frame a game, gives it those peripheral details needed to bring the picture into focus.

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You know what else helps to frame a game? A promotion like Thirsty Thursday where beers are sold for a buck until the 7th inning. I love minor league promotions.

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Minor league baseball games have another great feature; the rehabilitation assignment. And it was on this Thirsty Thursday in early May when the Storm faced the 66ers that fans were treated to an appearance by Manny Ramirez. Heckling is so appealing.

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The Diamond was loaded with Dodger fans which was actually pretty cool; they got to witness firsthand a strikeout and a base running blunder from their fading star... and a loss.

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The Storm won in what was a close game until a late inning explosion by the Storm.

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Nick Schmidt (2007 1st round pick) started again but did not figure into the decision. I don't remember the exact score but I'm pretty sure the 8th inning lasted an 1:45. No joke.

Source: Extra helpings of blueberries... and a ticket stub.

RESEARCH SAYS...

The Storm's Nick Schmidt threw 6 innings. He gave up 3 runs (2 ER) while striking out 4 and walking 4. Tough to get a win that way.

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The Storm defeated the 66ers 11-7  by pounding away on IE with 13 hits. After overcoming a 7-3 deficit in the 8th by scoring 8 runs things got dicey in the top of the 9th.

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Closer Brad Brach came on in the 9th to get the last out and the save.

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Pitcher Zachary Herr got the win after a fortuitous entry in the top of the 8th. No evidence exists to support the idea that he is the offspring of the old Cardinals' 2nd baseman, Tommy Herr.

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Beer concession figures were unavailable.

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Attendance--3,833

NOTABLE OMISSIONS...

Brad Brach earned the save and would go on to set the California League record with 41 saves in 2010. Brach was a 42nd round draft pick out of Monmouth University by the Padres in 2008.


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Third basemen Vincent Belnome went 2 for 2 with 3 walks, 2 RBI, and 2 runs scored. Belnome was a 28th round draft pick out of West Virginia University in 2009.


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Catcher Michael Collins went 3 for 5 including a double and an RBI. Collins is from Australia.

LASTING IMPRESSIONS...

So, what is it that I take from my two games of minor league ball? Pretty simple really. A team like the Storm is a conduit for 1st rounders to one day (hopefully) make their way to San Diego. These top picks came with accolades but most importantly they arrived with projections. For 1st round picks it's the projections that matter; they procure the big time bonus checks that secure a future while they toil away in the Cal, Texas, and Pacific Coast leagues.

Not all are as fortunate. The Notable Omissions I mentioned above (Brach, Belnome, and Collins), were acquired by the Padres for a specific but entirely different type of purpose; they're needed to fill out a roster so the 1st rounders can play and develop*. They are not projected to be the future in San Diego.

But during the time I watched the Storm play during 2010 these Notable Omissions were the stars.

***
 Go see some minor league ball because you never know who'll end up in San Diego one day. I got dibs on the discovery of Vincent Belnome!

Source: Lake Elsinore Storm website

*I recently finished The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst so I may have just borrowed his phrasing on the subject.

Lake Elsinore:reveling in some Manny Ramirez fail

I had a chance to go up to Lake Elsinore with Steve from the Friarhood to see the Storm play the Inland Empire 66ers (Dodgers High A) last Thursday night. While there we met up with Peter from the Padres Run Down. This game had two huge attractions:

1. Thirsty Thursday.......$1 beers until the 6th inning.
2. Heckle Fest........Manny Ramirez was doing a rehab assignment with the 66ers which could only lead to good fun.

Manny hit lead-off for the 66ers so as to maximize at-bats. He started by seeing four balls outside the zone from Storm pitcher and 2007 1st round draft pick, Nick Schmidt. Kind of weak. If I was going up against a "Manny type" on a rehab assignment, I'd have attacked him.....of course that's just me*.

