Results tagged ‘ Tony Gwynn Jr. ’
Hello, Goodbye
Before I begin, I want to thank you guys for making this blog on the top 100 for 2010! My blog stood at number 42 and I couldn’t have been in that place without you guys. Thanks for the support all year and for the spread of word or two about my blog. You guys know that I desperately want more readers and to get a higher rank. That’s why I created a Facebook page for Perpetual Saga. Please show your love and “like” my official page!
Now onto the entry. Over the course of the offseason that’s still hanging around right now, Padres made ton of moves and lost and gained players in order to balance out the team. Padres released Adrian Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, and Yorvit Torrealba, Jon Garland, Kevin Correia, Tony Gwynn Jr., Ryan Webb, and Edward Mujica. Free agents Jerry Hairston Jr. and David Eckstein are still not signed but for some reason I doubt the two middle infielders will return in Padres uniforms this year. In order to make up for the losses, Padres welcomed Aaron Harang, Jason Bartlett, Orlando Hudson, Brad Hawpe, Rob Johnson, Cameron Maybin, Dustin Moseley, and three minor leaguers in the Adrian Gonzalez deal.
But man, Adrian Gonzalez. He’s gone. It’s still hard to believe that Adrian in a Red Sox uniform is a reality. Here’s my take on the Adrian Gonzalez trade. Rival San Francisco Giants were able to sign Miguel Tejada, the veteran shortstop. It was disheartening to see him sign with the Giants not only because he signed with the team that I highly dislike, but also because Padres lost one more veteran player. You guys know that I highly respect veteran players and losing Miguel hit me. Same thing with Yorvit Torrealba and Jon Garland. Yorvit signed with the Texas Rangers while Jon signed with the Dodgers again. Kevin Correia moved from SoCal to the Steel City and he will play with the team that is not in National League west for the first time in his career. Tony Gwynn Jr. went with the Los Angeles Dodgers and I tend to get irritated when Padres players sign with a team that is in the National League west. Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica signed with the Marlins in a Cameron Maybin trade (Which I will mention later.). Although it’s extremely discouraging to see all the great players leave San Diego, the moves were made for the best. Because the Padres acquired new players, I expect this team to change and even improve in a good way.
To me, Aaron Harang “replaced” Jon Garland (Can’t think of a better way to say it.). Jon Garland was a number one starter last season and did a great job by eating up as many innings as possible. Watching him on the mound was not a problem. Now that Garland signed with the Dodgers, it’s time for Aaron Harang to shine. Harang may not crunch down many innings like Garland but I believe that Harang can settle in fine at Petco Park. After all, Petco Park is a pitcher-friendly ballpark. I can’t wait to see Harang will bring to the Padres with his new uniform during spring.
I mentioned about the acquisition of Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson in this entry. Both of them are defensive upgrades, and they have a chance to improve on the hitting from the middle infielders last year. Because the Padres signed Bartlett and Hudson, the likely chance of resigning the second baseman and the shortstop from reduced. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see David Eckstein and Jerry Hairston Jr. back in Padres uniforms. I believe there is still a chance that these two will return but most likely, I don’t see that happening. Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson sound like fun and exciting players. I can tell that fans and I will enjoy watching them play. Will they make a huge difference at the middle infield? Possibly.
Padres signed Brad Hawpe and I think this is a great move. He is a first baseman and an outfielder and I believe that he will impact this team somehow. His natural position is first base but he is not “replacing Adrian Gonzalez”. Rather, he said that he is going to do what he needs to in order to help out the team. Hawpe played first base in the Rockies minor league system; however, he moved to right field when he got to the major leagues because Todd Helton was already at first base. Hawpe was also a 2009 National League All-Star. He parted ways with the Rockies last year in August and spent some time with the Tampa Bay Rays. Now that he is back in National League again, I think playing at Petco Park should not be a problem for him.
