I don't have a lot to say. I didn't want Chase Headley traded. He wasn't traded. This is good.
I don't know how long Chase will be a Padre. I hope for many years to come.
I'm not going to pretend to know what the front office's plan for the team is going forward. I don't even know who the front office is going to be going forward.
I'm happy to still have Chase Headley. I think he's better than Jedd Gyorko. I hope he's extended. I hope Gyorko can either play second base or get the Padres something valuable in trade. I don't know what's going to happen.
I would like to see the Padres try to compete in 2013, or at least build towards competing in 2014. I think that is probably the plan. I don't know. If they are going to try, they're going to have to make some serious moves and add a significant amount of payroll in the offseason. We'll see what happens.
Tonight I'm going to drink a beer and watch Chase Headley hit 3rd for the Padres, and be thankful he's still on the team.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Friday, July 20, 2012
Oh, Dog!: The Padres Brewing Project
Some months back, I was thinking about some sort of gimmick for this blog. Aside from writing angry, rambling horse shit posts that nobody actually reads, of course. Rather, let's refer to this as "recurring subject matter" as opposed to a gimmick. Anyway, follow my logic to loosely connect some of my passions:
- I love the San Diego Padres.
- I love beer.
- I love brewing beer.
- I hate blue uniforms.
- I love brown uniforms. Brown is the only acceptable color for the San Diego Padres.
- I should brew a brown ale dedicated to the Padres.
- I am not particularly fond of most brown ales.
- I should brew Padres-themed brown ales in various styles. As a challenge to myself as a brewer and a beer drinker.
- I should blog about it.
- Why not?
So, with that I decided to brew brown ales in an attempt to find one that I might enjoy. I won't necessarily attempt to make a standard brown ale, but rather I would take inspiration from Padres past and present and brew a style (very) loosely-related to the player. The first beer I came up with was a saison.
Saison is a style of beer hailing from the Wallonia region of Belgium, originally brewed in the farmhouses of the region (hence the "farmhouse" ale label). It was originally light, refreshing, and low-ABV, as the beer was intended to be consumed through hot summer days by farm workers. Some of my favorite modern examples of this would be Ommegang's Hennepin, The Lost Abbey's Carnevale, Saison DuPont, Stone/Victory/Dogfish Head's Saison du BUFF, and Boulevard's Tank 7. It's a style of beer one might enjoy on a warm, Saturday afternoon whilst mowing their lawn. Drawing on the inspiration of a lawn mowing phenomenon, I present to you "Oh, Dog!"
Cheers!
Now, it's worth noting that Orlando Hudson was still a member of the Padres when I brewed this beer. The name was a funny, relevant reference at the time. Relevant, anyway. With your assistance and imagination, it could still be. Help a guy out!
The thing I love about saison is that it's a very malleable style. If a beer was going to shoot the shit with anyone and everyone they come across, I would argue that it would be saison. Not that imagination doesn't allow you to approach any beer as a blank canvas of sorts (and, certainly, this project is built entirely upon this premise), but I feel with saison it is particularly so. While it's normally a pale style beer, I didn't think it would be too thrown off if I attempted a brown saison. As it turns out, it worked! Very typical saison flavor here, light, refreshing, spicy, fruity, with a dry (and slightly caramel, in this instance!) finish. The nutty flavor you wouldn't normally find in this style actually blends in quite well, as it's pretty subtle. And at 5.8% ABV, it's totally ready for the ballpark!
I only bottled half of this batch of beer. The rest, I have set aside and infected. "WHAT?", you may ask. By that, I basically mean I added wild yeast and bacteria to the beer in order to "sour" it. So, we'll see how the process changes this beer. I'm using previously-infected oak from a lambic I made a couple of years ago. It's already yielded great results in the past, so this should be fun.
Next beer? I have ideas, but I'm also open to suggestions. Also, if you're a home brewer, I'm more than willing to share any of these recipes with you. Drop a line in the comments section, and I'll get on it.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Taking Back Brass Monkey
Got this dance that's more than real...
