Results tagged ‘ mark grant ’

Pity the poor Padres: Free fall below, as in Opening Day awaits with105 losses to go

The arty party line as spring training ends is this team is going to surprise people.

Lose 105 to 110 games. Surprise!

The Padres somehow while we were sleeping or something became the worst team in baseball. Surprise!

While plenty of blame can go around, the continual spin is quite disingenuous. Saying this team is better than it looks is such a misrepresentation that trying to fool people will work only so long, say the first 10 or 15 games of the season.

Let’s see what the Padres bring to the table. Adrian Gonzales, Jake Peavy, if he doesn’t get hurt;  Kouzmanoff, Headley somewhat, maybe even a bit of an occasional spark from Gerut.

That’s not even enough for team mediocrity considering the rest of the story. An incredibly overpaid Brian Giles, adequate in right, Eckstein adequate at second even though other teams couldn’t wait fast enough to get rid of him in the last few years.

Ahh, hmmm, pitching, Besides Peavy who would be gone asap if the Padres were at all reasonable in trade demands, Chris Young, who does not appear right and can’t win on the road even when he is right; no other starting pitching, really none. Bullpen in disarray, Bell might be good, but consider Meredith as his primary set-up man followed by five pitchers acquired in the last two weeks, each of whom was about the be cut and by teams such as the Nationals.

This team is a disgrace. John Moores is to blame of course. So is Sandy Alderson whose tenure as baseball president was a disaster. I wouldn’t blame Bud Black since his hire was a Good Old Boy network type of thing apparently. His in-game moves are pitiful, but he seems like a stand-up guy. First manager to be fired this year? Possibly. It’s hard to see how he could last the season unless management feels the season is so lost it doesn’t matter. Otherwise, he’s gone.

Not helping the viewing fan is Cox Channel 4 monopoly on coverage yielding the insipid Mark Grant — probably the worst MLB announcer in the nation, a sad combination of zero actual baseball knowledge with disgusting self-promotion of the nothing brand that is his awfulness — and a new guy who spent 20 years at Tulsa and is boring, over-his-head, etc. 

Thanks goodness for MLB.com, Direct TV baseball package, etc. so at least we’ll be able to watch baseball, and not be limited to Padres games circa 1970s baseball world.

It’s going to be one of the worst seasons ever by an MLB team.

Thanks for nothing Moores-Alderson ad nauseum liars all. Enjoy your MLB bailout and non-performance bonuses.

JOKE–NO JOKE: Padres will lose 105 games this year

Note: I am re-printing this article from March 31 just so everybody knows who knows it first…

The Padres are about to embark on one of the worst seasons in baseball history. Plenty of blame to go around although much of it at this point must be centered on John and Becky Moores and Sandy Alderson.

While it’s all good and well to go around saying how much one loves the Padres etc., the fact is Moores and family milked this sucker for all it was worth and a lot more. They turned — or rather, circumstances, the economy and MLB popularity turned — an $84 million investment into $500 million. Good for them, but don’t pretend your love for the Padres, their fans and San Diego is paramount when it isn’t. Just witness the dismantling of the team over a few dollars in an environment when teams are expanding rosters and payrolls.

What’s more, the Moores’ choice of Alderson was disastrous. The drafts were terrible, maybe the worst in baseball. Not only was Matt Bush recently called the second worst draft pick in MLB history, but the lack of drafted players in the majors is amazing. Other than that, Alderson’s stupidity drove away all decent baseball guys and left yes-men and sycophants or a few smart guys whose advice was ignored.

The Padres will lose around 105 games easy. Thanks for nothing!

As an added blog bonus today only, this is the e-mail I sent the Padres TV pigs about their coverage, too (Thanks goodness for MLB Network, MLB Extra Innings and MLB. com for real coverage)…

You don’t even have a proper way to e-mail you with comments, how user unfriendly with this form.

The fact is the only reason anybody would watch your Padres coverage is you have a monopoly, but that will end, too. This year, don’t complain  when your ratings are zero, or say it’s because the team is bad or the economy sucks.

The reason nobody will be watching is evidenced today by your Padres=Brewers coverage. The announcers are the worst in baseball. Do yo have any doubt if a Vince Scully or even a Matt Vasgersian were broadcasting you would have a few viewers, just because it was interesting despite a terrible team. But now, you have a Mark Grant who is so odious, obnoxious and disgusting with his self-promotions and BS fake knowledge and your new guy is so boring and nondescript that it is a chore to listen and watch, actually like a job (bad) or even an affliction.