Manny then made his way to second after another walk and then Schmidt quickly found himself looking death squarely in the eyes against the 66ers number three hitter**. Luckily for Schmidt the line-drive up the box deadened his non throwing fore-arm and not his face. A slight ricochet left Schmidt with time to gather the loose ball and spin to first to get the force......of course that wasn't the correct play. In Schmidt's stupor he failed to recognize that Manny Ramirez is horrible on the base paths and looked more like a flailing marionette hung up between second and third. Alas, Schmidt missed his opportunity to get the force at third......but as Schmidt wheeled to 1st, Manny made his mad dash to 3rd.
[Enter Allan Dykstra]
The Padres 2008 1st round pick announced his presence with authority......by air mailing the throw over Storm third baseman, Vince Belnome's, head. Ahhhh, to watch High-A ball up close. Those youngsters! Manny ultimately came around to score on the errant throw and I found myself chuckling about Ramirez' base running; that's just "Manny being Manny"(lol)***
[click "Read More" to continue]

Manny later came to bat in the 4th inning, in what would be his final appearance of the night (I think it was the 4th.....c'mon, it was Thirsty Thursday!). There were a chorus of boos. He struck out. There were a chorus of cheers. It was great. Seeing a disappointed sea of royal blue trolley-Dodger fans was.....as Mudcat Grant would say......"some kind of nice!". I tipped my cap and said have a nice drive home.....PADRES ARE IN 1st PLACE!!!****

Quick Notes:

• Nick Schmidt was ok after being hit by the line-drive. It didn't sound good and he fell in a heap after being struck but he did bounce back. On the whole he didn't look that great. 
• The Storm were losing 7-3 in the 8th but decided to go bat-sh*t-crazy and hang an 8 spot during the bottom half of the inning. The final score: 11-7. Traveling for wins is a nice thing for this fan. 
• Allan Dykstra is an ogre. I commented that he looks like Jim Thome. The collective response: "He sure doesn't hit like Jim Thome." 
• Storm third baseman, Vince Belnome was 2-2 with 3 walks. That's a good night. He hit a HR in the last Storm game I went to. Belnome is the guy I'm watching. 
• I also have some cool pictures from the game. They actually aren't that cool. They just verify that it was actually Manny playing....or do they....the player's name is obscured by a glut of nappy dreadlocks. I'll load 'em tonight.

*I am a fan/blogger
** I can't tell you who it was. It was too difficult to deal with Thirsty Thursday and score the game so you'll have to live in suspense of which future Dodger star/flame-out it may have been.
*** Facetious...f*ck that Manny being Manny crap.
****I didn't say any of that. It was more of an inner-monologue. I was hesitant to get too obnoxious as the Thirsty Thursday promotion itself probably would have been reason enough for me to get ejected if I had exceeded a certain decibel level. Also worth noting; I didn't want to offend prospective members of the Friarhood as well as the gracious hosts who shuttled me up the I15 that night.

David Ortiz And The Brilliance of Manny Ramirez

The New York times leaked two more names from the 2003 confidential PED test today. The names: Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. Manny Ramirez gave a heartfelt and logical explanation for their names being part of the failed '03 test:

Manny Ramirez tells ESPN's Bob Holzman that 50 game suspension was embarrassing but release of his name "isn't that big of a deal"
Ramirez: "Me and David (Ortiz) are mountains: This isn't going to have any impact on either of us. We're both going to keep hitting."

Well it wasn't really logical nor was it heartfelt. It was a pretty arrogant statement, though.What an idiot.

What say you, Faithful Eleven?

Enshrinement at Cooperstown: Humans Yes/Machines and Cyborgs No

This is a Treatise on the Acceptance of Machines/Cyborgs as Entertainers on the Baseball Diamond with Strict Assurances that they be Prohibited from Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Cooperstown Under the Fundamental Premise that their Records were Scientifically Attained.

If Albert Pujols is in fact a machine how will we, as fans, react?

Even though they are described as some of the most knowledgeable fans in the game, I know how Cardinal fans will react. They will claim him as their own, much like Dodger fans have given unwavering support to Manny Ramirez despite the fact that he was guilty of cheating. If Pujols is a construct of steel and wires then clearly this is a breach of Major League Baseball's rules.........or perhaps the Players' Association cleverly negotiated some sort of exemption into the collective bargaining agreement for cases where a player is driven by wattage and a flux capacitor.

