Remember the Giants?
Or any NL West opponent? It’s been a while. The Padres and Giants begin a four-game series at Oracle Park tonight. With the new schedule format having a serious impact, this the teams’ first meeting here all season long. And the Padres won’t be back to SF until late September.
In fact, the only (two!) games between the Pads and Giants so far in 2023 were the Mexico City games at the end of April. And it gets weirder:
This is just the second series all month against an NL West team. The Padres went to Denver a couple of weekends ago. And after this week, we won’t see another divisional opponent until the literal last day of July, when a 3-game set at Coors Field opens up.
In fact, the Padres are in a previously unthinkable stretch of going from 5/7-8/4 without hosting a team from their division at Petco.
I mentioned to Tony on the air yesterday that this past week (a homestand against CLE and TB) was the first time I really felt the new schedule format. I was really excited about it on paper when the year began and I have no doubt it’s good for baseball in a big picture way…but now that we’re in the midst of it, I think I have some more complex feelings. That said, I’m going to give it the year and see how I feel when all is said and done. Regardless, there’s no doubt it’s having a major impact.
All-Star Voting
Obviously the Padres have not gotten off to the start that any of us expected and part of that is a bunch of guys’ individual numbers are not where we thought they’d be (though certainly all of that is trending upwards—more on that below).
With All-Star voting in full swing, I wanted to share one of my thoughts about the Mid-Summer Classic: VOTE. For your guys. Even if their numbers aren’t as good as some other’s.
My take on the MLB ASG has always been that what makes it special—and the best of all the All-Star Games—is the actual start power. And while it’s very easy to look at the stats and see who’s “deserving” of a spot, the reality is that what’s so fun about the game is seeing those big name arms go against those big name bats. So not only should you not feel shame about voting for your guys, I say let it rip. Phase one of voting ends this week.
On the Offense
If you’re a regular or even semi-regular of Padres Radio, you’ve probably heard my cruise ship/tanker analogy at some point lately. Whenever I’ve been asked or we’ve discussed the state of the Padres—specifically the offense—I’ve said it really does seem to me like they’re turning the corner. Slowly, but the turn is being made. It kind of feels like the team is a cruise ship slowly pulling out of port, winding its way through the channel slowly but surely, as opposed to maybe what we all thought (hoped?) would happen: turning the corner like a Ferrari. That said, it’s the turning that is key right now and the fact that it seems to be happening is certainly encouraging. Still a long way to go and there’s no doubt the team is playing better baseball. A major step in the right direction.
Couple Links
Two stories from the last few weeks I wanted to make sure to pass along. They’re very different, but both worthwhile:
A marvelous history of the San Diego Chicken courtesy of Zach Buchanan in The Athletic. 50 years!! The only reason I hesitated to share that link is that shortly after the publication of the story, Zach was—along with a bunch of other wonderful writers—laid off by the publication. Very frustrating and sad that they are cutting back their coverage, which had been wonderfully comprehensive.
MLB has done a really nice job the last few years raising awareness for ALS in conjunction with Lou Gehrig Day. And this last year, it’s all hit a bit closer to home for many of us who work in baseball. Sarah Langs, who has worked in many capacities in baseball research and who is a delightfully prominent figure on social media, has been diagnosed with the disease. What’s perhaps most crushing is that her diagnoses came before she turned 30. If you aren’t familiar with her work, she is one of the masters of finding those wonderfully baseball-specific stats (“You’ll never believe the last time such-and-such happened…”) and shares them with absolute joy and passion online. One of Sarah’s dear friends is Mandy Bell of MLB.com, who wrote a wonderful piece on Sarah, that I hope everyone takes the time to read.
Wonderfully Specific Stats, You Say?
When Blake Snell struck out Isaac Paredes of the Rays in the 6th inning on Saturday afternoon, I was excited to note that it was the second consecutive start for Snell in which he struck out every batter in the opposing starting lineup. I wondered aloud/to Tony about who the last Padre to pull that off was. Jake Peavy perhaps? I was quite wrong. Not only was Blake the first Padre to ever pull that off, but have a look at this:
Absolutely remarkable. Congrats to Blake on a great run, on making some history, and for an incredible performance against the team that meant and means so much to him.
Happy Birthday to all the Dads
A quick word on inside jokes.
In the broadcasting world, many people (bosses) will tell you that inside jokes are inherently (and obviously) a bad idea. Your audience is constantly changing, people are listening for short bursts, etc. But many years ago I decided that they were worthwhile—at least in moderation.
I consider inside jokes to be little Easter Eggs for our listeners. I figure that, generally, if you’re in on it, you’ll appreciate it and feel like you’re a part of our goofy little club, and if you’re not, it’s probably in one ear and out the other before you ever realize what happened. But then maybe the next time you hear it (or the time after that), you’ll catch on and join the club.
Anyway, one of my favorites involves Father’s Day (hope all the dads had a great one!) and I figured we can use our little newsletter here to explain.
Every Father’s Day, on both social media and on our broadcast, I make sure to wish all the dads out there a happy birthday. That’s obviously not how Father’s Day works, but the story is that once upon a time, Ralph Kiner, the Hall-of-Fame slugger and longtime announcer for the Mets, said “It’s Father’s Day today, so to all you fathers out there, happy birthday!”
I grew up watching and listening to Ralph and while I’ve never actually heard the clip of him saying it (anyone have it?), it always hit me in the best way: whether intentional or not (probably not), Ralph crafted the perfect dad joke on dad’s day.
Btw, I’ve also taken to adapting the joke for Mother’s Day. So next time you hear that nonsense, you’ll know why.
Thinking I may explain another inside joke or two in a future newsletter, could be a fun feature.
Last But Certainly Not Least
Salute to the fans.
On Saturday against the Rays, the Padres sold out their 27th game of the season. Or perhaps I should say, the fans sold out their 27th game of the season. That’s a new franchise record. Last year, we saw 26 sellouts for the first time ever and this year, a new record was set in mid-June.
Sunday was sold out again, and it doesn’t look like things are going to slow down anytime soon.
For any of you who have followed this team for any period of time before 2021, this is obviously incredible. Ownership has invested and the fans have responded (what a concept!) in a most wonderful way.
Hats off to everyone—I actually think the Saturday and Sunday crowds against TB were the loudest of the year—and thank you all for making the best ballpark in baseball that much better. What. A. Time.