Ryan Ludwick ruined "Brass Monkey" for my wife. Not that it's her favorite song, nor are the Beastie Boys her favorite band. However, it's just one of those songs that's an integral part of her life. It's ridiculous, it's fun, it's a childhood memory. Hell, the woman had it as her ringtone when we met (and she still married me, even though I razzed her about ringtones. Bless her.). For the last year and a half, Brass Monkey makes the poor woman cringe. That's not right.
For you, it may be that Dave Hansen ruined Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop", or Joe Randa ruining The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary". Or maybe you're a fan of mariachi, and Sean Burroughs ruined that for you. It's understandable.
We've began a therapy regimen, which is essentially me playing the song and saying "get over it, already!" Okay, not really...but she is opening back up to the song. Perhaps it's Ludwick leaving town. Perhaps it's the unfortunate/untimely passing of Adam Yauch, but it doesn't matter. She is enjoying the song again, though in small doses. She's recovering. The fact is, you too can overcome a terrible player ruining a song for you via their walk-up music. Slowly, but surely, you can re-introduce these songs back into your lives. Take it back!
I would blame Jeff Cirillo for ruining "Bad Boy For Life" or "Machine Head", but those songs suck to begin with.
Ryan Ludwick ruined "Brass Monkey" for my wife. Not that it's her favorite song, nor are the Beastie Boys her favorite band. However, it's just one of those songs that's an integral part of her life. It's ridiculous, it's fun, it's a childhood memory. Hell, the woman had it as her ringtone when we met (and she still married me, even though I razzed her about ringtones. Bless her.). For the last year and a half, Brass Monkey makes the poor woman cringe. That's not right.
For you, it may be that Dave Hansen ruined Led Zeppelin's "Misty Mountain Hop", or Joe Randa ruining The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary". Or maybe you're a fan of mariachi, and Sean Burroughs ruined that for you. It's understandable.
We've began a therapy regimen, which is essentially me playing the song and saying "get over it, already!" Okay, not really...but she is opening back up to the song. Perhaps it's Ludwick leaving town. Perhaps it's the unfortunate/untimely passing of Adam Yauch, but it doesn't matter. She is enjoying the song again, though in small doses. She's recovering. The fact is, you too can overcome a terrible player ruining a song for you via their walk-up music. Slowly, but surely, you can re-introduce these songs back into your lives. Take it back!
I would blame Jeff Cirillo for ruining "Bad Boy For Life" or "Machine Head", but those songs suck to begin with.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Home Run Derby: Serious Business
The discussion surrounding the Home Run Derby generally consists of how awful Chris Berman is, or how much all of the people watching the event don't care about it. Not this year, though!
As I'm sure you're all well aware of by now, Robinson Cano was booed throughout his entire appearance in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Well, save for the eruption of cheers when he made an out. If you didn't see it, you surely caught the sanctimonious backlash from the national media through their Twitter accounts.
Or "I'm a national sports writer, allow me to unintentionally point out the national media's bias toward larger markets."
With Gammons being a big Red Sox fan, I wonder...what was it when Red Sox fans chanted "Just Say No" at recovering addict Darryl Strawberry during the 1999 ALCS? And that certainly isn't the only inappropriate fan reaction in Fenway Park history. Or how the shirts sold outside of Fenway with clever messages such as "Roger Clemens Is A Piece Of Shit" and "A-Rod Sucks, Jeter Swallows"? They exist. I've seen them being sold outside of Fenway with my own eyes. I'm sure it's all due to the passion of a large market fan base. It's all in fun!
