Jake Peavy Is A Tiara AND A Lamborghini

by Winfield's Ghost on Oct 19, 2008 7:20 AM PDT Comment 11 comments

Tim Sullivan apparently decided to wait until the off-season to write his best columns. This one on Peavy is excellent. I thought his assessment of how the front office is laying all this out to the public is right on and the fact that he called DePodesta Alderson's consigliore made me giggle.

But I thought this was the part that he really nailed:

Yet the real issue here is not front office flexibility, but fans' faith. Time after time, the Padres have signed key players to long-term contracts only to develop buyer's remorse before the ink dries. When your foundation is forever in flux, your customers may be prone to cynicism.

Several folks around here have wondered why we'd be so upset at the prospect of trading Peavy if it makes the team better and I think Sullivan's observation is right on the money. I'm not against trading Peavy if it makes the team better - but when the team is forever in flux and changing strategies every couple of years, it gets old. And tired. And disheartening.

And when the consigliore spins his awesome little stories about how great it will be when we trade Peavy because we're going to get so much in return but fails to mention the real reasons why it's happening and pretends like this was the plan all along, it feels a bit insulting. I understand why it needs to be done now, but don't dress it up for anything more than it is.

We didn't have a slogan this year because the Padres were too busy planning for a 99 loss season to come up with one. But I think Sullivan just gave them the '09 slogan.

Go Padres! Forever in Flux!

This FanPost was written by a member of the Gaslamp Ball community and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gaslamp Ball managers or SB Nation.

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LIES

You’re right WG, It is insulting.

The Savior won’t be brought up now, because of the mental distress it would cause him. LIE
It would cost the team more money in the long run if we bring him up now. TRUTH.

Brian Giles is exactly the type player we want to have on our team. LIE.
If Brian Giles would take $500,000 a year he would be exactly the type player we want to have on our team. TRUTH.

John Moores is not selling the team. LIE.
Becky Moores has John by the balls and the best case scenario, at present, is to sell 49% of the team and maintain control over the organization. TRUTH

Peavy is driving the train. LIE.
Peavy’s contract is driving the train. TRUTH.

How can this FO believe that there won’t be a fallout with the fan base? The way that every detail of every situation is leaked to the press seems totally unprofessional.
In theory, it’s pretty cool that Sandy, KT, and Depo have offered insights and perspective to us through various media outlets. But the fact that it is often no more than organizational mantra makes me think that these guys are brainwashing us to believe that it’s all going to be allright.
If we don’t plan on competing for a couple more years, sell us on that. What I won’t buy is this polished turd that is the current state of the organization.

by The Kipper on Oct 19, 2008 9:39 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Money

1. Have you guys watche CNN anytime in the last I dunno 6 months? Of couse they are worried about money as are 300 million other Americans. Of course money is going to be tight.

2. I’ve never been through a divorce, but I’m sure someone here has. Becky is going to run off with 50% of the assets of course money is going to be tight.

I’m fairly positive that there isnt’ a conspiracy in the front office to force the fans to pay exorbinant prices to watch an awful team. Things change, circumstances change. Remember, this is a business. Maybe we can convince congress to get us some bailout money.

For the record, this is not my attempt to imply subtly that Belichick is nothing without cheating and Tom Brady. Seriously. I am straight-out saying: Belichick is nothing without cheating and Tom Brady ~ DJ Gallo

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Oct 19, 2008 10:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Agreed.

I think some us fail to realize that with the Padres’ middle-of-the-road payroll, we cannot afford to make costly mistakes. We’ve got a lower tolerance for errors than other teams. The FO’s ability to identify potential problems and attempt to address them is refreshing.

Quick question: Which FO would we rather have? The Padres who seem to at least be open to all possibilities (and is reasonably active), or a FO like the Giants who throw wads of money at people for way too long. The Giants FO seems monumentally lethargic compared to ours, despite their higher average payroll. Do people honestly think that the Giants don’t have buyer’s remorse and wouldn’t love to unload some of those contracts? The Padres are at least adept at identifying these potential problems well in advance of any significant payroll issues.

And we’re all forgetting something here. As the season was winding down, Jake started throwing the line that he didn’t want to stick around for a rebuild. Now, unless someone knows the magic formula to win next year with a limited budget, I’d love to hear it. Jake’s just whining here, and it’s completely selfish. Nobody like to play on teams that suck, but that’s the risk when you sign a long-term contract. Jake initiated all of this with his public grousing. What’s the FO supposed to do?

by Phantom on Oct 20, 2008 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs