XX Sports Radio Interview: Sandy Alderson
When asked about why Season Ticket Holders should consider buying tickets again next season, Sandy said that people need to look at the last three or four years and not just this year. He keeps repeating:
The sky is not falling
I find that quote to be a little condescending, like the fans and ticket holders are running around like Chicken Little. Does he really think Padres fans are plagued by hysteria? It's not hard to tell how much respect he has for Padres fans, maybe it's because he only hears from people threatening not to renew their ticket packages. People don't buy tickets to live in the past. The Padres need to stop trying to promote the last 4 years and instead focus on the present and the future. You can't rest on your laurels.
Sandy then discusses Tom Krasovic's article in the UT.
You know what bothered me most about this story
(snip)
There is essentially no attribution to the source of the information. It's an anonymous source, it's an unnamed scout, it's an unidentified player. There's never any way to judge the basis of the information in a lot of these cases and that's what T's me off. Somebody that is going to write a story that's that inflammatory you better give the readers an opportunity to evaluate that information based on what the sources are.
(snip)
I don't think it's good journalism.
Well what would he do to an employee that said these things on the record? He'd have him reprimanded, so they have to speak off the record. If he allows his employees to speak freely then he wouldn't have this problem.
When Philly Billy tells him that many people give him information off the record, Sandy responds:
Then you need to get another source. You need to get some corroboration. Just don't throw something in the newspaper without a source. That's a journalistic standard that most people meet, otherwise you might as well be a blogger or somebody that isn't associated with traditional journalism that people are* going to take seriously.
*I think he meant to say "...that people aren't going to take seriously."
I just like how Sandy says the word "blogger" with such disdain. If it was up to the front office, the fans wouldn't get any information at all that doesn't show the ball club in a positive light. I also think San Diegans are smart enough to judge for themselves how seriously they want to take rumors and anonymous sources.
Hat tip to Gaslamp Baller Axion
1 recs | 31 comments
Meh
I think his blogger comment (which he backed with non-traditional media) is a reference to the fact that a lot of blogging ends up being speculatory when it comes to team or player motivations. In theory, a “real journalist” has access that bloggers do not, and can get official comments from actual members of the team and the FO.
I think what Alderson is saying is that this is no different from someone like Drama saying, “well, I talked to one of the guys I know, and he says he heard that payroll is only $40 million next year.” Being that it’s on the Internet, and that Drama doesn’t actually know anyone important (except the guy from Depeche Mode that had the obsessions with his wife’s nips that one time), nobody would believe it. But since Krasovich publishes it in a “respected” outlet and is known to have “access”, it carries a lot more weight. In reality, Drama’s source could be just a reliable (or just as faulty) but we don’t know, since there is no attribution.
Phantom - August 14, 2008
I made the same blogger comment in my (irrational) Scott Miller blasting
Anonymous sources are bunk. I mean, even when real sources are quoted they get mis-quoted or taken out of context. Imagine what you can do with someone who can’t contradict your quote due to their need for anonymity. The blogger thing is basically a way of saying, “It might as well be from a second(or third)-hand source” because you have no idea if the source has been in any meetings, had discussions with decision-makers, or is someone who can make a decision on the topic at hand.
Professional journalism, I would think, would call for you to take that anonymous quote and look for someone on record to corroborate it. If no one will then you say, “Although no one in the front office would go on record to confirm this” or at least “No one in the front office would comment on the situation” or something to that effect. That way it at least shows that you tried to show both sides.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH! WOAH!
“Lois, this is not my Batman glass.”
(That was actually Simon LeBon from Duran Duran.)
Drama - August 15, 2008
WOAH!
Transvestite, back off. Wait a minute… pre-op or post-op?
TheGrandHatching - August 15, 2008
Crap
I meant to add that Simon was at Wrigley for one of the Cubs-Padres games to sing “Take me out to the Ballgame”. Duran Duran songs were played in between innings.
TheGrandHatching - August 15, 2008
Gah! Sandy Alderson is a franchise-killing power-hungry senile spend-thrift...
but I think that’s why Moores hired him in the first place. It’s too bad he’s going to continue to be in charge of this baseball team. San Diego deserves better.
santoswoodenlegs - August 14, 2008
Alderson will be one of the best things that happened to the Padres
You can’t judge a front office on a couple of years of work, although your not even doing that. You’re judging him on ONE year of work. This year is a case of pretty good decisions that were torpedoed by bad luck. The FO just needs to keep making good decisions and we’ll end up with more years like the first 4 years of the Petco Park era and less like this most recent year.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Could you clarify this for me?