The fact of the matter is this: Robinson Cano promised to add a Royal to his squad and he reneged on his promise. Small or large market, ANY fanbase would be angry. As noted above, one argument against Butler is that he just didn't deserve to be a part of the home run derby. Sitting at 16 home runs, Butler currently has more home runs than Derby Champion Prince Fielder. And that's certainly not to say Prince Fielder should have been excluded, especially since he's the defending champion...just pointing out that Butler's numbers go against the narrative. Recent Home Run Derby entrants have included noted sluggers and/or superstars such as Nick Swisher, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Brandon Inge, Alex Rios, and Hee-Seop Choi. So, as you can see, there's a standard to be upheld in the Home Run Derby. Can't just let anyone in.
The thing that's being lost here is that it's an exhibition. The fans attending what amounts to a glorified batting practice are paying hundreds of dollars for the privilege of doing so. Why shouldn't their team be represented if there's a reasonable candidate available? Especially when the "captain" promised to name said player to his team. And if that guy reneges on his promise, so what if the fans boo him? It's not like they threw water on him and his family, like Arizona fans did to Prince Fielder last year for passing on Justin Upton(though, there are reports that KC fans booed Cano's family in the stands, and that isn't right.). Passan's level of irritation in that column is nowhere near what we've seen from him after Kansas City fans booed New York's Robinson Cano.
In the end, I think Padres fans can understand where KC fans are coming from. It's easy to jump on your high horse and pretend everyone should play nice, but we can't forget that fan is an abbreviation. Passionate people are going to react passionately; it is inherent to sports fandom. Smaller teams such as ourselves and the Royals rarely get the chance to shine, and when our players get pushed aside, we feel for them. We feel for our club, our city, ourselves. It's not easy being a fan of a club that has the cards stacked against it, always with the carrot dangling in front of us. The Royals and their fans had the rug pulled out from under them, and the fans reacted as they should have.
And, really, in the end...it was kind of funny.
As I'm sure you're all well aware of by now, Robinson Cano was booed throughout his entire appearance in the Home Run Derby on Monday night. Well, save for the eruption of cheers when he made an out. If you didn't see it, you surely caught the sanctimonious backlash from the national media through their Twitter accounts.
Kansas City berates Robinson Cano for not choosing Billy Butler for the Home Run Derby. Rest of America goes: Billy who?
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 9, 2012
I get Kansas City sticking up for its guy, Butler, but it reeks of inferiority. We should want to see the best HR hitters. That's not Billy.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2012
Just because the Royals haven't won anything in a quarter-century doesn't mean the fans deserve something. Isn't the All-Star Game enough?
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 10, 2012
The irrational booing of Robinson Cano is simply a reminder of how badly Royals fans long for legitimacy.Why is it necessary to pull the "jealousy" card when fans of a mid/small market team actually voice their opinion on a matter? If you disagree with the fans booing, then fine. State that opinion and move on. These tweets feel unnecessarily personal, though.
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 10, 2012
With Gammons being a big Red Sox fan, I wonder...what was it when Red Sox fans chanted "Just Say No" at recovering addict Darryl Strawberry during the 1999 ALCS? And that certainly isn't the only inappropriate fan reaction in Fenway Park history. Or how the shirts sold outside of Fenway with clever messages such as "Roger Clemens Is A Piece Of Shit" and "A-Rod Sucks, Jeter Swallows"? They exist. I've seen them being sold outside of Fenway with my own eyes. I'm sure it's all due to the passion of a large market fan base. It's all in fun!
The fact of the matter is this: Robinson Cano promised to add a Royal to his squad and he reneged on his promise. Small or large market, ANY fanbase would be angry. As noted above, one argument against Butler is that he just didn't deserve to be a part of the home run derby. Sitting at 16 home runs, Butler currently has more home runs than Derby Champion Prince Fielder. And that's certainly not to say Prince Fielder should have been excluded, especially since he's the defending champion...just pointing out that Butler's numbers go against the narrative. Recent Home Run Derby entrants have included noted sluggers and/or superstars such as Nick Swisher, Rickie Weeks, Corey Hart, Brandon Inge, Alex Rios, and Hee-Seop Choi. So, as you can see, there's a standard to be upheld in the Home Run Derby. Can't just let anyone in.
