Monday January 31, 2011
I had to wait to write this column about Trevor Hoffman's retirement until I wasn't so emotional. The problem is every time I saw the man play it was an emotional experience. Those emotions are indelibly etched in my memory and its near impossible to talk (or type) about Trevor Hoffman without replaying in my mind so many thrilling moments and a very few deflating moments I experienced while watching him pitch.
Its hard to explain to non San Diegans how emotional it was to experience Trevor Time.
The lights dimming in the stadium, the crowd coming to their feet as if drawn up by some invisible force, the strains of Hells Bells starting, the roar as one of the crowd as he began his jog from the bullpen, the signs flashing Trevor Time ...
It was an all encompassing emotional experience whether he saved the game or, god forbid, he blew the save and the Padres lost. It was elation or devastation. No in between. No "well its just another game". And it was a shared emotion. 30-40-even 60+ thousand other people were feeling the same way.
You could tell they felt the same as I did. You could see it in their faces, hear it in their voices and feel it hanging palpably in the post event air.
Watching Trevor pitch was emotional and that is how I have been since hearing of his retirement.
So now that some time has passed I wanted to express my heartfelt gratitude that I had the opportunity to watch this man play the game of baseball.
I experienced much joy and a little devastation watching him play.
The joy of watching Trevor close the game to give the Padres the Padres NL title in Atlanta in 1998. The joy of watching Trevor notch his 300th save, 400th save, 479th save and 500th save. All in a Padres uniform.
The devastation of watching Trevor blow the save in game 162 to the junior Gwynn. Then watching him blow his 2nd straight save to the Rockies (No, Holliday never touched the plate, but that is another story).
Over the years the elation far exceeded the downs as Trevor saved 89% of the games he came into with a save on the line.
Mariano Rivera may eventually pass Trevor for the most saves, but no one will ever pass Trevor for the excitement he brought to Padres fans. No one will ever be the first to record 500 and then 600 saves. There is also a good chance that no one will ever have 9 seasons of 40 or more saves or 14 seasons of 30 or more saves.
If not for the 2003 season lost to injury, there would be no serious argument or doubt that Trevor was the best ever as he would likely be an unsurmountable 80 ++ saves ahead of Rivera and undoubtedly would have recorded 15 straight seasons with 30 or more saves.
Regardless of any debate, in my heart and mind Trevor Hoffman will remain the greatest reliever I have seen pitch since Goose Gossage retired and arguably the greatest closer ever.
Thank you Trevor for all you did to make the game more enjoyable for me and for baseball fans everywhere.
- Web
Showing posts with label Trevor Hoffman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trevor Hoffman. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Does the All Star Game have ANY meaning today?
Tuesday July 14, 2009
Is it apropos that Heath Bell took the loss in the All Star Game, while Trevor Hoffman, whose team is still in the running for a playoff spot, pitched well?
Is it a sign of things to come for the Padres and the National League?
Or does the All Star Game really not matter at all?
I am putting my money on number 3. The All Star game really is not important.
It isn't a chance to showcase the best talent in the league, because frankly many of the top players are not in the game. The fans pick most of the players and the managers are handcuffed by a rule that says every team has to have representationso they often have to take a player that is marginal or that really doesn't belong just because the rest of his team sucks. There are players that are popular but not having particularly good seasons in the All Star game nearly every year.
And the game is more like a Little League game where everybody has to play. To heck with that. If the game means something you are out there to win, not to make sure al the little boys get a chance to play.
Trying artificially to make it mean something by having it determine home field advantage in the World Series is a crock because the pitchers go a maximum of 3 innings (most a single inning) and the starting 8 go maybe 2 at bats.
If we want the All Star Game to mean something:
I have had my say. Now what do you think?
Come on now, Don't be shy. Step right up and tell us all what you think!
Is it apropos that Heath Bell took the loss in the All Star Game, while Trevor Hoffman, whose team is still in the running for a playoff spot, pitched well?
Is it a sign of things to come for the Padres and the National League?
Or does the All Star Game really not matter at all?
I am putting my money on number 3. The All Star game really is not important.
It isn't a chance to showcase the best talent in the league, because frankly many of the top players are not in the game. The fans pick most of the players and the managers are handcuffed by a rule that says every team has to have representationso they often have to take a player that is marginal or that really doesn't belong just because the rest of his team sucks. There are players that are popular but not having particularly good seasons in the All Star game nearly every year.
And the game is more like a Little League game where everybody has to play. To heck with that. If the game means something you are out there to win, not to make sure al the little boys get a chance to play.
Trying artificially to make it mean something by having it determine home field advantage in the World Series is a crock because the pitchers go a maximum of 3 innings (most a single inning) and the starting 8 go maybe 2 at bats.
