Around the Mission: 10/4 Padres Links

by jbox on Oct 4, 2010 8:48 AM PDT

Padres lose to Giants, miss playoffs - SignOnSanDiego.com
"We believed in ourselves when no one did. And just when we were being noticed, we struggled. I think we did great, not just quite enough."
Padres' budget success no consolation after elimination - SignOnSanDiego.com
"I’m never one to be disappointed at the end of the year," Adrian Gonzalez said. "If you give it all you have, and you play your heart out every day, there’s nothing to hang your head about."
Latos looks more like Latos of old in defeat - SignOnSanDiego.com
That was not the outcome I was hoping for," said Latos. "But I was happy with my stuff. My stuff was there. My velocity was there. They scratched out two runs.
Padres bound forward in 2010 | padres.com: News
"People can push us down, but we did a bunch of things that nobody thought we could do. Even though we didn't get to our main goal, we proved some people wrong and we learned what a lot of our young guys are made of, and they're made of winners," said Padres closer Heath Bell

Padres' unlikely run comes up short | padres.com: News
"I've been in this game for 32 seasons, and this was one of the most rewarding," Padres manager Bud Black said. "It was a great year."

Latos' growth apparent in wake of finale | padres.com: News
As Mat Latos turned to face reporters following his fifth consecutive defeat, the latest coming in a must-win game for the Padres to keep their postseason hopes alive, he didn't show the signs of the young, emotional pitcher that have come back to bite him in the past.

Plenty of reasons for Padres' pride | padres.com: News
"This is a very difficult one. I fully expected to make it," said Eckstein, who won the World Series with the 2002 Angels and the '06 Cardinals. "Coming up one game short definitely hurts. I fully expected to make the playoffs when we started this season. Oh my gosh, yes."

PADRES: Giants end Padres' playoff hopes on season's final day
Now the reality sets in that we didn't make it, but our guys should be proud," Padres manager Bud Black said. "My conclusion is we played our (butts) off and had a great year.

PADRES NOTES: Has Young pitched last game for Padres?
"I'm still digesting this," Young said. "I have no idea (about next year). I really don't. I can say this -- the last five years here in San Diego have been five of the best years of my life. I've had a lot of special memories, a lot of great teammates and coaches. We've made San Diego our permanent home. My wife and I have brought two kids into the world -- they're San Diegans. It's really just been great memories.

What's a Picture Worth?: A Great Run
It was a fun season to be a Padre fan with a lot more ups then downs...but if I'm being honest it's hard not to play the "what if" game right now. The one thing I do know however is that it was a great run.

Video: Padres Post Mortem
Craig and Chris break down the mistakes each thought were committed by Buddy in the season’s last week. We also address the issue of whether to be happy and proud about an overachieving Padres team, or disappointed and shocked at a team which surrendered a 6 1/2 game lead in less than four weeks:

Unfinished Business: Noooooooooooooooooo
I write this with tears streaming down my face. Man, it wasn't supposed to end like this.

Websoulsurfer: Padres complete swoon with shutout loss to Giants - A San Diego Padres Blog
With this final loss they proved all the pundits right. They did not belong on the same field as the good teams that are going to the playoffs.

The Friarhood - Friarhood Radio 10.03.10
Steve talks about what happened in game 162, shares comments from Padres fans and gets prepared to move on.

Padres Trail: That's A Wrap
It was a lot of fun, even if the final result is not one we wanted, and I for one can't wait for 2011.

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Comments

The future ain't what it used to be.

—Yogi Berra

by Mr. Meadows on Oct 4, 2010 9:42 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs

I think we figured out what works in the NL West and most of baseball from this season

That being said, I think we should trade or get rid of players on the team who run slower than catchers at the end of their career (like A Gon and Ludwick), and spend money on pure hitters with speed instead of guys who hit homeruns (like Ichiro). Homeruns mean nothing in this league anymore, and even less in a division with huge ballparks and flawless pitching.

I think we almost had the formula down for the division we are in and maybe for most of the national league (minus the central where losers like Ryan Ludwick can hit dinks that become homeruns just to boost his numbers), and if we can build on this, we could be a pretty great baseball club, without ever having to spend too much money.

We just need speed, defense, a few decent hitters, no slow liabilities on the basepaths, and the same great pitching we’ve become known for.

"Well, he ought to go home and find somebody else to bang." Jerry Coleman

by cubbuster on Oct 4, 2010 10:28 AM PDT reply actions

I completely agree with you

I’ve never been in favor of trading Adrian, but I think the time is right to do so. He’s too slow for a guy with a high on-base %, and he’s not willing to take a hometown discount. We should invest in highly-athletic, all-around baseball talent, not power hitters.

by recorddigger on Oct 4, 2010 10:34 AM PDT up reply actions

I believe it is a mistake to completely discount power.

It is the threat of the home run that cause pitchers to take more care, to work harder and to walk more batters. It helps you get into bullpens sooner and forces managers to cycle through their bullpen in search of a match up. Add to that the fact that OBP is still king and it is extremely to difficult to have a high OBP based on BA alone. Ideally you have well balance players who can do it all, but if they cannot do it all, they have to be able to hit. They say speed never slumps, but it is worthless on your way back to the dugout following a strike out.

by field39 on Oct 4, 2010 10:58 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

It's an interesting thought

Would replacing the 132 HR’s the Padres hit this year with more timely/regular base hits make the difference? How many of those HR’s were solo shots?

I have to say regular base stealing, beating out infield hits, and regular base hits makes for some exciting baseball to watch.

This is a terrible thing for the Padres. - Jerry Coleman

by Padres_Hobo on Oct 4, 2010 11:33 AM PDT reply actions

This should prove to be an interesting off-season

With the Padres only having $1.1 million obligated to salaries next year and his indication that payroll should increase, Jed & Co. have a lot of flexibility in putting together their team. I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.

Despite his flub with that Chicago journalist, I hope the Padres can keep Gonzalez. The more I think about it, the more it seems like he’s just a low-charisma guy (it happens when you make it your D&D dump stat).

Ehhhh, I don't deserve a signature...

by sdchicken on Oct 4, 2010 7:32 PM PDT reply actions