Rob Johnson was claimed by the Padres on December. He had ups and downs with the Mariners for almost four years. Now that Nick Hundley’s training wheels are off, he will most likely be the starting catcher this year. Nick benefited from being a backup catcher of Henry Blanco in 2009 and Yorvit Torrealba from last year. It’s pretty exciting for me that Nick will finally have a chance to be a starter. As for Rob Johnson, I really hope that he will improve much more this year than the previous year. I would love to see him develop behind home plate. He’s getting a fresh new chance and he needs to do his best in order to earn his job.
I can’t wait to see what Cameron Maybin is going to bring to San Diego. He’s only 23 but he looks like a very promising player. And even though he hasn’t produced at the Major League level like he has in the Minor Leagues, I can sense his potential. In order to acquire Cameron Maybin from the Marlins, Padres had to give up Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica. Both Ryan and Edward were in the group called “The Penitentiary” last year. They were a part of the outstanding Padres bullpen and I was kind of disappointed to see them go. But there’s an old saying called “it’s all part of business”. Even though Cameron is young, there is a likely chance that he will join the outfield as an everyday player with Ryan Ludwick at right field and Will Venable at left field.
Dustin Moseley was acquired to fill in the missing spot in the pitching rotation. He had few injury problems and was non-tendered by the Yankees.Because of the departure of Jon Garland and Kevin Correia, Dustin Moseley is currently an option as part of the starting pitching rotation. As of now, I see Mat Latos, Clayton Richard, Tim Stauffer, Aaron Harang and Dustin Moseley. Not necessarily in that order. Wade LeBlanc and Cory Luebke will also be competing for the spot. It’s going to be interesting to see who gets the job and who does not.
The players the Padres got from the Adrian Gonzalez trade are right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and center fielder Reymond Fuentes. I personally think Kelly, Rizzo and Fuentes are great prospects and they will impact the Padres in a positive way. All of them are very young and it will take time to see them in Padres uniforms. I don’t guarantee that those three players will be in action wearing Padres uniforms this year but they have plenty of time.
Offseason is a reality check for the fans; this is what it’s all about. Good or bad, it’s all true. Losing players doesn’t mean I need to panic about it. Looking on the bright side, the moves that were made can make a huge difference for the team. I can’t wait to see how the Padres will turn out to be during the regular season. Baseball is starting to get on it’s way. Hang on!
Game 2 of 2010
Yesterday I went to Petco Park with my friend Woo Jin for the 4th of July weekend. We were hoping for another great win and you bet we were stoked throughout the day. This area is where we sat.
We saw pitcher Mat Latos near this area. Mat is becoming my favorite pitcher. I mean, he’s only 22 but his pitching is nasty. He’s just incredible and I really love watching him continuing to grow as a pitcher. Evertime he goes up to the mound, I see a bright light from him.
We were walking around the park and saw my Twitter follower Danny again. It was fun talking Padres baseball together. It was around 4:30 so the three of us decided to wait for David Eckstein because Eck signs autographs at 5 every single day at Petco. I mentioned this so many times but I really respect him for doing this for the fans. Petco Park environment and Padres fanhood would not be the same without him.
For some odd reason I was extremely nervous waiting for Eck. While we were waiting, I kept saying “Where is he?” or ”Be 5 already.” Eck finally came out to sign and I had to say hello to him. Unfortunately, pictures of Eck are not available this time because he was busy signing. However, I’m so glad that he stopped for a minute and talked to me. I introduced my friend and Danny to Eck and trust me, they were stoked. Thanks Eck!
According to Eck, his wife Ashley was in the stands too! I was ecstatic because I really wanted to see her in person. Eck also told me that she reads this blog and I was extremely shocked and happy. It was time for my friends and I to get to our seats and it was hard saying bye to Eck. We went on a little scavenger hunt to find Ashley but we had no luck.
It was almost game time and I saw Friarhood founder Steve and a fellow Padres fan, Scott, who called me a David Eckstein stalker. And please, I did not stalk Eck! Scott was playing around with me. The three of us took a quick picture together before the game.
I met Steve at the Padres Fan Fest this February and he is so down to earth. He is the one who runs Friarhood and please check it out. The gentleman on my left actually had seats next to each other.
It was game time and starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia.
