'Time Out' with Todd Kaufmann

ByTodd Kauffman
Beat Writer for Planet Padres

Todd Kaufmann stopped by Planet Padres, and was nice enough to share some of his thoughts about this offseason and a couple ideas he has.

Is anyone else laughing at the drama going on between the Dodgers, Manny Ramirez and his agent Scott Boras? If you’re not, you really should be. Are the Dodgers really THAT desperate that they will make yet another contract offer after being turned down…AGAIN?! Here’s the part you should be laughing at, yes it was a 2-year $45MM contract offer, but the Dodgers offered less in the second year of the deal…THAT’S FUNNY! So, let me get this right, if Manny has a 35-40 HR season in 2009, you expect him to play for less in 2010? Note to LA: You can stop now.

One more random thought before I get into what I really wanted to talk about. Memo to A-Rod, dude if you told everybody that it was your cousin that injected you with steroids when you played with the Rangers, it’s probably not a good idea to have everyone see you getting in the car with him outside the training complex. People are good at assuming things.

Ok, now that I’ve had my fun with the Dodgers and A-Roids, let’s get to why you all read this site in the first place, and no it’s not just for Todd’s good looks. I, for one, don’t put a lot of stock in a pitcher’s performance in a spring training game, regardless if it’s a good or bad outing. Yes, Heath Bell gave up two runs in just one inning the other day, but it was his first game time experience since September, I think we can give him the benefit of the doubt, don’t you? Spring Training is used, by a lot of players, to work on what did or didn’t work last season. For Bell, he’s working on developing a changeup, something he didn’t have in his arsenal last year, so you can imagine that if he doesn’t spot that pitch just right, or throw it in exactly the right situation, major league hitters are going to take advantage of that. You want Bell to work on that pitch now, perfect it before he goes into the regular season, instead of trying new things during the season and getting lit up when it matters. So, for those of you who are freaking out over him giving up two runs over one inning of work, calm down, take deep breaths, smell that San Diego ocean air and enjoy it because I don’t get the chance to here in Texas and realize that it’s just Spring Training. In case you just missed that, the second word is T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G, meaning they’re training themselves again on the basics and working on getting back into game shape and game mentality. By the time April rolls around, Bell should be just fine.

I applaud all of those fans that are still on the bandwagon, I’m being serious when I say that. I know I ranted and whined in my last post because of all these “fans” jumping off the bandwagon because they think they know better than Kevin Towers, but for those of you who will still attend the games, who will still dawn your Padres’ blue, white or sand, I applaud you. I know I will deeply miss going to the games, but the one game I will look forward to is the one I get to take my girlfriend to, because it will be during her first ever trip to California, let alone San Diego. So, trust me when I say, I wish you knew how good you have it, the only major league team that’s even close are the Texas Rangers. Just remember that, then go buy tickets to see the Padres play at an absolutely gorgeous Petco Park and take in that crisp night air in the middle of June and July.

Believe me when I tell you, believe me or don’t, this team isn’t going to be nearly as bad as last year, they’re NOT losing 100 games. They may not win the division, but they will be better than a lot of people expect.

Thanks Todd..........good read as always !

Play Ball !!!