One might ask themselves when the offense is going to start clicking. Tonight, the Padres were once again goose-egged by what they thought would be a great opportunity with Matt Cain skipping his start due to a knife accident.
But they didn't capitalize. Instead, they had three hits, including one from Donn Roach. Yes, the middle reliever, newly added to the bullpen this year, Donn Roach. Two hits from the starters? That is bad news.
So, what is the answer? I am not sure. I do like that Bud Black is starting to mix it up some. Alonso riding the pine to get Grandal in the game. That is good. Realizing #Norf is the Padres current best hitter so batting him third. That is good. Having Maybin back in the lineup and having Jace Peterson start at third. Both are good. It shows their is realization that the Padres are currently batting .219 and ranked 29th of 30 in that category.
The Padres cannot expect to get 5 RBIs out of Rene Rivera ever night, but it was nice to see someone produce for the Padres. Why can't this happen more often? The Padres get enough people into scoring position (excluding tonight). Why can't they get the big hit? WHY? WHY? WHY?
So many whys, so little answers. I feel like the Padres season is like seasons 4-6 of LOST in which there are more questions than answers and fans are left dumbfounded. It sure would be interesting if somehow polar bears turned up in the Padres locker room. That would make for some great ratings.
One may game up north and then the Padres come home to face the current 8-22, worst in the NL, D'backs. Can this be the start to rally some offense? I mean, the Diamondbacks currently have the worst ERA in baseball at 5.26, so surely this will allow the Padres to cross some Padres across the plate? A team that has reached 5 runs only thrice this season needs all the help they can get.
Since the Padres aren't allowed to use aluminum bats, which I am not sure how much help that would even be, they are going to have to make due. The pitching is there and keeping the Friars in games, but the offense needs to break out of this month long slump. Maybe it is an April thing and I'll take that excuse. If so, lets hit the ground running in May and start the hitting parade.
Santa, you can sit yourself right back down. 'Tis the season for something much more wonderful.
Last night I was in the shower and started singing a new Christmas Carol. Wrong time of year? No. Baseball season is the most wonderful time of the year. Enjoy!
On the first day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
an extension to Chase Headley
On the second day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the third day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the fourth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the fifth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the sixth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the seventh day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the eighth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Eight Dodgers sulking
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the ninth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Nine players Byrnes is refinancing
Eight Dodgers sulking
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the tenth day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Ten NL teams the Friars outplaying
Nine players Byrnes is refinancing
Eight Dodgers sulking
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the eleventh day of baseball, the Padres gave to me...
Eleven bags of swiping
Ten NL teams the Friars outplaying
Nine players Byrnes is refinancing
Eight Dodgers sulking
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
On the twelfth day of baseball the Padres gave to me...
Twelve playoff runs forthcoming
Eleven bags of swiping
Ten NL teams the Friars outplaying
Nine players Byrnes is refinancing
Eight Dodgers sulking
Seven bats of swinging
Six consecutive games of Quentin playing
FIVE SERIES RINGS
Four runners rounding third
Three good innings from the pen
Two golden gloves
and an extension to Chase Headley
As Spring Training begets Opening Day begets "10 games back in July isn't that insurmountable", most baseball fans will soon face the crushing realization that their fantasy team(s) suck just as much as the actual teams they support. Which will hurt worse? The possibility of losing ground in the standings to a Phillies' fan with a team name of "Young Love" or watching a professional sports team falter to the actual Delmon-Michael super-combo?
Your fantasy baseball team and its witty name: Lord Galzas Cold-hard reality: Kenshiro
According to Wikipedia, the greatest of all sources, the word cereal derives from Ceres (fascinating first couple paragraphs), the name of the Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture. You may be asking yourself what this has to do with our Padres. The answer? Not much.
Cereal is the best food on the planet and the Padres are the best baseball team on the planet. Therefore, I figured I should compare some of our favorite (or least favorite) Padres to their cereal counterparts. Yes some parts won't make complete sense, but remember I'm comparing human beings to cereal. I just ask for you, my reader, to take this article super cereal. I'm hilarious.
If you see spelling errors it's because this is a blog (I don't enjoy editing) and sometimes spell check doesn't identify unfinished words
I promise you'll somewhat enjoy this entry.
Please keep reading.
Please.
Chase "Deadly" Headley = Special K
My personal favorite cereal (the Fruit & Yogurt variety seriously go buy it right now) and personal favorite Padre. He'll never let you down- and just the like the delicious milk at the bottom of the bowl, he'll be there for you at the end of games.
You heard it here folks, "Chase Headley can give you the highest level of productivity available in a player, and productivity can help you win games. So make Chase Headley part of you daily lineup" That's what you heard too, right?
Chris Denorfia/Will "The Thrill" Venable = Cinnamon Toast Crunch/Frosted Toast Crunch
Damn, what a combination. CTC is old reliable for me. if I need a quick pick-me-upI mosey on down to the grocery and pick up a box or 4. The delicious blend of cinnamon swirl and milk leaves me wanting more every time. So I pour another bowl of course. The same, err, could be said about Deno. Solid, reliable platoon man out in right. Every year he impresses me and he still stands out as one of the few Padres who can actually have a chance to bat .300 every year (I guess it's hard?).
Then we've got The Thrill, Deno's comPADRE (see that?!?!?!?) in right field. FTC is my new jam, and Venable has quickly become one of my favorite Padres. FTC has a more smooth and rich flavor than CTC and allows for more consumption without flavor overhaul. I think I may have to refer to Venable's swing as "frosty" from now on. Also, have you seen this guy's hairline? Talk about perfection.
