Mark Sweeney is returning to the Padres for the fourth time after a long, enthusiastic stint playing and working for the Dodgers. He was just hired to do studio analysis alongside new Studio Anchor Mike Pomeranz.
Sweeney will be working in the role that Bob Scanlan held at the now defunct Cox Channel 4 Padres. Scanlan, now a radio broadcaster for the team, had this to say on his Facebook:
I'm sure my former teammate will do a tremendous job, as he has great baseball knowledge and the ability to communicate it. Looking forward to his contributions to the broadcasts!
While not one to ever disagree with Scan, it's hard for me to imagine Sweeney in a serious and analytical role. He played the part of clubhouse clown in his final appearance as a player in San Diego and that's a hard image to shake. But I guess if Jonah Hill can be nominated for an Academy Award then anything is possible.
Here's hoping that Sweeney makes a successful transition and we get quality analysis instead of this: