Results tagged ‘ Scott Hairston ’
VIP entrance, press box tour, conversation with the Ecksteins and Padres’ win in one day? Oh my!
First of all, I apologize that the title of this entry is incredibly long. However, this lengthy title does not describe everything I did at Petco Park on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon.
I was able to go to this game with Kaybee, John and my friend because the Ecksteins were so generous to offer tickets for me. If you read this entry, the same thing happened to me last year except that I went to the game with my brother. This year, I wanted to bring my friends but I received many, many requests that they want to tag along with me to go to the game. To be fair for everyone who entered my “contest”, I wrote all of their names and randomly picked three. So this is the reason why I invited Kaybee, John, and my friend. They were the lucky winners out of the bunch.
All of us gathered around at VIP entrance/media entrance/player will call before the game to pick up the tickets. I was astonished that all I had to do was simply tell the worker that a player left tickets for me and show my photo identification. My name was on the system so I had to be in charge of getting the tickets for us. Things went smoothly and two different workers at the VIP entrance really liked my David Eckstein poster, the poster which I will mention towards the end of this entry. So already, two people complimented my poster and it was a great way to start off the day at Petco Park.
The four of us went down to the field level to see what was going on for the Padres and their opponent of the day, the Diamondbacks. The first Padres player in action the four of us saw was Chris Young.
Kaybee was able to get Chris Young’s autograph. I already got his autograph from last year’s Padres Fan Day. All four of us were very impressed because he was so nice to everyone who wanted his autograph. Currently, he is on the DL and did not pitch since April this year. The return of new, healthy Chris Young is a must for the sometime in second half of the season.
Adrian Gonzalez was also signing autographs but again, I already got his autograph last year so no need to worry for me. Kaybee got his autograph but John was extremely close to getting his. My friend? Well, he doesn’t like waiting in a huge crowd trying to get autographs.
Later, we met Angela, the head of the photography crew of Petco Park. Angela contacted me through Facebook and asked me if I want to get a tour around the press box. You read it right. Press box. I responded back “Definitely!”. So Angela camed down to the field level to introduce ourselves and the journey began.
Personally, walking pass by securities felt pretty nervous but I love the fact that Angela was very calm and easy going that we made it to the press box smoothly. Since my friends and I did not want to look like bunch of super fans, I chose not to bring my camera. Plus we had to put our belongings in a room and my camera was in my bag. The reason why the pictures do not look great is because I took them with my phone. Also, people in the room looked busy preparing for the game and gave us a weird look. But I present to you, the press box of the San Diego Padres!
The second picture shown is where analyst Jerry Coleman does his job. It would have been fantastic if Jerry was present in his room but he was in New York, according to Angela. She was kind enough to take a picture of us in his room.
From this perspective, I really felt like Jerry Coleman. We had a very good look at his room and everything was just incredible. After looking around several more rooms, it was time for us to go back to our seats. We thanked Angela for a great tour and I hope to see her again in the future at Petco. She gave us t-shirts for each of us as well.
Also, we saw play-by-play announcer Dick Enberg and Padres radio announcer Andy Masur. We could not say anything to both of them because they passed by us in less than three seconds. It would have been amazing if they stopped by us and say hello. I even had several questions to ask for them. My goal was to have a quick interview with any broadcasters for the Padres but it didn’t work out. Someday I hope to accomplish my goal.
So already, it was about 4:20, which means we had time to relax and watch batting practice from our seats. About five minutes or so later, I saw pitcher Mat Latos’ girlfriend and her friend. Because I interact with them, I had to drop by and say hello. In order to do so, I had to ditch my friends. Sorry guys! I caught up with the ladies and it was so awesome finally meeting them in person. They were extremely nice and we had fun talking some Padres baseball.
After we parted our ways, I went back to my seats where my friends were waiting. About five minutes before 5, we decided to go back down to the field level to wait. Why and for who? David Eckstein signs every single day at Petco Park. For Saturday games, he signs around at 5. He came out from the dugout and started signing. I caught his attention by showing him the poster I made for him. He gave me his big, cute, “Hey!” and gave me a hug. I gave him a big thank you because he and his wife were the ones who provided the tickets for my friends and I. He was kind enough to sign the poster and take a picture with me. He loved my poster too!
This is my third picture I took with him but trust me, there will be more if I go to Padres games in the future. Of course I had to introduce Kaybee, John and my friend to Eck. He was so nice to everyone and made great eye contact. I appreciate him for everything he does to make Petco into a friendly place for the fans. The way he signs autographs everyday and doing his very best are only two reasons out of the bunch why he is my favorite player.
It was almost game time and I was reminded by Ashley, his wife, that she will be coming to our seats and say hello to us. When she came down to us, I was extremely stoked because I finally met her in person for the very first time. Trust me, I was about to scream.
First things first, she is so sweet and down to earth. The five of us had an incredible amount of fun talking with each other. I learned so much about the Ecksteins thanks to Ashley. It is impossible to remember every single thing we talked about but here are some of the great and funny ones that I remember:
1. David drives Ashley’s green Honda Civic, which I think it is adorable and funny. According to Ashley, David does not like anything flashy (If I remember correctly.) but instead, he likes simple things. People make fun of him driving Ashley’s car but I love the fact that he just laughs it off. What a great guy.
