Movie Quotes Will Explain This Winning Streak...maybe?

The difficult thing about blogging the baseball season is the short shelf life of each thought. Before you can implement an idea from a game the next one has passed. All I really want to talk about is the Padres sweep of the Cubs but here we are on Memorial Day having witnessed the Padres extend their winning streak to 10 games with a late rally and extra inning victory. Oh who cares, there's only 11 of you reading anyway and China's access is restricted so I'll have at it......

The recent 9-0 home stand coupled with today's defeat of the D-Backs brings to mind two movies that may best describe the prevailing feeling Padre fans should be having:

1. PULP FICTION. The Character; Winston Wolf. The Scene: Vincent and Jules have just cleaned all of the fragments of Marvin's skull from the back of their get away car. The blood has been sopped up, the blankets are covering the upholstery, Travolta & Jackson look like a "couple of dorks", and they are confident that The Wolf has helped them escape certain incarceration. The Quote: "Well, let's not start suckin' each other's dicks quite yet." Now I've referenced this quote before and for good reason......it would be unwise considering San Diego's sporting history to get too excited over nothing. Not to be a wet blanket (or the damp throw pillow that my daughter just gacked on...true story) but it would be wise to remember that our 'book collection' has two fantastic 'book ends': A 9-3 start and our recent 10-0 run for a phenomenal 19-3 mark. But here's the problem..... all of the 'books' on the shelf are absolute SHITE!......think Jack Kerouac collection minus On the Road and Dharma Bums. The math on that is 4-19.....refer back to quote by The Wolf.
2. MAJOR LEAGUE. The Character; Jake Taylor. The Scene: Cleveland Indians squad is assembled in clubhouse and has just been notified that the team was constructed to lose so that the team could be moved. Each player would be released, traded or sent to the minors at season's end. The Quote: "I guess there's only one thing left to do...win the WHOLE fuckin' thing." I know, I know....you wanted to hear Cerrano say how much he likes Jesus but he no help hit curve ball......I get it... but it doesn't fit my theme (click here) so go with me. To keep Peavy, do the Padres have no choice but to 'win the whole fuckin' thing'? The Friars' FO wants to trade Jake Peavy but it will be met with even greater resistance by our fledgling fan base if it is done while the team is above .500 and has a chance to compete. Could the FO be hoping that this streak ends so it can get back to the business of giving John Moores a palatable $40 million dollar payroll? Will GM Kevin Towers begin to redecorate the bullpen with more of the Edwin Morenos of the world in order to soften fan expectations thus allowing Jake to be jettisoned? That's an awfully cynical thought but we all know that Jake's going, merely a matter of when....but will they trade him if we're playing good ball? (this is all ridiculous speculation and more of an excuse to mention Major League)
   

Those are my movie analogies and here are my observations from Sunday's game which was a 7-2 victory over the Cubs. A personal victory of note for me as the Friar's had dropped the 10 previous games I attended.

• I am a completely moronic child every time I see this name:

• Fuk-U-Do-Me......I laugh every time I see it in print and then I proceed to read this guy's name phonetically...every time. I am a MORON. It's like any time I've ever mentioned the word Duty in front of a teenager (such as: You have a duty to complete this task). All the teenager hears is doody....."Huh-Huh.....he said Doody." I am that same little teenage idiot every time I see Kosuke Fukudome play baseball. Sorry.
• Padre entertainment coordinators. Don't play Twist and Shout when the Cubs are in town...too Ferris Bueller's Day Off after he caught the foul ball during the game at Wrigley and then found his way on to the float in the Downtown Chicago parade. It's bad enough we're outnumbered every series those guys ever play here......don't make them feel anymore at home. Also ix nay any Smashing Pumpkins song.....they hail from Chicago....gotta think of these things.
• Always show footage of Garvey hitting the HR in 1984 when the Cubs are in town......it actually won't piss off that many people because they aren't even from Chicago, they're from Huntington Beach. I know because I was talking to them. Curse WGN's national reach!
• A batting avg. around .200 during 9-0 home stand. Really?
• Memo: Chicago Cubs fans who wear Chicago Bears jerseys to games in San Diego: If you decide to wear your Richard Dent #95 and guy wearing Padres jersey comes up to you and says, "The Sack Man's comin'," don't look at him like he's a crazy methhead from Lakeside but instead reply with, "I'm your man Dent," and then I'll continue the dance with, "If the Quarterback's slow he's gonna get bent," and then I'll be impressed with you instead of you looking like an ill-informed Jag-off. That's right.....YOU looked like the Jagoff.
• I do not like being outnumbered in our home park. It bothers me. On account of this uneasy feeling acquired when the Cubs visit, with all due respect to family members of mine who are Cub fans, I shall share the following sentiment: I have a strong dislike for The Lovable Losers...OK, I hate them. Take solace Chicagoans as it is not the same kind of hate I have for the Patriots.
• Finally.....watch out Dodgers!?? Not really but they are actually in our sights now.
  

