So, my wife gave birth to our second son yesterday. No big deal. That's just twice now that I've created human life. Yeah, I don't know what you were up yesterday, but I was witnessing Nature's Miracle, performing God's Will, verifying Darwin's theories.
Meanwhile, you were probably at work or school (or more likely at home), doing normal stuff. Writing a report, thinking about getting a job, eating chips. I mean, you know... that's all important too. Maybe not as important as ensuring the survival of our species like I was doing, but important in its own special way. I guess.
Today though, I figured I should do something I hadn't done in a while and throw a blog post together. Lots of things have happened recently, so I figure I ought to just comment on them as they come to me.
Join me then after the jump, to witness Dex deliver forth ultimate benediction two days in a row.
NL Wins the All-Star GameWhile the All-Star Game was on, Jess was in early labor, so I didn't watch much of it. I saw Heath Bell come in for one out, which was nice. I didn't get to see Adrian Gonzalez. I did see that the National League won for the first time in a real super duper long time. Hooray. Padres get home field advantage in the World Series and all that.
It's still a ridiculous gimmick and it's unfortunate that San Diego Padres fans (and presumably some fans of other teams out there) are stuck in their own All-Star Catch-22:
- All-Star Game is meaningless so I won't vote for my team
- I'm going to single-handedly fix the All-Star game by voting for people who "should" make it, thereby also ensuring that I'm not a homer by not voting for my team.
- I'm probably not going to buy tickets to games because my team doesn't have enough All-Stars.
Oh well. At least we didn't embarrass ourselves.
Mat Latos on the DL (that's Down Low to you and me)
Do I really believe Jed Hoyer when he says that Mat Latos is injured? No. Mat's not injured, fibber.
Do I approve of Latos being put on the DL to save a start and free up a roster move? Yes. Good strategic move.
Do I think it's cheating? Nah.
Do I think the MLB needs to somehow exact some punishment for this sort of move? Hell no.
Look at it this way, Mr. Law and Order. Have you ever called in sick to work or school when you knew that you weren't really sick and alls you needed was a little rest? Do you think you should've been fired for doing that? Of course not.
Now, some of you may equate this to faking a workman's comp sort of thing, which is totally wrong and an arrestable offense. Those of you who think this are crazy.
As many have pointed out, Latos still "has plenty of options", so it shouldn't be a big deal for him to go down to the minors for a week. My assumption is that the MLB knows that Latos "has options". My other assumption, not knowing the details of precisely what goes into roster moves, is that the little white lie of putting Latos on the 15-Day DL probably saves paperwork.
That's right. I think that it's just an easier move, for whatever reason to put Latos on the DL as opposed to sending him to a minor league contract. I also think that the Padres know that Latos has been awesome and, in place of a performance bonus, have shown that they don't want to limit his major league time so much as save his arm without hurting our playoff chances. The MLB looks at this, sees that it's not really hurting anybody since the move could've been performed another way, and they just look in another direction.
If I'm the Padres and I'm getting called out like this by my own fans, am I pissed? Probably a little.
If you want a conspiracy theory, then I'll point out this nugget: back when people thought that Roger Clemens didn't use steroids, he once thought to retire... for half a season... which just happened to be the same amount of time that he would've been suspended if he was found to have tested positive for performance enhancers. Drug tests are a medical procedure and by law, people aren't supposed to know the results of those things. If a player is suspended for half a season without cause and the only possible cause for a half season suspension is drug use, then that doesn't really hide anything that's supposed to be private.
COINCIDENCE!?!?!
Padres doctors write their own prescriptions
Sometimes, I prescribe stuff for myself if I'm able to. Like I'll prescribe a chocolate shake, saying that it will make me feel good, even though I know it will only turn me into more of a fat-ass.
Seriously though, these doctors should be punished. In other news, San Diego in the mid-nineties was a performance enhancing capital of the world. Maybe old habits die hard. Like when 80 year old, former bank robbers shoplift tins of Altoids from the 7-11 just to get a bit of the thrill back.
Padres need more help to finish the season in first
I agree. My prediction is that Hoyer will make moves for non-stars that the organization feels will fill holes. Like David Eckstein types. Guys who will infuriate WORP Watchers and sabermetric sluts alike. That'll be fun.
OK. I'm gonna go check on momma and baby. Have fun.