The Padres hired Phil Plantier as hitting coach!

Finally, his rookie cards will be worth something!

Blame Lloyd?! Are you nuts?

Ian Casselberry at the very fine Tigers blog www.blessyouboys.com reports that sources suggest that the Tigers hitting coach, Lloyd McClendon* may have been partly responsible for the Tigers hitting woes last year.

Apparently, Miguel Cabrera, Magglio Ordonez and Placido Polanco refused to work with him and Curtis Granderson and other Tiger hitters travelled to Toledo to work with Mud Hens batting coach Leon Durham rather than work with McClendon. One of the sources refers to McClendon as manager Jim Leyland's "buddy".**

OK, NOW HOLD ON JUST ONE COTTON-PICKIN SECOND HERE!

I don't think these "sources" know who they are talking about nor do they know their history very well. Pull up a chair.

In the 1971 Little League World Series, Lloyd McClendon hit 5 home runs in a row and in the championship game after he hit his first home run, he was intentionally walked 4 times! THE GUY HIT 5 CONSECUTIVE HOME RUNS! He was an absolute beast at 12 years old! Pre-pubescent pitchers whimpered in fear when he came to the plate!

As far as replacing him as the Tigers hitting coach, if McClendon was just any old little leaguer like Kelly Leak or someone well then ok BUT THE GUY HIT 5 HOME RUNS IN A ROW IN THE 1971 LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES AND THEN WAS INTENTIONALLY WALKED 4 TIMES AFTER THAT! I am sure that he did not forget how to hit! You are supposed to get smarter with age, you know.

Who are you going to replace him with? George Brett? Rod Carew? Tony Gwynn? How many home runs did they hit in a row at the Little League World Series?

Ok, then. So give it a rest.

*He is playing a really shallow "OF" in that card.

**Normally any buddy of the Marlboro Man is no buddy of mine but I will make an exception here because of McClendon's 1971 performance. Think that's a dumb reason? Think you could hit 5 home runs in a row? Case closed.

It was all McGwire's fault. Now pay us!

Per Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune, Matt Holliday's agent, Scott Boras says that Mark McGwire was to blame for Holliday's horrid first part of 2009. Boras says Holliday's slow start for the A's last spring was due to swing changes McGwire made with Holliday during offseason coaching sessions the two had.

"After five weeks (Holliday) went back to his old stance," Boras said. "From that point on, he was the same player he always has been."

He says all this at the same time he wants the Cardinals to sign Holliday to a long-term $22.5 million a year contract.

These are the same Cardinals that just hired Mark McGwire as their hitting coach.

You can't make this stuff up.

Neifi Perez wasn't available?

I note that the Giants have announced that they have promoted Triple-A hitting coach, Hensley Meulens to their major league club.

Really? Hensley Meulens?

Let's look at this closer.

Baseball-reference tells us that Hensley Meulens was a journeyman outfielder (well I knew that) who played seven seasons and had a career average of .220, a .288 OBP and a .641 OPS. Okaaay. Hmmm. Well, we know one thing. Pitchers went right at him.

Hitting coach?* I guess?! I mean if that is what they want to do. It's their team.

Who else did they interview?

Pokey Reese?

Kevin Elster?

The ghost of Mark Belanger?

*The first thing he should tell these players is to get the bat off their shoulder.

Is Bonds next?

Ok, with Mark McGwire now formally back in baseball, you have to wonder just where is Barry Bonds' hitting coach position.

The dude could seriously hit. Like about a million times better than McGwire, give or take a quarter million.

If Barry Bonds is talking "hitting", I am listening. If Mark McGwire is talking "hitting", I might ask him to show me how far he can hit a ball but that might be it.

As with McGwire, Bonds doesn't like talking about the past but McGwire is now back in so.....

What's the difference?*

Just askin.

*Yea, I know that Barry Bonds is being criminally prosecuted for his lying about his drug use but Dave Parker also took his share of illegal substances and testified in a drug trial and he went on to be a hitting coach. I also know that Bonds is a creep of the highest order but have you ever heard sportswriters talk about Mark McGwire?

Rays dismiss hitting coach after offensive explosion

I note that the Rays announced Monday that hitting coach, Steve Henderson would not be back with the team in 2010. This was after a year in which the team set records in runs, home runs, on-base percentage and walks.

Okaaay.*

Of course, Steve Henderson is most famous for being one of a group of players traded for Tom Seaver. I wonder if his successor will be someone who was once traded for Todd Van Poppel or David Clyde or....

*Look, all sarcasm aside, I think I know what is going on here. Ownership is understandably unhappy with how the season turned out and in these circumstances usually there must be at least one change in the coaching staff and the hitting coach is frequently the sacrificial lamb. It just seems a bit crazy to can the hitting coach after such a successful offensive season.