1969 Padres - From VA to CA

[jcbarr]

In 1969, the San Diego Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots. C. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres whose interests include banking, tuna fishing, hotels, real estate and an airline which he owns, has decided to hire a relatively green General Manager by the name of JC Barr.

Excitement in the San Diego is running wild with the prospects of a new MLB team. A new stadium has been built and the locals can't wait to attend the first ever home game. The locals are optimistic, but General Manager Barr seems to be more realistic with what he expects from the team.

"I truly believe that we have a good core of talent. Obviously we don't expect to win the division in our inaugural season, but then again what expansion team would in their first season? Mr. Smith has appointed me the caretaker of the San Diego Padres. It is my duty to not only field a competitive team as soon as possible, but to assure that the franchise remains competitive for many years in to the future. That groundwork has been laid and not it is my task to mold it into something that both Mr. Smith and the proud people of San Diego can be proud of."

Earlier this evening the San Diego Padres revealed their uniform;

The colors represent the up beat and exciting style of baseball that General Manager Barr and owner Smith want to bring to this beautiful California Town.

History of GM JC Barr

Barr grew up in a little known town in Virginia by the name of Fredericksburg. JC Barr enjoyed a wonderful youth, living with his mother Bonnie, and father Steve. Barr played every sport he could find to play during his youth and starred at the local high school in both football and baseball. He was eventually offered a scholarship to play ball at Virginia Polytechnic and State University which he turned down in favor of attending the University of Virginia to obtain his degree in economic studies with a minor in both mathematics and business management.

Baseball was always the love of his life and shortly after graduation he found the perfect job for him, that is until now. JC was hired by the Atlanta Braves who had just recently moved from Milwaukee and had relocated their AAA team to the town of Richmond, which was only 45 minutes south of Barr's hometown. When he was offered a position in their front office that would be responsible for the management of the finances for their minor league establishment, Barr jumped at the opportunity to work in the sport that he had followed growing up.

JC's roles and responsibilities morphed several times in the three years he was with the Braves. It was discovered quickly that he had an eye for talent and was very quick to gauge the potential of young players and was also a natural at working with management and coaching to work through negotiations and other team duties.

Barr was promoted quickly within the Braves front office and by the year of 1968 he found himself serving as assistant to General Manager of baseball operations in Atlanta.

When Mr. Smith contacted JC about the position of General Manager for the San Diego Padres, the conversation did not last long. The one question that was asked required little thought for JC to find an answer. When asked if he was interested in building the San Diego Padres from the ground up, the answer was a resound YES.

[jcbarr]

Opening Day Lineup:

SS Jerry Davanon (70)
Jerry finds himself hitting at the top of the lineup by default really. He is the only member of the team with the eye and speed needed to get on base and provide some runners for the meat of the lineup.

LF Al Ferrara (77)
Ferrara comes over from the Dodgers and has never really found himelf in the starting lineup. He has never had more than 347 ABs but he finds himself in the number two hole for the Padres going in to the 1969 season. All has good contact and good power and should have a decent season.

CF Tony Gonzalez (82)
One of the only players on the roster comfortable with a starting role, Tony is probably the best all around player the Padres have at the moment. He sports a career .293 average to anchor the three hole.

1B Nate Colbert (82)
Nate was drafted during the expansion draft and has a total of 60 ABs at the major league level. He has outstanding power and should provide the protection needed for Gonzalez to ensure some RBI chances out of the cleanup spot.

RF Ollie Brown (78)
Ollie represents the last power threat in the lineup. The former Giant can hopefully hit well enough to give Colbert some good pitches to hit before him. If he can't produce it could be a long season offensively for the Padres.

3B Van Kelly (68)
At this point in his career Kelly is nothing more than a good fielding 3B. Hopes are high for his offensive production in the future, but it really isn't expected this year.

2B John Sipin (71)
John hits in the #7 spot and isn't expected to really contribute much at all. He is pretty much just a filler until the Padres can afford something better or can grow a prospect in to this role in the future.

