LISTEN, BUDDY:
Regarding the fans' booing, maybe Bud Black should listen closer. Maybe some of the boos are intended for him for continuing to hand the ball to Trevor when a game is on the line. Kudos to Peavy for his loyalty to Trevor, but to a fan a player's loyalty to Trevor sounds like they'd rather live with blown losses as opposed to bruising Trevor's feelings. I think the player that might have really hit the proverbial nail on the head was Michael Barrett, who said, “I thought they were booing all of us.” Ah, now that guy might be on to something.
JIM MARTINEZ,
San Diego
FANS DESERVE BOOS:
I can't believe the Padres fans! Trevor Hoffman is one of the reasons I have become a baseball fan. I am so glad I wasn't there to hear that (Tuesday) evening and that it wasn't apparent on the television. Trevor has provided years of expertise on the field for this team and this city and deserves all the respect that comes with his accomplishments in the sport. And that doesn't include a bunch of ungrateful fair-weather fans booing him as he leaves the field. Trevor Time is still an anticipated event at Petco Park.
JAN RANDLES,
El Cajon
NEW ROLE:
I boo Bud Black for being too scared to do the politically incorrect move. The switch between Bell and Hoffman should've happened last year. The Padres need to trade our Hall of Famer to a role less suitable to the boobirds.
KATHY HANSEN,
Vista
TIME TO GO:
Of course Trevor Hoffman has become an icon here, and we all love and admire him. But it's typical that the Padres players you quote don't get it. Trevor's time is up. He has to go. It happens to everybody eventually in every line of work. Why not retire gracefully, now? Don't wait to be released. Trevor's a smart man: He must know that management doesn't have the (guts) to tell him he's through. Leave while everyone still loves you, Trevor, and before you become a subject of ridicule and abuse.
JOHN HALPERIN,
La Jolla
MEMORIES OF '07:
Yes, the city is proud of what Trevor has done, but what has he done lately? He kept us out of the playoffs last year. Complaining about a few boos is ridiculous. These guys are making millions to play this game and if it weren't for the Gonzalez brothers, Giles and Gerut, the Padres would have about 20 wins if they were lucky. The fans are paying big bucks to watch a Triple-A team at best and if they want to boo that's their prerogative. These wimps ought to try playing ball in New York and they would know what booing is. Padres fans are pretty laid back, but it's getting ridiculous to watch this lousy baseball.
NANCY KENNA,
San Diego
NOTHING PERSONAL:
They booed the end of the game in which the “team” failed as a whole for the 1,000th time this year. One thousand times equals the number of baserunning blunders, failed opportunities with RISP and one or no outs, the coaching apathy and the bullpen's incendiary results. It is imperative that Trevor realize this and not take the boos personally. The whole team needs to take the boos personally.
JOSHUA GORHAM,
Scripps Ranch
EASY TO FIX:
If the players don't like the booing there is something they can do about it. They can pitch better, hit better (bunting practice anyone?), run the bases better and field better. Play the game with some pride. For myself, the boos are for everyone from Mr. Moores on down.
LAURIE PETERSON,
Spring Valley
IT'S BUSINESS:
I am not a booer, but I can understand it and even condone it at the professional level. There is no room for booing in amateur sports, but professional athletes treat their sport like a business when it fits their purpose. When the fans do not receive the product they were promised, don't they have the right to treat it like a business? The fans' only recourse is to boo or stay home. The Padres know what to do about it, or they can expect more of the same. As to Trevor Hoffman, he has been well rewarded and should understand that it's just part of the business.
RAY STEINWEHE,
Pacific Beach
NO SURPRISE:
I don't understand why the players are upset that the fans were booing Trevor after yet another blown save opportunity. What are we supposed to do? Cheer him? Roll our eyes? Sit apathetically and pretend he doesn't keep screwing up? It's really quite simple. When a player does well, he gets cheered. When he doesn't, he gets booed. For a man who plays a kid's game, pitches one inning every three or four games and makes millions doing it for a team that takes losing a little too easily, he (and the rest of the team) should be grateful they even have fans. Imagine if he pitched in Philadelphia or New York.
