Smells Like Padres in Here - Thursday Edition

by Winfield's Ghost on Aug 28, 2008 6:52 AM PDT Comment 21 comments

You know how I know the NL West is terrible? The Padres just swept the favorite to win the division. Much like last year, I look forward to seeing Arizona get run over in the playoffs.

I'll bet Khalil couldn't play first base. But he may get his cast off this week.

Lake Elsinore will be the A affiliate for a while longer.

I meant to post this earlier in the week and forgot: a great story about Danny Almonte and a kid he faced in the 2001 LLWS.

Off day today before the Rockies arrive in time. Good. This whole sweep business has me a little concerned. I hope the day off gives the players a chance to regroup and focus on the goal of 100 losses.

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.

0 recs | Comment 21 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

I love

The E-Ticket stories the four letter network does. I love how Danny Almonte became the poster-child for age discrepancies.

Guys who have been accused of “Having a little Almonte in them”
• LeBron James
• Greg Oden
• the 6’8 kid in the LLWS a few years ago
• Shawn Kemp’s nine illegitimate children

Guys who have been caught “With a little Almonte in them”
• Miguel Tejada
• Orlando Hernandez
• Julio Franco
• South America

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Aug 28, 2008 8:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

so the chinese gymnastics team

is like the bizarro Almonte?

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Aug 28, 2008 9:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Chinese gymnastics will be like the women’s equivalent of Danny Almonte. So when we get a Russian/Scandanavian gymnast with birthing scars and gray hairs saying she’s 18, we’ll say that “she’s got some Chinese gymnast in her.”

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Aug 28, 2008 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

but kind of the opposite

as theyre saying theyre older than they are, as opposed to 27 year old Danny Almonte mowing down frightened little leaguers

www.wellbelowthemendozaline.blogspot.com

by justdave on Aug 28, 2008 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Man

I just watched the clip instead of just reading the story, and Danny Almonte looks like a cross between Alfredo Amazega and Eddie Guadardo now.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Aug 28, 2008 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Looks like Bartolo Colon to me

Also – besides the fact that went to Oceanside HS, two reasons to love that Cerda kid: “I tipped a 14 yr old” and Favorite Player: Tony Gwynn.

by Winfield's Ghost on Aug 28, 2008 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I always thought

Bartolo Colon looked kind of like Andre the Giant.

An 11-year old back in 2001 with Tony Gwinn as his favorite is pretty admirable, considering most kids favorites were usually the flavors of the month (Bonds, Johnson, A-Rod, Giambi).

I wonder if the “too good” 9 year old in Connecticut is going to be good in three more years, and then when he pitches New England to the LLWS, if they’ll question his age too.

No wonder nobody likes you, Tuttle... everything's a (Pujols) damn debate.

by royhobbs on Aug 28, 2008 11:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I cannot tell you guys

how lucky the Padres are to have a good affiliate in Lake Elsinore. It’s been a very interesting experience working with the Mavericks this season. Unlike the Storm, who have been the Padres’ affiliate for probably about 6 years now, the Mavericks haven’t had someone reup on their player development contract in some time. This means that every two years, High Desert has a new MLB parent club. It’s not that we don’t try, but nobody wants to play out in Adelanto and there’s rumors that we’ll be moving to the Carolina league in 2010.

All that said, I’ll be hitting the Winter Meetings in December this year (they’re in Vegas) and I’m hoping like hell I can get a job with the Storm. Even if I don’t, it should be an interesting experience checking out the Winter Meetings and the MLB and MiLB Job Fair.

by Phantom on Aug 28, 2008 8:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

High Desert

I’ve heard a number of bad things about High Desert. One is that it is more remote that any California league teams so the players hate and they don’t draw well. The other is that it is such an extreme hitters park in an extreme hitters league that is almost career suicide to pitch there. Guys lose confidence, hurt their arms from long innings, or get the reputations pummeled because of their horrible numbers. I think teams only use it as a transition location until they find somewhere better to send their kids. That is a lethal combo for a minor league team.

With all due respect, you are not allowed to find our division rivals sexy.

by Wonko on Aug 28, 2008 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lancaster

is actually more extreme than our park, both in vicinity and park effect. We’re actually about an hour from Rancho, Inland Empire, Lancaster, and Bakersfield.

The only team Lancaster is close to is us. In terms of location extremity, the scale probably goes something like for the southern division:

Most extreme -—→ Less Extreme

Lancaster – High Desert – Lake Elsinore – Rancho Cucamonga – Inland Empire

Lake Elsinore is the only place (other than the Northern Division teams) that we stay over night in a hotel since traffic going down there is so unpredictable.