2. David watches WWE. That is all.
3. Ashley is the one who reads things off from the Internet. David does not want to read these because people can make up things that are not true. Especially rumors about players getting traded. So Ashley tells him directly about the things she reads. Therefore, David Eckstein does not read this blog.
4. Ashley has her clothing line for Star Wars. She has her website called, Her Universe. Please check it out! She works so hard to make her products for the female Star Wars lovers. She created her clothing line so the female Star Wars fanatics do not have to worry about purchasing Star Wars shirts that are made for guys. Everything Ashley created is gorgeous and chic and feel free to click here to see her creations.
5. Ashley calls David ”The grandpa of the Padres” because he gets along with his teammates but does not have a “best friend”. I think this is very cute.
At first, I was nervous because Ashley was right behind us. Meaning a row. It is not like everyday that a famous person sits right behind you so that was a really unforgettable moment. But because of her friendliness, she helped us to interact with each other smoothly and I thank her for the help.
Also, Ashley was supposed to sit in a different section but she was so nice to stop by us first before the game even began. Our conversation got longer and longer and I did not want this to end. She went to her seat in the middle of the game and she gave us a big hug. In the end, we talked to each other for about an hour, three innings in terms of a game. I did not pay attention to the game very well because I had a blast talking with Ashley.
I honestly don’t know how to explain this game very well so I’ll leave here some of the pictures I took.
On the left is Scott Hairston’s wife and on the right is Jerry Hairston’s wife. Stalker much? I think so too. But they were literally three rows in front of us.
So I am 3-0 this season. Meaning all of the games I went to this season so far, the Padres won all three games. Saturday July 17, 2010 marks the day as the best Padres game I went to in my life so far. When I go to more Padres games in the future this year, I hope to improve my record and stay undefeated. Meeting people and doing something new every time at Petco is always fun. What’s better than touring the press box, having a full conversation with the Ecksteins plus being 3-0 this season? Nothing.
First Game of 2010
The title of this entry is straightforward. On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, I went to Petco Park with my friend for the very first time this season. It was his first time this year as well. On my way up to Petco, I was extremely nervous and my heart was beating non-stop. I know it sounds very silly, especially since this is coming from a huge Padres fan. I didn’t know what to expect for the 2010 season at Petco Park and I was excited above and beyond. I also wanted my plans to work out smoothly as possible. My plans were:
1. Talk with David Eckstein and see if he remembers me.
2. Meet up with my Twitter follower.
3. Watch a great Padres win without missing an action.
I waited for my friend and after I found him, we went inside the Petco Park for a great adventure. First person I saw was the one and only David Eckstein taking a batting practice. Several minutes later, Scott Hairston was signing autographs. I was able to get his just in time.
Pretty picture of Scott Hairston’s autograph, I know.
About ten minutes or so later, I saw my follower from Twitter, Danny. We promised to meet up and we did. I love bloggers/twitter people meetups. It’s so easy to talk Padres baseball together and I enjoy meeting new people.
Not too long later, pitcher Clayton Richard started signing as well. I was able to get his autograph as well and I even took a picture with him. He was extremely nice and I was very impressed.
After Clayton Richard signed, none of the Padres showed up to the field. However about an hour later, David Eckstein came out from the dugout or clubhouse to sign autographs for the fans. I figured out that he still signs everyday at Petco and I really respect him for showing class and doing the very best for the fans. He is a wonderful guy and San Diego will not be the same without him.
While he was signing, I just had to interrupt and say hello to him. It was so nice that he still remembers me! He gave me a big hug and I nearly fainted. No dialogue of the conversation this time because I was freaking out and became way too excited. But he did ask me how is everything going and I replied to him I’m doing very well. We even took a picture together that is literally made up of win.
I asked him nicely if he can take a picture with me showing a thumbs up sign and he did! I was very, very impressed but at the same time, I knew he would do such things like this because he is an overall excellent person. It was sad and hard saying bye to Eck but I told him good luck.
According to my friend, he didn’t sound too enthusiastic when he was signing to other people but when he turned around and saw me, his eyes really lit up. My friend also said that the fans gave a “What?! How does he know her?” look. I felt such like a celebrity among the crowd. The best part is that Eck gave me a big “Hey!” that everyone can hear about 10 feet away. His “Hey!” is really adorable, by the way. So as a conclusion, this is now my new profile picture in my blog and it will probably not change, unless Eck and I take another picture that is just as great as this or even better.
It was almost game time so my friend and I quickly settled into our seats.
The lineups looked like the following.
This was literally starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc’s first pitch.
Wade started to struggle already in the first inning but he settled down and was very consistent throughout his outing.
David Eckstein’s very first at bat was a hit!
Chase Headley grounded into a force out so David Eckstein was out at second base. But thanks to Adrian Gonzalez, he hit a two-run shot to drive in Chase. At this point, Padres took the lead with a score of 2-0.
Starting pitcher for the Mariners was Cliff Lee. At first, I was very nervous that he will dominate the Padres because he is one heck of a good pitcher. But rather, he struggled which was a very good thing for the Padres and the fans.
It was also fun seeing Ichiro with my own two eyes at a ballpark. We all know that he is a big shot in Japan and even here in the United States. It was a pleasure watching him but of course, I did not root for him.
