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Welcome to Pads and Ends, a collection of links and rants about the Padres, other nonsense from around the world of baseball, and whatever else pops into my head at the moment. I’ll lead off with the Padres stuff just so those who couldn’t care less about the rest don’t have to sift for what they came here for. This seems like it could be a good daily feature, but I guess time will tell if that’s a thing people even want. Well, that and I’m the most consistently unreliable person you’ll meet, prone to flights of fancy and thoroughly unproductive weeks of wallowing in depression and typing nary a word. So, y’know, we’ll see. But I digress!
Before I get to the baseballin’, here’s something to listen to while you’re scrolling, since I aim to provide a fully immersive multi-sensory experience. I mean, you’re still on your own when it comes to smells, tastes, and touches, but I’ve got your eyes and ears covered.
Pads bits:
- Okay, this story is straight-up zany, and has everything you could possibly ask for in a headline. Do you remember Greg Reynolds? The Rockies took him with the second overall pick in 2006, he didn’t pan out, and wound up being signed as a minor league free agent by the Padres in early 2016. At the time all I really knew about him was that I remembered him appearing on an episode of Mythbusters; what I didn’t know was that he was recovering from a broken hand, and that how he broke his hand was a story for the ages. You really have to read the whole thing, but go into it knowing that everything I mentioned in the headline is from just this story.
- If you’re a subscriber to The Athletic, immediately go read this Manuel Margot jawn. If you’re not a subscriber to The Athletic, seriously reconsider it. That is, unless you’re impoverished, in which case I offer you a heartfelt, pursed-lip nod and an “I feel ya, fam”.
Love this deep dive on Manny Margot’s running game from @sacbuntdustin https://t.co/GGAZRHAWuk
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) March 22, 2018
- Hey, guess whose game isn’t televised today!? This s**t is getting old. Fortunately the regular season is just a shout away.
Elsewhere in baseball:
- Again, this requires being a subscriber to The Athletic, but I’m including this before I’ve even read it myself, just because the subject is one that has interested me for sometime, and I have no doubt that Jeff Pearlman somehow managed to make it even more fascinating. It’s about Rogelio Moret’s strange exit from the game.
- Have we finally seen the last of Jeffrey Jay Gowan’s kid?
Free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth told me he continues to work out and train, intending to continue his career. Still waiting for an opportunity.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 22, 2018
- Mike Napoli will not be returning to Cleveland. If he had survived the cuts, it would have been his second stint with the team.
Indians To Add Rajai Davis To MLB Roster, Release Mike Napoli https://t.co/qjmBrTDnVl pic.twitter.com/Ue3845Ets1
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) March 22, 2018
- It happened a couple days ago, but in case you missed it, the Indians also cut loose old friend Melvin Upton.
- I live in the Reds’ viewing area, so I guess I’ll be seeing a lot of Kennys Vargas this year.
So long, Kennys Vargas, you giant human being. https://t.co/TUTiX3Eeti
— myjah (@KirbysLeftEye) March 22, 2018
- Welp, it’s official. Organizations can continue to legally pay minor league players in couch change and bread crusts. This is infuriating despite being so expected.
Congress will allow MLB to pay minor-league players unlivable wages https://t.co/inUdJW0JlL pic.twitter.com/TbMyyZF028
— WEEI (@WEEI) March 22, 2018
End hits:
Get it? “End hits”? You know, “end” because of “Ends” and because it’s at the end, and “hits” because, uhh, baseball. Also, I guess this only works if you’re already aware of the Fugazi album titled End Hits.
- Perpetual disgrace Dan Sileo continues to make a fool of himself at every turn. Now he’s buying Twitter followers en masse, and trying to play off the Padres distancing themselves from him as a personal choice he made.
I think the thing that bothers me most about this is that Big Sils assumed nobody would notice he bought 5K+ followers... or if we did notice, we wouldn’t think it was pathetic. https://t.co/S5ULprA8M3
— brady phelps (@LobShots) March 21, 2018
"You're not going to be hearing too many Padre guys on my show. I'm trying to get ratings. Maybe when they start winning. " -Silz on @PadresRadio
— Aaron. (@_Aaron87) March 19, 2018
Fantastic. Good shit.@Padres
- And, to get the thought of that horribly cartoonish buffoon out of your mind, here’s something pleasant to go out on:
torso warmer pic.twitter.com/UMWHh5973Y
— Joe Lanek (@TheThinGwynn) March 21, 2018