He has been struggling lately but he turned things around yesterday. He threw seven solid scoreless innings and I was very impressed. Unfortunately, runs didn’t come until the eighth inning.
I started laughing when I saw this.
That’s Nick Hundley and Heath Bell rocking on the guitar and Chase Headley on the drums. Yes, they were playing Rock Band. I love the enthusiasm these three brought.
Sometime during the game, I saw my another Twitter follower, Charisma. Yes, her name really is Charisma. We waved at each other and said hello. She is a Padres fan, of course.
Because both teams didn’t score until the eighth, I was pretty bored in the stands, to be honest. But I stood up couple of times and cheered on my boys. Aaron Cunningham started the show by getting a double.
Tony Gwynn Jr. drove in Aaron Cunningham and the Astros made a throwing error as well.
We finally saw Heath Bell for the first time this season! His entrance song “Blow Me Away” by Breaking Benjamin really suits him very well and I was screaming like crazy.
Heath ended up getting the save and Padres beat the Astros with the score of 1-0!
Overall, I had a great day at Petco Park again and I am 2-0 this season so far! I love meetups with Padres fans. The interaction is so much fun and very easy to talk Padres baseball. I hope to do this more throughout the 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!
2010 Padres Fan Fest: Epic Day
First of all, 2010 Fan Fest was incredible. Even though I couldn’t do most of the things on my previous entry, I still had so much fun!
For season ticket holders, the gate opened early an hour early which was at nine. On the other hand, the gate opened at ten for non-season ticket holders. I saw Kaybee and her family members few minutes I arrived at Petco. The line was HUGE. Fortunately, we got to the front gate pretty smoothly. I hung out with Kaybee and her sister.
When we were waiting in the line, I figured out the batting and hitting clinics from Heath Bell and Tony Gwynn Jr. were for kids 13 and younger. That’s ok though.
We first went to the weight room, and clubhouse.
That’s me standing infront of David Eckstein’s locker. Speaking of David Eckstein, he was NOT at the Fan Fest so I was disappointed. I’ve been waiting and waiting to go to Petco Park to see him but it didn’t work out.
I have never been to the weight room or the clubhouse until today so it was amazing to see them. After we looked through, we came outside and hung around at the dugout.
Then we walked around the bases. I didn’t run but still accomplished number 3 on my to do list.
(Secondbase)
(Thirdbase)
After we walked the bases, we bumped into RJ’s Fro, which was awesome. Kaybee and I won their first contest by saying “I love BBQ” and also being the first ones to see them. We took a picture with them and won a cool prize.
Thanks guys!
Also, we saw guys at Gaslamp Ball. I don’t know why but I was so nervous to talk to them. But hey, those guys are famous. It was so cool to meet the pros! We also met @jodes0405, a BIG fan of Everth Cabrera and the Padres.
We headed to the Padres Garage Sale. Couple of minutes of wandering around the store, we bumped into John, a fellow Padres blogger here in MLBlogs. It was awesome to see him finally in person.
You might be thinking, “Did you get any autographs?”
The answer is yes. The thing that was different from last year is that the fans had to get like a ticket to get an autograph of your favorite player at a certain time. Kaybee and I decided to get Everth’s at 1:00 P.M. We decided to take pictures of the Padres before we could get our autographs.
(Sean Gallagher)
(Mat Latos)
Their name plates were switched, by the way.
(Jon Garland. I love the glasses and he looks very cute in this picture!)
Kaybee and I also hung out at a section called “Digital and Media Zone” I had a chance to talk to Mark Neely, the play-by-play voice for Padres baseball.
It was about thirty minutes before one so we decided to wait for Everth. Fans and I gave him a round of applause when he climed up the stairs to sit at his seat to sign. Finally, it was our turn to get his autograph.
I said hi to him and he said hi back to me. He looked shy! That’s adorable. Remember the Spanish on my previous entry? It didn’t work out because I got so nervous! So all I said to him was thank you when he signed my baseball. There was another player who signed. His name is Carlos Hernandez and I have never heard of him.
(The top one is from Everth. The bottom one? I’ll get to that later.)
