May is about to be over and the Padres have shaved off 5 games from the D'backs lead. The Padres have no where to go but up and it appears the moves are paying some dividends along with some hot bats (Kouzmanoff/Greene/Hairston). Left field is still in question as I see the Padres making some move during the month of June. I am looking forward to the draft on Thursday and Friday to see whom the Padres will draft. If I were a betting man, which I am not. I would hedge some funds on the Padres drafting some position players in the early rounds mixed in with some pitchers.

The upcoming homestand is going to a great one. The Cubs, Mets, and Dodgers are coming to Petco Park. Hopefully, the Padres can shave off another 4 games from the D'backs lead and be within 4-5 games out by end of June. Hey Fans !! Didn't the Bolts started out at 1-3 this past year and made a great run for the AFC Championship Game ? Perhaps, just perhaps, there is something in the making for the 2008 Padres season. Hang in there, Padres Fans. The Front Office is trying to bolster this Padres club.

Keep Your Head in the Game.....

Padres LF Paul McAnulty appeared to lose his focus/concentration when Paul hesitated and threw late to home plate in Friday's night game. This is not the way to win a starting position on the team. Concentration is a must and knowing how many outs there are is something that should come naturally, especially for a professional. Otherwise, it simply indicates that person is not in the game, per se mentally. It cost the Padres one run and not the game, though extra innings was required to win the ballgame. Little miscues can add up and have an affect on the game. Stay focus and concentrate ! 

While sitting at last night's game and bored, several possible entertaining thoughts for promo's instead usual Fireworks were flowing through my mind. It would be cool like how some minor league teams put on some wild and entertaining promo's based on the team's performance. Here are some for the Padres that would reflect the current season's situation:

• Wednesday "Stop Watch Night" - Have one contestant from the crowd in the range of 25-35 yrs old to compete with one Padre in a dash from homeplate to firstbase. The winner with the best time from homeplate to firstbase, receives one month of Rubio's fish tacos.
• Tuesday "Swingin' Friars Night" - Have one contestant from the crowd swing a bat at three pitches to see if that contestant can put the ball in fair play beyond the infield by way of a fly ball. If successful, the contestant receives bonafide official Padres jersey with signatures of all the position 8 starters from the Padres.
• Thursday "Throwback Gywnn's Night" - Have one lefthanded contestant from the crowd take three hacks to see if that contestant can put the ball in the 6.6 spot that Tony Gywnn made famous. If successfully, the contestant receives a signed Tony Gwynn Jersey.

Anyhow, those are a few ideas to make the home games more exciting.

Back to the Game and Ballclub.....

Another night, another loss. Win one, lose three or four, win again and lose a few more afterwards. Hey ! Atleast the Padres have shown some consistency besides the strikeouts !! This is getting real old real fast, something has to give real soon. The frugalness of the ballclub is catching up real fast on the Padres.

It is quite evident the Padres Front Office is not bringing up the younger guys because of financial reasons. They claim the clubhouse atmosphere is not good enough to promote Chase Headley yet they promote Double AA C Colt Morton. Okay, what does that tell you ? Either Colt Morton is not in the Padres long term vision or the Front Office is blowing smoke AGAIN. By the way, that clubhouse atmosphere you have seasoned veterans in Brian Giles, Greg Maddox and Trevor Hoffman. Pretty much standup and very honorable men if you were to ask me. I am sure that Chase Headley, Nick Hundley, Josh Geer to name a few would learn alot from the veterans in how to handle adversity. Where's the old famous cliche ? You find out what kind of ballplayers you have when things get tough ? Are the Padres now promoting KinderCare type of atmosphere ? Believe me it all comes down to $$$$. Before the latest move on Wednesday, there were 3 players who didn't deserve a spot on the MLB roster. Now, that number has risen to 5 and it seems that number is rising in correlation to the spot price of barrel of oil these days. The clock continues to tick on the Alderson's regime and with every move they make or fail to make. The real fans are watching in the shadows.

Back to the Game.....

All we can expect is the current players on the team to give their best when playing. On Thursday night, it was one of those games that had brought back memories of 06 and 07 years. I feel for Mgr Buddy Black as he's been given a 1/4 deck of cards to play with. Our nemesis to the North, Ex-Padres Mgr Bruce Bochy had better cards during his run of 11 years with the Padres, including those dreaded years.

Up in Los Angeles, when the Lakers hold their opponents below 100 pts during a game, all Fans in attendance get free taco bell tacos ! How about a promo here in San Diego for the Padres. If the Padres collect 4 or more runs in a game, all fans get a Rubio's Fish Burrito !!....hahahaha !! ....okay, I had to throw that in there.

