It all seemed so positive for the San Diego Padres during the last 10 weeks of the 2009 season.
They had the fourth-best winning percentage in MLB during that time. They were third-best in the National League and second (to the surging Colorado Rockies) in the NL West.
Even the questionable trades of Jake Peavy and Scott Hairston have turned out positive so far.
The Padres got rid of Peavy’s $50-million plus salary over the next three years. In return, they received Clayton Richard (probably the No. 3 starter next year), Adam Russell (a likely mainstay in the bullpen) and Aaron Poreda (probably in the starting rotation by 2011.)
The Hairston trade netted them the likes of Ryan Webb and Sean Gallagher, both of whom should contend for spots on the 2010 pitching staff.
Then came the firing over the weekend of General Manager Kevin Towers, who brought all the new pitching to San Diego this season. Love Towers or hate him, this is a “what have you done for me lately” business. Lately, he has done quite well.
And remember, during his 14years as the team’s GM, the Padres won four of the five division championships they have captured in their 41-year history.
Now comes the news that the team is into “strategic planning,” one of those buzz phrases that makes you want to regurgitate.
What is strategic planning? If you’ve been around it, it’s nothing more than a catch-term for people who takes months to make a decision … then the decision is usually no decision at all.
The Padres came so far in the second half of 2009 that it appeared they were headed in the right direction. But now that they are into strategic planning, it makes you wonder what nonsense the future might hold.
They had the fourth-best winning percentage in MLB during that time. They were third-best in the National League and second (to the surging Colorado Rockies) in the NL West.
Even the questionable trades of Jake Peavy and Scott Hairston have turned out positive so far.
The Padres got rid of Peavy’s $50-million plus salary over the next three years. In return, they received Clayton Richard (probably the No. 3 starter next year), Adam Russell (a likely mainstay in the bullpen) and Aaron Poreda (probably in the starting rotation by 2011.)
The Hairston trade netted them the likes of Ryan Webb and Sean Gallagher, both of whom should contend for spots on the 2010 pitching staff.
Then came the firing over the weekend of General Manager Kevin Towers, who brought all the new pitching to San Diego this season. Love Towers or hate him, this is a “what have you done for me lately” business. Lately, he has done quite well.
And remember, during his 14years as the team’s GM, the Padres won four of the five division championships they have captured in their 41-year history.
Now comes the news that the team is into “strategic planning,” one of those buzz phrases that makes you want to regurgitate.
What is strategic planning? If you’ve been around it, it’s nothing more than a catch-term for people who takes months to make a decision … then the decision is usually no decision at all.
The Padres came so far in the second half of 2009 that it appeared they were headed in the right direction. But now that they are into strategic planning, it makes you wonder what nonsense the future might hold.
1 comment:
Just when the Padres seem to be going in the right direction in the second half they fire Kevin Towers and begin this new strategy of stategic planning. Now my granddaddy always told me if you fail to plan then you are planning to fail, but this new strategic planning is also a new buzz word for planning to fail. Taking too long to make the wrong decisions will not help this ball club in 2010. They need some pitching help which may come from the trades Towers made and they need some more hitters especailly one to back up Adrian Gonzalez. Just look how much Holliday helped Pujols; teams could not pitch around him all of the time after Holliday came in. A good hitter behind Adrian will do the same for him.
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