I just got an urgent telegram from SDPads1.....

I know you haven't heard much of me lately STOP

But there's a reason for that STOP

I broke away from the #bluelovers STOP

I saw my chance when they were discussing their love of the new Smurfs movie STOP

I am currently residing in enemy territory STOP

I will be at the Padres/Giants game today STOP

The BET CONTINUES STOP

Just when I thought there was a flicker of hope for the 2011 season, you Padres go to Seattle and TOTALLY REDEEM YOURSELF...as the pathetically inept offense that we have had the displeasure to watch this year.  Did the guys go out and drink too much Starbucks in Seattle and forget that they had a job to do?  Two runs in three games, and one of those runs should not have counted!!!  Throw in the towel Jed, 2011 is DONE!  More posts to come on what I think they should do over the next month, but I just needed to say that this offense is the worst I have seen, since maybe the disaster we saw last year in September.  28th in AVG (a grotesque .235),  26th in OBP (a little higher thanks to Headley), 30th in SLG (looks like the border security is working in San Diego, no access to TJ for steroids), and 29th in runs scored (scarcer than good Mexican food outside of San Diego).

Hey Homers holding on to whatever Jed Hoyer does, time to smell the roses!  Moves need to be made...good, sound baseball moves.  Especially, since we have some players who can contribute pounding it out in Tucson and San Antonio right now.   Besides trades that will most definitely will occur now, players like Kyle Blanks, Andy Parrino, Matt Clark, James Darnell, Vincent Belnome, and Sawyer Carroll should be called up at some point this year and see some playing time in the bigs so we can see if they are able to make a reasonable contribution to our offense.

And while I'm rambling on, I have to say "Team" Latos has completely unimpressed me this year.  5-9, 4.26 ERA, 36 walks for a guy who is suppose to be our ace?  Ace is a strong word actually, he is pitching like a number 3 starter at best right now.   How about grow up, stop walking batters, and start leading this pitching staff and team with that dominate arm we all know you have.  When you rely on a 23 year old, who hasn't quite figured out what it means to be a role model and leader, you are in trouble.   I think Latos has the "potential" to be an ace, throw no hitters, and be a Cy Young contender, and to be fair to him, it's not like the offense has helped him out at all, but he hasn't shown but glimpses of it yet. 

Look, sorry for this blog post being pretty rant-like, but I'm pissed.  It is really hard to go down to PETCO Park or turn on Channel 4 and watch this debacle.  And, for all of you who heard the Hoyer interview this week with Darren Smith, was it me or did he sound alot like Kevin Towers (aka Matt Bush apologist) when talking about Donavan "I'm an idiot" Tate.  This team is better than this, and so is this organization.  Having said that, congrats to Heath Bell making the All Star Team...a nice going-away present for sure!

The @SDPadres twitter page just tweeted this picture of the 1984 Road jerseys they will be wearing tonight against our hated rival to the North, the Seattle Mariners. Three words....Ah may zing! As you read here before, they will be wearing these jerseys once again on July 22nd in Philadelphia. It's almost as if they are mocking us #brownlovers though, as the Padres will be wearing these awesome unis twice this season....far, far, away from San Diego both times. So close, yet so far.

All this talk about realignment is a good thing.  I think baseball is in need of a tune up.  Lots of options have been presented such as  getting rid of divisions, teams switching leagues, additional playoff spots.   After reading about all the proposals, I think I have come up with a pretty good plan:

1.  The divisions stay
There is something about winning a title that emboldens fans and gives them hope.  While the ultimate prize is to be crowned the World Champion, going into next year as a division champ at least gives teams some bragging rights and it's always nice to put up a banner, even if it is for just the NL West title.  West,  Central, and East stay!

2.  Houston, welcome to the American League
One of the teams mentioned in the realignment talk are the Houston Astros.  I want the leagues to be equal so each one consists of 15 teams.  Each division will have 5 teams and the only change to the current alignment now will be the Houston Astros moving from the NL Central to the AL West.  It immediately opens up an interstate rivalry, and Houston is the most logical choice geographically. Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan thinks it is a good idea, so do I.

Check out this story Bleacher Report Deadspin posted in which Tampa Bay Rays San Diego Padres pitcher Evan Scribner Josh Spence is wearing a Yoda backpack to be a hipster nerd rookie getting hazed.

(Something Of Geek, Evan Scribner Is)  

H/T: @PadsCast - Andy Masur

URGENT!! - I was sent this picture by an untraceable e-mail address (gomtarfinkel@schmadres.com). I am worried about the whereabouts of SDPads1! I notice bacon, eggs & apple juice in the picture...that's fine because being a San Diegan, SDPads1 LOOOOOVVVEEESSS him some breakfast. Also SDPads1 occasionally sleeps, so the fact that he's laying down is OK. But there is sooooo much blue & white in that picture! That makes me think that something terrible has happened! Has he been brainwashed? Has he been drugged?

