- Every Padres star of the last several years has said that they want to stay in San Diego. The only one I've actually believed is Heath Bell. But like those before him, he will be traded. It's only a matter of time.
"When they tell me I'm going to Philly, St. Louis, Texas, the Yankees, the Angels -- wherever it is -- I'll give my all to them," Bell said.
He was saying all the right things up until he mentioned that he'd like to replace Papelbon in Boston so he can play with Adrian Gonzalez."My friend Adrian [Gonzalez] is over there," Bell said. "I wanted to see if I could go over there."
- Speaking of Adrian Gonzalez he has an opinion on Petco Park's dimensions:
Adrian Gonzalez not in favor of Petco being altered. Thinks #Padres can win w/ park way is through pitching & def. Focus on wins, not stats.
It's easy for him to say now that he never has to play in Petco Park again and he's impressing the American League with his power stats. Don't forget that when he played for the Padres he tried to convince, then CEO, Sandy Alderson to move the right center field wall in 15-20 feet.Cleanup man Adrian Gonzalez has said the right-center wall in Petco Park should be moved 15-20 feet toward home. During batting practice he made his case to Alderson, while pointing to right-center. "He raised the issue," Alderson said. "We'll leave that for later discussions. He brought it up with me. It's always a possibility."
Nobody wants to sacrifice their offensive stats and possibly future earnings to help the Padres win. They'll make the best of it while they are under contract, but players just aren't that selfless. Petco Park's dimensions have been a source of frustration for everyone. Even pitchers who benefit from the vast outfield only want to stay long enough to pad their stats so they can sign a bigger deal elsewhere. Pitcher's who continually pitch well feel the same frustration as the hitters because they rarely get offensive support. That means they have to labor through every start because every game is close and they may still not get a win against an inferior opposing pitcher.
- Craig Elsten over at 619Sports.net has a good post about Jed Hoyer's mistakes in the past year. His suggestion that they make a future ballpark in Escondido a replica of Petco Park is an interesting one. I didn't realize this, but apparently that is the plan.
The ballpark would have 7,500 permanent seats and room for another 1,500 people to sit on a grass berm in right field. The dimensions of the field would be identical to those of Petco Park, home of the Padres.
Thanks to WoeDoctor for providing the link.
- I joked the other day that it's time to bring up Anthony Rizzo because his bat has been noticeably absent the past few weeks. Phony Rizzomania has bitten the dust.
He's been up for about a month now but has really been struggling since his first game. Could their really be talk of sending him back down?Just speculation, but @sdutPadres thinks Rizzo could go back to the minors to make room for Kyle Blanks (at least until Ludwick is traded)
Filed under:
Bell on possible trade, Gonzalez on Petco Park's dimensions, Hoyer's mistakes and Rizzo's possible demotion
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jbox