Yesterday’s promotion was a soccer-style scarf and it was spectacular. At some points during the game, we put our scarves up like so shown in above.
Jerry Hairston Jr. got a productive out with a sacrifice fly and catcher Yorvit Torrealba scored. At this point, the game was 3 to 1, Padres with the lead.
Bottom of the 8th was when things got very interesting. Chase Headley hit a double to drive in Will Venable. It was now 4 to 1 Padres. Oscar Salazar came up to pinch hit and he responded a pitch by hitting a three-run shot to drive in Chase Headley and Adrian Gonzalez.
Now the score was 7 to 1. Reliever Edward Mujica did a good job not giving up any runs to the Mariners in the ninth inning. The Padres ultimately beat the Mariners 7 to 1!
It was very nice to start off the season (Well, for me.) with a win. I was very impressed with Wade LeBlanc and he out shined Cliff Lee. This win was very nice, especially because I was in the stands rooting hard for my Padres.
So in the end, I got:
- Two autographs (Scott Hairston and Clayton Richard)
- A big hug from David Eckstein
- A nice conversation with Eck
- Padres soccer-style scarf
- Great Padres win
- Over a hundred pictures
- Perfectly worked out plan
Feel free to click here to check out more. This night was another fun one at the ballpark and unforgettable. I hope to make more trips to Petco Park this season.
Introducing… the 2010 San Diego Padres (Part 1)
Spring training has come to an end which means 2010 regular season is quickly approaching. I had a great opportunity to take a good look at the players we have during spring training. Veteran players are no problem and young players impressed me very much. I had so much fun listening and watching the Padres play. This entry will be about my hopes for each Padres and a much better season.
1. Young players: non-pitchers
What more I can say? These guys are tough. So the other teams better not underestimate these guys.
Everth Cabrera
He has a great arm, can handle the ball extremely well and nail almost every defensive plays I can think of. He reminds me of 2004-2007 Khalil Greene. As we all know, Khalil is still struggling in the majors and I hope this will not happen to Everth. When Everth came to the majors, I immediately thought he was going to be a huge impact for the Padres. He is the guy who only played single-A baseball. No double-A. No triple-A. To come to the majors by playing single-A ball is absolutely incredible. He is still young but grew so much when he became the starting shortstop and did not miss a single start ever since the day he came back from DL in 2009. I always have high hopes from him because he is extremely talented. 2010 season should be not be a problem for Everth.
Kyle Blanks
If I am the opposing pitcher, I better watch out when Kyle Blanks comes up to bat. Like Everth, I was happy to hear when Kyle made his major league debut last year. The defensive plays he make are eye-popping wheter he is playing at first base or outfield. Power is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of him. That power lead him to hit inside the part homerun last year against the Cubs. He is so much fun to watch. He did miss couple of weeks because he was injured and it was last month of the season. I want him to stay healthy throughout the season and hope to see the same Kyle Blanks on the field and on the plate; Power and energy.
Will Venable
When I think of Will, defense comes to my mind first. Yes, he can hit well but I personally think Will looks stronger when he plays at the outfield. I like him a lot. He made his major league debut in 2008 and I saw promise of his bright future as time progressed. He may look like a soft-spoken player but he does not back down from anyone in the majors. I repeat. Anyone. For example, on August 23rd, 2009, Will and Albert Pujols had some sort of fight. I was thinking to myself, ”WOW. Will? And Albert Pujols?!” As we all know, Albert Pujols is like the king of Major League Baseball right now. I was shocked when Will did not back down from Pujols. This was great for Will because he did not make an excuse of being young but rather stepped up his game. I had to give two thumbs up to Will for the extreme courage. He is fun to watch and I hope to see him grow as well in 2010 and so on.
2. Not-so-young-players-but-young-in-a-way-players: non-pitchers
I don’t think that makes sense but I continue.
Chase Headley
His natural position is third base. When he made his major league debut during the 2007 season, he was called up because Kevin Kouzmanoff, unfortunately now a former Padre, was injured. His playing time at third base got short as the season rolled on because Kouz was already locked in at third. So he had to shift his position to outfield and did a great job. Now that Kouz is not with the Padres anymore, he is moved back to his natural position and it is finally time for him to shine. I hope he does well in 2010 and so on now that he is at where he started.
Tony Gwynn Jr.
2010 will be his first year starting the season off with the Padres. When he came to San Diego from Milwaukee, I was screaming in joy. As the son of Mr. Padre, Tony Gwynn Sr., I was glad to hear that Tony Jr. joined us. I forgived him when he forced the Padres to unable to clinch in 2007. Besided that terrible memory, he is an overall a great player. He can run extremely well, which is a good thing since San Diego Padres is not well known as speedy. Speed can actually win games by base stealing and forcing the runner to be at scoring position. I hope to see Tony a lot throughout the season with the mixture of talented outfielders.
3. Veteran players: non-pitchers
These guys know and have the ability to help out the young players we have. The leadership skills from the veterans will surprise many teams.
David Eckstein
I just know that he will continue to deliver what he has in 2010. His leadership skill is excellent for the young players and I can always depend on him when the Padres are slumping. The former World Series MVP is a great players to have in the young team. Extending him was a great move and he deserves to be the everyday starter at second base. When he was injured last season, the Padres were slumping and Eck could not help the team. His absence sunk the club and I hope this will not happen in 2010 season. I want him to stay healthy throughout the season and continue to do his job very well. With the word “grit” all over his face, I’m sure he can handle the bat by moving the runners over to scoring position and driving them in.
