The Electric Friar

Posted by ElectricFriar on February 6th, 2010 in announcements

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had time to update the blog – 5 months in fact.  The fact of the matter is, I’ve had to take a break from the hobby.  Unfortunately, spare time isnt a luxury I have at my disposal right now.  Work has been hectic – sea duty in the Navy often is.  Plus, as of 3 weeks ago, I’m a new father.  I realize it’s cliche to say having a kid is a life changing experience, but there is absolutely no other way to describe it.  Between work and my wife’s pregnancy, I really haven’t had the time to get really involved with the hobby the past several months.

I’d love to say that I’ll be getting back into the hobby and resume posting, soon but that would be a lie.  My ship will soon be heading out for deployment, which means another long break.  Fortunately, I’m set to transfer to shore duty by January next year.  I’m hoping that by then, I should have the free time necessary to get back into things.  I really miss going to the hobby shop, opening packs, and searching Ebay for deals.  I’m also looking forward to someday being able to get my son involved in this hobby as well.

So, I’m keeping the blog open for now, with the hope that by the end of my deployment, I’ll be back and better than ever.  It’s killing me that I missed some great looking releases – stuff like National Chicle and T206.  I don’t think I even have any Chargers or Padres team sets from 2009. Like I said, hopefully 2011 I’ll be back with a vengeance.

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Posted by ElectricFriar on September 9th, 2009 in Padres Player News

For all the numerologists out there, today is 09/09/09.  Lots of baseball significance in the number 9.  Nine inning ballgames, nine players in a lineup, etc.  What better way to celebrate than trying to determine the 9 greatest hitting performances in Padres history by position.  That’s exactly what the Padres homepage is doing and I thought I’d share my choices for the Magical Nine.

First Base
No brainer, Adrian Gonzalez ’s 2008 season, while not yet finished, is the best hitting performance ever by a Padres 1B.  Just shy of Nate Colbert’s 38 HR’s in 1972, Gonzalez has more RBI’s and runs than any 1B on the list.  And he’s doing it in the hitter’s graveyard that is Petco Park.

Second Base
Without looking I would have guessed that young Roberto Alomar’s 1989 season would qualify as the best in Padres history.  However, Mark Loretta’s stats from 2004 really overshadow anyone else on the list.  Amazing what he quietly accomplished that season. 

Shortstop
I would have liked to have gone with Garry Templeton’s 1985 season, but Khalil Greene’s 2007 season (27 HR, 97 RBI, 89 Runs) was definitely worthy of being the best ever by a Friar SS.

Third Base
Sentimentally, I would like to go with Ken Caminiti’s 1996 season (.326, 40 HR, 130 RBI) as the best 3B performance.  But the specter of his PED use that season makes me choose Gary Sheffield’s 1993 season (.330, 33 HR, 100 RBI) as the best.  Remember, young Sheff was a Triple Crown threat back in 93.

Catcher
No debate, Benito Santiago’s rookie season of 1987 (.300, 18 HR, 79 RBI, 21 SB) was the best season by a Padre backstop.  Let’s not forget his 34 game hitting streak during his ROY campaign.

Pitcher
At first I was shocked not seeing Jake Peavy on the list.  Until I realized this was for the best hitting performance ever.  Not much to choose from statistically, so I went with Eric Show’s 1984 season (.246, 3 HR, 10 RBI) if only for having at least one player from 1984 represented.

Outfielder
You get to choose 3. For the first OF spot I went with Tony Gwynn’s 1997 season (.372, 17 HR, 119 RBI, 92 Runs).  Surprising not seeing his 1994 season on the list.  You remember, the season he flirted with .400, until Baseball Economics intervened?  Dave Winfield’s 1979 season (.308, 34 HR, 119 RBI, 97 Runs) gets the second OF spot.  And the final spot goes to 1990’s Bip Roberts (.309, 44 SB).  Yeah I know.  I’ve got a soft spot for the Bipper. 

So those are my choices.  Check out the Padres website and let me know who you would pick as the Padres 9 best.

Let me know what you think!

Posted by ElectricFriar on September 2nd, 2009 in Ebay Wins, Mailday

In last year’s Rule V draft, the Padres selected an unknown middle infielder from the Rockies.  Since he was taken in the Rule V draft, the team was forced to play him all season or risk sending him back to the Rockies.  A daunting task for someone who never played above Class A.  He was projected by the team’s hierarchy as a SS even though [...] Continue Reading…

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Posted by ElectricFriar on August 26th, 2009 in Ebay Wins, Mailday

My first Ebay win in quite a while and this one’s sweet.  The first two Padres players in the Hall of Fame, Tony Gwynn and Dave Winfield, featured on an autographed card from Upper Deck Sweet Spot Classics.  Ok, so most baseball fans don’t automatically associate Dave Winfield with the Padres, but whatever.  Right now this is the crown jewel of my autographed Padres [...] Continue Reading…

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Posted by ElectricFriar on August 25th, 2009 in Collection Highlight

With football season fast approaching, I thought I should show off some of my favorite Charger cards.  Now, I’ve been a Chargers fan for most of my life.  And when I think of Charger Football, I always think back to the Air Coryell era.  Lots of points, tons of excitement.  Charlie Joiner, Wes Chandler, the original Kellen Winslow, and of course #14 Dan Fouts.  By [...] Continue Reading…

Let me know what you think!

Posted by ElectricFriar on August 25th, 2009 in Chargers Player News

Merriman’s back, Rivers has a new contract, and Ladainian might be healthier.  Can’t wait for the season to start.

Let me know what you think!

Posted by ElectricFriar on August 13th, 2009 in Collection Highlight

This seemed like a timely card to feature.  Jake Peavy’s 2001 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres card that I got autographed through the mail.

Since returning from my last underway almost a week ago, it has taken me a few days to digest the whole Jake Peavy trade.  Normally, we have email and limited internet availability at sea.  However due to certain mission-based restrictions, we were essentially [...] Continue Reading…

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Posted by ElectricFriar on August 8th, 2009 in announcements

It’s been quite a while since my last post.  I’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do. The hobby has had to take a back seat to a little thing called life.  Mainly, my work.  The summer schedule has been absolutely hectic.  The past several weeks have been full of training exercises, underways, and inspections.  Just when I though things were going to die down a bit, [...] Continue Reading…

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Posted by ElectricFriar on May 22nd, 2009 in Padres Player News

My ship just got back in this afternoon.  We went on a 25 hour underway which was both a) a nasty surprise to the crew and b) very tiring.  Out of 25 total hours at sea, I stood over 16 hours on watch so I am rather exhausted.  We had no internet available to us so I was out of the loop for a bit.  So three big stories [...] Continue Reading…

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Posted by ElectricFriar on May 16th, 2009 in Box Break

I got my hand on a hobby box of 2008 Sweet Spot and one of those Sweet Spot retail tins from Target.  It’s been a while since I opened a box so I’ve been getting the itch to bust something.

I’ll start off with the retail tin.  These sell for about $30 at target and offer 3 packs of 8 cards with the promise of at least one memorabilia or [...] Continue Reading…

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