If we want the All Star Game to mean something:
- Take the best players period. Not one from each team. Just the best. If a team like Washington or Oakland or San Diego does not have a player who is among the 25 or so best players in the league then they don't get a representative on the All Star team.
Winning isn't about equal representation, it is about putting the best players on the field. And the game mwans nothing if you are not doing all you can to win the game. - If you want the fan vote to mean something then 1 vote per fan.
Not which teams fans can stuff the ballot box better. I know a guy that got a full case of ballots, and then punched the tabs for the Dodgers players with an industrial drill press. That one man must have turned it at least 5,000 ballots.
On a Red Sox message board one fan admitted to creating more than 100 email addresses on Gmail so he could vote for Red Sox players 2500+ times. How does it make it fan favorites when you can do that? Fact is it ruins the whole process. - Have your starting pitcher go as deep into the game as he is effective just like a regular game that actually DOES mean something
- Have your entire starting 8 go an absolute minimum of 3 at bats. If they are the best 8 players in the league, don't you think they should get the lions share of the chances to win the game with their bats?
I have had my say. Now what do you think?
Come on now, Don't be shy. Step right up and tell us all what you think!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Market for Hoffman Begins to Heat Up
January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!
Now that the top three closers on the market have signed for 4 years @ $13.375 million per - K Rod, 3 years @ $10.25 million per - Wood, and 3 years @ $9 million per - Fuentes; what does this presage for Future HOF Closer Trevor Hoffman?
The Mets also acquired Seattle Closer JJ Putz in trade as a setup man. So really 4 closers are off the market.
Who needs a closer now? Great question.
Seattle needs a closer. Aaron Heilman is currently listed as closer on most depth charts in the media, but he is not the closer type.
The Dodgers non tendered Takashi Saito so unless they go with Broxton, who blew 8 of 22 save opportunities in 2008, they need a closer. The Dodgers have been spoken about as a possible landing point for Hoffman in many quarters including MLBTradeRumors.com
The Diamondbacks have Chad Qualls listed as their closer on their depth chart but he blew 8 save opportunities of just 17 total and they had Brandon Lyon at closerlast year, but he struggled mightily in 2008. They could use an effective closer.
Unless they plan on using the oft-injured Joel Zumaya as a closer, Detroit stands in need of a closer.
CJ Wilson, the closer for the Rangers had a 6.02 ERA so they could use an effective closer.
Tampa Bay has the aging Troy Percival(39 years old) who ended the season on the DL and had back surgery in December listed as their closer. The World Series demonstrated the need for a healthy and great closer in those pressure games. They also need a closer.
Eric Gagne proved ineffective and Solomon Torres retired so the Brewers could use a closers also.
That is at least 7 teams with a glaring need (not including the Giants whose closer had a 4.62 era and the Pirates who can't afford anyone) and there are no other top level closers on the market other than Hoffman.
With so many teams in need of a closer, Hoffman should garner a deal that is worth more than the Padres offer of one year @ $4 million with no incentives.
I would guess that he will get offers for a two year deal at $5 million plus per year before this is all over.
Will the Padres increase their offer to match? I would not think so unless they are able to trade Peavy and that is a discussion for another post.
Get ready for the first season in 15 years without Hells Bells in San Diego
Now I've had my say. What do you think?
Happy New Year!
Now that the top three closers on the market have signed for 4 years @ $13.375 million per - K Rod, 3 years @ $10.25 million per - Wood, and 3 years @ $9 million per - Fuentes; what does this presage for Future HOF Closer Trevor Hoffman?
The Mets also acquired Seattle Closer JJ Putz in trade as a setup man. So really 4 closers are off the market.
Who needs a closer now? Great question.
Seattle needs a closer. Aaron Heilman is currently listed as closer on most depth charts in the media, but he is not the closer type.
The Dodgers non tendered Takashi Saito so unless they go with Broxton, who blew 8 of 22 save opportunities in 2008, they need a closer. The Dodgers have been spoken about as a possible landing point for Hoffman in many quarters including MLBTradeRumors.com
The Diamondbacks have Chad Qualls listed as their closer on their depth chart but he blew 8 save opportunities of just 17 total and they had Brandon Lyon at closerlast year, but he struggled mightily in 2008. They could use an effective closer.
Unless they plan on using the oft-injured Joel Zumaya as a closer, Detroit stands in need of a closer.
CJ Wilson, the closer for the Rangers had a 6.02 ERA so they could use an effective closer.
Tampa Bay has the aging Troy Percival(39 years old) who ended the season on the DL and had back surgery in December listed as their closer. The World Series demonstrated the need for a healthy and great closer in those pressure games. They also need a closer.
Eric Gagne proved ineffective and Solomon Torres retired so the Brewers could use a closers also.