Do The Right Thing

It's the Thighnal over at Sharapova's Thigh and we have Krystal Forscutt (Aussie on top) versus Keeley Hazell (Brit on bottom). Look at the pictures and guess who's winning......

Trust me....She's pasty! You'll see it if you get to the Thigh.

....wrong!

Somehow people are picking the pasty big boobed girl over the tanned big boobed girl. Tis a travesty so make like Mookie and Do The Right Thing.
2009 Hot Ladies Tournament Championship Game

Editors Note:
Amazingly the Padres have won 8 in a row....haven't checked it but I think they have averaged 3 runs per game during stretch. How the hell does that happen? Smoke and mirrors.

Unfortunately Matt Serra lost to Matt Hughes after nearly knocking him out in the first round. Hughes has become (or became quite some time ago) this Favre-ian type "every man" who does half of his UFC photo-ops in front of a tractor. To his Illinois farm will Hughes retire one day. Gimme a break. Midwestern farmers are humble people....Matt Hughes is a braggart....and a cock.....and in the words of Matt Serra, "He's a dick!".

Lyoto Machida is a bad man. I gave him a slight edge over Rashad Evans but he ended up punishing him......severely. The Light-heavy belt has changed hands in like five consecutive fights---Machida-Evans-Griffin-Jackson-?Lidell?--- ......who knows? I could see The Dragon defending for a while......although the 205 lb division is pretty stacked.

Oh yea.....the Padres won....again! In case you didn't believe me earlier.

Rearview Mirror.... (.500)

John Cougar Mellencamp's "Crumblin' Down" seems the perfect song to describe our Padres. I don't know if the "walls" were ever truly up.....but they are tumblin' down. We were 9-3....we are 11-14.....I can't bare to do the math.....I do know that we were just swept by the Dodgers (that's a four game sweep).

Editor's note:
Fuck Ricky Hatton! You owe us $50 bucks, guy!

Padres Week 3: Rough Weekend @ The $9 buck cup

Three weeks down and the Padres are sitting 2 above .500---2 1/2 behind LA. It could be worse. The disappointing news is in that we were swept by the Giants (only a 2 game set) and then dropped a series to the Pirates at home.....our pitcher's park....where Jake Peavy can't seem to....well, pitch! The Padres are over .500 and Jake is under .500 (2-3).

While the team is beginning to come back to earth they still exhibit elements of entertaining baseball whether it be the fundamentals (moving runners over, backing up positions), hustle (see David Eckstein), sound hitting (Adrian Gonzalez crushed one like no other ever hit at The Bark, yesterday) or the youth movement (Headley, Hundley,--insert bullpen pitcher here--, the injured Evereth Cabrera). Those are all positive things and when coupled with good prices they are reasons to stay on the bandwagon.

More interesting Padre bits and pieces:

• Geoff Young looking at the last week and the overuse of a certain pitch by a certain pitcher, in his column Eight Sliders Sliding [Ducksnorts]

• Padre Unis....after all, a Friar does wear a brown robe not Blue [The Sacrifice Bunt]

• A struggling Peavy and yesterday's debacle against the Pirates [San Diego UT]

• A podcast by Craig Elsten and Chris Ello regarding the Padres "surging" (tongue-in-cheek) to a power ranking of #10 in MLB [619 Sports]

Three game set against the Rockies gets going at 5;40 pm today.....Chris Young must right the ship.