In any case, Albert Pujols being of cyborg ancestry is of little consequence to this fan enjoying a game of baseball. However because he is not real I am not compelled to acknowledge his accomplishments as real.........and under the above hypothetical he would be precluded from entering the Hall of Fame.......because, you know, the HOF is for Human Beings who have accomplished milestones with legitimacy. It would be troublesome to celebrate something that surpassed all of the legends in the history of our great game when it was done in a fashion that was enhanced through revolutionary science.....that's just me, though.

We must also discuss the very real possibility that Albert the Pujols may eliminate Adrian Gonzalez in next week's All Star Game Home Run Derby........at which point we would have to file a complaint with the commissioner's office on the grounds that a human should rightfully hold the Derby Trophy aloft.

Discuss amongst yourselves. Is this manifesto to harsh as it relates to the impact science has on the record books?

Editor's Note:
I think this commercial is hilarious and had no intention of going in this direction as I merely wanted to post the commercial. However I think it is an extraordinarily witty* way of examining questions about Hall of Fame Induction.....questions that The Baseball Writer's Association has tried to answer recently.

*deftly idiotic

Pearls of Existential Wisdom From Manny Ramirez

I'm baaack/Iss gonna be show time tonight

“I didn’t kill nobody, I didn’t rape nobody, so that’s it, I’m just going to come and play the game,” Ramirez said.

• Memo to all husbands and boyfriends out there.......when the Missus comes down hard on you because you F&*$ed-up, feel free to use the Manny Defense (also known as Johnny Damon's Postulate for Steroid Users----which I will use the next time I drink too much at the ball game and can't make it home at the time deemed appropriate by the Missus)

Wearing sunglasses indoors and chewing a piece of bright green gum, Ramirez virtually no-commented every hard query, but did say he was sorry for whatever he did and declared himself “one of the best players who ever put on a uniform.”(1)

• I have to be serious for a moment. The lack of modesty in some of these guys is just ridiculously odd. I would hope that someday people might suggest that I was great at what I do.....but I wouldn't make that assertion myself (and no....I'm not talking about blogging......because I'm already one of the best bloggers who's ever banged on a keyboard!).
  

“Well, everybody got their opinion, you know,” Ramirez said. “I focus all my energy on me and what I'm going to do. I think if they say that, go right ahead, you know. I'm just here to play the game.”(2)

• Well said, Manuel. I went ahead and changed the font to emphasize what some people seem to be forgetting......You are an A-hole! You only care about yourself! You quit on the Boston Red Sox last year because you only care about Manny!
  

TV's message speaks when slugger won't (1 and 2)[UT-Chris Jenkins]

Bud Selig: A Real Man of Genius

Manny and his three ring circus will arrive on Friday at which time his suspension for Performance Enhancing Drugs will be lifted, permitting him to reemerge against the Padres.

Well the suspension was already lifted....... since Manny's already played games in Albuquerque and up the road in Lake Elsinore within the last few days. It may seem odd that a player suspended for 50 games is playing right now, but really it's not. It's quite brilliant. It wouldn't be fair for Manny to show up on Friday July 3rd without the proper "fitness regimen" that an eight game minor league stint provides.

It is in the dialogue between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association that these concessions are haggled over and it takes a true Leader to approve of these negotiations. That leader is Bud Selig and he doesn't get paid $17 million a year for doing nothing....

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”
-Stephen Covey

Stephen Covey's seminal work, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is required reading amongst the elite performers in the business world of which Bud Selig is no doubt an adherent. Bud Selig, as Commissioner, has MLB's ladder leaning against the right wall. How else could you explain ONLY two players' names being leaked from the confidential PED test administered in 2003 (Alex Rodriguez and Sammy Sosa)? Selig's brilliance is not limited to slow leakage, though.

"Hace calor en Albuquerque.....Yo soy listo para un Isotope frio. Me gustan Isotopes."
(It is hot in Albuquerque...I am ready for a cold isotope. I like isotopes)
Seriously...direct quote...Manny being stupid Manny

It is his silence regarding Manny Ramirez's allowance to play baseball for a Dodger minor league affiliate while on suspension that is the true sign of leadership. To showcase Bud's ability to lead, MLB officials came up with "Rule 9(i) rehab" (from Bill Plaschke of the LA Times):

When negotiating the drug policy three years ago, baseball officials felt they had to allow for minor league rehab assignments in order to get union agreement on a 50-game suspension total. The union was claiming that, otherwise, with the player needing to get back in shape, the suspensions actually would amount to more than 60 games.