That is at least 7 teams with a glaring need (not including the Giants whose closer had a 4.62 era and the Pirates who can't afford anyone) and there are no other top level closers on the market other than Hoffman.
With so many teams in need of a closer, Hoffman should garner a deal that is worth more than the Padres offer of one year @ $4 million with no incentives.
I would guess that he will get offers for a two year deal at $5 million plus per year before this is all over.
Will the Padres increase their offer to match? I would not think so unless they are able to trade Peavy and that is a discussion for another post.
Get ready for the first season in 15 years without Hells Bells in San Diego
Now I've had my say. What do you think?
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Now the offseason starts in earnest
November 30, 2008
Every year we see the same pattern on most major signings and trades.
Teams wait until they know what they they will have to give up for Type A Free Agents before making their big moves.
And they don't know that until after the Free Agents are either offered arbitration or allowed to leave without compensation.
Some teams will not offer arbitration on players they don't have in their future plans or that would be prohibitively expensive.
Others will be offered arbitration either in hopes of giving the team more time to negotiate a long term deal or to ensure they receive a 1st round draft pick and a sandwich pick as compensation if that player leaves in Free Agency.
A good example of a Type A free agent player that likely will not be offered arbitration is Trevor Hoffman.
As Tom Krasovic of the Union Tribune and Corey Brock of MLB.com have said, Hoffman would likely garner a larger salary in 2009 than either the $4 million he was offered or the $7.5 million he made in 2008 making him much to expensive for the salary cutting Padres.
Kerry Wood of the Cubs would be another player likely not to be offered arbitration. Wood would likely receive $9-10 million in arbitration and the Cubs have recently traded for closer Kevin Gregg, although Yahoo seems to disagree with just about every other media outlet on this matter.
Type A Free Agent players that are expected to be offered arbitration include those that are likely to sign high dollar value, long term contracts.
CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Edgar Renteria, Manny Ramirez, AJ Burnett and K Rod are just a few that are expected to receive an arbitration offer tomorrow.
After that, the fun begins and the hot stove begins to heat up.
Are you ready for some baseball?
Every year we see the same pattern on most major signings and trades.
Teams wait until they know what they they will have to give up for Type A Free Agents before making their big moves.
And they don't know that until after the Free Agents are either offered arbitration or allowed to leave without compensation.
Some teams will not offer arbitration on players they don't have in their future plans or that would be prohibitively expensive.
Others will be offered arbitration either in hopes of giving the team more time to negotiate a long term deal or to ensure they receive a 1st round draft pick and a sandwich pick as compensation if that player leaves in Free Agency.
A good example of a Type A free agent player that likely will not be offered arbitration is Trevor Hoffman.
As Tom Krasovic of the Union Tribune and Corey Brock of MLB.com have said, Hoffman would likely garner a larger salary in 2009 than either the $4 million he was offered or the $7.5 million he made in 2008 making him much to expensive for the salary cutting Padres.
Kerry Wood of the Cubs would be another player likely not to be offered arbitration. Wood would likely receive $9-10 million in arbitration and the Cubs have recently traded for closer Kevin Gregg, although Yahoo seems to disagree with just about every other media outlet on this matter.
Type A Free Agent players that are expected to be offered arbitration include those that are likely to sign high dollar value, long term contracts.
CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Edgar Renteria, Manny Ramirez, AJ Burnett and K Rod are just a few that are expected to receive an arbitration offer tomorrow.
After that, the fun begins and the hot stove begins to heat up.
Are you ready for some baseball?
Monday, November 10, 2008
Padres withdraw contract offer to Trevor Hoffman
The San Diego Padres withdrew their offer to Trevor Hoffman today.
I really don't understand this move.
The Padres make an offer that pretty much exactly met what many of us have predicted in terms of dollars and length. An offer that was $3.5 million less than his 2008 but certainly not unexpected.
Hoffman then asked to meet with John Moores, Sandy Alderson and Kevin Towers. Reportedly not to discuss money, but to discuss the direction of the team and his role.
It seemed that Hoffman was ok with making $4 million with a team option for a 2nd year at $4 million. The Padres contract offer to Hoffman was well below the market value for a 30 save, 3.77 era closer with a 5/1 k/bb ratio, league leading 3.45 pitch/ab,and the NL's 2nd best save percentage.
Hoffman reportedly simply wanted to hear from the Padres front office directly whether or not the team was going to be competitive. Seems a completely reasonable request from a future Hall of Fame player and the face of the Padres franchise since Tony Gwynn retired in 2001.
In the San Diego Union Tribune today, Tom Krasovic quoted Trevor Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman as saying:
The next move by the Padres front office was totally inexplicable. Towers said Hoffman never responded to the offer, when it was widely reported that Hoffman had already asked for a meeting.
Then, instead of meeting with Hoffman, the Padres pull the offer entirely VIA FAX and Towers won't even make a comment about it.
