Padres GM Jed Hoyer hates "Sweet Caroline" and talks about the need for the team to get to .500

XX Sports Radio: Jed Hoyer Interview with Darren Smith (MP3)

• Hoyer says "Sweet Caroline" gets a little tiresome.  "I liked it the first four or five hundred times."  He thinks they should only play it when the Red Sox are winning.
• On a personal level he said the trip to Boston was fun.  On a professional level he's glad they won 2 out of 3.  It was nice to bounce back from the first game.
• Hoyer has a different perspective than the media.  He didn't think the team would be slaughtered by the Red Sox.
• The weekend in Minnesota was demoralizing by losing three straight 1 run games.  It was nice to bounce back in Boston.
• Hoyer thinks that Beckett was legitimately under the weather.  Hoyer isn't sure if Boston would have had Miller pitch against a better team.
• It might be another 6 years before the Padres play again in Boston.
• Hoyer thinks American League teams have a better record in the interleague because the AL is a "bigger money league and has some stronger teems".  The second reason is because the DH rule is "really unfair" for NL teams.  The AL teams are built to have good DH but the NL has a bench player fill that role.  In NL parks both pitchers aren't going to be that different in terms of batting skills.  Hoyer really likes playing without a DH.
• Hoyer thought Anthony Rizzo hit two balls that would have been out in Petco.  He hit two 418 foot balls to "the exact wrong part of the ballpark".  In general Rizzo has good at bats. He has been over swinging a bit.  "This is about what we expected."  His batting average should be a little bit higher due to tough luck. He's in an adjustment period.
• Hoyer thinks Heath Bell should be an All Star.  "It's hard to leave Mike Adams off the team."  He's been one of the best set up guys in the league.  Chase Headley is leading the league in 3rd base OPS.  Hoyer would rank his All Star nominations in order as Bell, Adams and Headley.
• Hoyer thinks Headley will never be a guy that hits a lot of home runs in Petco Park.  Chase is hitting near .350 on the road and that's not an accident. 
  
• The Padres have a lot of propriety stats that they use.  "If you don't like baseball stats then that's your prerogative.  If you do like them I always say stick to your handful of favorites otherwise you drive yourself crazy with those 8 million acronyms out there."
• At 12 games under .500 on 6/23 "If we're going to salvage our year and really contend we're going to have to make a run really quickly."  You have to get up around .500 by the All Star Break.  The Padres haven't been able to get a real hot streak.  "I don't think we can sputter anymore."  The team is pretty healthy now, so he hopes they have a chance to get hot.
• On the rumored trades for Heath Bell, Ryan Ludwick and Chad Qualls: "The only thing that's true is that people call us."  Hoyer talks to other GM's all the time.  "Nothing is imminent, as I say, I want this team to make a run."
• The team has to make a run between July 1 and the All Star break because the team has some important decisions to make. "You have to view them with optimism and temper it with realism as well."  To realistically make a run in the second half they have to get closer to .500.
• Hoyer hopes Cory Luebke will be a starter for the rest of the season.  "He's a starting pitcher in our minds."  It depends on how well he pitches.
• Jesus Guzman will stay with the team as long as he keeps playing well.  Right now he is hitting the ball really well.
• Brad Hawpe is being bothered by and elbow and a finger issue.  Hoyer hopes he won't have a long DL stay.
• There is no such thing as an untouchable player. "I don't think there can be."  They have to make any decision to acquire as much young talent as possible to make this team better in the future.  "Really there should be a price for anyone when the goal is to win."
• Hoyer talks about the capture of Whitey Bulger.