Adrian Gonzalez
According to my book, he is now one of the veterans for the Padres. He won two Gold Gloves and he represents San Diego by playing for his home team while helping out the city as well. There is still a trade talk about Adrian and I do not want to see him go. The young kids growing up in San Diego playing baseball who are looking up to Adrian will be devastating. As for the Padres, he is a key towards winning games because of his power at the plate and strong defensive plays at first base. Without him, this team will look shaky and I hope this will not happen in 2010. First step for the Padres is keeping Adrian.
Scott and Jerry Hairston
Did I mentioned that they are cute? Anyways, Both Hairstons experienced in the majors for a long time and it’s an honor having them together in a team that is rebuilding. It’s great to have Scotty back from Oakland because I missed him so much when he left in middle of 2009 season. Jerry recently won the World Series with the Yankees and it’s fun to have former World Series winners with the team that needs a bit of help. I like both of them a lot and it’s going to be very exciting to see them play together. Their offense is great because they can hit bunch of homeruns that’s going to make the fans stand on their feet and cheer on the Padres really loudly. I want to see that a lot throughout the season.
4. Catchers
I already wrote about them. You can check out the entry here.
So that will do for part 1. Tune in for part 2!
Goodbye Kouz; hello… Scott Hairston?!
Padres sent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Oakland A’s. I am not joking.
Once again, I feel sick. This trade is just as bad as when Jake Peavy got traded. And you know what? I figured out this breaking news when I was not surfing on the Internet, again. When Jake got traded, I realized that the trade occured when I was in school. This time, I was at a lacrosse practice when dear Kouz got traded. I would much rather know these when I’m on the computer, not when I’m gone. I still can’t believe this is true. Somebody pinch me please.
Oh dear Padres front office, why must you do this to us? This is the biggest move made by General Manager Jed Hoyer so far. Let me ask a simple question: Why Kevin Kouzmanoff? Why him? He is a fan-favorite and it is most likely that the female Kouz lovers are crying their hearts out right now. I am not the biggest fan of Kouz but I love this guy. He is an excellent and very talented third baseman any team would want to have. Remember, Kaybee LOVES Kouz and I feel so sorry for her right now. Her favorite player of all-time left and I completely understand what she is going through right now, I’m her Padres friend. I know her situation. It is not the very smart move made by the Padres, to be honest.
I am not very happy right now. I understand trading favorite players are heartbreaking, but it is part of baseball buisness and fans just have to deal with it and move on. Currently, I can’t seem to calm down just a bit. I eventually recovered after crying nonstop when Trevor Hoffmand and Jake Peavy got traded.
Kouz is out of the house and I wish him nothing but the best with the A’s, even though he is going to look unnatural wearing green and white. Sorry A’s fans. Kouz have been playing for us more than three years and it is going to look so weird watching him wear a different uniform. Unfortunately, Kouz is gone so we obviously got players in return. One of the two guys we got sounds so familiar. In fact, it’s Scott Hairston. Yes, him. The man. The beast.
I missed this guy so much. Padres traded him to the A’s on July and we got three young picthers in return. Unfortunately, all three pitchers didn’t satisfy me enough. Scott Hairston on the other side, was a king for dramatic walk-off hits. I can tell you right now, he had the best ones I have ever seen from a Padre. When he left, I was extremely devistated to see him go. He was the one who didn’t want to leave San Diego as well! I’m really happy to have him back but I am still not over with trading away Kevin Kouzmanoff. This trade is the most bitter-sweet one I have ever heard so far.
Everytime I saw Scotty Hairston, he was always ready to rock and roll on the field. He is a very talented player and I was anxious to see him what he can do when this team was down by one run, when a game was tied, etc. He is our new Padre, and it sounds weird. I know. It would have been very cool if Kouz and Scotty played for the same team again but having a former Padre back feels so great. I still miss Kouz, that’s for sure.
What I’m also gonna miss from Kouz is his friendliness. I will never forget when I got his autograph on August game against the Cardinals. I was waiting to get his autograph but since I was way in the back, I thought I had no chance. But he signed longer to give autographs to everyone who wanted his. He even made eye contact with me and smiled. I definitely appreciate that from him.
As for third base, I have a situation to deal with and it involves Chase Headley. Honestly, I didn’t really enjoy watching him play at third base. Rather, Chase playing left field made me very comfortable. I never wanted him to outshine Kouz at third. Third is Kouz’s home and he is a Gold Glove candidate almost every year. Chase Headley’s natural position is third base as well but the Padres suggested him to move him to outfield since Kouz was taking over when Chase arrived in the majors. Now that Kouz is gone, Chase can be comfortable playing his natural position and I expect him to play his best since he got his home back. So good luck to him this season and I know he is not going to disappoint the Padres fans.
As for dear Kevin Kouzmanoff, I would like to thank him so much for the positive things he brought to us over the past three years as a Padre. It just had to be Kouz which I do not approve at all. I am going to miss him so much. No doubt about that.
Here are some classic moments of Kouz and Scotty:
(Everth decided to join them.)
From the bottom of my heart, I will sincerely miss you, Kouz. Goodbye and have fun with rest of the A’s!