Who's watching, watching....?

…The 2009 Padres?
(Editor's Note: As reported to the AIC by one member of the Collective)
With much fan-fare but low expectations, the Pads took the field for opening week led by hometown hero Adrian Gonzales and returning ace Jake Peavy (but for how long?). Following an opening day loss, the fellas rallied to a series push against our division rival: the LA Cholos…err, Dodgers. The boys then followed it up with a sweep of the San Francisco baseball Giants to finish opening week not only with a winning record, but atop the competitive NL West (Editor's Note: competitive??? Competitive=euphemism for mediocre?).

I had the opportunity and the pleasure to attend Saturday night’s game, and what a game it was. (actually I had the opportunity to go to 4 games this week, but even with the 5 dollar meal-deal, 4 games is too much for this rank-and-file avenger to handle…waiting for Uncle Sam to subsidize my entertainment needs! Baseball’s too big to Fail!...but I digress…). Needless to say, it was definitely in the top 4 Padres games I’ve ever been to, which read as follows, in descending order:

• 4- 1999 “Meet the Mrs.... get kicked out” (falling from 1 to 4 due to the course of history)
• 3- 2006 “JD Drew eviscerated by the AIC” (he’s much better than Doug Mirabelli you know)
• 2- 2009 “Read the Blog to find out why” (check out my balls)
• 1- 2006 “Seats on the 1st base wall/Irish fan heckles the Ump”
  

(Editor's Note: Who the fuck does things in a "Top 4" format? JD Drew and Doug Mirabelli are useless cunts and deserved the lashing they received. I'm glad that I factor in to two of your top 4 life experiences......it could have been 3/4 if you had invited me on Saturday.....thanks Dick!)

Saturday’s game was a fast-paced one, taking only a little over 2 hours to complete, but it had a little bit of everything:

• Great pitching (8 2/3 from Jake)
• Clutch hitting (a rarity in San Diego)
• Some great defensive plays by Hairston and Giles-aka Jake the Mus…(keep yer hands in yer pockets Brian) (Editor's note: An excellent reference to Once Were Warriors: Go to You Tube)
  
• Three home runs including 2 by Senor Blanco
• A Win...most important of all.
  

The overriding factor that made this my all-time #2 Padres game though was not any of the above aspects of the game, nor was it the fact that the tickets were a gift from a friend, not even finding free parking on the street.....it was this ‘lil guy....

From having no balls to one.....you gotta start somewhere

.....who somehow found his way from Jake’s hand, rifled off the bat of third basemen Pablo Sandoval, rocketed over our heads, caromed off of a railing and into my outstretched hand. What a thrill! I felt like I was 12 again! Not even finding the free parking was a better feeling! Baseball’s back, and I’ll be back to see it live to be sure, let’s hope the Pads can keep on exceeding expectations. See ya at the park!

The Mad Italian (aka: The Ghost of Sid Going)
“Taller than Joe Morris, Dirtier than McConkey’s Mustache”

With Lincicum defeated...the world is next!

Yea, we're in 1st place. True, seven games is not much of a sample size.....but we're in 1st place!
Let's enjoy the fellas having played some pretty good ball this week and having knocked off the NL's 2008 Cy Young winner.
Padres weak? Not during the season's opening week
[San Diego UT-Chris Jenkins]

Next stop Citi Field: New home of the Mets. An interesting test will be provided with this being the 1st road series and our 3rd, 4th, and 5th starters (still working on names) getting the nod against a pricey Mets squad. Need some Citi Field info? Click Here for some of the Park's features as well as the naming rights controversy.

With Citigroup Inc. paying $20 million a year for naming rights and having received in excess of $45 million in federal bailout money (your tax dollars) this new ballpark truly does belong to all of us......does that make it a home game?