(Carlos Hernadez)
After we got what we wanted, we decided to take more picture of the Padres.
(Will Venable)
(Luke Gregerson)
(Tony Gwynn Jr.)
During the Fan Fest, Padres held Q&A for the fans. Basically, Padres players, broadcasters and front office members answered questions from the fans. Those who participated are: Dick Enburg, Mark Grant and Mark Neely as broadcasters, Chirs Young, Jon Garland and Clayton Richard as pitchers, Jeff Moorad and Tom Garfinkel as front office members, Scott and Jerry Hairston, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Will Venable. Before the fourth Q&A forum, which was the Hairston bros turn, Kaybee, her sister and I bumped into Steve Adler from Friarhood, which was again, awesome. We talked about our day and our awesome blogs. He complimented Kaybee’s new and improved jersey because she literally put a picture of Kouz. Her jersey is full of win, by the way.
Unfortunately, Kaybee and her family had to leave before the Hairstons came out. But I have pictures for her.
(Jerry Hairston)
(Scott Hairston)
I adore Jerry Hairston now. He was funny, made the fans laugh, and it’s an honor to have him as a Padre. He recently played with the New York Yankees who won the World Series last year. I can tell he plays his game hard everytime he does and it’s going to be even better when he plays with his younger brother, Scott.
After the Q&A was over, I met Steve again. We decided to hang out for the rest of the day. We saw Tom Garkinkel, Padres president and Chief Operating Officer, with a hotdog on his hand. We dropped by and said hello.
Later, we walked over to pitchers Kevin Correia and Joe Thatcher.
Both of them were really nice to me. They made eye contact with me, asked me like “How are you doing?”, and smiled at me. I even took a picture with Kevin Correia.
I expected Kevin to be shy but he proved me wrong. First of all, he put his hat backwards and I started laughing. Second of all, he was extremely nice and chill.
Steve and I caught up with Jane Mitchell. She was extremely nice and I just had to laugh when Steve and Jane were talking about their Facebook “issue”. We even took a picture together!
Later, Jenny Cavnar joined the party. Jenny is a reporter for the Padres so I was extremely thrilled to see her. I want her job someday but I didn’t say that to her. It was so amazing to have a talk with a reporter. Especially since I never done anything like that before. I really admire her and she is my idol. It was an incredible honor asking her questions and she was kind enough answer them. Another reason why she is my idol is that she played lacrosse when she was in college. I asked her for few lacrosse tips and they are really going to help me. As for broadcasting, I asked her how she does interview, pre-games and postgames. She said things are memorized, or directly said whaever is organized in her mind. I got incredible tips from her and I would like to thank her so very much.
(Funny story here: When I first introduced myself, she thought I was in college! That’s alright though. I told her that I’m in high school and she seemed surprised that I blog at a young age.)
Another cool story: My follower @goldfyngor totally recocgnized me! Guess my David Eckstein jersey worked. It was so awesome to have that type of meetup. I’ve never done anything like that so it totally made my day.
After all the fun, Steve and I saw the last Q&A, which featured outfielders Tony Gwynn Jr. and Will Venable. We only saw last few minutes. I had to leave and said goodbye to Steve. We need to go to a game during regular season someday!
2010 Fan Fest was absolutely incredible and this was the greatest birthday gift so far. By the way, thanks to Kaybee for giving me this awesome present.
Thanks girl!
As for the Padres and baseball, this really set the mood for me and rest of the Friar Faithful. I really think 2010 will be our year. Petco, I will see you again someday and go Padres!
Final game at Petco
I can’t believe there are only two games left in regular season. I went to Petco on a Friday night with a friend of mine who likes the Padres to see the boys one last time before the end. On my way, it was sprinkling. I was worried that it might rain really hard and the game had to be canceled. Thankfully, the rain stopped by the time I arrived at Petco and the weather was back to normal. San Diego has crazy weather sometimes.