How did the game finish? BADLY.
The title says it all. Padres lost in a very frustrating fashion against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Final score was 12 to 2. To be honest, I had to take a nap during the game ’cause it was that bad. Padres’ pitching was terrible and the offense couldn’t find their rhythm on the plate. The only two runs we had was from Tony Gwynn’s first career Major League homerun and Scott Hairston’s RBI fielder’s choice. In the end, friars finished the game with only four hits, half of them from my boy David Eckstein. But he later got replaced by Luis Rodriguez. I hate replacements, unless if it needs to be done.
Starting pitcher Walter Silva looked lost on the mound. I mean, who gives up nine runs in less than three innings? Oh yeah, it was him. Reliever Luis Perdomo was fresh off the DL and did a much better job. Those Rangers looked so confident on home plate. I hated watching that and so did my brother. Since he really hates them, (’cause he’s an Angels fan) he was forced to go for the Padres. What a disappointing game for both of us.
I decided to find a way for me to cool me down after the game. Thank goodness a show called One on One with Jane Mitchell was on air after postgame. Jane Mitchell worked with Channel 4 San Diego since 1997 and produced One on One. Basically, she gives viewers like me, an in-depth look at San Diego’s sports starts during this show.
I had so much fun watching this since I learned many things about him even more. Like how he overcame difficulties in his life when he was very young, how he knows being the best is the only option, and he loves old-school Nintendo games 
He’s just a great player and the fans love him. During his interview he said this: ”I love the pressure of the game. I love being in the situation when the game’s on the line.”
As soon as it was over, I had this question in my mind: “How the heck I’m going to get his autograph when I go to the game?” The game day is Saturday, July 18th. The first step I actually did a few minutes ago is writing a quick, nice letter to him. The mailing information was on the website so I took advantage of that. If you want to see my letter, here is my rough draft:
Dear Mr. David Eckstein,
Ever since you officially became a member as a Padre back in January, all my attention went towards the “X-Factor”. I love how you play this game of baseball. You are a great leader in the team and the young guys will always come up to you for advice. It’s very happy for me to watch what you do every single day on the field. I did not have an oppertunity to get an autograph from you during the Fan Day so it was very unfortunate for me. I will be attending a game on Saturday, July 18th with my friends. When you have time to sign autographs for fans, please be sure to look for me. I will be wearing my personalized jersey of you and screaming, “Eck!!”. Please make an fourteen-year-old girl’s wish come true. I am truely a die-hard Padres fan and especially a fan of a player named David Eckstein. Thank you and have a wonderful time in San Diego throughout the season.
Sincerely,
Hyun Young Oh
Like I said, that is just a rough draft, but feel free to leave any suggestions.
Overall grade: C+
Pardon my one day absence. But I’m here to share about games and Padres news in general. That’s my job in blogosphere really. Anyway, the first game against the Mariners was a pretty good one. Padres pulled off with a win thanks to Chad Guadin’s great effort and Padres’ offense was alive. Last night’s game was not so great. The bullpen, Edward Mujica to be exact, blew a game that was tied until the eigth inning. Kevin Kouzmanoff hit a two-run shot and Tony Gwynn Jr. drove in a run. For the Mariners, former Padre Russell Branyan hit a three-run homerun off of Josh Geer, number three starter for the Padres for now. Padre killer Franklin Guiterrez rounded the bases no thanks to Mujica. Final score on my brother’s birthday yesterday was Mariners 4, Padres 3. It was a tough game to lose for the Friars but they had oppertunites to get the lead back. They wasted them big time.
Game 3 was in the lovely afternoon at Seattle. Adrian Gonzalez took a breather on first base but was a DH. Big kid Kyle Blanks took time playing at first. Adrian got his first start as a DH while Kyle got his first start playing firstbase. Lefty starter Wade LeBlanc for the Padres was the man in charge today. He only lasted less than two innings and gave up four runs, all of them earned. As I was listening to that situation on my radio, I just wanted to turn it off and take a nap. Nah, I didn’t go to sleep. But what LeBlanc did was unacceptable because he made the bullpen go into the game deeper than usual. They did an OK job. Trios Josh Banks, Joe Thatcher and Cla Meredith gave up five runs, combined. It was definitely frustrating to hear that the pitching didn’t work out as I was expected. What was even more frustrating however, was that Scott Hairston and skipper Bud Black got ejected earlier in the game.
Clearly, both of them were not happy. Especially Scott since the homeplate umpire made a stupid call. Dear ump Marvin Hudson, he DID NOT strike out, ok? Tony had to took over for Scotty. I was not pleased by that. An apple pie I was eating didn’t taste so good anymore after what happend between the umpire and Scotty and Buddy.
The offense did their best but it wasn’t enough to get themselves in a comfort zone.
I give kudos to Chase Headley and Edgar Gonzalez for providing the only three runs for the Padres. Chase hit a two run homerun while Edgar went solo. My boys need to know that no offense means a lose. Everyone in the lineup for the Padres got one or two hits, except for Hairston and David Eckstein. I understand Scotty since he got ejected early, but ECK WAS 0 FOR 5!! Ugh. That was not so “eck”citing.
His seven game hitting streak ended today. Oh well. Things happen, especially for him since he’s a scrappy player. (Yes, it’s ok if you call him that.) But I understand since he’s just an overall awesome player.
