It makes you want to scream, it makes you want to curse, it makes you feel bad.
It felt so weird to be in the Padres clubhouse this weekend before games.
Music played. Players brought their kids in. Even dogs were in the clubhouse. And in the afternoon, Padres players threw frisbees in the outfield. Strange considering where they are in the standings.
And then to validate my thinking, what we saw on the field.
Indeed a full range of emotions by the time we got to the end of this lost weekend with the Dodgers.
The excitement of the huge come from behind slugfest win on Thursday, was eradicated by the Dodger home run hitters on Friday, the defense on Saturday, and the garbage-can play late in the game on Sunday.
It was more than just Nick Vicent’s choke throw on a routine ground ball that should have ended a bases loaded threat, but instead led to 3-runs.
It was poor play from Justin Upton in left; loafing by the infielders It was lost concentration by the relievers. It included foolish replay requests by the manager.
It was bad body language, horrific relief pitching, and a general malaise that has set in. Losing 3-of-4 as they did to LA, compounded by terrible losses to lowly Milwaukee and Philadelphia on prior homestands earlier, have extinguished the enthusiasm about this team.
Then the Dodgers broadcast team, led by Rick Monday, piled on Sunday, ripping the team for taking plays and days off. Critiquing the leadership of manager Pat Murphy. Hammering the front office for the firing of the popular Bud Black. Evaluating fundamentals and dedication137-games into the schedule.
If you read body language on Sunday, as the game degenerated, it was almost as if the Padres quit against LA this weekend.
For every gritty pitching outing from Andrew Cashner, or the strong string of starts by Ian Kennedy, to the strength of Tyson Ross, it’s all been offset by other things that happen. .
James Shields has just 3-wins since June 23rd, and is more a 6-inning pitcher than a starter.
A whole series of relievers in that bullpen are pitching their way out of this organization.
And performances like we saw this weekend make you wonder whether some on this roster are just playing out the string.
You get angry thinking about how many disappointing nights we have at Petco this summer.
You wonder if Murphy has the brass to rip into this team, which has lost 10-of-14, or whether he was just glad to be in the show for a time, travel and stay in first class hotels, and be in a major league dugout. Is leadership lacking?,
You ache when you learn pitcher Josh Johnson is going to meet with Dr. James Shields, wondering if he will attempt to salvage his career by having a 3rd elbow operation, or whether he should just walk away.
It’s just a strange feeling in that Padres clubhouse right now. 1-more road trip, 1-more homestand, then it’s over.
Hopefully the stench of this weekend’s garbage, what we saw on the field, will go away, put out on the curb before the Rockies arrive in town..
Somebody in that front office should be worried about what Padres baseball, and the roster has turned into.

Tom Brady will play opening day for the New England Patriots. They should win against Pittsburgh.

Roger Goodell keeps going to work, going to court, and keeps losing. You can find his name in last place in the NFL-credibility standings.

The out-of-town NFL scoreboard looks awful.

Lose in Tom Brady case, after spending 5M in the Ted Wells report. The judge rules ‘unfairness’ tactics. Breach of law in terms of discovery information that should have been made available to the quarterback. Tampering with the so-called independent arbitrator by having NFL lawyer Jeff Pash review and write the decision. Trying to insert evidence and information that was not part of the union agreement.

And the NFL keeps yelling about integrity of the game as a key issue in the Brady case. How about the integrity of the leadership on Park Avenue?.

Four game suspension becomes a no game sanction.

This follows the reduction in the 10-game suspension to ex-Carolina Panther defensive end Greg Hardy, down to four games.

That on the heels of the reinstatement of Viking running back Adrian Peterson. And the reduction in the sanctions against Ray Rice.

Of course the NFL admitted no wrong doing whatsoever, but was willing to write a massive check in the multiples of NFL concussion lawsuits.

And then the outcome of the Jerry Jones-Dallas Cowboys-Super Bowl seat scandal. Of course, we have had the Hazing Club, Spygate, the Bounty Club too in recent seasons.

It just goes on and on. How’s that shield looking now?

The NFL evidentially thought they could make up the rules as they went along. Treat people as they wished. Toss away any linkage towards due process.

Roger Goodell always preaches about ‘protecting the shield’, but he should also know the difference between right and wrong, fair and unfair.

