After winning 88 games in 2007, most of the baseball world had the San Diego Padres pegged as contenders this season. That was before Jake Peavy and Chris Young got hurt, Khalil Greene was useless and an outfield of Scott Hairston and Paul McAnulty fell flat on their face. Now, in a pivotal offseason for the franchise, the Padres are doing everything they can to completely dismantle the franchise.

We know all about the likely Jake Peavy trade. Even though Peavy has one of the friendliest contracts in baseball for a top-line pitcher, he’s on his way out, likely for nothing more than a bundle of prospects. But the real issue I have is the Padres’ treatment of franchise icon Trevor Hoffman, who has amassed 552 of his 554 career saves for the Friars. After some tense negotiations (and a rejected head-to-head meeting), Hoffman’s lowballed $4 million offer was withdrawn last night…VIA FAX.

Classy. Here’s a franchise that’s had two icons in the last 20 years. One of them, Tony Gwynn, went out as a Padre and is now eternalized in center field at Petco Park. But how awful is this Hoffman situation? Without Hoffman, a great argument can be made that the Padres’ downtown stadium would not even exist. He’s been that pivotal in the franchise’s organization

“Trevor is upset with the way they’ve handled the situation,” one of Hoffman’s agents said. Gee, ya think? This is about more than baseball wins and losses. Sure, the argument can be made that paying a closer $4 milion for a 100 loss team isn’t a great financial move. But giving the finger to Hoffman is an enormous PR hit, and it’s going to hurt them for years. You think Adrian Gonzalez wants to extend his contract after 2010?

You stay classy, San Diego.

These are a collection of thoughts I’ve had about the world of sports the past few days.  None of them really deserve a full length article, so they’re all just kinda thrown together here.

I’m not quite sure what the Dodgers are trying to do with their offer to Manny Ramirez.  It’s rumored to be two years for $45 million.  I understand the concept of low balling to start of negotiations, but I get the feeling that Scott Boras is going to do to that offer what manager Lou Brown did to Roger Dorn’s contract in Major League, that is, take a piss on it.

Major League Baseball should probably take away the San Diego Padres right to call themselves a major league organization.  The only players who matter in San Diego (Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez, and Trevor Hoffman) have all indicated that they have at least some interest in playing elsewhere because the team apparently has no plans to try to win.

These reports that MLB would never let Mark Cuban buy the Cubs are somewhat troubling to me.  If he is the highest bidder (which is probably a safe bet) why not let him buy the team?  Apparently Bud Selig is afraid of having an owner who will have the guts to stand up and say how bad he sucks as a commissioner.

It’s probably a safe bet to say that if Nick Saban went to Washington he could make the Huskies a contender within 3 years, right?  It’s also probably safe to assume he isn’t going to stay at Alabama for too long, he doesn’t exactly strike me as the loyal type.

I’m wonder what sort of golf karma is going to hit this idiot.  Here’s a guy who has recorded five hole-in-one’s in one week, something bad has to happen to him on the course right?  He must have had the worst bounces ever seen to man for the past 10 years in order to deserve recording a hole in one five times in one week.

It wasn’t so long ago, folks, that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies were facing each other in the NLCS for the right to play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.  In fact, just seven months ago, these two teams (along with the Phillies) were being hailed the prizes of the National League, full of youth, talent, and excitement.  As the 2008 season has unfolded, however, both these teams have stumbled.  But the struggles haven’t remained within the two organizations; the Dodgers and Padres have both played well below expectations and the San Francisco Giants are, by my considerations, the only team exceeding expectations.  So why is this?

Arizona Diamondbacks. Lets start with the division leaders (barely), the Diamondbacks.  Floating at an even .500 mark of 40-40, the Diamondbacks lead the piss-poor division despite winning just 9 of their last 24 games in the month of June.  Brandon Webb and Dan Haren have both been fantastic, leading 11-4 and 8-4 records respectively and captaining the rotation ahead of the Big Unit, Micah Owings, and Doug Davis.  Everyone has been on Micah Owings jock for his ability to hit…but I’m on his ass for his lackluster pitching performance this year.  Owings ERA is north of five and you have to go back to May 25th for a start in which he allowed less than three runs, May 14th for a start in which he didn’t allow a run.

