Talking Padres with Pads Pod

Every now and again, I scan the opposing teams’ social media for a blog or podcast that I think will resonate with our readers/listeners, and when it came to San Diego, I was not disappointed. Think back, O’s fans, to 2011. This is the world in which Padres fans live. This is a long-suffering fan base with whom we should empathize, and outside of the two mini-series we’ll play with them, maybe we should send positive vibes their way.

We connected with the guys behind Pads Pod to ask about their club, and about following a struggling club. Check out Pads Pod at padspod.com, and on Twitter @padspod.

Andrew Cashner’s name gets brought up a lot here in Baltimore, in terms of a possible addition to our Swiss cheese rotation. Give us a brief snapshot of Cashner, as a starter, and what you think it would take to pry him from the organization.

Well, we received Cashner in 2012 in a trade for Anthony Rizzo, which many Padres fans now consider the worst exchange in organizational history.   He had a great 2014, but other than that he’s been average and almost always frustrating.  He has a real problem with the big inning, especially early on. It’s common to see him give up two or three in the first few innings and then settle down once it’s too late. He’s been injured for stretches this season, but this year most fans continue to experience existential crises when he takes the mound.  It’s been quite a while since he’s had a decent showing.

Most fans are ready for him to move on, and I think management feels the same.  He’s been known to have a bit of a bad attitude.  He’s a free agent after this season. I don’t think it would take more than a mid to low level prospect for him.  Please, take him. Please.

Having lived through 14 consecutive years of losing Orioles baseball, trust me when I say that it pains me to watch other clubs go through a rough patch. How are Padres fans dealing with the Pads’ recent fortunes, and what hope is on the horizon?

Thank you for the sentiment.  It does little to ease our pain, but thank you nonetheless. I’d say fans are dealing pretty poorly with the current state of the team.  This mostly stems from the fact that we were promised championship baseball when AJ Preller traded the farm in 2015 for a bunch of overpriced and underperforming “stars.” We appreciated that they went for it, but it was of course disappointing.

The majority of the dedicated fan base wanted to see the team tear down the 2015 jalopy and start to rebuild.  The Craig Kimbrel trade in the 2016 offseason got us some interesting prospects, so that was a good start. But, most of us won’t be happy until Kemp, Upton Jr., John Jay, and Tyson Ross are dealt for promising prospects. Or in the case of Kemp and Upton, dealt to rid of of their contracts.  Again, please ask the Orioles if they are interested in any of the above-mentioned players.  It’s also not helping that the organization refuses to acknowledge a rebuild and keeps telling us that we can win in the short-term.

Personally, it’s also disappointing to know that we’re hitting rock bottom in terms of performance and fan moral during an All-Star year.

Q: Looking at the O’s, what worries you about this series, and what are you hoping the Padres will be able to take advantage of?

The Orioles are a first place team and every one of your starters are better than ours at their respective positions (although I might make the argument we have the edge with Will Myers at 1B. Anyways, I’m not worried because I expect us to lose.  What would I be worried about? That we get shut out in every game of the series? We’ve already made history by doing that against the Dodgers to open the season. Oh man, we suck.

I’m hoping the Padres take advantage of the proximity to the Oriole’s front office and engineer a trade where we send you Andrew Cashner and you send us Manny Machado.

Q: What players should Orioles fans be on the look out for during these two short series?

First baseman Will Myers is really fun to watch.  He plays an athletic first base, has been hitting consistently to all fields and has boyish good looks. He’s the only Padre many of us expect to be here this time in 2018. Beyond that…Drew Pomeranz, our lefty starter, has an amazing curveball and will put in a solid start. That’s literally everyone you should be on the look out for.

Q: We start each of our episodes with the Drink of the Week (where we tell listeners what exactly we’re lubricating the recording with). What is your Drink of the Week?

San Diego is a craft beer mecca and we’re proud of that down here.  So it’s likely we could be enjoying a local brew, although one of our crew only drinks Bud Light. Blasphemy. Occasionally, if the show went well, we’ll have a shot of tequila to celebrate.

Q: I hear so many good things about San Diego. Give me the sales pitch for opposing fans to come see their team play in SD. 

I may have seemed quite negative about our baseball team, but I could sing the praises of San Diego and PETCO Park for days upon days. PETCO is absolutely gorgeous and unique.  The view of the horizon from the bleachers is magnificent and there are several great areas to explore or hangout while the game is going on.  You can sit in the grass at Park at the Park and watch families play wiffle ball, or get absolutely hammered at one of the many pubs which feature famous San Diego breweries like Green Flash and Ballast Point. Left field is dominated by the Western Metal Supply Company building, which is the original from the early 1900s.  The ballpark revolution that the Orioles started with Camden Yards is well-represented at PETCO.  It’s a hugely enjoyable downtown park and really helps you forget the horrible product on the field. Plus, your team is sure to win when they play the Padres, so that should make your trip extra pleasurable.