Padres Say No to David Justice

The Padres currently have the worst team batting average in all of baseball with a paltry .234. Out of their starting lineup, only Tony Gwynn is hitting above .300. Their best hitter on the team, Adrian Gonzalez, is hitting .232 against left-handed pitching. Their best and most consistent hitter since 2003, Brian Giles, is struggling with a .191 batting average and an inexplicable .136 versus left-handed pitching.

With the departure of Trevor Hoffman, the Padres have become a team without leadership or identity. So naturally, when former MLB superstar David Justice offers the Padres his free assistance as a batting coach and mentor of the game to the young players of this team, of course the Padres would jump at the opportunity without hesitation and say…NO.

Sorry, that had to be a misprint. After all, what team wouldn’t want Justice, who went to the playoffs every year but once in his illustrious 13-year career that produced two World Series championships, NL Rookie of the year, an ALCS MVP, two silver slugger awards, a .279 lifetime average and .305 career home runs?

Apparently that team would be our San Diego Padres. Justice, who lives here in San Diego, joined Darren Smith to talk about his now defunct role as an actor now that Moneyball, the movie, has been scrapped. We then got around to discussing a product he’s endorsing that helps baseball player s and golfers to stay within their hitting zone. When Darren suggested that perhaps Justice should drop off his product to the Padres to help their hitters, the gloves came off and Justice revealed that his offer to help the Padres hitters, FOR FREE, had been met with cold shoulders.

“I’d drop myself off at Petco Park! I told the Padres I’d do it for free! I told them I’d go there and do it for free but they just don’t see the value so it’s on them! Now look, you got David Justice telling you I’d go there for free, and throw batting practice in your tunnel to your left- handed hitters, so that when it’s late in the ballgame, they are ready because that’s what we didn’t have one year in 1998, we didn’t have a left- handed batting coach, and talk about struggles, we struggled that year. I know the value of having a left-handed BP thrower that can throw curveballs, I can do it all and I offered it for free. And they said no, that’s ok. Imagine that.”

Of course Darren asked DJ who would have the tenacity to turn down such an offer.

“Kevin Towers. I told him and Bud Black. For free! I didn’t want nothing, nothing! Ask Adrian about the value of left-handed BP. Ask Brian Giles about the value of left-handed BP. You get those two guys going, you know what I mean? Late in the ballgame when you know the lefty is coming in the ballgame to face Adrian? I’ll do it for free. I do it now, I throw batting practice to the kids in my neighborhood. Nope. For free. And not only that, what would be the value of me talking to Adrian Gonzalez about the game? I mean I’ve only been in more World Series than I don’t know who. I guess the Padres are going that good where they don’t need my services. For free!”

I’ve never ever played the game, but with the common sense I was born with, even I know that there are certain things that baseball sabermetrics, geeks and stats cannot ever teach you. Baseball instincts, leadership, winning. Giles, Gonzalez and Chris Young have limited playoff experience but none have been part of a winning series. David Eckstein is the only Padres with World Series experience. How on earth could it hurt to have Justice give these players a glimpse of what it takes to win? At the very least, maybe some of his swagger and experience would rub off on these kids. In the history of Major League baseball, only Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams have played in more games than Justice. I’m almost speechless (and those of you who know me know how impossible that is) that the Padres wouldn’t jump at this opportunity.

Justice said that he approached Kevin Towers with his free offer during the football season. KT seemed amenable to the idea but then never followed up. With everything on his plate, I could see how his FREE offer may have been overlooked. But then Justice told me off the air that he called Bud Black to offer his services. Black said that he appreciated his enthusiasm and would follow up, but then never bothered to call him back. Former pitcher Dave Stewart, who knows a thing or two about winning a World Series, also called the Padres on Justice’s behalf.

Given the struggles of this team, I’m surprised that the Padres wouldn’t jump at this chance. If they were a winning organization, I’d be surprised that they would turn him down because the lessons you can learn from former major league players of Justice’s caliber are priceless. Oh and in case Justice didn’t emphasize it enough, it’s FOR FREE!

Regardless of what you do in your walk of life, absolutely nothing but nothing can take the place of experience. When it comes to winning, which the Padres haven't done lately, there aren't too many guys that are able and willing to offer their services, for free. Justice lives here. He's become a member of the community and although his baseball ties have taken him through Atlanta, Cleveland, Oakland and the Yankees, he wants the Padres to do well. It's easy to point your finger and say who's to blame for their 99-loss season a year ago. But when help is offered and you say no again, you have no one to blame but yourself.
The Padres and their fans deserve better. Oh, and that opinon was FOR FREE.

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Justice prevails
Any team in baseball would be lucky to have this guy's services. He should be back in the majors imparting the wisdom that comes from being an All-Star in both leagues, having two seasons each with 40 or more homers and batting .300 or better. It's too bad that a great player who was overshadowed during his playing days continues to be so long after they are over.
Posted by MClairmont at 11:57 am Jul 02, 2009 |

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Lame
The Padres are lame. Look a Bill Parcells. Part of his formula for turning losers into winners is to bring in retired guys with rings. He has a pretty good track record.
Posted by Steve at 11:58 am Jun 29, 2009 |

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No Surprise.
Considering the ineptitude and incompetence of Kevin Towers and the entire Padres front office, it's no surprise they would turn down free lessons from David Justice. This is why the Padres are in the position they are in and will always stay there.
Posted by Padre Frustration at 1:22 am Jun 26, 2009 |

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article
Justice hit less than a third of a home run?
Posted by random at 12:28 am Jun 25, 2009 |

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