I’m a big baseball fan, but I’m afraid I will watch alternative baseball coverage rather than yours because yours is so sub-standard, even annoying and worse, stupid and maddening.

Don’t bother with your form reply, we blah blah and other people blah blah blah… You’re fooling only yourselves. The fact is you’ve dug your own ratings grave whether you believe it or not and I HATE YOU FOR REMOVING THIS PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE of enjoying Padres baseball on TV, even if the team is bad,, although I’m sure watching the Rockies, Giants, Dodgers, D-Backs, anybody but the Padres will remain my baseball solace.

Thanks for nothing!

Go to Moto World and shove it, Mark Grant

Catch the drift from the title?

The Padres home television package on Cox Cable 4 is a disgrace. Geez, and why does that cable outlet have exclusive rights to Padres games anyway? Yeah, I get it, but there are people in their home market that don’t even get Cox Cable, so what do they do?
The worst parts, however, are two-fold. Mark Grant is one big problem. The other is whatever moron producer/director is choosing the shots. Each makes the actual attempt to watch Padres games on TV sometimes excruciatingly awful, especially for someone who actually is a baseball fan.
#1 MARK GRANT
Mediocre pitcher despite being a Top Five draft pick, wasted talent I guess. But as a commentator, THE WORST. Beyond mediocre. Constantly crying about ball-strike calls, official scoring, whatever, nonsense. WE DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IF HE HITS IT IT’S A DOUBLE ON CHECKED SWINGS AND WHINING ABOUT BALLS AND STRIKES. The fact is Grant is such a complete homer he has zero credibility, especially when replays are so prevalent. Enough already.
Then, there’s Grant’s supposed expert analysis. Simpleton stuff. No insight. Crapola really. He should be ashamed. Or he’s making some dumb non-baseball comment or trying one of his really dumb puns or takeoffs or who does this guy look like…Pretty much everything except what is going on or helpful or interesting at all. Guess he’s the anti-Vince Scully. Honestly, I pity Matt Vasgersian, who is a Bob Costas-type guy and really being held back by having to appear on the same screen as Grant. Lose-lose, Grant makes everybody look worse and if you call him out on something he goes into this why are you picking on my thing.
But the worst of the worst are these constant Grant self-commercials while the game is being played.
Not like there aren’t billions of commercials during any conceivable break in the action. The worst of these are Grant’s constant harping on Moto World or whatever bike shop has him on the payola rolls. Constant chatter about Moto Crap even tying it in during plays or based on a flimsy lead-in. Then, during the breaks, he has more actual motorcycle world commercials. He also has a similar deal with Viejas Casino and goes on and on about eating at their buffet or some nonsense. Guess they can buy him for a free lunch or slot play.
Enough of this shill already. It’s not only not funny, Grant, but tired and sad, disgusting actually.
We’re interested in baseball and hate you for being such a no-nothing shill.  But guess if you don’t actually know anything you can be vice-president (Sara Palin) or Padres pseudo fake announcer. How much money is Moto World and Viejas paying him under the table? Man, it looks and sounds so bad, how do they get away with it?
#2 NOT SHOWING THE ACTUAL GAME
Speaking of Cox disgusting coverage, they often have some person totally unrelated to baseball or the game show up, like Sam the Cooking Guy, or whatever flotsam appears on  Cox 4.
OK, that stinks, but they take it even further by NOT SHOWING THE GAME, instead focusing the camera on the booth and talking head interviews while the game is being played. Again, we’re watching the games because we’re baseball fans and WE DON’T CARE ABOUT SAM THE COOKING GUY, or whatever, much less want to be forced to watch him and can’t even see the game. If you feel the need to shill your worthless shows nobody watches ever, do it, but also allow us to watch the game. It’s disgusting and a poor reflection on you.
With the Direct TV and MLB.com packages, we can watch everybody’s coverage. It’s, in fact, impressive how many top-notch broadcasters and crews do baseball games in the U.S. and Canada. Love it! So, the bar is obvious and when a D- or F+ “talent” like Grant is around, it looks especially evil.
On the plus side, again, Vasgersian does a good job when allowed. Bob Scanlan, another former pitcher, currently handles post-game duties and you know what, he is outstanding. If he stays in San Diego, it would be so much more preferable to have this guy do the games. He actually seems to know something.
But Grant.
Go to Moto World and shove it. YOU’RE OUT!
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