In the midst of what is already being described in the media and by most fans as a fire sale, can you think of a better way to deep six any attempts at selling season tickets for 2009?
Season ticket sales just started less than 1 week ago. Season ticket holders had to make their payments by November 5th and from what I understand renewals are down. At this point last season, ticket sales were reportedly down 20% compared to the year before. It almost seems the Padres brass want a bigger decrease for 2009.
Are they deliberately trying to erode the fan base?
Is Moores trying to erode the value of the team so he can draw out his divorce and then give his wife less money for her half of his share of the Padres?
Yes I know that sounds crazy, but so is the Padres recent behavior.
So please, explain it to me Mr. Alderson, or Mr. Towers, or Mr. Moores.
Padres fans deserve at least that much in the face of possibly losing the 3 most popular players on the team - Peavy, Greene and now Hoffman. Tell us why we should buy season tickets. Why should we show up at Petco. If you don't WANT fans to come, this is a real good way to demonstrate your desire that they stay away.
Tell us, WHY did the Padres withdraw their contract offer to Trevor Hoffman?
I really don't understand this move.
The Padres make an offer that pretty much exactly met what many of us have predicted in terms of dollars and length. An offer that was $3.5 million less than his 2008 but certainly not unexpected.
Hoffman then asked to meet with John Moores, Sandy Alderson and Kevin Towers. Reportedly not to discuss money, but to discuss the direction of the team and his role.
It seemed that Hoffman was ok with making $4 million with a team option for a 2nd year at $4 million. The Padres contract offer to Hoffman was well below the market value for a 30 save, 3.77 era closer with a 5/1 k/bb ratio, league leading 3.45 pitch/ab,and the NL's 2nd best save percentage.
Hoffman reportedly simply wanted to hear from the Padres front office directly whether or not the team was going to be competitive. Seems a completely reasonable request from a future Hall of Fame player and the face of the Padres franchise since Tony Gwynn retired in 2001.
In the San Diego Union Tribune today, Tom Krasovic quoted Trevor Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman as saying:
“Trevor would like to talk to them about the direction of the team and whatever his role is,” Thurman said.
The agent also expressed disappointment that the Padres haven't responded to the request. “Trevor's always had a tremendous respect for John and I think that's part of why he'd like to meet with him,” Thurman said. “He's always had a great relationship with John and his family."
The next move by the Padres front office was totally inexplicable. Towers said Hoffman never responded to the offer, when it was widely reported that Hoffman had already asked for a meeting.
Then, instead of meeting with Hoffman, the Padres pull the offer entirely VIA FAX and Towers won't even make a comment about it.
In the midst of what is already being described in the media and by most fans as a fire sale, can you think of a better way to deep six any attempts at selling season tickets for 2009?
Season ticket sales just started less than 1 week ago. Season ticket holders had to make their payments by November 5th and from what I understand renewals are down. At this point last season, ticket sales were reportedly down 20% compared to the year before. It almost seems the Padres brass want a bigger decrease for 2009.
Are they deliberately trying to erode the fan base?
Is Moores trying to erode the value of the team so he can draw out his divorce and then give his wife less money for her half of his share of the Padres?
Yes I know that sounds crazy, but so is the Padres recent behavior.
So please, explain it to me Mr. Alderson, or Mr. Towers, or Mr. Moores.
Padres fans deserve at least that much in the face of possibly losing the 3 most popular players on the team - Peavy, Greene and now Hoffman. Tell us why we should buy season tickets. Why should we show up at Petco. If you don't WANT fans to come, this is a real good way to demonstrate your desire that they stay away.
Tell us, WHY did the Padres withdraw their contract offer to Trevor Hoffman?
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Tuesday November 4, 2008
From Tim Brown of Yahoo:
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ai4hJI.8ivMN_To6PuiHY1sRvLYF?slug=ti-gmnotebook110308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I would think that the Padres would act fairly quickly to at least talk to Hoffman, the longest tenured player and all time MLB saves leader.
Last time the Padres tried to negotiate in the media. This time Hoffman might just return the favor and tell everyone exactly what they offered if they don't meet with him soon.
From Tim Brown of Yahoo:
The Padres offered Trevor Hoffman a one-year contract for significantly less than the $7.5 million he made last season. Hoffman did not dismiss the offer, but 10 days ago requested a meeting with John Moores, Sandy Alderson and Towers. The meeting hasn’t happened yet.
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ai4hJI.8ivMN_To6PuiHY1sRvLYF?slug=ti-gmnotebook110308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
I would think that the Padres would act fairly quickly to at least talk to Hoffman, the longest tenured player and all time MLB saves leader.
Last time the Padres tried to negotiate in the media. This time Hoffman might just return the favor and tell everyone exactly what they offered if they don't meet with him soon.
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