Heath Bell is also excited to be visiting his former team in NY.....he wants the 1st save at Citi Field....Heath has big balls. Let's see him back it up.
Citi Field's debut has Bell buzzing
[San Diego UT-Chris Jenkins]

A message brought to you from Charger Girl: Don't forget the 2009 NFL schedule is released on Tuesday......Cleveland, Tennessee, or Pitt, Fellas?
To quote the dude from Snatch with the giant spectacles:

"Goody fuckin' gum drops!". Be sure to read that with a Limey accent.

This is the End of the week. Good Night, now.

I dare you to extrapolate...

81-81....I did the extrapolation for you...read & listen on Friar Faithful (do I sound hypocritical?)


Gonzalez sparks rally in 8th, Bell shuts door in 9th
[SD Union-Tribune]


Dodgers falter at the finish against Padres
[LA Times]
Enjoy both SD & LA perspectives on the Padres' get-away-day victory thus earning the four game split. It never hurts to Beat LA...

Jeff Moorad is soliciting your advice on moving in the fences at The Bark Park.....maybe he'll consider a park renaming ceremony as well.
[XX1090 with Scott & BR]

I don't buy Heath Bell's closing song: Blow me away by Breaking Benjamin

Perhaps it was too obvious to go with: For whom the bell tolls by Metallica.....but it's obvious for a reason: IT'S PERFECT!!!

I suppose as long as Heath "Wii" Bell keeps saving games it really doesn't matter does it? But it would have been cool to hear those bells and Cliff Burton's bass, no?

159 Mas...am I really going to do this?

Dodgers 5 Padres 2

Game 3 Observations:

• Manny's hair is beyond comment

• David Eckstein had an awesome 10 pitch at-bat in the 1st. The talk of game 1 was DE's sac bunt in the 1st. These seem like trivial things to get excited over...so I won't. But they are pleasant things to see and hopefully represent a sea change.

• Walter Silva was lucky to give up only 2 runs. We're in trouble with him as our #3.

• In addition to speed, Evereth Cabrera has a hose.

• Kouz needs to show up in April or it'll be a hell of a hole we're diggin' ourselves out of.

• Mujica and De la Cruz had live looking arms....so we've got that goin' for the pen.

• Steve Quis asked Manny stupid questions during the Postgame. How dare you accuse Manny of having been in a "funk".

• Baseball is hard to blog....too quick a turn around time between games so here's my Opening Day part II....

I really should skip the remainder of Peavy's starts...this decade.

I missed all of the pregame festivities. My cheap ticket was nullified by the pregame bar tab. I too was excited to see a bunt in the first-curse thy moneyball of '08. The Padres have lost 9 consecutive games I have attended including the sweep in the Bronx last June. Jake Peavy has lost the previous 5 times I've seen him pitch. San Diego should be embarrassed by the shear number of LA caps in the stands and the pathetic absence of SD caps. Is it any wonder San Diego is labeled as a joke of a sports town. One man's opinion.

Editor's Note:
Sure the team isn't going to be great...err...good this season. And I would have encouraged people to stay home had we not seen a change in the status quo....but with Moorad on board and the number of price accommodations we've seen thus far...well I think it is a reasonable olive branch until things get turned around. I can wait until the draft before I begin to organize boycotts.

In summation: 5 for$5 is awesome and Dodger fans are far too plentiful (droves of Dickies in The Bark on Monday)

Beat LA...Beat LA...Beat LA....

We did.

Enjoy this headline from the Los Angeles Times and think of all the royal blue wearing Royal A-holes who have cluttered up our park the last two days...

We only have ourselves to blame San Diego......only you can prevent the 2009 Invasion of A-holes.

2009 Opening Day Part I

Sean M. Haffey/Union-Tribune
Dodgers 4 Padres 1

After the Padres hosted opening day at The Bark Park..... a game in which attendance records were set (45,496) thanks to The Park in the Park busting at the seams with cheap Dodger Fans.... a game in which we saw our Ace give up 4 runs and our "offensive" case of anemia carry over from 2008.... this fan visited his parents, put the game in the past, and watched women dance.

