It's probably not right that I get a certain amount of joy now from articles that just totally rip the Padres. What can I do? It's the only entertainment they provide for me. I know, I know I should be a better fan.
Everything went downhill in a hurry in San Diego
This article talks about how nothing good has happened to the Padres since we were beaten by the Rockies at the end of the 2007 season. Towers is asked about "what could have been?", but really that team wasn't going anywhere. I never ever think about "What could have been?" with the 2007 team, we'd make the play offs and get swept again and the Padres publicists would brag about 3 post seasons in a row, I know "what could have been".
"I've had less-talented clubs than this," Towers said. "But everything went wrong. We just didn't perform well on the field. I don't think we had more than a week or 10 days where we played well. That [four-game] sweep of the Mets [in June] was probably the highlight of our season."
The article says the Padres are expecting a steep decline in attendance next season, I can't imagine why. Then Towers explains why they must get rid of Peavy, but the problem isn't Peavy's contract, it's the decrease in payroll.
"It's kind of difficult to have one player eat up a quarter of your payroll," Towers said. "We lost 99 games with Jake, and we're not going to get better by keeping him and his salary."
An unnamed executive has this to say about the way the Front Office is set up:
Special assistant Paul DePodesta, the former Los Angeles Dodgers GM, reports not to Towers but directly to CEO Sandy Alderson and must sign off on player moves.
"It's a mess," an industry executive said about the situation. "That whole organization is totally dysfunctional."
But if you're a Padres fan don't worry, because we might still be able to squeak into the post season before we get swept in the playoffs again.
"Other than the Dodgers, it's a winnable division," Towers said. "It really boils down to our young players. For us to have consistent success, we need them to come through."