1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Wednesday “PADRES LEADERSHIP SOUNDS OFF”

Posted by on February 19th, 2025  •  0 Comments  • 

=======

“PADRES LEADERSHIP TALKS
=======

The Cactus League season opens at the end of the week.

A new look Padres roster is ready after a week of veteran acquisitions.

Team President Eric Gruepner had plenty of comments on Tuesday.
———-
..Seidlers-It’s business as normal despite noise on the outside
..Nothing has changed..clicking along
..Back doing what we did last year..do what we did not do last year

..Our payroll has gone up significantly yearly
..We have top 10-payroll..we can compete at this level
..We have resources..payroll..veteran leadership
..We are projecting to pay a tax this year…we are willing to add on

..Our goal is to have a payroll level of 200M
..We can support this level of payroll
..AJ’s roster is not set…wants a complete roster
..Style of negotiating-players come to us
..We structure deal for today with long term view too-stay competitive

..We talked to players at Fan Fest-put them in the picture
..Told them we are stable-we have leadership

..Decline of Regional Sports Networks has impacted us-no doubt
..We are making max revenues we can-thanks to MLB media
..This partnership provided us a great option
..There are not a ton of local media options out there for TV
..We will announce a special ‘Saturday TV package-free-soon’
..We have confidence in Rob Manfred’s leadership-changing landscape

..We increased payroll-knew sustainability would impact us
..We are in smallest media dollar market-yet will be a Top 10-payroll
..Believe we can compete in World Series with this payroll
———-
Come this weekend…’Play Ball’.
———

 

1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Tuesday “PADRES–DAY ONE FULL CAMP COMMENTS”

Posted by on February 18th, 2025  •  0 Comments  • 

=======

Hacksaw’s Monday Bonus Podcast
You Tube-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

=======
“PADRES0-HEADLINES”
=======

The 1st full workout for the entire squad at the Padres Spring Training Camp in Arizona.

New faces fighting for jobs.

Looking to wash away the stain of the 24-straight shutout innings in the playoffs with the Dodgers.

Not paying attention to the Civil War in the front office, or the concerns about future payroll or luxury tax issues.

Comments from the players:
——-
JASON HEYWARD:
..Padres impressive run in a  very tough division
..Cannot half-step in this division
..San Diego fans love the big moment..team played alot big games
..I bring an outside perspective-winning in Atlanta-Cubs
..Experience is what I bring
..Will work in CF-RF..led Tatis-Merrill be DH at time
..Good baseball people in front office

NICK PIVETTA:
..Talked to AJ Preller and Ruben Niebla on zoom
..Padres front office-very good
..Rotation-very established guys
..Winning is 100%-important to me
..Wanted longer contract-why I rejected Boston 1-year deal

MANNY MACHADO:
..I expect big things from Xander at shortstop
..AJ wants to win a championship
..He builds rosters and relationships here
..We have alot of new faces-it will be fun to build with them.

FERNANDO TATIS:
..So many roster moves-part of the game
..What an off season-baseball getting better with talent moves
..Jackson Merrill-the sky is the limit
..We have same level confidence as last year
..Fun to be healthy finally-appreciated this training staff.
..Shoulder-leg-wrist-finally healthy

JOE MUSGROVE:
..Like signing of Pivetta
..He dominated us-got his ass kicked-stayed competitive
..My rehab-will be honest with them when I will be ready
..This is a long evaluation thing
..Excited to see fight for 5th starting spot..Waldron-Vasquez grew last year
..I did alot of homework before and since the surgery
..I will do all the work
..Hope to throw in a month and a half
..It is important to get this right
..I’d hope to be able to be in action by October-that’s realistic.
==============

1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Monday “

Posted by on February 17th, 2025  •  0 Comments  • 

=======

Hacksaw’s Bonus-Monday Podcast…1-30
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Join us for Topics on the Table..Stay for Fans Forum
=========
“COMMENTS FROM MY CORNER OF THE WORLD”
=========
PADRES…I like the free agent signing of Nick Pivetta of the Red Sox af an affordable year one price tag.  As a #4 starter-he will be solid.  of course he will cost alot more going forward.  Also like the leadership abilities of Jason Heyward, but have to see if he still has his bat speed after not hitting at Dodgers Stadium last year.  7-candidates in left-field, somebody will surface.  MLB scouts also say AJ Preller has cornered the market on rehab pitchers rallying their career in Japan-Korea.