....and then receive judgement. Is this the sort of season we're in for (talking about Padres not DWTS)?

This Is The End: March 29th extremely weak Round-up

“At the end of the day, I want to win,” Moorad says. “I won't rest until the Padres win a World Series ... I think you can win even in a smaller to medium-sized market (like San Diego) with a smaller to medium-sized payroll. We just have to be better and smarter than our competition.”

-Jeffrey Moorad (new Padres CEO and eventual owner)

With our 4th or 5th starters yet to be named and an untested bullpen we find ourselves apprehensive. As March comes to a close the Padres still lack any kind of speed and have power so dubious that the reasonable man must take stock and note that the prospects for the 2009 season are disheartening. There is reason for hope, though.

Spring is a time of renewal and, as such, also a symbol of hope. All you should really need though is the above quote to instill that glimmer of hope. Note the words that new Padre CEO Jeff Moorad chooses: never does he say that he is "looking to remain competitive in the NL West" or that "there's no reason that we can't be competitive". Those are the refrains of a previous regime...Jeff Moorad says he wants a World Series and he won't rest until the Padres get one. We like the sound of that. We recommend reading the remainder of the UT article to get a feel for why "the times they-are-a-changin'".

Modest start preceded Moorad's rise
[San Diego Union Tribune-Mark Zeigler]

However, if you still cannot muster some positive vision for the short term that's O.K. too.......complain away! As a Padre fan you've earned the right. You were told to vote "Yes" back in 1998 and the future would forever be bright. But it's 2009 and the "Bark Park" novelty has worn off to the casual fan so we're left with the same old cost cutting measures of days gone past. With a $40 million dollar payroll we will trudge through a weak NL West and compete against a Dodger team that just paid Manny Ramirez over $20 million.......we need not do the math for you.

We were lied to so feel free to deliver your bellows of rage. Don't let guys on the radio tell you that you should only be extolling the favorables on account of a new ownership group easing into place and April just on the horizon. Be cynical. Be skeptical. It's the Padres 40 year anniversary...you've earned it.

We're hopeful though, and satisfied that Jeff Moorad is at the helm. Check out the following audio:perhaps it will quell your pessimism.

Jeffrey Moorad with Scott & BR
[XX1090--3/27/09]
Kevin Towers with Darren Smith
[XX1090--3/27/09]

There's another thing that is quite outstanding about Moorad....he received his law degree from..........wait for it........Villanova! The bracket was blown up today but it is on life support with the "Villanova in the finals" selection. It looks like a Michigan St/Villanova final will be needed. Go Nova!

The week has ended and we can all agree that life is Too Short to not envision a little hope on the horizon...

Editor's Note:
The bearded fella sitting next to Senator McCain is Jeff Moorad. Moorad claims that the Senator knows more about the Diamondbacks than most people in the Arizona front office which explains precisely two things:

1. D-Backs's poor showing in 2008.
2. McCain's inability to differentiate between the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam (keep your eye on the ball Mr. McCain)
   

This Is The End: March 22nd Round-up

"What, you don't think I know?!! My bracket would have been Fu#ked too!"

Purdue, Gonzaga and Duke eked out games on Saturday and the Bracket stayed a clean 8 for 8. There were only 5 chances for the bracket to score points today and after a 2 for 2 morning the afternoon saw extraordinarily close games with the Missouri, Michigan State and Louisville picks. It was excruciating to sit through the Spartans/Trojans game and watch the Louisville/Sienna score ticker in the upper corner of the TV....but when it was all said and done we went 5 for 8 on the day with a solid 13/16 Sweet Sixteen teams in play.....still only missing one Elite Eight-er (Mountaineers of W.Va).

This is the year where scores are high as people who are clueless tend to pick according to high seeds which equals a plus rate of success in '09. The Sweet Sixteen is almost perfectly seeded outside of #12 Arizona and #5 Purdue crashing the party. Obama edged us by 1 game in Round 2 but we still hold a 3 point lead on the Leader of the Free World.

