Random Padres Stuff

Here’s a smattering of random outdated stuff that I’ve been too busy to blog about, so I’ll do it real quick like this:

• The Padres have been notoriously bad about engaging their alumni. Except for the occasional 1998 or 1984 reunion it’s rare to see a former Padres player at the ballpark unless they are on the payroll. The team that has notoriously ignored and scoffed at their history is now making an effort thanks to Padres Legend Randy Jones. It’s weird that this is how we find out. That’s one way of disseminating information.
• The Padres are inducting one new member, Jack McKeon, into their Hall of Fame this year. I think he deserves entry but I’m just wondering how long the Padres plan to make broadcasters Ted Leitner and Bob Chandler wait? Are they trying to do these inductions posthumously? Leitner is turning 70 in July and said recently: “I’m not going to live into my 80s. I understand that.” As rumor has it, the plan is to make Ted wait until his 40th anniversary with the team, even though nobody else has had to wait for a round number. Just put them in already!
• We were all happy to see Wil Myers hit for the cycle on April 10th. I went back to check to see if that’s the earliest in a baseball season that a player has ever hit for the cycle. I started looking back at cycles from 1882 and it wasn’t until Craig Biggio did it on April 8th, 2002, then Brad Wilkerson did it on April 6, 2005 that it happened before Wil’s. That’s kind of interesting.
• TTG reviewed Fastball John for us back in the Fall. I started it back then thinking I had to quickly read it and review it, but after TTG’s review I put it on the back burner until just recently finishing it. If you haven’t read it, you should. I passed my copy along to Bobby C. on Opening Day so you’ll have to get your own. In any case it’s a great look into Padre past. You can listen to the authors on Justin McGuire’s podcast Baseball by the Book, listen closely for a shout-out to TTG too.
• Jon and I visited the Padres Hall of Fame for the third time on Opening Day. When we first went last year I started writing a really negative review of it and shelved it because everything I was writing at the time was negative. Simply put it’s really underwhelming and they have few baseball relics. Even the jerseys on display are replicas. It seemed thrown together at the last minute, because it was. In any case the Padres built a beautiful display with Jerry Coleman memorabilia last week-ish and put it out of sight in the media lunchroom. Fans can only see it if they take a ballpark tour. Shame.
• I went to last Sunday’s day game at Petco Park. It was my first time standing in the Pier. It’s not a bad place to take in the game except for the game itself is hard to follow. It was still a lot of fun though. I tweeted that the crowd had a good wave going, which received several anti-wave comments. Let me ask you if this is true: Are the people that hate the wave, the same people that want soccer style cheering sections in baseball? It seems to me that they are, which I don’t get. Oh well, I like the wave.