*I'm blanking on who they played on account of not being able to watch the Padres on TV. Still blanking. I'll probably remember it by the time I finish this but I'm going to roll with my ignorance rather than look it up. There's no way a fan should be ignorant of the opponent of a three game series. A three game series! Yet I am. I deserve a little latitude, do I not?
Part of telling the story of a game includes player and manager quotes. These quotes are gathered after the completion of a game and can not be woven into the beat writer's story without the willingness of players and the manager to make themselves available at the end of a long day's work*. Without the beat writer's access to players and manager there is no beat writer and you have only bloggers recapping games for the public. Primary source quotes fill in the dark spots of a game, those spots that need rationales from those involved first hand.
*A long day's work for both player and writer alike.
Bud Black gives a press conference after each game. My assumption is that the Front Office directs Black to appear before the press at designated times. I've never heard of Bud Black no-showing to a post-game press conference so I think this assumption is safe.
What of players and their obligations to the press? I will go ahead and make another assumption and that's that players do not have a contractual obligation to make themselves available. This assumption feels wrong but since Quentin has not gone on the flagship radio station* to do a post game interview then I guess it also safe.
* Distinctions must be made. Carlos Quentin is probably available at his locker and gives quotes to the writers (Again, I don't want to look up Friday's game because I want to maintain my ignorance of the Padres' weekend opponent). But to make it to the radio show takes a little extra effort and I don't begrudge a player having zero interest in the process.
Here's the truth of the matter: Baseball player's, for the most part, have nothing too interesting to say. They speak in Crash Davis cliches to the point where fans can guess what the star player might say* after any given performance. I think that comments from Bud Black are essential to a game summary. Fans need game rationales from the skipper**.
*"He's a good pitcher and I new I had to get the pitch I was looking for. Luckily I hit it well. You just never know if the ball will get out in right center."
** Budbot reference inserted.
Would I like to hear from Carlos Quentin? I actually would. When I heard him on Darren Smith's show prior to the start of the season I found him to be well spoken, intelligent, and very introspective. He's a smart, local guy, educated at Stanford and I'd love to hear him on the post-game show.
Allow me to make an analogy. San Diego is a Nordstrom town and the Padres are somewhere between Wal-Mart and Target. The Nordstrom folk look down their noses at the lowly Wal-Mart/Target tweeners. The Nordstrom folk of San Diego need to be sold on the Padres. How can Padres management do such a thing? Well, they could start by committing $30 million dollars to a player who has a guarantee not to be traded during the next three years. They did that? Sweet, that's half the battle!
People in San Diego still aren't paying attention to the padres though. The Padres are like the tree falling in the proverbial empty woods. There isn't a sound being made. This must change.
I know Carlos Quentin likes his privacy but if I were his boss I would begin to encourage a more visible presence. I would pump out some commercials of him sitting at his locker reading Steinbeck intertwined with some of his PETCO bombs or some other crazy comedy. I'd also ask of Quentin that he appear on the flagship's post-game show at least once a week and put it in his court if he'd like to do more.
San Diego needs to know the Padres are here. Carlos Quentin crushes HRs and catchers. Let him announce the Padres presence.
