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Padres Editorial: Padres Bud Black Must Win NOW

By James Clark

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Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock… That sound you hear Padres fans, isn’t the iconic California Towers clock at Balboa Park. It isn’t the sound from the Its A Small World ride up the freeway at the magical kingdom called Disneyland. It is in fact the time clock clicking ever so loudly in the face of San Diego Padres manager Bud Black. The team is built to win now, anything short of a playoff appearance is going to be a disappointment. 

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In late 2007, I had the privilege of sitting down and talking to the hit king himself, Pete Rose. I once worked in a well-established sports memorabilia shop here in San Diego. Pete Rose is about the nicest guy you will meet and he is straight forward as can be. If he has something to say…. well he says it. So I asked Pete Rose about the Padres recent hiring of Bud Black. He looked at me straight in the face and asked me, “you a huge baseball fan, right?”. I replied “Of course I am Mr Rose”. He then asked “Name me a successful manager who was a pitcher?”. I sat there and couldn’t think of one of the top of my head. His explanation was pitchers spend their whole career trying to get people out, they don’t know how to motivate hitters and generate runs…

Generate Runs? hmmm…. Seems like we have had that problem here in San Diego since 2007. Was Pete Rose right? After all the man is an absolute baseball god, no matter what your feelings are about his personal life. He knows the game and he knows it well. Now after I went home I did some research and found the names of Dallas Green, Tommy Lasorda and Roger Craig. All successful managers and former pitchers, but for the most part, Major League pitchers don’t make great managers. In pitchers’ defense, they are not given the opportunity to manage quite as frequently as position players. We have however, had eight years with Bud Black, with only one winning season. All the teams’ downfall should not lie directly on Bud Black’s shoulders, but someone has to take responsibility for past failures.

Bud Black is presently in the last year of his contract, he was extended for the 2014 and 2015 season by previous GM Josh Byrnes. He has amassed a record of 617-680 over his time as Padres skipper. A.J. Preller, being the new sheriff in town, would most surely like to bring in his own manager, someone that he hired. Someone that possibly shares the same baseball philosophies as he and his new front office. As of early December it was reported Bud Black and A.J. Preller have had no communication about an extension. I suspect it will stay that way, but come May or June if the Padres are struggling, Black will be the scapegoat.

I sincerely hope it is not that case, as I want the Padres to succeed just as much as the next guy. In the end, all we can hope is that everything comes together correctly. This should be a very fun and hopefully magical season for the San Diego Padres. I have no problem with Bud Black, provided the team wins. The pressure on him has probably never been higher. I am so happy that the present regime in the front office refuses to celebrate mediocrity. The Padres shouldn’t settle for fielding a team that just competes, the city needs a winning franchise, one the City of San Diego can be proud of. There are no more excuses left in the book for Mr. Black, it’s win or go home!

Next: Bud Black Deserves One More Year

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