C Chris Cannizzaro (69)
Another player not expected to provide much offensive power. Chris is good behind the plate and has already worked up a friendship with most of the staff.

Bench:
C Sonny Ruberto (67)
CF Jose Arcia (71)
IF Roberto Pena (65)
1B Bill Davis (73)
SS Tommy Dean (70)
OF Larry Stahl (79)

Most are just good defensive replacements, but Stahl could certainly find himself playing a good bit during the year, especially if Brown or Ferrara falter.

Pitching Staff:

RHP Tommie Sisk (76)
Tommie is a veteran and should be a stable cog in the starting rotation. He pitched very well in Pittsburgh in 1967 when he started 31 games. He sports a career DICE of 3.97 in 752 innings.

RHP Clay Kirby (77)
Clay is a 20 year old rookie that is being thrown into the fire so to speak. Big things are expected of him in the future, lets just hope that this first season in the bigs doesn't cause irreversible damage to his ego.

RHP Dick Selma (77)
Selma started 23 games last year for the Mets and posted a 2.76 ERA. He could find himself to be the ace of the staff at only 25 years old.

LHP Randy Jones (78)
The 19 year old phenom won't spend a day in the minors. Jones is being billed as the face of the Padre organization. Let's just hope that he can live up to those expectations and doesn't crash and burn under the pressure.

RHP Steve Arlin (69)
Yet another rookie starting pitcher could spell doom for the Padres. Nothing against Arlin, but he isn't exactly the kind of guy you want in the 5 spot in the rotation. Any wins that he can produce this year will be a bonus to the pitching staff. Basically he is here to give the other 4 guys some rest.

Bullpen:
Closer - Al McBean (81)
Setup - Billy McCool (77)
Short - Tom Dukes (71)
Short - Dick Kelley (80)
Middle - Johnny Podres (73)
Long - Dave Roberts (70)

The bullpen shouldn't be that awful. Roberts shows some potential and the closer and setup role should be fairly stable. Veteran leadership will be the role of Podres, and that really is all that is predicted from him.

Top Prospects:

RHP Mike Corkins (69/91)
LHP Mike Caldwell (73/93)
OF Jerry Morales (74/93)
OF Johnny Grubb (66/90)
SS Frankie Libran (68/88)

[jcbarr]

OPENING DAY APPROACHES



Opening day is fast approaching and hopes are high for the 1969 San Diego Padres. No one is really sure how they will play as a team, or how many games the team will win. Regardless of all that, there is plenty of reason to be excited in San Diego. 1969 will see the debut of LHP Randy Jones. Randy is being billed as the face of the franchise at only age 19. It's an honor that could end up being a curse for the recently graduated high schooler.

GM JC Barr was asked about placing such high expectations on a kid that hasn't even pitched one inning in the minor leagues.

"This is something that we all feel Randy can handle. Randy is a tough kid both physically and mentally. He knows how we feel about him and that we are behind him one hundred percent. We, as an organization, have made it very clear to Randy that we don't expect the world of him in his first season. Rookie of the year, yes, I kid, I kid. We know that it will take some time for him to acclimate himself to the world of the major league hitter. That, however, is an adjustment that we have full confidence he can make."



Another bright spot on the San Diego Padres is youngster Nate Colbert. Colber, a natural outfielder, will be moved to play 1B for the Padres in their first season in the league. Nate certainly has the power to excel in this league but it is still undetermined if he has the patience to learn major league pitching and adjust to the way pitchers will change their approach. There is one thing that everyone knows; you don't want to throw him first pitch fastball.

"Nate can hit the ball. I don't think that is in question. He has more raw power than just about anyone that I have seen in this game. His bat speed is unmatched out there right now and when this guy puts it all together pitchers are going to flat out fear what he can do that ball."

56-106

Even with all the optimism and thoughts of the future, there is one number that both GM Barr and Mr. Smith just can't get out of their heads. 106. That is the number of games that the 1969 Padres are expected to lose this season. While no one expects them to make the playoffs, it is pretty well known that competition is a must. 106 losses no matter if preventable or not, is not something that is going to be an acceptable norm in San Diego.