PADRES..Revenues-maxed out…Payroll maxed out.  Credit Card bills will come due for the AJ Preller driven deals,  MLB sources say the Padres will have a small luxury tax bill if they keep this team intact all year.  The bigger issue will be the escalators in virtually every contract going forward.  The Padres have 160M-guaranteed already to just 10-players for next year.  They also forfeited a high draft pick and a half million in signing bonus money in the International pool going forward.  Enjoy this short run to be a World Series contender.  Rebuild mode will be coming sooner

ANGELS..A moratorium on criticism of owner Arte Moreno and his front office people.  They signed a total of 17-off season free agents including rentals of Kenley Jansen-Jorge Soler and others.  Let’s see if they add stability to a young roster, if the young kids take a step forward, and if Mike Trout stays healthy.  By the way, Anthony Rendon had no injury history in Washington, got here, got hurt, 12-times on the DL.

DODGERS…Ahead of schedule, all these pitchers coming off surgeries.  Shohei Ohtani, Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw throwing well in bullpens in spring training.  Good medical news on Freddie Freeman too.  Such an impressive array of talent.

YANKEES..Fans-Media not happy with Hal Steinbrenner-Brian Cashman leadership.  NY has (304M) payroll..lost Juan Soto..did not sign any Japanese free agent stars..has nothing from the farm system.

HOUSTON…Owner Jim Crane taking big time heat too, losing Alex Bregman, not getting fair value in the Kyle Tucker trade, and owning a battered pitching staff.  Jose Altuve against the world is not a good look.

NFL..First Sunday without an NFL game to watch-an empty feeling, but there were lots of headlines, the demise of Aaron Rodgers, the search beginning for a QB for the Raiders, likely QB roster purges in Atlanta, the Vikings-Sam Darnold affair.  Always something to talk about

NBA..Cheap stunts, the slam dunk contest over a car, the DQ of the Spurs players from the skills competition, the cancellation of the NBA-WNBA three point shooting contest, and the Sunday ‘Team Tourney’ games.  Missing the mark on lots of things

NHL..What a Saturday night, USA shutdown of Canada, the three fights at the beginning of the game, the booing of the National Anthem by Montreal fans.  Of course the wife responded (she is of Canadian blood), they were booing Dictator Trump, not our flag.  Interesting to see what happens in Boston, do NHL fans there boo ‘O-Canada’.

NASCAR…All amped to see the Daytona 500..all 11-laps of it before the rains came.  Awful to sit thru 2-hours of filler interviews with drivers and video replays of past races and wrecks.  And when they got finished on Sunday night at nearly 10pm in Daytona, 3-wrecks in the final 9-laps and William Byron drove thru the carnage to win.  The Great American race is really a wreck waiting to happen.

AZTECS…Finally a complete game from Brian Dutcher’s team, blasting Boise.  Only counts as one win after all the up and down games over two months.  Show me what you can do at Utah State next Saturday to deserve to be in March Madness.  Sorry, an unimpressive (17-6) team in a down year in the conference.

UCSD..Tritons (22-4)…look look like March Madness team to me

USD..Hope this does not end badly for Steve Lavin, but Toreros basketball is (4-24) and off everyone’s radar.  School funding (NIL) is really a problem up on Alcala Way right now.  Getting players, holding onto them, a struggled.  Hate to see Lavin got axed, but this is misery.

TORREY PINES..Good weekend for golf, but not alot of fans for the Genesis Open.  Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy flashed but had bad Saturdays.  There is no Xander Schaufele, out with health problems.  Tiger Woods backed out of playing in the aftermath of passing of his mother.  An electric finish though for the next budding star on the horizon, Ludvig Aberg of Sweden.

=========

1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Friday “PADRES-SOUND OFF IN SPRING TRAINING”

Posted by on February 14th, 2025  •  0 Comments  • 

=======

Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Look-Listen-Share-Subscribe

=======
“PADRES–NO FEAR”
=======

The Padres solved their pitching crisis in the rotation..then added to their bullpen…and left up for discussion whether they must pare their payroll this season.

Quite a 24-hour, GM-AJ Preller navigated thru.

Acquiring ex Red Sox frontline starter Nick Pivetta  to join a rotation with Darvish-Cease-King gives San Diego a rock solid front 4-rotation.

Then the flyer on lefthander Kyle Hart, an ex Red Sox prospect, who reinvented himself in Korea, and becomes a possible 5th starter candidate.