BILL K. NIMMO,
Imperial Beach
WHY THE BOOS? HERE'S WHY: The fans booed Trevor Hoffman because 1) he lost the game for us; 2) the Padres had lost eight of their last 10 games; 3) the Padres were 32-46; and 4) ownership and management seem to have failed the fans. Are we not allowed to boo? If I'm going to pay $9 for a beer, I expect to see a winning team. (I expect a winning team regardless of ballpark prices, actually). And Padres fans have come to expect playoff-caliber baseball from the Padres, not this 2003-style play, which is plaguing the Padres. Michael Barrett had it right – we were booing the whole team. Of course our hearts are with Trevor, but even San Diego baseball fans have their limits.
RYAN KARLSGODT,
La Mesa
THEY WERE BOOING THE WHOLE MESS: I have been a season ticket holder for 25 years and I speak for myself and, I believe, many others. We were not singling out Trevor for booing; we were booing the whole mess that is this team – including Moores, Alderson, Towers, Black, Joyner, Balsley, the Triple-A outfield (except possibly Giles), mindless at-bats by players who should know better (Giles, Greene, E. Gonzales, Barrett), bunters who can't execute, hit-and-runners who can't make contact, inept baserunning, careless fielding, and, yes, disappointment in Trevor this particular evening. Michael Barrett was the only one who got it right; the rest of those quoted should gain a little introspection. They were all being booed.
CLAUDE HOLIFIELD,
San Diego
YOU CAN'T LIVE IN THE PAST: Are we sure the fans aren't booing Padres management for continuing to run Hoffman out there? That's what I would have been booing about, and I'm sure that is true of 90 percent of the fans there. Hoffman is clearly finished as a stellar reliever. He certainly is no longer reliable. It is commendable that the Padres' players you quoted vehemently defend their teammate. But the booing is about losing games that could or should be won, which is really the issue here. Are we supposed to be happy with losses just because we appreciate everything Hoffman has done over the years?
DOUG PUGH,
Mission Valley
PERFORMANCE IS WHAT COUNTS: Both on and off the field Trevor has been a wonderful asset to Padres baseball. He is the kind of player young baseball fans can look up to. Unfortunately, in today's sports you are as good as your last performance. Fans booed Trevor when he gave up back-to-back losing homers. Didn't they also cheer him when he struck out the first two hitters in the inning? Right or wrong, fans pay to see performance.
DAN VACCARO,
Chula Vista
MONEY TALKS:
Maybe one of the local sportswriters should remind some of the players about Trevor's “allegiance” to San Diego when he wanted more money at the beginning of the end of his career. It seemed after that we fans were very much aware that he wasn't the hometown team guy like Tony Gwynn. This town owes Trevor nothing. We do we have to remind ourselves of his record when he comes in with the Padres tied or trailing, or when we needed a win like at the end of last year, or when we are playing the top teams in the league, or how good he looked facing the best at that All-Star Game where he embarrassed himself? Bochy gave him tons of layups and I feel his save totals are artificially high because of that. Again, I saw a real change in how he was received here after his contract temper tantrum. Some of the new players need to remember the fans have been here a lot longer than they have and maybe finally had enough.
ERIC HORTON,
Escondido
BOOS FOR BUD:
We all know what Trevor has accomplished, we love him and thank him for it. But his day has passed! We cannot keep sending him to the mound to lose games. It is absurd! I really don't know what Bud is thinking. Yes, we booed Hoffman, but it was also for the entire team, for Bud sending Trevor out there over and over.
DANNY CALVERT,
Pacific Beach
HE DESERVES BETTER:
No active player has done more for the Padres than Trevor Hoffman, and no player is mentally tougher or more willing to take the blame when things go wrong. Over the years, Trevor has accustomed us to perfection. Only a moron would expect that to go on forever, and no one feels worse in those situations than Trevor. He's a class act in every sense of the word, and neither he nor his teammates should feel that this behavior is typical of their fans. Real fans don't boo their own team, regardless of what happens – at least not when they live in America's finest city.
JAMES HENNESSY,
Carmel Valley