(That’s my new favorite picture of him (: )
Like I already mentioned it on the title, Padres’ overall grade during the three-game series is a C+. It’s resonable since they only took one game out of three. Plus the lack of offense on game three, miserable pitching effort, the grade I gave them is just about right.
Padres are off to Texas to play against the Rangers. After those three game, interleague games are over!!! They definitely need to win some games or else my brother will not be very happy. Since Angels and Rangers are neck and neck, I, or the Padres rather, need to help him by beating Texas.
RANDOM MUSINGS
Friars are now 9 games under .500 and 15 games behind the Dodgers. LA just doesn’t seem to stop. I thank the White Sox for beating them in walk-off style however Dodgers will come to San Diego very soon and my boys need to sweep them!
All-Star votes update
I voted for Adrian Gonzalez and the Padres 25 times more. Adrian is nowhere near first place but the votes helped him a bit. I don’t understand why Prince Fielder is above Adrian. Clearly A-Gon deserves to be at least in third place.
Manny Ramirez is in sixth place still and it’s unacceptable. Enough said!
R.I.P. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop
Oh man. I can’t believe it’s true. It’s so sad how this happened when I was actually listening to his song before this happened. I am just shocked. Though this news is very tragic, the world will never forget him. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He is gone, but our respect and love for him will live forever.
What a wild game
They played against the Mariners in Seattle after a nice day-off on Monday. Padres hit the road and finished the first game out of six road interleague games with a sweet win. Things got off to a pretty rough start but there were the good, the bad and the scary sides so it was all good. I love games like these. It just gives me excitement yet nervousness at the same side.
Chad Guadin got another shot against the M’s. When the Mariners came to town, they snatched two games out of three from us. Chad Guadin pitched in one of the games but got a no decsion. On a gorgeous night at Seattle on Tuesday, he proved that he deserves a win, with bunch of run support from his teammates.
His performance was steller. All he needed to do was pitch seven innings with eleven strikeouts. Chad got jammed in the second with bases loaded but escaped it by getting Ichiro out with a ground ball. That was HUGE. It was definitely a nail biting moment just by watching him handleing that situation. He was great. He tied his career-high eleven strikeouts so he deserves a pat on the back.
Now Chad Guadin has a similar situation as Kevin Correia, the new number one starter. Kevin has been on fire on the mound. He knows what he’s doing and figured out his weakness. I know he doesn’t have eye-popping numbers like Tim Lincecum or Zack Greinke, but stats are not everything to me. Since he is Padres’ new ace, he got things back together. Kevin got his physical and mental minds combined which made him do his best when he is pitching. Kudos go out to him.
As for Chad, his last two outings proved that he fixed whatever he can. It worked! I’m proud of him for getting under control and not worrying too much about the pitch mistakes he threw. His two runs didn’t hurt the team since the offense were able to take care of it.
There were only two strikeouts for the Padres on that game! Almost all the friars got hits and they did that by taking advantages of the Mariners pitchers’ pitch mistakes. Like Adrian Gonzalez. He hit a monster shot towards right field to make it 24th homerun of the season.
Rookie shortstop Everth Cabrera continues to amaze me every day. Even hitting in the ninth hole, he did what he needed to do and finished the game by going 2 for 3 which included two RBI’s. My boy David Eckstein had a strong day and he was 3 for 5 with two runs batted in as well.
OF Scott Hairston was fresh back from DL and had a pretty good game. Scotty got an RBI which was very needed. Since he was off from the crowded disabled list, it was time for Brian Giles to flip-flop with Scott. Brian has a really bad knee right now, just like back in 2007 when he missed more than 30 games. Get better soon man, stinks when a knee is bugging you a lot.
8th inning was wild.
Padres bullpen just could not take advantage of the huge run difference. Greg Burke did most of the damage which included allowing a two run homerun to former Padre Russell Branyan. I didn’t want to bite my nails with my mouth ’cause… well, it’s disgusting and a bad habit. Burke allowed four runs so Edward Mujica needed to finish the tough inning.
Heath Bell did what he needed to do and got his 20th save of the season. He got a pretty rough start since he didn’t know he was going to save. At one point, the Padres were leading by seven runs. Unfortunately, the bullpen couldn’t finish strong. But hey, as long as the Padres win in any way shape of form, I’m cool with that.
Josh Geer for the Padres is looking for his first career win at road in the second game of the three game series. Good luck with that Josh. I’m hoping that he can overcome like Kevin Correia and Chad Guadin.
RANDOM MUSINGS
Kind of disappointed…
This is what former Padre had to say:
“Given my experience in San Diego wasn’t a great one, that left a bitter taste in my mouth,” Greene said. “It felt like the trust factor had been shattered. On the micro-level aspect of it, that didn’t involve the clubhouse, but I really felt soured by that. Here, obviously, they want me to contribute, but at the same time I felt a genuine sympathy for my well being. … I wanted to respond to that.”
As I was reading those words from Khalil, (credits to St. Louis website) he turned me down a bit. On the day he got traded, he specifically told that he would like to thank the Padres, city of San Diego and fans for the opportunity to play for this team for five-plus seasons. That just totally confused me ’cause I didn’t expect him to talk something bad like that when he was a huge favorite among the Padres fans. Definitely MY favorite as well. He’s weird. But he’s my weird guy.
