So the San Diego Padres send out a ticket brochure to former season ticket holders for 2010 — and there isn’t a single photo anywhere in there of All-Star first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. First thought: Does that mean that the Padres plan on not having Adrian Gonzalez on their ballclub next season?
Seems like a fair question. After all, why in the world would the Padres try to sell tickets without so much as a mention of the one true superstar they have to sell? Would the ‘89 Padres have put out a season ticket brochure without a photo of Tony Gwynn? Five years ago, would the Friars have left out Trevor Hoffman? Or Jake Peavy?
What in the world of weak-thinking marketing strategies is going on here?
My first thought is: this is what the pervasive NFL Draft coverage does to us. We, the folks who root for and cover local sports teams, hear a group of names, a list of possibilities, a set of needs, a bucket full of wants and dreams. We’re given names to root for, guys that we want to “slip to us”, people who are “rising and falling” in their draft stock. Then, draft day comes, and our pick comes up, and hooray! Somebody “slipped” to us! The guy we wanted AND need! Hooray for the Chargers! Run the pick up to the podium! Take Rey Maualuga! And the pick is…
…Larry English, DE/OLB, Northern Illinois.
Who? What? Where’s Rey? What happened? Did Bobby Beathard come back from the morning surf and hijack A.J. Smith? BOO! But once you stop, and look at the guy who was taken, and listen to the case that is made by the front office, you start to buy in to the player and the pick.
So my first thought is, THIS is why I don’t dive headfirst into projections, mock drafts, and NFL Draft analysis. None of these guys, NONE of them, know what they are talking about. They are repeating deliberate lies spread by front offices who want you to sniff down every corridor EXCEPT the one they are walking. And then when Lucy inevitably pulls the football away from Charlie Brown’s foot, we are surprised?
Second thought: looks like Mr. English can rush the passer, command double teams, and disrupt offenses by creating turnovers. Without Shawne Merriman, the Chargers failed miserably at rushing the passer last season, especially on 2nd and long/3rd and long. That’s good.
Third thought: so, does this mean Shawne Merriman is even more definitely gone than he was before? Does an impact year price him out of San Diego, while another injury year plays him out of San Diego? Is English the heir apparent?
When A.J. wants someone to be gone, they are GONE. I hope English plays to his highlight tape, commands double teams, and disrupts opposing offenses. If he does then the Chargers will be a better defense, and if that means that Merriman eventually becomes expendable, then OK. But it’s another A.J. Smith gamble/gambit, and he better be right. Maualuga all the way down to #38? And he goes to the Bengals? Something’s amiss. When you pick up your Bengals’ jersey, does it come with a DUI attached? Does it raise your insurance rates?
Last thought: at least they didn’t take a running back.
