With pitchers and catchers getting ready to report to Peoria, the Padres, who have no outfield to speak of, have a chance to sign perhaps the most dangerous hitter of our time, and whether they should do so is causing debate in the local world of sports.
Barry Bonds is said to want the Padres. It does not appear, though I could be wrong, that the Padres want Bonds. Nor should they.
When it comes to winning and losing in professional sports, morality exists but has limitations. The horror of bringing Barry to the East Village would quickly dissipate to curiosity. The Padres, who could expect about 90 games with three at-bats per contest from Bonds, would finally have a slugger in the lineup.
Heck, the Padres would simply have a warm body in left field, where they don't have one now. The rest of the outfield, manned by Jim Edmonds and Brian Giles, borders on pathetic. Edmonds, Giles and nothing equals the worst outfield in the majors. Some AAA outfields are probably better. The Padres own AAA outfield in Portland might be better.
So forget all you moralists who don't think the Padres should sign Barry Bonds because he's a serial steroid user and under criminal investigation. And too bad for those of you who think Bonds would be a disruptive influence in the clubhouse. Right now, there's no influence from the position he plays.
Now, here is the reason why the Padres should not sign Barry Bonds.
The Padres have carefully crafted a fine young infield of Adrian Gonzalez, Khalil Greene and Kevin Kouzmanoff. Gonzalez and Greene might be poised for huge years, and if Kouz can match his June-Sept. performance, he will have a solid 2008. Starting pitchers Jake Peavy and Chris Young are dominant and still youthful, as is Mark Prior, if he recovers. Heath Bell is one of the best young relievers in the game.
The point is not that the Padres are on a youth movement. It's that they have a relatively youthful core that is not built just for 2008, but for 2008 and beyond, for many seasons. If you plug and play Barry for a year, what does it get you? One season. Then you're back at square one.
For the Padres to return to contention -- I use the word return because unless some of those mentioned above have career years, they will not contend this year -- they need to keep building for the long term. They have Chase Headley waiting in the wings. If he has a solid spring, give him the job and the same amount of time to grow that Kouz had. I have to admit that I'm not sold on Scott Hairston as anything more than a role player. If they trade for an outfielder, they should get someone they can keep for a couple of years as part of their youthful core.
As much as I am not confident about the Friars in 2008, I like the core players and look forward to the team building upon them, especially with their own minor league products. Bringing in Barry Bonds will only slow the process.
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The suspension of San Diego State basketball F Kyle Spain has been changed from "indefinitely" to the rest of the season, according to coach Steve Fisher, who made the announcement today. This is Spain's second suspension in three years, which likely puts him on the edge of being dropped from the Aztecs entirely. No one has yet ferreted out Spain's transgressions.
Two things come to mind:
1. Fisher doesn't fool around. He says he has few rules, but expects them to be followed. When one of those rules is broken, the coach lays down the law. He's suspended G Richie Williams twice this season and kicked two of his best players ever, Evan Burns and Jerome Habel off the team.
2. There's something missing with this team. At one point this season, I wrote that these players lacked mental toughness. At the time of the writing, I was right. They won some close games against solid opponents, and that problem appeared to be solved. But Spain never reached the greatness expected of him this year now that he was healthy. Williams not only hasn't gotten to the next level of play, he's regressed. Lorrenzo Wade has taken over leadership responsibilities and taken the offense on his shoulders, but he's not a good shooter. Kelvin Davis and DJ Gay, new arrivals who can shoot, suddenly can't. The only player who has improved over the course of the season is Ryan Amoroso, who is now the most consistently effective player on the floor.
This blog is designed to offer my observations of what's going on in the local sports world, but this one is strictly under wraps. I wish I could explain it more. Fisher has done the right thing. It will impact the team, which is now missing something tangible: it's second leading scorer.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Giants Best Chargers in Only Measure, Aztecs Recruiting
By winning the Super Bowl last weekend, the New York Giants demonstrated that they came out ahead of the San Diego Chargers in the Eli Manning-for-Philip Rivers trade in the only measurement that matters in the National Football League.
No background needed, I'm sure.
The fact is, in the four seasons since the draft day deal, the Giants under general managers Jerry Reese and Ernie Accorsi have become a better football team than the Chargers under A.J. Smith. And they've done so with a mostly-unheralded group that contrasts with some of the bright stars offered by the Chargers. Not many Giants in Hawaii this week for the Pro Bowl.
Manning blossomed toward the end of this season to lead the Giants through the playoffs and become the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Rivers has struggled at times in his two years as a starter, though he was much better late in the season than earlier and rightfully established himself with fans with a gutty injury-plagued performance at New England in the AFC Championship. Rivers can now be considered good. Maybe very good. Manning might be on his way toward his older brother's greatness.
There's more.