I’m sorry. I still can’t get over with this thing and it’s been months. We are almost into second half of the season! Wow, time just flew by like a jet. So basically, I just want Greenie to be happy with whichever team he is playing for. That’s all I want from him. By the way, he needs 11 more homeruns to reach get number 100 of his career. I believe that he can do that by end of this season.
Tune in for…
my special entries which I will began writing next week. Since I’m leaving San Diego on Saturday night for two weeks, I won’t get to watch the Padres games and do recaps like for almost every single entries. So I want to try something different when I’m going to be away from Padres baseball that I’m really attatched to.
It’s over
This is certainly not the perfect title for the Padres though. It’s not over for the Padres. And it never will be. There are plenty of games left and I should never hear the words “give up” from myself and the players ’cause that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
I chose the words “it’s over” because my finals are over and I am soo happy right now! (I’m going to Six Flags during school with my ASB tomorrow!) What’s even more great is that we are going the day right after the finals so we can just chill and forget about it. They were my LAST finals as a middle school student. A week from today, I will be graduating promoting and take one step closer to high school. High school scares me. I’m so nervous! But since I’m hear to talk about baseball, I’ll get back to that topic when I actually promote.
Today is an off day, thank goodness. I am not pleasent about my Padres right now. We got swept by the Phillies. Tuesday was a game when the Padres needed a hospital in their club house. They lose more than a game. Padres lost two great players: Jake Peavy and Scott Hairston. Jake only pitched one inning and gave up four runs due to flu, not his bad right ankle. Poor Jakey! 
I figured that out as the game progressed because he would normally bark at himself for giving up ton of runs. In this case, he obviously did not do that because he looked very sick. Unfortunately, he’s still fighting against virus.
Scott Hairston in the other hand, is on DL due to strained left biceps. Scotty got hurt when he was at plate, swinging a bat. This is a really sad news especially when a guy like him has been so hot at the plate! To replace Scott, the Padres called up a familiar guy from Triple-A, Will Venable. I remeber this guy so well. To Jake and Scotty, PLEASE get better soon!
By the way, it was Padres’ number 5 pitcher Josh Geer’s birthday on Tuesday. Happy late birthday Josh! He didn’t get the best present however, he replaced Jake in the second inning. Josh didn’t have a great game because he gave up two hits, two earned runs, two walks, and one homerun just in one inning.
On the bright side, our clutch hitter Adrian Gonzalez went deep for 22nd time on that day. It was definitely not enough to get a win because the Phillies just crushed us. I admit. It was an ugly game especially when the final score was 10 to 5 at home. They sent the Padres fans home with a frown.
- Phillies 5 Padres 1
After a rough game on Tuesday, I expected a comeback from my boys. Well I guess I put too much pressure on them and they lost. The sad part was that it was the final game of the three game series. And the perfect words are “swept at home”. Starting pitcher Chris Young deserved the loss by giving up three earned runs and five hits. The big pitch mistake he made was to Ryan Howard. This guy hit a monster two-run shot out to center field.
But Chris is a great hitter as a pitcher by the way.
As the game progressed, Padres trailed five to nothing. Until my hero David Eckstein came up to the plate and told me this.
“Hyun Young, I know how upset you are. And when Raul Ibanez robbed my extra base hits I bet you went crazy. Believe me, I was mad too!”
So I asked him,
“Then what are you going to do?”
He gave me a wise answer with a smile.
“Don’t worry. I got this”
And just like that, Eck drives in a run! But it kind of bummed me because that was the ONLY run of the game for the Padres. But at least they did not get shut down at home this season! Thank you so much David :)
Tomorrow’s game will be a different story. I just know it. We host the D-Backs tomorrow and Chad Guadin is up against Doug Davis. Last outing for Chad was fantastic. He pitched against the Rockies and struck out nine batters. I’m hoping that he would do the same thing again and we will come up with a win and snap our three game losing streak.
Really quick entry
Wow. My last entry was three days ago. Sorry I haven’t been commenting or visting your blogs. Finals are coming tomorrow, actually today for me so I needed to study.
As for the Padres, things were up and down for last three games. Two more games in Colorado was all right and one against the Phillies back home was not so great. On Saturday, we lost because Heath Bell blew his first save of the season and the final score was 8 to 7. Sunday game was pretty good ’cause we didn’t get swept and got back on track.
2008 World Series Champions came to San Diego and things got off to a slow start for the Padres. They were trailing 4 to 1. Starting pitcher Kevin Correia struggled and needed to settle down on the mound.
He needed to leave and the bullpen did a very good job not blowing off. Now Adrian Gonzalez is hitting damn hot right now.
This guy can hit folks. Adrian still leads Majors with 21 homeruns. He is so impressive and I really like how he is playing right now. His “homerun partner” Scott Hairston hit one for himself as well.
What’s funny is that both of these guy each went deep on Saturday and Sunday as well! Besides them, pretty much everyone is not doing so good. Yes, even my boy David Eckstein. His 6-game hitting streak came to an end.
Told you it was going to be quick. So I’m gonna study little more now. Game 2 features Jake Peavy on the mound which is going to be a good game.