Opening day is just around the corner; can the kid from VA make the transition to CA and build a winner out of nothing?

[jcbarr]

April 1969 - San Diego's Day In the Sun

April 1 1969
Padres 3, Cubs 6
W Jenkings (1-0), L Tommie Sisk (0-1)
Jenkings pitches well in the complete game win and dashes the Padres hopes of staring off hot in 1969

April 2 1969
Padres 1, Cubs 7
W Holtzman (1-0), L Clay Kirby (0-1)
The cubs pounded the Padres as rooking Clay Kirby takes the loss in his first major league start.

April 3, 1969
Padres 6, Cubs 4
W Kelley (1-0), L Regan (0-1), S Podres (1)
CF Tony Gonzalez comes through with three RBI in the game. Dick Kelley wasn't that effective but happened to get the win.

April 5, 1969
Reds 8, Padres 9
W Kelley (2-0), L Short (0-1)
The game went 15 innings with the Padres taking the win in their first home game. This was a big success for the franchise as they gave the hometown an exciting game and pulled out the win. Gonzalez went yard again. Ferrara also hit his first.

April 6, 1969
Reds 0, Padres 2
W Sisk (1-1), L Maloney (1-1)
Sisk pitched a complete game shut out and showed why he was placed at the top of the rotation. Gonzalez went deep for the third game in a row as the Padres suprised the Reds and increased their home winning streak to two.

The first week of the season ended pretty well. The Padres lost two in a row in Chicago but then reeled off three wins. Their first two games at home were enormously successful as they were able to be the Reds in the home opener in a 15 inning thriller. They then came back in game two to shut them out and show the people of San Diego that there might just be some hope for a competitive season.

1969 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Kelly, Van                SDP    5  .136    22    3   1   0   0    0    7    0   0    1    0  .182  .136
Colbert, Nate             SDP    5  .182    22    4   1   1   0    1    6    0   0    1    4  .318  .208
Davanon, Jerry            SDP    5  .190    21    4   1   0   0    2    5    0   0    2    2  .238  .292
Gonzalez, Tony            SDP    5  .429    21    9   2   0   3    2    3    0   0    5    6  .952  .500
Ferrara, Al               SDP    5  .238    21    5   2   0   1    2    6    0   0    5    3  .476  .304
Brown, Ollie              SDP    5  .368    19    7   1   0   1    3    6    0   0    1    4  .579  .435
Cannizzaro, Chris         SDP    5  .222    18    4   0   0   0    0    4    0   0    3    0  .222  .222
Sipin, John               SDP    5  .063    16    1   0   0   0    0    5    0   0    0    0  .063  .063
Davis, Bill               SDP    4  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Arcia, Jose               SDP    3  .750     4    3   0   0   0    2    0    0   0    0    0  .750  .833
Stahl, Larry              SDP    4  .667     3    2   1   0   0    1    0    0   0    1    0 1.000  .750
Sisk, Tommie              SDP    2  .333     3    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .333  .333
Ruberto, Sonny            SDP    2 1.000     2    2   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    1 1.500 1.000
Pena, Roberto             SDP    2 1.000     2    2   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    2    0 1.000 1.000
Kirby, Clay               SDP    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Selma, Dick               SDP    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Jones, Randy              SDP    1  .500     2    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .500  .500
Dean, Tommy               SDP    1  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Kelley, Dick              SDP    4 1.000     1    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 1.000 1.000
Podres, Johnny            SDP    1  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000

1969 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Sisk, Tommie              SDP   14.0  2.57    2   2   1   1   0    3    7 14.79
Kirby, Clay               SDP    6.2  2.70    1   1   0   1   0    2    1 10.80
Selma, Dick               SDP    6.0  4.50    1   1   0   0   0    5    3 12.00
Jones, Randy              SDP    6.0  7.50    1   1   0   0   0    3    1 19.50
Kelley, Dick              SDP    6.0  7.50    4   0   2   0   0    4    1 15.00
Dukes, Tom                SDP    4.0  0.00    2   0   0   0   0    2    1  6.75
McBean, Al                SDP    2.0 13.50    1   0   0   0   0    1    1 18.00
McCool, Billy             SDP    2.0  0.00    1   0   0   0   0    1    0  0.00
Podres, Johnny            SDP    2.0  0.00    1   0   0   0   1    1    1  9.00
Roberts, Dave             SDP    0.1  0.00    1   0   0   0   0    1    0  0.00

[CatKnight]

Podres can be surprisingly solid if you give him a chance. He didn't do badly for half a season with my '69 Royals. I remember him leading the team in wins with a CG.

Tough row to hoe, but a great first week. Good luck!

[jcbarr]

Podres can be surprisingly solid if you give him a chance. He didn't do badly for half a season with my '69 Royals. I remember him leading the team in wins with a CG.

Tough row to hoe, but a great first week. Good luck!

Thanks for the kind words. I think the key with Podres is his limited action. I think if I don't keep him on the mound for too long at once he can be a somewhat effective reliever. I don't want to have to put him in the rotation though.

[jcbarr]

"I'm worried that people are going to expect too much from this team. We are very young. I think we have 6 rookies that are going to pretty much start for us all year long. It is a very tough thing to ask, basically a bunch of kids, to try to win you a pennant. I don't think that anyone would expect that. Fans, however, they don't see that. They see that we won 3 in a row and now any loss is going to be a let down."

If you don't want to put these high expectations on the young players, then why put a guy like Randy Jones in the spot that you have?

"Every franchise needs someone to lead them, someone to create all the excitement. Randy is that guy for us. He has all the tools to be a fine player in this league for a long time. If things work out right, then he will end up being one of the most elite players in the league."

Why all the confidence in Jones?

"Because he deserves it."

How do you feel about the 3-2 record and sitting in first place?

"It's outstanding obviously. I never expected that. I don't think that anyone can ever complain about being in first place."

Any other comments concerning the team at this point?

"This team is a great bunch of guys. We are going to have a lot of fun around here for a long time."

What do you like most about CA in regards to VA?

"It's warmer, and the scenery is a little bit better around here."

[jcbarr]

April 7 1969
Reds 14, Padres 2
W Nolan (1-1), L Kirby (0-2)
After winning three in a row it was a rude awakening for the Padres as the Reds' offense woke up to score 14 runs.

April 9 1969
Padres 11, Houston 10
W Dukes (1-0), L Coombs (0-1), S McBean (1)
Jose Arcia filled in for an injured Van Kelly at third, and contributed a single, scored a run and batted in another in the high scoring victory.

April 10 1969
Padres 1, Houston 6
W Richard (2-0), L Jones (0-1)
JR Richard pitched a complete game against the Padres and shut them down for the most part. San Diego managed 7 hits, but were unable to score more than one run.

April 11 1969
Padres 4, Houston 5
W Forsch (1-0), L Kelley (2-1), S Coombs (2)
Another heart breaker. The Padres found themselves ahead going in to the 7th inning but were unable to hold off Houston. Curt Blefary doubled in two runs to put Houston ahead.

April 12 1969
Braves 7, Padres 9
W Podres (1-0), L Bradford (0-2), S McBean (2)
San Diego came through with 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th to steal another exciting game at home and thrill the crowds again.

April 13 1969
Braves 8, Padres 5
W Kelley (3-1), L Torrealba (0-2)
The Padres continue to excite the fans at home as they score 5 runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to seal the deal on this one.

1969 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Gonzalez, Tony            SDP   11  .426    47   20   3   0   3    4    6    0   1    8   12  .681  .481
Brown, Ollie              SDP   11  .304    46   14   4   0   2    4   12    0   0    5    9  .522  .346
Davanon, Jerry            SDP   11  .244    45   11   2   0   0    5   12    0   0    6    5  .289  .333
Ferrara, Al               SDP   10  .214    42    9   2   0   4    3   15    0   0    9   10  .548  .267
Colbert, Nate             SDP   11  .195    41    8   2   1   0   10   14    0   0    5    7  .293  .340
Sipin, John               SDP   11  .179    39    7   1   0   0    3   12    2   0    6    2  .205  .238
Cannizzaro, Chris         SDP   11  .289    38   11   3   1   0    5    7    0   0    7    3  .421  .372
Kelly, Van                SDP    8  .176    34    6   2   0   0    1   10    0   0    2    0  .235  .200
Arcia, Jose               SDP    8  .300    20    6   0   1   0    2    2    0   0    2    2  .400  .364
Stahl, Larry              SDP    9  .545    11    6   1   0   0    2    1    0   0    5    2  .636  .571
Davis, Bill               SDP   10  .200    10    2   2   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    2  .400  .200
Ruberto, Sonny            SDP    4  .750     4    3   1   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    1 1.000  .750
Sisk, Tommie              SDP    3  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Selma, Dick               SDP    2  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Jones, Randy              SDP    2  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Roberts, Dave             SDP    4  .250     4    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .250  .250
Pena, Roberto             SDP    3 1.000     3    3   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    2    1 1.000 1.000
Kirby, Clay               SDP    3  .000     3    0   0   0   0    1    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .250
Podres, Johnny            SDP    4  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Dean, Tommy               SDP    1  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Kelley, Dick              SDP    6 1.000     1    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 1.000 1.000

1969 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Sisk, Tommie              SDP   19.0  2.84    3   3   1   1   0    6   11 14.68
Kirby, Clay               SDP   16.1  6.06    3   3   0   2   0    9    8 15.43
Jones, Randy              SDP   12.2  7.82    2   2   0   1   0    6    3 19.89
Roberts, Dave             SDP   11.2  7.71    4   1   0   0   0    7    3 19.29
Selma, Dick               SDP   11.0  5.73    2   2   0   0   0    9    9 15.55
Kelley, Dick              SDP    8.1  7.56    6   0   3   1   0    5    5 17.28
Dukes, Tom                SDP    7.1  1.23    5   0   1   0   0    4    1  8.59
Podres, Johnny            SDP    6.2  9.45    4   0   1   0   1    2    4 17.55
McBean, Al                SDP    5.0 12.60    4   0   0   0   2    3    4 16.20
McCool, Billy             SDP    5.0  0.00    3   0   0   0   0    2    0  0.00

[PotatoOfCouch13]

You definitely have an uphill battle. Whenever I start a dynasty in 1969, the Padres are always the worst team for the first few seasons.

I hope you have better luck. I'll be reading!

[jcbarr]

You definitely have an uphill battle. Whenever I start a dynasty in 1969, the Padres are always the worst team for the first few seasons.

I hope you have better luck. I'll be reading!

Yeah, 106 predicted losses right now, I'm not so sure that isn't far off. Lately we have had to come back in the last two innings to get the wins, and I'm not sure how many more times we can score 8 or 9 runs in a game. Certainly going to be tough if we can't get the pitching to come around.

I may have to go out and look for some pitching here pretty soon.

[jcbarr]

The Padres currently lead the league in average attendance, is that a suprise for you?

"Not really. The people here have long been fans of baseball. They supported the team years ago in the PCL and there was no reason to believe that they wouldn't support us as well."

You are still sitting in first place. Last week you noted that you didn't expect that, does it suprise you that you are still there?

"Yes and no, to be honest. We have a 6-5 record which isn't bad at all, but it isn't the kind of record that you expect a division leader to have. It's still way too early to make any judgements about this team or the way that the season as a whole is going to play out."

Both Jones and Colbert have failed to produce at this point, what is your reaction to that?

"Like I said, it is still way too early to worry about any of that right now. We are still trying to play as a team and put our best foot forward. Their time will come."

Up to this point what has been the most suprising thing about your team?

"I would say the play of Tony and Tommie. They are playing out of their heads at this point. I know it is still early, but it has been slightly a suprise that they have performed so well."

Are there any plans to move some of your younger prospects for some veteran leadeship?

"Right now, No. We don't plan on moving anyone anywhere just yet. We still have a while before we can accurately determine the direction that this team is going. You never want to give away your young guys anyhow, so unless we find ourselves in the middle of the pennant race we will probably haning on to them."

So at the trade deadline it is possible you will be dumping some veterans for prospects?

"Anything is possible of course, but it's still too early to tell at this point."

Have you heard the rumors that have been going around about Randy Jones?

"I don't listen to rumors, so the answer to that is no."

Some believe that he has been rushed to the major leagues and that his arm was not yet ready for this kind of strain. It is speculated that he might be working through an injury of some kind.

"I can assure you that Randy is 100% healthy. There is nothing wrong with him physically. He may be a little down right now because he hasn't pitched well, but he will bounce back, we have complete faith."

[jcbarr]

April 14 1969
Braves 9, Padres 5
W Reed (3-0), L Jones (0-2), S Upshaw (1)
The Padres' late inning miracles weren't enough in this one as hey fell at home. Getting down early they could not muster enough to come back for the win. Randy Jones pitched horribly, again.

April 15 1969
Giants 3, Padres 6
W Sisk (2-1), L Marichal (2-2), S McCool (1)
It was a nice win at home against the first place Giants. The Giants have been predicted to win the division this year, and it was especially nice to beat Marichal.

April 16 1969
Giants 9, Padres 2
W Perry (1-2), L Kirby (0-3)
This one wasn't even close as the Giants clearly showed who the better team was today. Kirby pitched poorly over 4 innings, but didn't get any help from his offense either.

April 17 1969
Giants 7, Padres 6
W Halicki (1-0), L McBean (0-1), S Linzy (1)
Steve Arlin got his first start of the season and pitched fairly well through 7 innings. The Giants pulled it out in the 10th though. Nate Colbert went deep for the first time this year.

April 19 1969
Padres 1, Mets 5
W Seaver (4-0), L Jones (0-3)
Jones pitched better but still not great. It's a tough thing for a rookie to match skills with someone like Seaver. Colbert went deep again, which is promising. He may be finding his stroke.

April 20 1969
Padres 2, Mets 1
W Sisk (3-1), L Koosman (1-3), S McBean (3)
Sisk pitched another beauty of a ball game and McBean was able to close it down at the end. CF Gonzalez got his 4th double of the season.

1969 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Gonzalez, Tony            SDP   17  .338    71   24   4   0   3    7    8    0   2   11   12  .521  .405
Brown, Ollie              SDP   17  .319    69   22   6   0   4    5   16    0   0    9   12  .580  .364
Sipin, John               SDP   17  .219    64   14   2   0   0    3   19    2   0    9    3  .250  .254
Davanon, Jerry            SDP   16  .258    62   16   2   0   0    7   17    0   0   10    7  .290  .352
Colbert, Nate             SDP   17  .262    61   16   4   1   2   14   19    0   0    8   15  .459  .390
Ferrara, Al               SDP   15  .200    60   12   3   0   4    5   18    0   0    9   12  .450  .262
Cannizzaro, Chris         SDP   17  .298    57   17   6   1   0    8   10    0   1    9    5  .439  .385
Kelly, Van                SDP   14  .175    57   10   3   0   0    2   13    0   0    2    1  .228  .203
Arcia, Jose               SDP   10  .286    21    6   0   1   0    2    3    0   0    2    2  .381  .348
Stahl, Larry              SDP   14  .474    19    9   1   0   2    2    4    0   0    7    4  .842  .500
Davis, Bill               SDP   15  .200    15    3   2   0   0    0    2    0   0    1    2  .333  .200
Pena, Roberto             SDP    6  .333     9    3   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    2    1  .333  .333
Sisk, Tommie              SDP    5  .111     9    1   0   0   0    0    4    0   0    0    0  .111  .111
Jones, Randy              SDP    4  .286     7    2   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .286  .286
Ruberto, Sonny            SDP    5  .600     5    3   1   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    1  .800  .600
Roberts, Dave             SDP    5  .200     5    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .200  .200
Kirby, Clay               SDP    4  .000     4    0   0   0   0    1    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .200
Selma, Dick               SDP    2  .000     4    0   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Podres, Johnny            SDP    5  .000     3    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Arlin, Steve              SDP    1  .000     2    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Dean, Tommy               SDP    1  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
McCool, Billy             SDP    5  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Kelley, Dick              SDP    7 1.000     1    1   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0 1.000 1.000

1969 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Sisk, Tommie              SDP   34.0  2.65    5   5   3   1   0   18   17 13.76
Jones, Randy              SDP   23.2  8.37    4   4   0   3   0   10   12 19.01
Kirby, Clay               SDP   20.1  7.97    4   4   0   3   0   12   13 18.59
Roberts, Dave             SDP   15.2  6.89    5   1   0   0   0    9    5 19.53
Selma, Dick               SDP   11.0  5.73    2   2   0   0   0    9    9 15.55
Podres, Johnny            SDP   10.2  7.59    5   0   1   0   1    5    4 13.50
Dukes, Tom                SDP   10.1  1.74    7   0   1   0   0    9    3 11.32
Kelley, Dick              SDP    9.1  6.75    7   0   3   1   0    5    5 15.43
McCool, Billy             SDP    8.0  2.25    5   0   0   0   1    2    2  4.50
Arlin, Steve              SDP    7.0  5.14    1   1   0   0   0    5    8 14.14
McBean, Al                SDP    7.0 10.29    6   0   0   1   3    3    4 15.43

[jcbarr]

Would you say so far that the season has been a success?

Well it seems like all you guys want to jump the gun and fast forward all the time. We are 8-9. If the season ended right now then I would certainly say that it has been a success, but we all know that we still have a lot more games to play.

The offense isn't playing that bad, but the pitching has been horrendous so far this season. What do you plan to do in order to fix that?

I wouldn't say it has been horrendous. Sure we have had our fair share of bad games, but we have only been in one game that wasn't close. As far as I'm concerned, as long as the pitching can keep us in games and give us a chance, then things are going well. At this point, we have no intention of doing anything to fix the pitching.

Randy Jones has not pitched well at all. There was some speculation that he had been hurt, but now people are beginning to wonder if he is even major league worthy. When is enough enough for Randy Jones?

Sometimes I feel like you guys just recycle the same questions every week. Randy will be fine. He is just going through some growing pains at this point. Everything will work out and you will be singing his praises again soon enough.

Nate Colbert appears to be finding his stroke, what has happened this last week to help him?

I think he just finally got his timing down. There is no question the guy has talent and it was only a matter of time before he started putting it all together.

2B John Sipin just went down for a while with a broken wrist. Who is going to take his place in the lineup?

Jose Arcia will take over at 2B, and to be honest I don't think that we really lose anything at all. Arcia is a great fielder and has been producing with the bat in his limited action so far this year.

Some have been calling for Arcia to replace Sipin even before he was injured. What is your response to that?

John was not playing bad. I think people get too caught up in the batting average and don't look at everything that a player can bring to the table. John brought speed and great defense which is something that no team can do without. Jose was making the most of his chances, and I can't honestly say that we hadn't thought about trying to get him in the lineup full time.

Any other comments about the team at this point?

I would just have to say that right now we are very happy with the direction that the team is taking. The guys are really starting to come together as a team. I know that it sounds cliche but we really do win together and lose together as a team. These guys all work very hard and leave it all out on the field which is all that anyone can ask of them.

[petrel]

Who are the fan favorites right now? (The guys with the "thumbs up" symbol on the player profile?)

--Pet

[jcbarr]

Who are the fan favorites right now? (The guys with the "thumbs up" symbol on the player profile?)

--Pet

ZERO. I don't have one guy on my staring roster right now that has the thumbs up icon in his player profile.