on Ledezma’s K:BB ratio tonite? I’ll go for 1.5:1. 6 Ks to 4 BB.

So, Sunday morning I was feeling a small glimmer of hope. We had won five of six games…Josh Banks had made his Padre starting debut by tossing a six-hit, one-run complete game…the D-Backs were struggling…we had trimmed the lead in the NL West to 8 1/2 games…all we needed was a win on Sunday to move into third place. For the first time in what seemed like forever, things weren’t completely grim.

I had obviously forgotten Bud Black was still our manager, our closer is washed up, Jake and CY would be spending the near future on the DL, we have three left fielders that suck, Tony Clark is still on the roster and that another starting pitcher doesn’t know how to properly walk down a small flight of stairs.

Now I want to lose. I have zero desire to watch this team hang around 10 games back, fighting the Giants and the Rockies to see who ends up in third, fourth and last place at the end of the season. Screw that. I want to lose. We’re not going to win the Wild card…and we sure as hell have no chance of winning the division…so what’s the point?

My expectations have dropped to the basement, so here is my new wishlist for the 2008 season:

Have a record bad enough that firing Bud Black on September 29, 2008 is a no-brainer. I don’t want there to be any doubt in their minds. None. I know he’s signed for 2009 and Moores is gonna have to eat that contract so it’s going to take a real disaster to make sure he’s out the door.

I want a top 3 pick, at least. Ideally, I want the number one pick in the draft. This means having the worst record in baseball and I believe that’s easily attainable. I don’t know if that pick would be Stephen Strasburg from State…or who it would be. But I want to see the way the pick is handled. Prove to me that we’ve learned from 2004. Show me you’ll take the best player available, regardless of who his agent is….or how much of a signing bonus he’s rumored to be demanding.

Put KT in a room with any other GM in baseball to hammer out a trade and I firmly believe KT will come out with the better end of the deal. We are sellers this year and I don’t want to read anymore comments from KT about waiting to see how things are going to shake out before we start dealing. We should be open for business now.

Chase needs to be in a Padre uniform as soon as possible and he needs to play in left field damn near every day. If he tears the cover off the ball, or struggles…I don’t care. Let him learn, let him play, let him get comfortable for 2009. Get rid of P-Keg and Huber and let Hairy and Gerut split time in center. After Giles is traded, stick Hairy in right.

With some good trades, intelligent work in the free agent market and some of the kids panning out…we CAN compete in 2009.

I was half joking yesterday when I tried to defend Hoffman by comparing his blown saves to everyone else. BUT I DON’T GET PAID TO WRITE THAT KIND OF CRAP. I’m a pretty big Trevor apologist, but my integrity would be in question if I used my job to blur the truth about the guy. Trevor blows tie games, but doesn’t accumulate a stat (blown save) for it, so therefore those aren’t blight on his record? According to Sullivan closers should only be held accountable if they blow a lead.

“Pitcher Shawn Estes saw a hand specialist on Monday, and it was determined he won’t need surgery to repair his left thumb, though Padres manager Bud Black said Estes still is likely to miss four-to-six weeks”

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