President Obama's Bracket
[ESPN Tournament Challenge]

San Diego State had a big basketball week (women win and men advance to NIT Quarters against either Davidson or St. Mary's) and a shaky baseball week. State squandered a 15 strikeout performance by Stephen Strasburg on Friday but salvaged the series by getting the win today.
[619 Sports]

For those who hold out hope.....we bring you radio interviews with Postgame's Bob Scanlan, MLB Padre beat writer Corey Brock and GM Kevin Towers. This is your opportunity to say,

`"Hey, I stuck with 'em during the darkest days of '08 and '09!"

Listen up and get a read on the new names on the back of the Jerseys.
Bob Scanlan with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Corey Brock with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Kevin Towers with Darren Smith
[xx1090-Darren Smith 3/19]

The drive-time show fired Jordan and we kept eating pizza from Chicago on a bun. What's changed? There's a lot less screaming and the pizza is still good.
After line-up changes, it's Brown's Boring Bozos
[UT-Jay Posner 3/20]

We can't even win our own game on our own turf. Japan beats the US in WBC Semifinals.
Japan rips USA, rolls into WBC final
[Si.Com]

The Legend with the weaker arm gives his 2 cents.....we don't believe that John called Jay, "...a little bitch", but we're sure he thinks it.
Elway weighs in on Cutler Crisis
[Denver Post]

What better way to end your week than to take a gander at perhaps the greatest Top Ten List in the history of Top Ten Lists. If you know of a better compilation let us know.....if your place of business blocks YouTube, so sorry you'll have to wait...."Top Ten" found through SI.com's Extra Mustard.
[Sand & Cotton]

Since you can never have too much Bad Religion in one week....This is not Armageddon... only the week's End...

The $7 Buck Cup?

Word on the Street.........cheaper beer at Petco this season. Darren Smith of XX1090 spoke with Sandy Alderson today and many things were said....the only thing we heard was cheaper beer. Hooray Beer!

We asked for it, not two weeks ago.

Click and hear about beer.......

The cheap beer news does create a conundrum for this blog, though.

We have been contemplating a URL name change as our current name is too Masshole-centric. The name that seemed to be best suited for us was a spin off of how we have been labeling all of our Padre Posts: The $9 Buck Cup Of Misery...

www.the9buckcup.blogspot.com

Cheaper beer prices for '09 squashes that plan......not that we're complaining.

As of today we are soliciting any suggestions for a new URL...

Facelift @ The $9 Buck Cup

It's Sunday afternoon and me and the Missus are behind the Park @ K and Tony Gwynn Blvd./7th ave. As we get ready to hang a left I look skywards and say,

"Ehhh.....they finally removed the Posters of Trevor and Khalil....they got half of CY up!"

to which the Missus replied:

"Yah. I don't know if he's the answer...."

Perhaps a little pessimistic for pitchers and catchers not having even reported yet but such is the life of a Tortured San Diego Padre Fan. The comment was warranted none the less as CY hasn't made it through a healthy season yet and at 6' 10" can we ever expect it? Is it telling that the F.O. decided against plastering up the 2007 Cy Young Award winner?

Good thing the Wifey is here to tell it like it is.....


OF NOTE:

The Cleveland Cavaliers Adidas warm-up jacket is dope...

The Bush Era Ends...again

Kevin Towers: "I think he's good?"

This picture says everything you need to know about our success in drafting and developing home grown talent. The Padres have released 2004 #1 overall draft choice Matt Bush, out of Mission Bay HS, due to another off the field incident. This was reported yesterday by the UT.

There are quite a few players who were drafted in the first round of 2004 who have made their respective clubs and contributed mightily. Justin Verlander, Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver, Phillip Hughes and Huston Street are just a few who have exceeded what our monumental bust has achieved. Matt Bush and Ryan Leaf, forever synonyms.

It's all the more painful when you consider that there was an older shortstop out of Arizona State who was still available in the second round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft...he's been pretty successful so far.

