Busy Couple of Days

First, I have to clear the air - there was no alcohol induced haze. I miscalculated and used it as a metaphor for a lack of sleep. Count that one on my tab. As the title of this post states - it has been a very busy couple of days. Hence the reason that I haven't posted. Unfortunately, due to various concerns, I can't really expound upon what I've been doing. It has been constructive and on the leading edge of making my city a better place. It is one of those things that has immediate results that will only be seen in time. I realize that my last sentence is quite contradictory; however, it makes sense in my minds eye. At any rate, it is hard to write about things when you can't write about them due to Operational Security. Such is the joy of Iraq.

I can promise that the young Marines, Soldiers, and Sailors that are out and about are doing good things and living up to all the praise that they deserve. Life remains good and I have very little to complain about.

Two care packages came in the mail during my absence. Thank you to the Memphis Rawson's and the Auburn Fargason's. Uncle Casey improved my sand game by two strokes by sending a rake. The rocks are no longer an issue. Lynnette and Family came in big time w/ some Slim Jims that I use to persuade young Marines to various tasks. Thank you very much for thinking of me and the rest of the Marines out here in Iraq.

Now onto the important topic of the night: Can the Padres improve via a trade this season? I tend to think that nothing will materialize and they will probably end up a situation similar to last year. They have the pitching to barter in return; however, I don' t think that the established right handed power outfielder that we covet is available. I think that Cruz is a great fourth outfielder and has value. Sledge on the other hand is basically a younger version of two. I'll give to nod to Cruz - Sledge just isn't getting the job done. I like the fact that they brought of MacAnulty and we'll see what he does. Hopefully, he will get off to a good start. He'll need some time to get adjusted and some regular at-bats. Mac has a proven track record in the minors - I'm hopeful that he'll come around much like Kouz. A guy I see that would work for the Padres is Adam Dunn. The Reds stink and need pitching help. I say we offer Hensley and Andrew Brown (AAA) and see what happens. They had Germano (in the Randa trade - so he's not an option). I think that we have enough w/ Germano/Thompson/Stauffer to fill out that fifth starter. Plus, the Jared Wells guy is a kid that they really they really like in AA. Another thing that I'd think long and hard about moving is Khalil Greene. Defensively - he is amazing and he has all the talent in the world. Offensively, he is very streaky (at best). Plus, SS is a position that historically is quite easy to replace via free agency / minors. Finally, Greene has been definitely Petco-ized and that doesn't bode well when you have to play 81 games a year there. They seem to like SS - Luiz Cruz (AAA) .

That conjecture aside, aside from Dunn, that there really isn't anyone that is going to be realistically available/worth pursuing. I'm sure that Sean will give me a lecture on this; however, I don't care b/c I can kick his ass.