Will our fearless brown leader make it to the 3rd installment of the Bring Back the Brown "Crowd in Brown" on June 25th, starting at the Lincoln Room from 1:30-4:30 with a special Happy Hour where you can get delicious pizza, burgers, hot dogs, wings & more AND cocktails, beer & wine for only $5, followed by the Padres taking on the Braves and afterwards a post game party at the Fleetwood? And if so, what condition will he be in? Stay tuned.....

I just took a look at the MLB standings and there are a lot of surprises:  good, bad and ugly. Let’s look at the good first.  The Cleveland Indians are still in first place despite being ranked 13^th in team batting average in the majors (but still ahead of the Yankees, and what’s their payroll again?).

Now the bad. The Red Sox have move into first in the East and have finally got the bats off their shoulders. They are the bad because on paper they are supposed to be the greatest thing since two-ply toilet paper. In all, actually, I don’t really care about that division as long as the Yankees lose.

And now the ugly.  The Seattle Mariners are in second, somehow in the American League West. They’ve had some surprisingly good starts from Eric Bedard as of late, and of course King Felix is golden (how I traded him in fantasy baseball last year is beyond me).  Here’s the ugly part. The M’s are only batting .229 as a team, the worst in the majors, yet they are up on the Angels and the A’s in team win-loss records. 

The Fro has been in hibernation for quite sometime lately, but what better way to stumble out of our slumber that a good 'ol fashioned player interview! And what better player than someone I not only share the same birthday as (April 3rd) but like myself, also traveled through the hallowed halls of El Capitan High School. So sit back and enjoy our interview with Padres Catcher Kyle Phillips where we talk Buster Posey, his brother Jason and....Manatees?

Harmon Killebrew - A Baseball Icon - Hall-of-Famer

Baseball lost a good one today. 

Think of the Padres team that could have been. Ozzie Smith at short, Roberto Alomar at second, Tony Gwynn in right, and Dave Winfield in left. Batting fifth, leftfielder Joe Carter, then Gary Sheffield at third, John Kruk at first base, Benito Santiago at the dish and Eric Show on the mound.

This could have been the Padres of the early 90s, if not for so many trades.  One could also substitute Bip Roberts at second, and Fred McGriff at first, moving Kruk to the outfield.  Of course only if one of the trades,  Alomar and Carter for McGriff and Tony Fernandez, would have come to fruition.

Look at that first lineup of the Padres that could have been, and tell me how many of those guys are in the Hall of Fame?  Four!  Look at this unbelievable list of other players that have passed through the system:  OF Kevin McReynolds, Hall-of-Fame RP Goose Gossage, 3B Craig Nettles, 1B Steve Garvey, Hall-of-Fame 1B Willie McCovey, Hall-of-Fame RP Rollie Fingers, Hall-of-Fame SP Gaylord Perry, C Sandy Alomar Jr., Hall-of-Fame OF Rickey Henderson, SP Kevin Brown, RP Randy Meyers, NL MVP 3B Ken Caminiti, the Godfather himself - Randy Jones, Future Hall-of-Fame C Mike Piazza, Future Hall-of Fame SP Greg Maddux, SP Jake Peavy, SP Dave Dravecky, World Series Champ Bruce Bochy, OF Gene Richards, 2B Alan Wiggins, OF Steve Finley, SP Andy Benes, C Brad Ausmus, Future Hall-of-Fame RP Trevor Hoffman, 1B Nate Colbert, 1B Wally Joyner, 50-homerun slugger OF Greg Vaughn, 3B Phil Nevin, 1B Ryan Klesko, OF Brian Giles, 2B Brett Boone, SP David Wells, 2B Eric Young, OF Mike Cameron, World Series hero 2B David Eckstein, and 1B Adrian Gonzalez.  That’s not to mention some of the minor league guys who went on to be somebody that the Pads gave up on.  And, even country superstar Garth Brooks played two games in Spring Training for the Padres and got one hit!  They called him the “one hit wonder”!  And who can forget Teddy "Ballgame" Williams played for San Diego when it was a minor league team, kind of like the 2011 version.

The Padres have always had a place in history ,whether it is the team that let the star player go (Smith, Peavey, Gonzalez), or the team has-been players end up with before retirement (McCovey, Piazza, Madduz, Henderson).  The Padres have had two trips to the Series, and nothing to show for it.   A couple of division titles and 40 years of disappointment at the end.  When will this trend STOP???

I am still waiting for Matt Holliday to touch home plate!