The thing that's being lost here is that it's an exhibition. The fans attending what amounts to a glorified batting practice are paying hundreds of dollars for the privilege of doing so. Why shouldn't their team be represented if there's a reasonable candidate available? Especially when the "captain" promised to name said player to his team. And if that guy reneges on his promise, so what if the fans boo him? It's not like they threw water on him and his family, like Arizona fans did to Prince Fielder last year for passing on Justin Upton(though, there are reports that KC fans booed Cano's family in the stands, and that isn't right.). Passan's level of irritation in that column is nowhere near what we've seen from him after Kansas City fans booed New York's Robinson Cano.
In the end, I think Padres fans can understand where KC fans are coming from. It's easy to jump on your high horse and pretend everyone should play nice, but we can't forget that fan is an abbreviation. Passionate people are going to react passionately; it is inherent to sports fandom. Smaller teams such as ourselves and the Royals rarely get the chance to shine, and when our players get pushed aside, we feel for them. We feel for our club, our city, ourselves. It's not easy being a fan of a club that has the cards stacked against it, always with the carrot dangling in front of us. The Royals and their fans had the rug pulled out from under them, and the fans reacted as they should have.
And, really, in the end...it was kind of funny.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Don't Look Now...
I know, some of you can't look now. I sincerely empathize. It is by luck only that my parents have had Cox for as long as I can remember, and thus I am able to watch every Padres game on FSSD via the fantastic technology that is Slingbox. I'm an apartment dweller here in the Cleveland suburbs, so I know about limited cable provider choices. The fact that the only real alternative to Time Warner for many San Diegans is AT&T U-Verse, and FSSD can't even come to an agreement with them, is perhaps the most ridiculous aspect of the whole situation. But that is not what this post is about.
Anyway, if you haven't been paying attention the past week, and I can't blame you if you haven't, the San Diego Padres have now won 6 games in a row. They aren't heading to the playoffs, but they're climbing out of the gutter. I've watched about 80% of the games this year, and these have been 6 of the most fun thus far this season (other than the part where Andrew Cashner couldn't make it through his 3rd start without hitting the DL).
Tonight's glorious walk-off victory was a complete thriller. The rival Reds (well, in Cleveland they are the rival Reds) came to town for the start of a 3 game set, and the first pitching matchup is two guys who were once opening day starters for the other team and who were traded for each other in the offseason? That's intrigue.
Mat Latos rode into town and killed it, throwing 7 really strong innings. The last time I watched him pitch was against the Indians a couple weeks ago, and he was absolutely shelled. Afterward, he claimed the Indians were stealing signs. The Indians claimed he was tipping pitches (see what I mean about the rivalry?). What I saw was a pitcher throwing thigh high fastballs right down the middle. Tonight's version of Mat Latos was a completely different guy. His release point was better, his pitch locations were better, he didn't leave anything out over the middle of the plate.
Volquez was strong too. He struggled early, throwing a lot of pitches and giving up a run, but he settled down nicely and was able to get through 7 strong. His off-speed pitches were electric, and he relied heavily on them late in the start. And he only walked 3, 1 intentionally, so by his standards his command was excellent.
Latos got lucky in the 7th. Cam Maybin got called out sliding head first (why? I have no idea) into the first base bag when he was clearly safe. Bud Black was ejected. He may even have cursed. He didn't fight long. Maybe he knew something we didn't, because in the 8th bench coach Rick Renteria sent up Logan Forsythe to pinch-hit and Forsythe crushed a game-tying home run. In Petco Park. After 9:30pm pdt. Off one of the best setup men in the game, Sean Marshall. Crazy.
The game stayed tied going into the bottom of the 9th. The revelation that has been Yasmani Grandal (your loss, Reds fans!) doubled to start the inning. The Reds walked Yonder (I wish your last name was Rizzo) Alonso intentionally to set up the double play. Cam Maybin bunted a sky high chopper off home plate for an infield single to load the bases. Up strode Everth Cabrera, who crushed a one-hopper over the wall in left-center for a game-winning ground rule something or other (single? double? Everth never touched 2nd, Alonso never touched home), flipped his bat like an absolute boss, and that was that.