Funny story here: When we went near the player gate entrance, there was a guy who was walking like six feet infront of us with long hair, skinny jeans, aviator sunglasses, beanie, stylish shirt, and a newsboy bag (?). I thought, “Is that Tim Lincecum?!” Sorry. I don’t have picture of “Tim Lincecum” This happened so quickly and I did not expect this to happen. He used the gray thing next to the gate and went his way to the entrance. There was a grouchy looking security guard and stopped “Tim” and yelled him for an ID. The guy looked very p*ssed, and showed his ID. The guard told “Tim” that next time, he needs to go around the fence. I think ”Tim” ignored the security guard..
The gate opened and we made my way to find my seat and hung around the field inbox area so I could get autographs. Padres rookie pitcher Mat Latos was socializing with the Elite Group. He has crazy tatoos on both of his arms. On his right arm, it has flowers (I think they were roses and his new ones), a scroll with letters, and old English writing. On his left, he has Major League Baseball logo, U-shape and some kind of bug. Call me weird because I looked at tattos of a guy almost the whole time when really, the point was to get an autograph. If you get a chance to see him up close, I’m telling you the tattos will stand out. Mat seems like a cool, pretty laid-back guy, especially since he loves to talk.
I didn’t get any autographs because the Padres were coming in and out of the dugout and they didn’t have time to sign except smiling at the fans. Outfielder Drew Macias signed a few though. Catcher Nick Hundley signed only two. Again, it was impossible to get Mat Latos’. But I didn’t stop there. My last chance was obviously, David Eckstein. I knew exactly where he signs so I waited in that area for five minutes. He finally came out from the dugout and it was super crowded in that area. Since I already have like five autographs from Eck, all I wanted was a picture with him. I waited a little and did something I have never done before. Here it goes:
Me: (Tapped his wrist gently) “Hey Eck, do you remember me? Thanks for the package you and Ashley sent to me. I’m wearing the jersey right now.”
Eck: “Oh hey! I remember you.” (Gave me a big hug.) “How’s everything going?”
Me: (At this point, I started to freak out but didn’t show that so I can be a strong fan. I was just smiling like crazy the whole time.) “Everything’s going great. Thanks. Can I take a picture with you?”
Eck: “Absolutely.”
(I finally took a picture with him. Yes. I put my hand on his back and he put his hand on my back. One of the Elite Group didn’t look so happy. Oh well. As you can see, the picture I took Eck is now my new picture for my blog.)
Eck: “You know, Ashley is here today. She said she would love to meet you.”
Me: “Really? I would love to meet her too. Since I don’t know where she is, can you tell her I said hi?”
Eck: (Smiles.) “Sure. Thanks again for your continued support.”
Me: “I’m a big fan, and that’s what big fans do. Thanks again and good luck tonight!”
Eck: ”All right. Have fun tonight!”
Me: (Gave him a big smile.)
Call me crazy for remembering every single words but the chat with David Eckstein is 100% true. Our conversation got longer than from the one before which was a great. It is absolutely amazing when a fan talks to a baseball player, especially if that player knows who you are. I couldn’t meet Ashley but someday I will.
Starting pitcher for the Padres was Kevin Correia and Barry Zito was up for the Giants. I went to Petco three times now and I’ve seen Kevin pitch all three times. I find that awesome because he has done very nice job throughout the season. Last time out, he threw a first career complete game shutout against the D-Backs. Friday was his final outing for 2009 and I really wanted a win for him and the Padres. Barry Zito on the other side has improved but to me, he still needs a lot of work to get back on track. If he does that, there’s a possibility that Zito can win a Cy Young Award again.
Things started smoothly for the Padres because they had an early lead thanks to Oscar Salazar, who drove in Adrian Gonzalez for a Padres’ 1-0 lead over the Giants in the first inning. In the fourth inning however, Giant’s Pablo Sandoval hit a homerun against Kevin Correia to tie the game. There were Giant fans going crazy around me but luckily, Padre fans were there to back me up.
I was fine until the seventh inning. Giants ended up scoring six runs. It was absolutely pathetic to watch. I felt really bad for young Everth Cabrera. He made not one but two costly errors in the same inning for throwing and fielding. He now made 23 errors in the season. Even though the number sounds like a disastor, I understand because that’s what rookies do during their first major league career year. They make ton of errors but eventually fix them throughtout spring training.