The Giants' no-name offensive line consistently opens holes for it's running backs and protects Manning. The Chargers' front needs to upgrade its right side to be Super Bowl-worthy. Part of why Rivers struggled this season is because he's been rushed so hard by defenses.
Giants starting receivers Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are significantly better than the Bolts' trio of Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson and Buster Davis. Our group was well below average until Chambers arrived. Now, as a group, they're decent. No more so.
Running back and tight end. Okay, sure.
On defense, the Giants are better on the line, at linebacker and at safety. The Chargers probably have an edge at corner with the maturation of Quentin Jammer and the stunning talent displayed by Antonio Cromartie.
The Chargers might have the best combination of kickers in the NFL.
Again, I'm in no way saying the Chargers stink. They're quite good. Just not Super Bowl good, not like the Giants, not yet. With the upgrade wish list here and in previous posts, they might get there next season. But the Giants got there first, with Manning at the helm.
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The San Diego State football recruiting class announced this week is a further showing that coach Chuck Long and his staff are on the right track, at least between Monday and Friday.
When NFL draft day comes, you always have the question of: do you take the best player on the board or do you fill the immediate need?
In Long's case in college football recruiting, his Aztecs had glaring needs in the trenches, and it's taken three recruiting classes to address the problem. With this latest class, call the problem solved, though with the nature of offensive line play, it could take a couple of years to bear out.
In my years of following college football in Southern California, something that struck me as being a difference between USC, UCLA and others of their ilk and SDSU has been offensive line recruiting. You look at the lists of recruits for the Trojans, Bruins, and schools like Notre Dame and Ohio State, and every year it seems that half the players are lineman. The Aztecs usually grabbed a few.
Well, now the numbers are up in the trenches, and Long has something to work with. Aztec fans can argue about just how talented the group is, citing star ratings and the like, but a couple of these linemen are in fact pretty good and provide the numbers necessary to sustain a program.
Long's first three classes have righted the ship. There's enough bodies in the right places. Now, maybe they can get a few more wins. When that happens, Long can start grabbing for those four- and five-star recruits and up the talent level around here. The foundation appears to be in place now.
No background needed, I'm sure.
The fact is, in the four seasons since the draft day deal, the Giants under general managers Jerry Reese and Ernie Accorsi have become a better football team than the Chargers under A.J. Smith. And they've done so with a mostly-unheralded group that contrasts with some of the bright stars offered by the Chargers. Not many Giants in Hawaii this week for the Pro Bowl.
Manning blossomed toward the end of this season to lead the Giants through the playoffs and become the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Rivers has struggled at times in his two years as a starter, though he was much better late in the season than earlier and rightfully established himself with fans with a gutty injury-plagued performance at New England in the AFC Championship. Rivers can now be considered good. Maybe very good. Manning might be on his way toward his older brother's greatness.
There's more.
The Giants' no-name offensive line consistently opens holes for it's running backs and protects Manning. The Chargers' front needs to upgrade its right side to be Super Bowl-worthy. Part of why Rivers struggled this season is because he's been rushed so hard by defenses.
Giants starting receivers Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are significantly better than the Bolts' trio of Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson and Buster Davis. Our group was well below average until Chambers arrived. Now, as a group, they're decent. No more so.
Running back and tight end. Okay, sure.
On defense, the Giants are better on the line, at linebacker and at safety. The Chargers probably have an edge at corner with the maturation of Quentin Jammer and the stunning talent displayed by Antonio Cromartie.
The Chargers might have the best combination of kickers in the NFL.
Again, I'm in no way saying the Chargers stink. They're quite good. Just not Super Bowl good, not like the Giants, not yet. With the upgrade wish list here and in previous posts, they might get there next season. But the Giants got there first, with Manning at the helm.
---
The San Diego State football recruiting class announced this week is a further showing that coach Chuck Long and his staff are on the right track, at least between Monday and Friday.
When NFL draft day comes, you always have the question of: do you take the best player on the board or do you fill the immediate need?
In Long's case in college football recruiting, his Aztecs had glaring needs in the trenches, and it's taken three recruiting classes to address the problem. With this latest class, call the problem solved, though with the nature of offensive line play, it could take a couple of years to bear out.
In my years of following college football in Southern California, something that struck me as being a difference between USC, UCLA and others of their ilk and SDSU has been offensive line recruiting. You look at the lists of recruits for the Trojans, Bruins, and schools like Notre Dame and Ohio State, and every year it seems that half the players are lineman. The Aztecs usually grabbed a few.
Well, now the numbers are up in the trenches, and Long has something to work with. Aztec fans can argue about just how talented the group is, citing star ratings and the like, but a couple of these linemen are in fact pretty good and provide the numbers necessary to sustain a program.
Long's first three classes have righted the ship. There's enough bodies in the right places. Now, maybe they can get a few more wins. When that happens, Long can start grabbing for those four- and five-star recruits and up the talent level around here. The foundation appears to be in place now.
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