Padres win. So many injuries this season. So much underperformance. So much ownership nonsense. None of that has mattered the last 6. It can't last. Not with this pitching staff. Doesn't matter. I'll take what I can get. Good baseball right now is good enough. There's an argument to be made for tanking for the #1 pick in next year's draft. I'd counter that with guys like Grandal, Alonso, Everth, and Maybin out there playing every day, it's more important for the team's future to see them succeed as much as possible the rest of the season. The 2009 Padres stunk up the first half then battled back to 75 wins by the end of the year, building momentum that continued almost to the end of the 2010 season (so bitter). Maybe this team can do the same thing.
Bud Black is never getting fired. Ever. Sorry to end on a sour note.
Anyway, if you haven't been paying attention the past week, and I can't blame you if you haven't, the San Diego Padres have now won 6 games in a row. They aren't heading to the playoffs, but they're climbing out of the gutter. I've watched about 80% of the games this year, and these have been 6 of the most fun thus far this season (other than the part where Andrew Cashner couldn't make it through his 3rd start without hitting the DL).
Tonight's glorious walk-off victory was a complete thriller. The rival Reds (well, in Cleveland they are the rival Reds) came to town for the start of a 3 game set, and the first pitching matchup is two guys who were once opening day starters for the other team and who were traded for each other in the offseason? That's intrigue.
Mat Latos rode into town and killed it, throwing 7 really strong innings. The last time I watched him pitch was against the Indians a couple weeks ago, and he was absolutely shelled. Afterward, he claimed the Indians were stealing signs. The Indians claimed he was tipping pitches (see what I mean about the rivalry?). What I saw was a pitcher throwing thigh high fastballs right down the middle. Tonight's version of Mat Latos was a completely different guy. His release point was better, his pitch locations were better, he didn't leave anything out over the middle of the plate.
Volquez was strong too. He struggled early, throwing a lot of pitches and giving up a run, but he settled down nicely and was able to get through 7 strong. His off-speed pitches were electric, and he relied heavily on them late in the start. And he only walked 3, 1 intentionally, so by his standards his command was excellent.
Latos got lucky in the 7th. Cam Maybin got called out sliding head first (why? I have no idea) into the first base bag when he was clearly safe. Bud Black was ejected. He may even have cursed. He didn't fight long. Maybe he knew something we didn't, because in the 8th bench coach Rick Renteria sent up Logan Forsythe to pinch-hit and Forsythe crushed a game-tying home run. In Petco Park. After 9:30pm pdt. Off one of the best setup men in the game, Sean Marshall. Crazy.
The game stayed tied going into the bottom of the 9th. The revelation that has been Yasmani Grandal (your loss, Reds fans!) doubled to start the inning. The Reds walked Yonder (I wish your last name was Rizzo) Alonso intentionally to set up the double play. Cam Maybin bunted a sky high chopper off home plate for an infield single to load the bases. Up strode Everth Cabrera, who crushed a one-hopper over the wall in left-center for a game-winning ground rule something or other (single? double? Everth never touched 2nd, Alonso never touched home), flipped his bat like an absolute boss, and that was that.
Padres win. So many injuries this season. So much underperformance. So much ownership nonsense. None of that has mattered the last 6. It can't last. Not with this pitching staff. Doesn't matter. I'll take what I can get. Good baseball right now is good enough. There's an argument to be made for tanking for the #1 pick in next year's draft. I'd counter that with guys like Grandal, Alonso, Everth, and Maybin out there playing every day, it's more important for the team's future to see them succeed as much as possible the rest of the season. The 2009 Padres stunk up the first half then battled back to 75 wins by the end of the year, building momentum that continued almost to the end of the 2010 season (so bitter). Maybe this team can do the same thing.
Bud Black is never getting fired. Ever. Sorry to end on a sour note.
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