Sup.
Cameron Maybin = Reese's Puffs
Mmm...Reese's Puffs. What an amazing cereal. You get the perfect blend of chocolate and peanut butter. With Maybin, you get a blend of speed and power. "But Matt, you're dumb Maybin hasn't even hit 10 home runs in one year!" My answer to that is "I know." But hear me out on this one- Maybin has incredible power, and we've had tastes of what he can do when he actually connects with a ball (skip to 2:50 and please mute your sound, you DO NOT want to listen to the song that is playing):
What I'm saying is that Maybin has true power- he just needs to become a better hitter all-around in 2013, hopefully reducing his strikeouts and having better plate discipline. I used to call him Cameron May...be He'll Get A Hit, but after his vast improvement in the second half of 2012, I see him having a great year, hopefully hitting somewhere near a .275 avg with 10-15 homers. And of course, we know the dude can play a mean center and steal a bunch of bases. Just FYI, Reese's puffs has never had a down year. Don't get it twisted.
Mark Kotsay = Lucky Charms
Yes you read it right, Mark Kotsay (he still plays?). This guys was a spark plug for the team last year, producing some clutch pinch-hits in crucial situations. He's a reliable veteranthat can come off the bench and still produce. I really hope he makes the squad this year, it really does make a difference having a veteran in the clubhouse and on the field for a team.
Sometimes I forget about Lucky Charms, sometimes I forget that Kotsay plays baseball. But when I remember, it tastes good.
Pretty much Mark Kotsay, right?
Carlos Quentin = Fruity Pebbles
Need I say more?
Yasmani Grandal = Wheaties
Sorry, but I have to:
Wow, he got big.
All jokes aside (Sorry Yasmani I know you love this blog), he is a GREAT player. He made a mistake and has owned up to it. I know we all hope this never happens again and that he will stay a Padre for years to come. He provides such a spark offensively and can only progress from here as such a young player. Plus, he is a switch hitter and can cause problems for pitchers on both sides of the plate. We got such an amazing package from the Reds in the Latos trade, and Grandal may end up being the prized possession (although Alonso and Volquez haven been equally as important).
The Entire Bullpen = Kix
Nothing special, but a great cereal. To the common eye, Kix look plain and boring. To the smart humans (Padres fans), Kix is a solid cereal that tastes refreshing and healthy (can things taste healthy...hot dogs, right?)
To the casual fan the Padres bullpen is lacking in big names and strong arms, to which I say lol. I want to see more from Nick Vincent but he had a productive 27 appearances for the team last year, posting a 1.71 ERA, .98 WHIP, and 9.6 SO/9, but I'd like to see the walks go down from 2.4 BB/9.
Thayer and Tatcher are solid relievers, with Thayer filling in as the closer for a portion of last year and Thatcher being awesome simply based on how he somehow pulls off his pitching delivery:
Huh?
Then we have Luke Gregerson, with a slider more deadly then Ricin (can Breaking Bad start again please?).
"Use the slider Luke, let go...of the ball."
Then we have Huston Street(Heath who?). The major problem for him was staying healthy last year. But, we can all be happy that his problems weren't shoulder or arm problems, so nothing mechanically will be or has been compromised. 23 saves a year ago, with only 17 hits allowed in 39 innings. Yeah I'll take that all day. If we can have an entire year with Street, the team will obviously benefit greatly. And hey, at least he'd be earning his 5 yr/$36M contract. If the bullpen produces like they should, who knows they may even evolve into Berry Berry Kix (and will be Berry Berry good, gosh I'm funny!)
Yes, please.
Starting Rotation = When you mix cereals and don't know how it'll taste
Yum?
I like all of the options for this year's rotation to start the year. Obviously when Luebke gets healthy, he's gonna be our guy. But for now I like all of the competition for the final 1 or 2 spots at the end of the rotation. Spring Training should be fun to watch for the young and Garcia (old) pitchers. But we won't know how good it will be until the real season starts, let's just hope we don't have 25 (or so) different starters like last year.
Kyle Blanks = Bran Flakes (with spoiled milk)
Awww thanks Mom this looks really good!
Sounds unhealthy amirite? Obviously a joke but seriously dude play for more than 55 games for once. If he can play like we all know he can, he could be a regular option on this team. I want him to get healthy and perform, then he can become Raisin Bran Crunch, with emphasis on the CRUNCH:
He can do this for the Padres, too? Please?
Honorable mention for Raisin Bran CRUNCH video:
There he is.
Alright folks, that's it. I love cereal and I love the Padres. Opinions shared in this entry do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other writers, but they should start thinking like me because I'm always right.
Today, the Padres finally released their promotional schedule and showed all the fans what free swag they are going to score this year.
With a lineup laced full of retro nights, fireworks, beer fests and rally towels, I am happy to announce that the Padres have brought back a bobblehead for the first time since the 2010 season.
April 13 is Chase Headley bobblehead day and I suggest that you get your tickets early and often and score on this awesome giveaway. Although, it will not compare to that Coco Crisp bobblehead put out by the Athletics this year, I am for sure scoring one.
Another bit of good news is the Padres have released the date of single game ticket sales, which is to be March 7th. Padres fans can still score Budwiser 6-pack of tickets for $99 which start Saturday at FanFest at Petco Park, which include a game against the New York Yankees. I am sure there are some Friar Fans seeking vengeance for 1998.
Just another thing that gets me excited for the next few weeks. We are just over two months until the home opener against the Dodgers and it can't come any sooner.