Snapped by the Snakes
Padres’ 10-game winning streak came to an end by D-Backs at Arizona. You know, I am not extremely disappointed that we lost. But I was rather happy to see my boys fight back when they were down by ton or couple of runs, turned things around and took sweet victories. These 10 games were very exciting and a huge topic of Major League Baseball. So to those haters out there need to stop and think back again. I know this is a young team and we proved them wrong by winning 10 games in a row. Don’t get me wrong ’cause I’m starting to get a bit cocky even after our snap, but we are definitely doing great right now and I know that we can do it better. But first, we need find a way to win games at road. I believe we are now 6-17. That’s pretty sad for me and themselves. I’ll come back to the topic later. But not now.
- Padres 9 D-Backs 7 (F/10)
What a game, what a game. I listen to this game on a nice Memorial day yesterday and didn’t go to school (It was an off-day for me and everyone in my school). At one point, the Padres were down by 6 runs. But they worked as a team and got back on track. Without Chase Headley, the winning streak could have ended at 9. Chase hit a two-run shot to take the lead by two in the 10th.
(He’s in the middle with a big smile.)
To be honest, I really thought we were going to lose. Think about it. If your team is down by 6 or more runs, I bet you will start to blow it off unless if you are a die-hard fan who never gives up. So my point is that I never knew that my boys will comeback in a “hole” and win a game! Credits to Scott Hairston as well who made the game even. Thanks Scotty!
This game was so fun to listen. I took like 3 pages of notes during the game which is something I enjoy doing and to keep track as the game progresses. Since this game was not televised, I had to use the radio. But what I would do normally is sit infront of the TV, have my homework with me, and do my work as I watch! My parents don’t like me doing that but since they know I’m a die-hard fan, they just don’t talk to me when there is a game going on and lets me do what I want to do. Anyway, I’m getting a little off-topic now. So to summarize the game up, great comeback win, and hopefully they can keep up like that!
- Padres 5 D-Backs 6
Today’s game was a different story. Well first of all, our best hitter Adrian Gonzaelz got scratched from the lineup due to flu symptoms. That really sucked. Get well soon Adrian! We definitely needed you.
So his older brother Edgar had to took over first base. And heck even Chase Headley, our ourfielder, played first as well! This is why I love about Chase. He can play outfield, third and first base.
Starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia. He pitched against Arizona’s young guy, Max Scherzer. Kevin was off to a great start but fell apart in the fifth. He’s known for getting in troubles after fourth inning which is dangerous for us. So he lasted 6 innings and allowed 6 runs. Kevin did all the damage. Shame on you. We need to put you in bullpen very soon. Max Scherzer in the other hand was on fire. He is Diamondbacks’ first-round pick in the 2007 draft and struck out 10 Friars. As a Padres fan, he blew me away.
As the game went onto the eigth, Padres were trailing 6 to 0. Chris Burke said, ”Hey guys, don’t worry. I’ll start this rally.” And what do you know, he hit a solo shot in first pitch from Scherzer. Scherzer left after allowing that homerun and it was D-Backs’ not-so-great bullpen to.. ahem, give us runs. Tony Gwynn got a hit, Brian Giles got a lineout, and my boy Eck got on base. I could tell David was able to do that by look of his face.
(He looks so serious. I love it!)
Padres eventually cut the lead by two runs. Again, what a comeback! My hands started to sweat as I was watching in the eigth. Eck got on base again in the ninth by getting hit by a pitch. MY GOODNESS, HIT BY A PITCH AGAIN?! People sure like to torture him! I should start calling my boy “human target” or something. He’s only 5’7″ A.K.A. only 3 inches taller than me!!
Note to those who threw or going to throw baseballs at Eck,
STOP IT.
Thanks, Hyun Young
Scott grounded into a double play and made Tony, who got a hit again, score from third. It was 5-6 at that point. It was Kevin Kouzmanoff’s time to show what he can do. BOOM! He hits it towards right and…. foul! Oh man, the Padres’ dugout went wild! I swear, almost everyone who was leaning towards the bar(?) jumped at the same time and made a same face! I wish I can show it to you guys but I can’t. Later, he hit the ball far and Chris Young of the D-Backs made a running grab to end the top of the inning and the game. Kouz was VERY upset. His ball was 5 feet away from a walk-off!
So we lost and the 10-game winning streak got out of our hands. Like I said, I am not disappointed but rather proud for making it that far. Great job boys!! Hopefully our ace Jake Peavy can handle the D-Backs very easily as we wrap up the series.
Quick note:
Last Thursday, my two teachers (they are father and son) went to the Giant’s game at Petco Park. Well one of my teacher, who teaches English, the son, caught Giants’ Travis Ishikawa’s foul ball, bare-handed!! (The father is my student council, ASB, teacher.) Both of them told me this story at school today and my English teacher gave me the ball!!!!!!!! He knew that baseball is my passion and it was very nice of him to give the ball to me without hesitation. This was sooo cool. I never had a foul ball in my life. And this ball was in play. (By the way, it was a great play from him!) So I thanked my teacher a bunch of times I’ll have the picture of the ball later.
Another note: I voted for Adrian Gonzalez 25 times!! He totally should be the first baseman for NL at the All-Star game at St. Louis. I mean, he deserves it! Although I’m a bit worried that Albert Pujols is going to start (’cause he’s in St. Louis right now!), Adrian should at least play back up.
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