I know. I know. You all want Strasburg. You've got your crushes all lined up and you've all called dibs on the IheartStrasxx username. Does that mean we should root for a loser in the Race for the Strasburg? HECK NO!
The great thing about Padres fans is that we've learned how to send a message to ownership. We're not Cubs fans or Red Sox fans. We're not fans who spend our hard earned dollar supporting a losing cause. We don't let the front office get away with putting crap out on the field. This is our team, regardless of what Sandy Alderson says in his 1090 interviews. We were here before him and we'll be here long after Alderson's taken the Baseball Commissioner job.
The thing I worry about if we get Strasburg is that we'll need a 100 loss season to do it. And maybe this team doesn't deserve less than 100 losses, but at the same time 100 losses means that 2009 will be the "rebuilding" year. So the next time we'll even get the opportunity to go after that rad free agent (or three) that we've all been wanting will be after the All Star Break as we wait for the next round of sellers.
I, for one, don't want to see our young talent piddle around with nothing expected from them. They need to get it in their heads that the Padres new philosophy is playoff contention every year. With the product that we've got right now, we're in for some better baseball and the chance to play spoiler this year. I say we spoil every piece of pie that our rivals think they're about to enjoy. We become that team that ESPN talks about as being dangerous and a real threat to bounce back in 2009.
Maybe we get Strasburg and maybe we don't. Maybe we deserve a hundred losses and maybe we don't. I'm no judge and jury. But I can tell you this, we won't sell out our season to buy some pipedream future! And that, my friends, is called integrity. That's called courage. Now that's the stuff baseball fans should be made of.
IF I WAS THE MAN I WAS FIVE YEARS AGO, I'D TAKE A FLAMETHROWER TO THIS PLACE!!!
3 recs | 46 comments
I agree
I get the feeling that everyone has given up on this team from the fans, to the management to the players. Really they do have talent on this team and there is no reason they couldn’t get it together for the second half and start knifing other teams in the back. Playoffs are pretty much an impossibility this year but there is no reason not to win.
jbox - July 29, 2008
HooWAAA!
Sweet Scent of a Woman reference!
GeoffwithG - July 29, 2008
Alderson as
commissioner would be great. He’d clean a lot of shit up real quick.
As wasted as the season is, it’s nice to see the team win. If we actually manage to continue to score runs at this pace, we could still make a Rockies-like run at the division.
But Dex brings up a good point. We need this time to get the team ready for next season. And that means getting the players used to scoring runs and hitting in clutch situations.
Phantom - July 29, 2008
bingo
TheRevRun - July 29, 2008
hell if there is any year that someone can win the division with a sub 500 record, its this one
justdave - July 29, 2008
Couple of things...
From some of what you’ve said in the past….you’re looking for a change at the manager position, right?
If this team goes on some sort of “spoiler” run and say we end up like in third place at the end of the season…Bud Black isn’t going anywhere. So not only do we lose out on Strasburg…but we keep the current manager and coaching staff in place.
I love these guys…I don’t like seeing them lose. But if we have no shot of winning this garbage division (which we don’t)...screw it. Guys that are free agents at the end of the season need to be shipped out if we can get a higher return than the draft pick that they will yield. Fill in those slots with some young guys.
Strasburg could turn out to be a 3-time Cy Young Award winner…or a huge bust that never sees a major league field. He’s no different than any other draftee. What I want is to see this ownership really put to the test. All we hear about is how important the farm system is now, how the mistakes made in the past won’t happen again, how this is a different regime, blah, blah, blah.
The main reason I want the number one pick in the draft is I want to see the real commitment of this ownership. I want a guy out there (Strasburg?) that is a no-doubt number 1 pick. Then I want that guy to hire Scott Boras. Then I want to hear all the talk about how it’s going to take a record deal to sign the kid. Right then and there…we’ll find out the true commitment of John Moores. Does he tell KT and Sandy to draft him and do whatever is needed to get him in the Padre organization? Or do they whimper off and take a safe kid they know they can sign at a fair price?
Additionally, I’m no fan of Bud Black and I really would like to see a change at the manager position. I know he hasn’t been given the ‘27 Yankees…but playing dumb baseball and un-inspired baseball with no intensity is something that I believe lies at the managers door. And from a former pitcher/pitching coach…I really expected him to be able to manage a pitching staff a helluva lot better than he has.
Drama - July 29, 2008
Finally... somebody said it!
Strasburg my assburg. Let’s win. Let’s win the division this year.
TheRevRun - July 29, 2008
Oh I hate talking about Strasburg
I hate seeing his picture. When he is on the Padres roster then I’ll stop hating him, but I know we won’t get him, because we’re the Pads.
jbox - July 29, 2008
"SOMEBODY SAY STRASBURG?"
Axion - July 29, 2008
You hate Strasburg?
A kid that is going to Beijing, China to help bring back a gold medal for the United States? You should contact Jody Gerut…I’m sure he has an invite for you to one of his special meetings.
Drama - July 29, 2008
Do It
SanDiegoKev - July 29, 2008
Here, here
You don’t root for your team to lose, I don’t care what the situation is.
sdgaucho - July 29, 2008
What if winning is hurting us?
Axion - July 29, 2008
i agree with the sentiment
but rooting for your team to lose and being unsurprised by your team losing are two different things.
do i absolutely love the padres? yes
do i ever root for them to lose? no
i think the fun of the Strasburg nonsense (to me anyways, not speaking for anyone else) is finding a silver lining on a cloud that has been raining shit on us all year. this is a padres team that is expected to win.
think about that for a second.
we’ve gotten so used to wins the last few years, being one of the elite teams in baseball (at one point last year espn power rankings had us like third in baseball) with the best pitching around.
then this year everything turns on its head, and i think the fans are pissed.
for me the Stras shit is completely tongue in cheek. i’m not actually rooting for them to lose, i’m just so desensitized by the way they’ve been doing it this year that i’m beginning to find it humorous.
justdave - July 29, 2008
Well, I'm not changing my avatar just yet, but...