But yeah, High Desert ain’t exactly an awesome place to play. Our stadium was the guinea pig for the Diamond at Lake Elsinore. Our attendance isn’t terrible, but we probably average around 1,000/game. We’ve sold out I think 2 or 3 games all year.

by Phantom on Aug 28, 2008 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting

In 2004 Baseball Prospectus did a park factor study for all minor league teams and for the Cal League it came out:
Bakersfield 956
High Desert 1074
Lancaster 1072
Lake Elsinore 948
Modesto 982
Inland Empire 962
San Jose 894
Stockton 985
Visalia 1016

I also, think I remember something scathing about High Desert coming from them in their yearly when the Royals moved their High A affiliate to there. I think that may have been where I started hearing the negatives about High Desert.

With all due respect, you are not allowed to find our division rivals sexy.

by Wonko on Aug 28, 2008 2:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If I were an MLB club

there is no way in hell I’d want to have any pitchers I cared about there. The ball just flies there. The field itself is in pretty good condition, but the ball just carries like nothing else.

The Mavericks are in a bind as the City of Adelanto owns the stadium and refuses to upgrade the stadium. Baseball America broke a story a few weeks ago claiming that High Desert and Bakersfield were heading to the Carolina league for the 2009 season. This didn’t pan out for this year, but there is still some possibility of the team moving after the ’09 season.

For my own career interests, I really wish someone would put a MiLB club somewhere in the Coachella Valley. Anywhere from Palm Springs to Indio would be great for me. I also think you could draw huge out in that area since there is NOTHING TO DO.

by Phantom on Aug 28, 2008 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Palm Springs does seem like a good spot

People go out there to hang out at the pool and golf. But golf doesn’t work at night, so a baseball game seems like it would draw well out there (or well enough).

With all due respect, you are not allowed to find our division rivals sexy.

by Wonko on Aug 28, 2008 4:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"out in that area since there is NOTHING TO DO."

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is pretty freaking amazing thing to do.

by A Whales Vajayjay on Aug 28, 2008 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok i think something that happens once a year

doesn’t count as something to do.

17. Speaking to reporters, IOC president Jacques Rogge criticized:
(a) The Chinese government, for reportedly sentencing two protest-permit-filing septuagenarian women to a labor re-education camp
(b) The IOC, for reportedly cutting a secret deal allowing Chinese Internet censorship of foreign journalists
(c) The Chinese government, for revoking the visa of former Olympian and Team Darfur activist Joey Cheek
(d) The IOC, for saying nothing about Cheek
(e) Bolt, for being happy

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Aug 28, 2008 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

but the flashbacks can last for months...

depending on how much you took.

"...do hereby declare that I am not a member of the Human race (not an earthling) and in fact am an alien from another planet other than earth. I hope that this will prove to the person that is putting electric shocks to my head that I am an alien. I am declaring this so that I am not in any violation of any world or international laws of the earth as I am showing by this admission that I am in fact an alien."

by The Kipper on Aug 28, 2008 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I totally agree

That area is ripe for the picking. I’m sure the only thing that’s held them back is the temps, but honestly – night games would be no different than Vegas, ABQ, other places across the south.

by Winfield's Ghost on Aug 29, 2008 6:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yup

And in all honesty, the Coachella Valley area is probably just as hot as it is in the High Desert.

Allegedly, baseball really struggles in Palm Springs. There are two independent teams that play in Palm Springs and I don’t think they do so well. Throughout history, I believe there have been a couple different teams in Palm Springs, but they haven’t thrived. Regardless, anything in the Coachella Valley or even in the Pass Area/San Jacinto Valley would thrive.

by Phantom on Aug 29, 2008 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think the last affiliated team there

was a low level affiliate for the Angels. Think they left in the early nineties, but can’t recall for sure. The early nineties were significantly different in the CV than they are now, especially when you look at growth and year round residency – not even comparable really. No reason the population couldn’t now support a team the way Elsinore or RC does.

And the Angels held spring training out there for years – my dad and I went a couple of times – we’d go up there and then make the long haul down and across to Yuma.

by Winfield's Ghost on Aug 29, 2008 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Totally agreed

about the new demographics of the CV and the surrounding area. Beaumont is blowing up like nobody’s business (I believe we were the fastest gorwing city in America last year or in 06) and the infrastructure is starting to improve to support the growing population.

I think there could certainly be a need to fill in the area, and something in the Cathedral City/Rancho Mirage area would be able to draw from the entire area. The only problem is that travelling to other teams in the California League would be a burden.

by Phantom on Aug 29, 2008 1:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs