Tomko Back, Padres Lose 6th Straight

The San Diego Padres gave Friar fans a familiar feeling Friday night by losing to the Seattle Mariners 5-2 and bring Brett Tomko back for a 3rd tour of duty. The Friars made room for Tomko by sending lefty Justin Hampson to AAA Portland. FF can't get too excited about this move, but not only does Tomko provide Bud Black a swing-man in the bullpen he may also gift SD with an additional draft pick next summer.

FF feels the pain of all Padres fans. What has made this season more difficult than the horrendous record of 32-49 is the fact that the Padres are bringing up the rear in the worst division in baseball. If the Friars are a distant last in this weak division, exactly how bad are they? We'd invest in puts if we had the chance.

Can KT Learn From AJ?

San Diego sports fans know about the promise of big names and bold moves. We've heard it all many times and have even experienced it a time or two. But watching the Padres operate this offseason has been painful. I can't actually believe I'm saying this - but I am: Why can't KT be more like AJ? KT is, of course, the esteemed General Manager of the San Diego Padres; AJ the corollary with the San Diego Chargers. FF has a great deal of respect for both. KT is much more open about his plans while AJ is as closed as (ironically) a Marty Shottenheimer practice. I can't quite understand why the Friar front office is making such a big, public deal out of everything this offseason. I'm not big into conspiracy theories and this isn't meant to be one itself, but there is so much telegraphing of moves going on that it makes one feel like they want everyone to know they tried, should they eventually fail. We saw the reports that Milton Bradley, Brett Tomko, and even Glendon Rusch were all but done deals; none of these players has signed (and perhaps that's a good thing). Sandy Alderson even got into the act in regard to Bradley and Kosuke Fukudome (audio clip). I think the Friar's front office is fantastic on the whole - but agents and other teams don't need any help. AJ keeps everything close to the vest and nobody really knows what he'll will do at any given time. In the giant game of chicken that is a pro sports personnel management, it makes sense to keep the rest of field wondering.