Padres try to rally in the seventh to cut the lead by the Giants. Catcher Henry Blanco made it happen. Sort of. He hit a solo shot to left and I went crazy.
Sadly, that was the one and only run in the seventh for the Padres. Both teams did not score any runs in the eight and ninth inning so the Padres lost by the score of 7-2. This is their first loss at Petco this season. That’s pretty impressive.
(My last look of Petco Park for the season.)
I was kind of disappointed since my boys lost for final game at Petco for me. But I had a blast with Eck, even though I didn’t spent a ton of time with him. People around me looked totally jealous. Ha! I am definitely looking forward for 2010 San Diego Padres.
Pictures
These are few examples of work of 5.0 megapixal digital camera that I have owned for a year. I need to get a new one very soon.
More can be found here.
Because I love walk-off wins…
I decided to write an entry. Before the game, 2009 Hall of Famer Rickey Handerson was in the house and threw out the first pitch and Tony Gwynn Jr. caught it behind homeplate.
When Tony Sr. and Rickey Handerson were together, it was a great picture to see.
It was a great way to start off the Friday game. Especially since there were two Hall of Famers right next to each other. Former Padres manager Dick Williams will be at Petco as well. He will be a Padres Hall of Famer and maybe throw out the first pitch on Saturday.
Starting pitcher Kevin Correia’s task was pretty much the same as Thursday’s starter, Clayton Richard. Clayton did an excellent job on the mound and earned his first win as a Padre.
Early in the game, Kevin Correia had trouble getting his command working. First inning was shaky since he gave up two runs which were unearned. He did get better as the game progressed but didn’t get a decision.
Honestly, I fell asleep after fourth or fifth inning. It was boring since Padres couldn’t score runs against Mets’ pitcher Oliver Perez. When I woke up, the game was in the eighth inning and my boys were only down by a run. I figured out Chase Headley drove in David Eckstein to cut the Mets’ lead by half.
Ninth inning was when it got so interesting. Francisco Rodriguez, one of the best closers in baseball, allowed a walk to Kyle Blanks to start off the inning. Will Venable got a nice, clean hit towards right and Kyle scored all the way from firstbase. There was a controversial call however. Kyle Blanks did NOT touch homeplate. That’s right. Mets’ catcher tagged him out before Kyle could even put his fingers on the plate. The umpire called him safe. It’s because the ump was in a different angle and could not see the play clearly. He didn’t changed the call and the game was tied two to two. We took it and we needed it.
Somehow the Padres were in a bases loaded situation. Rodriguez was still pitching in the same inning. Mets even had a meeting on the mound and thought of a plan which was to make play at home again. Well, it didn’t exactly work out as they thought it will be. Everth Cabrera was up and he won the ballgame!
Holy crap. Walk-off GRANDSLAM for Everth Cabrera! Whoo-hoo!! I just watched the highlight reel five times in a row and I am not tired of the clip at al. By the way, this is the first grand slam for the Padres this season and I’m glad it was Everth who hit it. He has been doing a phenonminal job ever since he joined this club. Padres definitely need to keep him next year and throughout his career. I mean, Everth IS the Padres’ next generation of shortstop.
Everth can’t speak English very well. So he needed a translator when he was interviewd after the game. That doesn’t matter. As long as he plays the way he is doing right now, I’m fine. I just love watching him play at shortstop as a starter, making fantastic plays, imrpoving with his hitting, you name it, he does it.
This is how it went: In the first inning, Everth made an errot at short which costed a run, or runs. I forgot which. He was trying to get a man out at second who tried to steal.Everth got him on the face but the ball dropped out of his glove. It wasn’t frustrating but at the same time, I didn’t like it. His dramatic grand slam proved him as a fighter and made up for his mistake. I loved how he threw his bat, and knew that the baseball was gone. And it was off of a great closer named Francisco Rodriguez.
What a game, what a game. Padres need to keep playing like a real team. I want to see more teamwork and nice wins since regular baseball season in heading towards the finish line.
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.
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