I wonder how much longer the current owners will allow this leadership to go on. The stain on the NFL’s business dealings is right there for everyone to see. And Goodell has lost one of his key backers, Patriots owner Robert Kraft.

You wonder if the long supporting Mara family (Giants), or the heritage of the Rooney family (Steelers), will lose faith in his leadership ability too?

Much has been made of the enormous profits the NFL makes. Maybe someone should remember the old axiom ‘Money and Power Corrupt’, and question if this is what the NFL has been allowed to become?

Will somebody step up soon and say ‘Goodbye Goodell’?.

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We know who the starters will be with the Chargers. In many cases we know how the backups will lineup for the call to arms when injuries occur.

But tonight’s final preseason game with the 49ers, will carry importance for a couple of young veterans, a bunch of free agent rookies, and a group that is hurt, they want to keep claim too.

Offensive guard Johnnie Troutman has had three years of injuries in San Diego, and yet has played a fair amount when healthy. With a broken forearm, the question, do you keep him on your final 53, get him healthy, and hope he will be ready by possibly week six of the schedule?

Linebacker Tourek Williams is coming off a broken foot, and those injuries take longer. He has become a good special teams player, and likely winds up on the 8-week injured reserve list. But remember, you can use that list just one time. Do you IR him there, or for the entire season, but lose the slot, if someone else goes down once the regular season starts?

The surprise players in camp have been young LB-Nick Dzubnar Cal Poly), who has played lots of snaps, and is active on special teams. Though there is no spot on the roster for him yet, young RB-Dreamius Smith (West Virginia) has had some good runs and exhibits some real power coming out of the backfield. He looks like a guy to hide on the developmental squad.

WR-Javontee Herndon is fast, has caught passes, is a gunner on special teams. How he makes the roster with so many wideouts infront of him is th problem. Maybe taxi squad him this season.

They’ve been waiting for young CB-Stevie Williams to make plays, but injuries have slowed him down. Maybe they go a bit longer with him.

There’s something there also in physical and fast DE-Darius Philon (Arkansas), who played just one of college ball. The last pick on their draft board, could they sneak him thru waivers and get him on developmental, or do you carry a young player with upside athleticism over somebody with a bit more backup experience?

There are at-risk veterans on the roster. Ex-Cowboy tight end John Philips is still here, though hardly part of the passing game. CFLer Corrado Law has been a part-timer and special teamer.

The jury is very much out on veterans Patrick Robinson, the former Saint, who hasn’t done anything special. Ex-Ram Austin Pettis is pushing for a backup spot and has caught passes. It’s been a tough camp for Richie Crawford, a nickle back, who might not make it.

The backups will play tonite. Media and fans say it is a meaningless game. Not so if your name is Pettis, Robinson, Williams, Herndon in San Diego. The roster numbers game is brutal. Salary cap issues, last minute injury issues, depth at one position-thinned out at another, all play a role in what happens starting at midnight on Thursday.

On Friday teams go from 75-to-53 for their active roster. That’s 704-players who will go on waivers. Tomorrow night means much to alot of young players

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It goes on and on, this saga, this war between the NFL Players Association and the National Football League.

The issues are everywhere. A roster of players, who don’t get it. A Union that is looking for a fight everyday. And a League that is blatantly inconsistent in the penalties metered out.

Domestic abuse is the issue in neon lights these days. Illegeal use of PEDs. A garden variety of things like marijuana, alcohol, assaults, guns, traffic incidents do still crop up.

You can legislate rules in the NFL. You cannot legislate common sense. You can have a list of sanctions that match crimes. You cannot create moral fiber in players.

You can have a standard of discipline, but you cannot make progress if the Union is going to fight you tooth and nail on every sanction handed down.

And then there is the gray-area of NFL discipline. The collective bargaining agreement, voted on by both sides (union-owners), says the Commissioner is judge and jury on discipline, and then on appeals hearings. Now the NFLPA is trying to change that in mid-term of this agreement, to better protect-serve their players.

The scoreboard shows a hap-hazard way of metering out discipline to players. The court dockets show hearing after hearing, appeal upon appeal.

You tell me which is the worst crime of all, and then look at the score of games players were suspended for, and tell me if there is any consistency to any of this?