I’m all for the team winning, but I’m not sure the last four games are much of an indicator, what with the Pirates throwing in the rebuilding towel while we were there, and Owings stinking up the place last night. I am no fan of Bud Black, but the job is his to keep. If he can legitimately turn this team around, even to second place, he probably deserves another season to prove his mettle, otherwise, Shawn Estes should show him down the stairs and out the door.
Boilermaker19 - July 29, 2008
I still like wins. I'm not concerned with Strasburg.
Mostly because there’s no guarantee the Padres would get him, and after that, there’s no guarantee that Strasburg would be an ace, or even a #3, or even crack a Major League roster. I’m still waiting to see top prospect Cesar Carillo….
As bad as this team has been, I’m shocked by how many decent stories there are that are already hopeful for next year:
The Hairston/Gerut platoon: Hairston v. lefties .282 .323 .544
Gerut v. righties .288 .355 .474
Brian Giles having his best year since 2005
Edgar Gonzalez hitting .320 from nowhere
Headley adjusting nicely to a new position and MLB pitching (not that hitting .250 is spectacular, but if you’re 24 and it’s your first extended experience….Remember watching Kouz last April? His adjustment was, you know, a little slower.)
I think all these could be effective parts of next years club—meaning our OF situation might not be as dire as assumed, we can hope for a Khalil bounceback, better production from a rookie catcher tandem, and focus on the real problems: the bullpen and the back of the rotation.
goose1 - July 29, 2008
This is about me isn't it?
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
It's always about you
without you, it would take some doing for me to come up with stuff to write about. I just look up your last 5 or 6 comments and regardless of whatever my opinion was beforehand, I see how many ways I can disagree with you first.
It’s because you beat me at mariokart ds and smash bros. oh… I still remember
Dex - July 29, 2008
You wanna play again?
I heard they made the lag problem better.
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
really?
OK. Get Phantom too and let’s set a playdate. We just moved into our new place and I’m having trouble with the wireless router.
Dex - July 29, 2008
Oh what's wrong?
I’m good with these kinds of things.
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
Wild stab in the dark
Change your WiFi network and cordless phone channels.
2.4 GHz wireless is crowded.
Axion - July 29, 2008
Who uses landlines?
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
It's not that
The connection works coming out of the modem, but that’s where it ends. The router is showing activity, but it doesn’t display that it’s broadcasting any wireless at all.
Dex - July 29, 2008
Do you have a cable modem and a wireless router?
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
Yes
Don’t worry. I got this. I’ll be up and running eventually.
Dex - July 29, 2008
“CHECK YA TCP/IP SETTIN’S?”
Axion - July 29, 2008
I think it's a hardware failure
The router talks to me, gets halfway through setting itself up again and then it stops talking to me. The cartoon was surprisingly a little bit helpful.
Dex - July 29, 2008
Are you running a wizard
or using the web interface?
Axion - July 29, 2008
Both
I’m just about convinced it’s a hardware problem. Netgear’s support is weak.
Dex - July 29, 2008
Haha, damn.
I think they’re all the same.
Axion - July 29, 2008
I've got
both Smash Bros and Mario Kart. I’m up for both.
Phantom - July 29, 2008
i want in on mario kart
Dalton - July 29, 2008
DS or Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
I have DS still broke so I haven’t gotten any new games in awhile, including Mario Kart Wii
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
*I'm still broke
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
Did I mention that I love GLB?
Despite the chances in doing so, I would also like in on the Mario Kart DS. I’d be selecting Rainbow Road every time.
royhobbs - July 30, 2008
I like the spoiler idea.
I would love it if we could knock around our division rivals. D-Backs, Dodgers, Giants, Rockies, eff ‘em. Eff all of ‘em.
Zach (maestro876) - July 29, 2008
About two months ago
you said “If the Padres are gonna lose, I want them to be horrible. I want them to lose 100 games.”
Hypocrite.
I want them to lose 100 because I want them to blow this team up and I don’t want to give them any reason to keep Harry around. 80 losses, 90 losses or 100 losses – I think they are rebuilding next year, regardless.
Wanting them to lose 100 and rooting for them to lose 100 are two different things, though. It would be nice to see them screw AZ, I’ll never root against Maddux and I’ll never root against Trevor.
May not be an accurate quote. Too drug-riddled to look it up. But I think I’m close to being right.
Winfield's Ghost - July 29, 2008
Hooray!
My boyfriend is back!
Drama - July 29, 2008
Dammit...
Was that out loud?
Drama - July 29, 2008
Are you opposed
to sending narcotics over state lines?
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
I already promised to send Drama the leftovers
Winfield's Ghost - July 29, 2008
That's good.
This way congress can’t get you on that pesky interstate commerce clause.
Sam (sdsuaztec4) - July 29, 2008
I know it's just the drugs talking
What I was doing before was reverse psychology. Trying to get the team riled up. Now I’m trying to get them riled up again, but in a different direction.
Also, nobody ever said that my opinion was going to remain consistent. Unlike our nation’s politicians, I’m not embarrassed when somebody points out that I’ve changed my mind.
Dex - July 29, 2008
You moved back to SD
and just couldn’t hold up under the local pressure. I understand.
Winfield's Ghost - July 29, 2008
Dex
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. Thank you for this post.
Go Padres. CY Tonight.
EXPERIENCE IT.
I8EtoDunbar - July 29, 2008
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