Officials were also receiving pressure from their clubs to allow the players to do rehab assignments during the suspensions, instead of later, so the teams did not have to pay the players while they were in the minor leagues.

In the end, the baseball bosses were so desperate for any sort of penalty, they caved in to everybody. And perhaps they hoped that everyone would be so happy the druggies were finally being punished, nobody would notice.

Genius!

Now that's having your ladder leaning against the correct wall. Leadership, people. Leadership.

Bud Selig: A leader for a new time.
Managers do things right; leaders do the right thing. This is the primary difference between a good manager and a good leader. A good leader is passionate about excellence and must therefore strive for continuous improvements and change. In other words, a good leader knows that insanity is doing the same things over and over and expecting different results.

Friday night's game is sold out....I can only hope that the intrigue is a result of reasonable fans going to the park to boo ManRam and not an impending Dodger fan exodus from LA arriving in SD Friday night. This is San Diego and unfortunately I believe it to be the latter.......

We Endorse The "Vote For Manny" Blog

Satire is good.

Through humor, eyes are pried wide open. Satire promotes inquiry. It can even be a catalyst for change. When we discuss "change" it is not in the political context of "Change we can believe in"......no, the change we have in mind is not some ubiquitous slogan which was put through market research groups, approved, and printed in mass.

No, the change some of us are looking for is not in the abstract but the concrete......wet concrete......and to mix our metaphors we'll just say, the sloppy sort of wet concrete mess you might find in the shorts of Commissioner Bud Selig as the 2009 All star game approaches. Hard ball fans: we bring to your awareness.....

www.voteformanny.blogspot.com

A clever blog by a NY fan/writer/polemicist whose purpose is to promote the selection of Manny Ramirez INTO the All Star game via fan vote......but not for the reasons you think. This venture is strictly a means to an end for we, the fans of the game.

The idea: to force Bud Selig's hand in having to acknowledge and then address the possibility of a positive testing player (Performance Enhancing Drugs) making the all-star team. As San Diegans we saw a similar situation and the firestorm that ensued back in '05 when Shawne Merriman made the Pro Bowl after having served a 4 game steroid suspension. We are presented with a fantastic opportunity sport fans. Do not let the possibility of that Dread-head douche occupying left field in Busch Stadium deter you from forcing the issue.

There are those that will argue that voting for Manny, who is currently running fourth in the voting, will only prevent a more deserving player from earning a spot:

Raul has been solid. You need not worry. Mr. Selig will do the right thing.

Sorry. Sometimes you must destroy something beautiful to rebuild it correctly. Without pain there can not be gain. Insert any other metaphor you'd like but the bottom line is that the drug issue must be confronted on a national platform and more likely than not Raul Ibanez would thank you for providing him a nice little vacation during the middle of an arduous season.

There are those that will argue that this sort of measure will only serve to further damage the image of MLB:

C.J. has tarnished his own image. Edit twice...publish once my friend.

See previous argument. MLB already has two black eyes and they've been achieved under the stewardship of Commissioner Selig. This could be an opportunity for Bud to do the right thing by implementing a policy shift that illustrates an act of good faith for MLB's fans (i.e. banning Manny and all future positive testers from All-Star games and to take it a step further---ban these players from eligibility for individual season awards----this would show that he takes the PED issue seriously).

Lastly there are those who just don't quite understand the literary device of satire....

No....insanity is responding to things you disagree with at 3:30 AM

....or you don't know how to read and instead resort to inferences based on the titles of blogs you look at-- and please notice that we use the words "look at" and not "read". Hopefully one day you'll get it and when you do, "it'll be the most beautiful day of your life." A Durdian moment to be sure.

Vote Manny in so that Bud can vote him out. Exact some Change We Can Believe In: Vote on-line for Manny Ramirez and visit the blog created in his "honor". Vote For Manny Blog

Los Angeles Dodgers Website for Direct Voting and Ballot Box Stuffing.

**Comments courtesy of nit wits visiting the Vote For Manny Blog.