The essence of their success last year, timely hitting, has been lacking this season.  Super-talent Justin Upton has struggled since his incredible start to the year.  Eric Byrnes, the catalyst for much of the Diamondbacks offense, has struggled this year, having his average dip to .210 since coming off an injury in which he tore both of his quad muscles.  How is that even possible?  Anyways, Byrnes was hitting a whopping 100 points higher last season at this point.  Don’t get too caught up in Chris Young’s power numbers; he’s hitting a dismal .230 and his OBP of .300 is concerning, especially for a leadoff hitter. Read the rest of this entry »

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan and Rich: This episode focused entirely on the National League West. With the hiring of former Yankees skipper Joe Torre, are the Dodgers ready for their youth movement to finally make a playoff run? Or will Brandon Webb’s Arizona Diamondbacks repeat? Can the Colorado Rockies continue their magical run of 2007? And can Jake Peavy and Chris Young carry the Padres back into the postseason? All of this and more on the Sportable Spot.

Note: We’ve recorded our podcasts for the AL Central and AL East. They will be posted in a few days after we complete the NL West team previews.

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Another Year of Pitching Duels: The last couple years, I’ve been on record saying the San Diego Padres were a couple legitimate bats away from being favorites in the National League. But year after year, those bats don’t come. Instead, the team relies on a bunch of veteran role players to fill holes. While the pitching staff of this team remains among the game’s elite, an awful offense is keeping this team from being true World Series contenders.

Bats. Padres CEO Sandy Alderson has attempted to carry over the blueprint he used to build winners in Oakland. He’s a fan of inexpensive guys with good on base percentages. However, you’ll find few of those in this lineup. While the infield is full of young talent, San Diego’s Opening Day outfield is arguably the worst in baseball.

1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez, a former #1 overall pick and San Diego native, has flourished with the Padres. In his second year with the team, Gonzalez hit .282 with career highs in homers (30) and RBIs (100). Despite playing in a pitcher’s paradise, his left-handed bat has emerged into one of the league’s best at the position. Now if only he could avoid a month long slump that has plagued him the last two seasons. Across the diamond, 3rd baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff overcame a terrible start to post solid rookie numbers of .275-18-74. With a full season under his belt, Kouz should be hearing far more “Koooooz” than “Boooooo” in 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

Last night’s wild card play-in game might have been one of the best I’ve ever watched. We had several lead changes, several crucial mistakes, and several players step up when it mattered most. First and foremost, I shouldn’t shy away from my belief that Matt Holliday should be the MVP. His numbers are without a doubt some of the best by any player this season and, even though I like Jimmy Rollins, a lot has to be said for Holliday’s impact on this team. I hate to use this example but if you were to take Rollins out of that Phillies lineup, it’d still be a relatively competitive team. I think if you take Holliday out of this Rockies lineup, you have the same 10 to 15 games under .500 team that you had before he developed into the monster he is.

And what’s the deal with Jake Peavy? Over the past three seasons, Peavy has asserted himself to be one of the most dominant pitchers in the game. When it comes time for the big game, however, Peavy has choked with remarkable Buffalo Bills consistency. His outing last night was far from spectacular and the six runs he surrendered were as many as he had given up in his past four starts combined. Sure, he’s a lock for the Cy Young, but does it really mean much if he’s sitting at home watching the Rockies face the Phillies in the divisionals?

Finally, my case against instant replay. I don’t care if Matt Holliday touched the plate. Matt Holliday even said in the post-game interview that he didn’t know if he touched the plate. Regardless, the umpire called him safe and that should be the final verdict. This game isn’t like football. Baseball isn’t a non-stop action sport. The integrity of the umpires and the integrity of the game would be compromised with a review system. And aren’t the blown calls just a part of the game anyways? The strike zone is an invisible box that is created by the umpire. This game is built around the umpire using his two eyes, not multiple camera angles. It should stay that way.