jusk askin’
santoswoodenlegs - August 14, 2008
The Padres were a contending club last year
The did what a team with their budget could do. They let the free agents that wanted more money go (Cameron, Bradley, Brocail), they stuck with most of the core that got them to 89 wins last year (AGon, Peavy, Giles, etc.), they tried to make some minor upgrades through free agency (Iguchi, Wolf, Clark), they tried to fill holes with prospects that were proven in the minors (Hairston, McAnulty, Huber, Thatcher), and made one high risk move (Edmonds) and one low risk one (Gerut) to shore up the remaining. Unfortunately, the high risk move went way worse than imagined, only 1 of their 4 prospects panned out at all, multiple members of their returning players collapsed, got hurt or both (Bard, Barrett, Greene, Meredith, KCameron, Hampson). That’s baseball, these things happen. They need a deeper farm system to cover for these problems and to supply the team with better starters and since Alderson has got here, they have started to do that. But, we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as that goes. In addition, there is nothing that will severely handicap this team next year. There is no big, ugly contract that they have to eat, one of their biggest problems (the bullpen) is something that can fluctuate from year to year, many of their key players are fairly young (Gonzalez, Peavy, CY, Headley, Bell, Hairston and Kouz), can reasonably be expected to bounce back (Bard, Greene, Meredith) or are aging but still productive (Giles). This team is not in dire straights, they just aren’t having a good season, and there’s a key difference there.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Sandy
made it sound like Giles is the big ugly contract.
sacpadre - August 14, 2008
These are good points...thanks for taking the time to explain them.
I just wonder how your season would have turned out if your Team hadn’t let Bradly and Cameron go….and I’ll have to disagree with your inclusion of Kouz in the list of “key” players. I don’t see him as an everday ML player….this should have been the year he showed some growth.
santoswoodenlegs - August 14, 2008
The Padres did let those players go
Bradley didn’t want to be here and Cameron took less money to go to the Brewers.
As for Kouz, I guess you think that players who hit ~20 HRs (playing half their games in Petco no less) and bat .270-.280 grow on trees. As it stands now, Kouz ranks as the 14th best hitting 3B by VORP (admittedly, that has a lot to do with his ability to stay on the field, but health is important) so I’d say that’s a pretty decent asset. The only thing going against him is that Headley is younger, a more patient hitter and has a bigger upside and because of Kouz is forced to play a position that might be one of the easiest to fill with a big time power hitter via free agency.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Actually
Santoswoodenlegs and I have talked about it, and we actually figured it out that the stuff that grows on trees is pretty limited to stuff like leaves and hanging fruits.
Dex - August 14, 2008
Interesting
An intriguing theory, I’d like to here more.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
*hear
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Sandy Alderson is a terrible communicator
It’s commendable for him to be so up front and be the face of the franchise, but he far too often ends up saying something that suggests he has no respect for media or the fans.
Dex - August 14, 2008
Or more specifically
he far too often ends up saying something that Dex interprets to mean that he has no respect for media or the fans.
I kid, I kid.
Wonko - August 14, 2008
I'm going to say something that you may interpret to mean that I don't like you, but don't interpret it that way
I don’t like you.
Dex - August 14, 2008
Wonko, I'm joking!
Jeez. So sensitive.
Dex - August 14, 2008
WONKO!!!
Stop being so mad. I’m sorry. Jeez.
Dex - August 14, 2008
Oh, Dex
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Dex
You have the poise and social etiquette I’ve come to expect from a blogger. Move out of your mother’s basement and get a job, nerd.
TheGrandHatching - August 14, 2008
Dex
I’m joking. Sorry.
Look, I don’t want you to think I’m weird or desperate, or… we should just hang out and see where it goes cuz it’s nice and, y’know, no expectations. Ok? Thanks a lot.
TheGrandHatching - August 15, 2008
I just got out of a 6-year relationship, Ok?
That should help explain why I’m acting so weird. I just wanted you to know that. It’s not you, it’s me. I’m sorry… This is TGH.
TheGrandHatching - August 15, 2008
Beeeeeep.
Wonko - August 15, 2008
It's sad
He’s so lawyerly, he won’t even come out and be definitive in saying that the payroll won’t be set to $40m next year, which is really what people want him to say, whether or not they’ll believe him.
Axion - August 14, 2008
If they cut the payroll like that
I bet you Alderson resigns. Why would he stick around for something like that? What interest would he have in a team that refuses to pay salary at a competitive level?
Wonko - August 14, 2008
Knowing John Moores as I do
which is to say not at all and only from being a fan, I just don’t think he’d do that. On some level, I have to believe that the club is an extension of his penis, and poor performance is just embarrassing and thus unacceptable. (there, I said it)
I think the FO and Moores are very aware that they cannot afford another season like this, definitely not two more.
Axion - August 14, 2008
Buggles
The Moores that takes control of this team needs to keep Alderson off of the radio.
That should really be his/her first order of business.
R. Lankford - August 14, 2008
When Sandy said "blogger"
I felt all warm and fuzzy.
Good writeup, I didn’t have time to do one, I just heard a good portion of it on my lunch break and stuck it.
Axion - August 14, 2008
Do you know what Blog Sandy should be pissed about?
this one:
http://itmightbedangerous.blogspot.com/
If Sandy ever actually met that ahole in person, he would go all marine on his ass.
Sammy G - August 15, 2008
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