Favorite quote of all time, which will be paraphrased, as it was uttered roughly two years ago. From the mouth of our General Manager Kevin Towers, who's previous post was as a SCOUT, regarding the prospects of Matt Bush being converted to a Pitcher after failing as an everyday shortstop...

"Well I never saw him play SS in H.S. but when I saw him pitch in the CIF playoffs he could have got major league hitters out."

There you have it.....our General Manager took a guy NUMBER ONE who he never saw play as a Short Stop. (some will say it was a pressure "on the cheap" pick by ownership to which we say: "show some principles and BALLS....resign in protest!")

For more painful reminders of Padre Drafting Ineptitude: Click Here.

EDITOR'S NOTE:
Found original quote from KT in the NC Times. Click excerpt for entire article:

[Padres general manager Kevin Towers never saw Bush play a position at Mission Bay High.

Towers, however, saw Bush light up the radar gun at 98 mph in the 2004 CIF San Diego Section Division III championship game when he pitched the Bucs to the title.

"And I loved his arm," Towers said.]

Ownership News: A Not So Miserable $9 Buck Cup

Our sources were correct when they told us that the deal with Jeffrey Moorad would be finalized soon. It happened this afternoon.

Moorad spoke with Darren Smith this afternoon on XX1090.

AP News Write-Up...courtesy of XX1090.

The next step will be the ousting of Czar Alderson, which we're told will happen much sooner than later. We will miss the weekly grilling he received from Darren Smith each week on the Alderson Report.

This is fantastic news. Even though our chances of rebounding from last year's abysmal showing are not that great, the new blood should help in at least generating a spark of interest in the 2009 edition of the San Diego Padres.

Manny Ramirez just rejected a 1 year/$25 million dollar contract offer from the Dodgers....guess who use to be his agent? If you said Jeffrey Moorad you're smarter than Jamal Williams (Gosh-Darn-it Jamal!)........

There's hope in the Gaslamp.....

Friar Ball: This Week's $9 Buck Cup of Misery

That's Khalil Green on the Jumbotron. His image is still plastered on the front of the Park as is the visage of the departed Trevor Hoffman. Why is Padre management dragging their feet on this?

How about this for a reason.....perhaps the team sale to Jeffrey Moorad will be finalized sooner than expected which could lead to the dismissal of certain individuals who would ordinarily be inclined to remove the ubiquitous posters of players past. That's what my sources say.

Also....Kouz will not be ready to start the season so Headley will anchor the corner.

What should new ownership do to get us into the park this season? $7 BEERS! NO!...$6.50!

"Say no!", to the $9 buck cup of Misery

$9 Buck Cup of Misery...gimme two!

The week started great...

First we get the potentially fantastic news that the Padres are on the block, ready to be auctioned off, to the first who can scrape together a few hundred million....

For a nominal fee, you'll get a slow footed, slap hitting, suspect fielding team built by a bunch of computer nerds. The team also play in a brand new spacious pitchers' park which will add economic value when the potential suitor surveys a farm system stocked full of young pitchers...who are all distant relatives of Tommy John's elbow...oh yea, and our CEO is a fucking ASSHOLE....

Actually, I'm a miserable c$#t!

...pony up sucker! Join us for a $9 buck cup of misery down at the worst named ball yard in the history of our national past time.

After that ray of hope comes the $9 million dollar man, Brian Giles, getting sued for $10 million because he's an "alleged" woman beating, fetus killer.......creepy. Much more creepy than the naked hugs and cock exposure our bronzed Punch 'n' Judy hitter is reported to have given to anyone who walked into the Friar locker room (let us qualify the latter behavior as creepy- funny). We thought it was B.S. until we heard there was a surveillance video of one abusive incident...

That's a check swing...another walk, thank-you very much!

CEO, Sandy the C$#T, tried to get money back when Khalil broke his hand in the dugout last season...whaddya think he's trying to do about this one, that slick lawyer fuck!? Giles does take up nearly a quarter of our meager payroll.

Hope it's not true...it'd be a rotten Christmas present...