The Padres Front Office has been making some moves the past week. After reviewing the current roster, I feel there is about 3 players who should not be on the major league roster. Therefore, I anticipate a couple of moves between now and mid-June. But if the Padres continue to lurk in the cellar, there will be some major moves.

Last night against the Mariners, the Padres showed some life and a glimpse of the 06-07 teams. The question is, will this continue or is it just a flash in the sky. I like what Jody Gerut has brought to the ballclub and moving Brian Giles to the 3rd spot has changed the dynamics of the line-up. What the Padres sorely needs is a hitter to protect Adrian Gonzalez.

The next 23 days will determine the fate of the Padres, since most of the games will be played at home. If the Padres do not make up ground on D'backs and the rest of the division teams, this team can ill afford to remain 11+ games behind heading into the month of July.

SNAKE-BITTEN.....

This is the 3rd Year in the Alderson's Regime, Sandy and his entourage have conducted drafts in the 05', 06' and 07' seasons. So far, no prospects have emerged in the big leagues. If you go back another year to 04' where the Padres had the #1 pick, no prospects have emerged from their drafts. That makes it 4 consecutive years, where as the D'backs, Giants, and Rockies had talent breakthrough the ranks. The Padres perhaps have been snaked bitten after trying to go cheap in 04' while opting out to draft Matt Bush instead of Weaver or Drew. Since then, the Padres have drafted Cesar Carrillo (05) and Nick Schmidt (07), both pitchers who had sustained arm/elbow injuries. What I do not understand is, if GM Kevin Towers is so good in acquiring pitching talent through trades and waiver pick-ups on the major league level. Why didn't the Padres draft some position players with their first picks in 05 and 07 ? Clearly, one or two players from those two slots could have been here now on the major league roster. As I have alluded many times on this blog, I personally think its going to take 4-5 yrs until the Alderson's regime produces. Though, 3 years has been ample time to atleast develop 2-3 players for the major league roster by now. The clock continues to tick on the Alderson's regime and personally speaking, from mid-June 08 to mid-Aug 09 I expect at the very least 3-4 prospects knocking at the door step. Otherwise, the accountability or lack of, will be directed at the Alderson's regime.

Feelings among Padres Fans

Listening to 1090 XX the past few weeks during the Too Much Show and Padres post-game shows. Callers have been very displeased and voiced their displeasure at the Padres and the Front Office as well. Most of the comments are legit and one thing people must take into consideration is, the majority of these fans have been around since 1998 like myself. I know the fans do not want to endure another long cycle (5+ yrs) of a deflating product as they did from 1999-2003. During those deflating years, the Padres only produced three players from the farm, Jake Peavy, Xavier Nady and Khalil Greene. If the Padres Front Office had done their homework and due diligence in the drafts, more potent talent should have evolved from the farm back in 2000-2003. Therefore, now as the club has escape the Q and opened San Diego's newest paradise playground -- Petco Park --, the fans are expecting big dividends on their entertainment investment (aka season tickets). There is where I see most of the complaints and dissatisfication coming from, but no one said rebuilding a ballclub is easy. Essentially, that is what the Padres are doing and we as fans must give Alderson regime a chance to prove themselves, I feel 4-5 yrs is enough time. Hang in there Padres fans ! Atleast no one can robbed our fantastic weather away from us, errrrr well maybe Global warming can...hahaha.

Okay, March and April has been completed, the first 30 days of the season. Now, May is a crucial month to determine if Padres are going to be competitors or cellar dwellars. In my most humble opinion, if things do not turn around within the next 10 days something has to give. Its time to make a decision on P Justin Germano since P Shawn Estes may deadline is fast approaching. It's one thing to lose to D'backs and Dodgers, but to lose to Giants and Marlins is a setback to this organization. The people in the front office severely mis-calculated the importance of having a strong middle positions (Catcher and Center fielder) as Ramon Hernandez and Mike Cameron had both provided stability at the positions. If rumors are true about interest in SS Khalil Greene, all I can say is the Padres Front Office better have a plan to get someone in return who is far more capable than Khalil. No, I don't want to see Omar Vizquel or some 35 yr old in return. Here are some scenarios:

• package Greene, Henlsey and Morton to the Marlins for Henley Rameriz. 
• package Greene, McAnulty, Bard, and Hensley to Rangers for SS Michael Young and C Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

Anyhow, those are the only deals that I would consider to think about, though I do not want to trade Khalil.