There are 8-deep in the bullpen too.

And Preller says this is the roster he intends to start the season, meaning, if you read between the lines, no more trades of players exiting San Diego.

Comments from Preller and Manager Mike Shildt in their first spring training press conferences:

AJ PRELLER
..Still looking to possibly add offense
..I like the makeup of this roster
..Jason Heyward-you know what you get on field-in clubhouse
..Gavin Sheets-want to unlock his talent
..We need a couple of surprises in this lineup like last year
..Lineup-we have versatility Cronenworth-Arraez
..We can move guys around
..But with Xander-Manny-Croney-Luis..that is everyday group

..Cease is big part of this rotation..very big part
..We have 2-Cy Young Award winners in rotation
..This is a strong 4-man rotation
..Could have a bunch of 200-inning guys
..We know Pivetta well
..Was patient with Kyle Hart-he made adjustments in Korea
..We have creative ways to finance deals
..We call it ‘Art of the Possible’

MIKE SHILDT:

..AJ does what AJ does..deals
..Nick Pivetta is a strong part of the rotation
..Kyle Hart-had blank canvas-recreated himself in Korea
..Yes we conducted an autopsy on last year alot
..We did not get it done
..Dodgers had backs to the wall-Won World Series-honor that
..Ran into alot of good pitching..two games in a row
..Their bullpen made no mistakes
..Quality guys make quality pitches..LA guys did
..Wiped it clean…we start at zero

..We have a 5-man rotation..will have alot of Thursdays off early
..We have big bullpen depth now
..Have more candidates now than ever
..15-guys to compete for 8-spots
..And we have depth now at AAA

================

1-Man’s Opinion on Sports-Thursday “My Questions-Your Answers”

Posted by on February 13th, 2025  •  0 Comments  • 

=======

Hacksaw’s Thursday Podcast-1:30pm
You Tube Channel-Lee Hacksaw Hamilton
Hot Topics on the Table-Stay for Fans Forum
=======

Questions I have…Anyone have any answers?

LAKERS…So much excitement with the arrival of superstar Luka Doncic, to join LeBron James and Austin Reaves.  But the question, do you really think a team with Jaxon Hayes and just signed Alex Lin as their starters at center, can actually go deep in the playoffs?

CLIPPERS..Why sign 6’9-G-F-Ben Simmons to your roster considering his track record shows lots of injuries, questionable work ethic, and a fear of taking shots?

AZTECS..Anyone besides me ‘disappointed’ in San Diego State’s cage season.  Bad losses.  4-other games they deserved to lose.  And a team that has not gotten better as the season has gone on.  Definitely not a trait of a Brian Dutcher team is it?

PADRES…Yes they can open the season with this pitching staff, but that means opening the season with a really high (245.5M) luxury tax bill, and they cannot afford that, and what happens if they have to trade established guys-do you get equal value back in return?

DODGERS…Now you know why they had 23-pitchers on thier roster, who had done things at the major league level.  Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw are all coming off surgeries.  Now we find out Evan Phillips at Michael Kopech may miss the start of the season with arm woes.  And it does not appear Shohei Ohtani will be in the pitching rotation when the season starts.  Not as dominant as we thought?

ANGELS…What a nitemare, the hip surgery that takes big money 3B-Anthony Rendon out of the lineup for maybe half the season.  Terrible seige of injuries, terrible production, terrible attitude.  The Angels and star players earning big bucks, they seemed cursed to you?

RAMS…Does it make sense to trade away Cooper Kupp and then trade for Davante Adams and his big contract at WR?

CHARGERS…Think this will be a fun off season.  GM-Joe Hortiz has holes to fill, cap space, draft picks, and a strong reputation as a wheeler dealer.  Which WR would you go after, Kupp, Adams, DK Metcalf, Keenan Allen among others?

RAIDERS…What a laundry list of QBs out there.  Big issue among Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, Justin Fields, and a few others….who fits Chip Kelly’s offense best…and at what cost will it take to get one of them?

KINGS..Very dangerous team and has resources to use as the trading deadline coming up in weeks.  Another goal scorer could make them a tough matchup in the playoffs.

DUCKS..It has been such a painful rebuild, but they get to the midseason break at (24-24-6) and this is real progress.  The fans have not deserted them.  Hope they use their remaining salary cap to get a difference making veteran to help all the young players they have.  Been a long road back from Stanley Cup days?

==================