Tom Brady-Deflate-Gate…(4-game suspension) , though there is not hard evidence he ordered ball boys to tamper with balls. Now he is threatening to sue the Commissioner.

Greg Hardy-Domestic Abuse..(4-game suspension) in a year long battle over the choking of his then girf friend and threats of violence with a gun. He missed the entire Carolina season but received his 13M salary.

Adrian Peterson-Child Abuse (2-game suspension) in a nasty dispute over the right to discipline his own child. He sat out 15-games but was paid 7.5M.

Ray Rice-Domestic Abuse (2-game suspension) in the video documentation of the knockout punch of his then fiancee. He was released by the Ravens.

Is Brady’s sin worse than the others because it was an integrity of the game issue? Which is more egregious, the beating of a 4-year old child, or the violence towards a woman?

Granted, in the past, there were no black-white copies of specific suspensions for specific crimes. There are now, ranging from 2-games to 6-games, depeneding on whether we are talking marijuana suspension, to something as hideous as violence against a woman or child, or the injurying of an officer.

Maybe the NFL was behind the power curve if formulating policy. Maybe it didn’t really care what players did Monday thru Friday, as long as they played on Sunday. Maybe the world of social media, cameras everywhere, and the spectre of the loss of big sponsors, has brought them full circle back to the table.

Players keep getting arrested. Yes 35-out of 1800, will start this season under some type of NFL suspension.

A couple of things should happen next.

The owners need to stand up and define penalties for all wrong doing, fines and suspensions. The players should start holding teammates accountable, and stop paying solar system legal fees to lawyers trying to get players off the hook.

And the NFL Union, always out front defending their clients, should distribute tee-shirts to the every player in a training camp that reads “Obey the law.”

Each is to blame. None seem to want to share the shame.

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If I were the king, and if I had parking space number 3-in the garage at Petco Park next to the Padres offices, I’d start making changes for 2016.
This is a disappointing season, and as GM, it definitely falls at my front door.
I guessed wrong on some players. I gave out too much in contract money. I took on some people’s deals I shouldn’t.
But although this season is lost, the franchise isn’t. Here’s my game plan going forward.
I really like the threat of Justin Upton in my everyday lineup. He hits well in this yard, plays hard, and is better than I thought on defense. I am offering him a 17M base contract for next season, hope he accepts it, to stay where he plays well. I might even entertain a multi year deal. I want him in left field.
It’s taken awhile, but my coaches have found flaws in the Melvin Upton swing, and his batting average has improved, his power is still there too. I like the glove and the speed. 16M a year is pretty pricey, but I made the deal, and I keep him in center.
Matt Kemp becomes all mine next year and 21M is alot of money. But the power has returned, the passion has always been there.
I want Wil Myers athleticism back, and want him in my lineup. I hope I didn’t get damaged goods with the wrist. If he can stay healthy, he plays first, and that (.291) batting average does not seem to be a mirage.
I think alot of Yonder Alonso’s professionalism. He’s a near Gold Glove status at first, and I think is strong enough defensively to play third, where he has dabbled. He can throw, he is quick, and his bat seems solid.
Jedd Gyorko doesn’t look like a prototype shortstop, but he excelled there in college, and does get to lots of balls. And since coming back from El Paso, having changed his stance and footwork at the plate, he is hitting again, and with some power.
I do like Corey Spangenberg’s quickness, size, first step going for balls and getting out of the batters box. I think he can grow at the plate, and I want him as my 2nd baseman.
Catcher, Derek Norris has so much fire and leadership. Austin Hedges has such a great glove.  Keepers.
Yes I know, there won’t be any games in October. Yes I overpaid for James Shields, and yes I stripped the farm system.
But this is another off season, all teams are flush with money, and we will have some to spend.
But I like my everyday roster as it has come together, and if healthy, is better than the sub.500 team we have at the Stadium tonite.
Manager? I wish I could tell you. Bud Black was a fine gentleman and a good baseball man. Guess the jury is still out on Pat Murphy. The team is no better under his leadership than it was under the last guy.
I guess I should be worried, that if Black winds up somewhere else, Seattle, Boston or whatever opens, he takes Darren Balsley, Mark Kotsay, Dave Roberts and Glen Hoffman with him.
My roster seems okay. My dugout leadership may have to go back to square one.
If I were King, rather than a TV anchor and talkshow host, that’s what I would do.

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