Reeling Padres expect Alderson to make changes

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Thursday, April 28, 2005 11:04 PM PDT ∞

Padres` new CEO Sandy Alderson
Bill Wechter
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SAN DIEGO ---- A new sheriff is coming to town, and the Padres' franchise likely will never be the same again. Sandy Alderson, the man tapped by owner John Moores to oversee the daily operations of the organization, is wrapping up his duties with Major League Baseball in New York. As soon as Sunday, Alderson will roll up his sleeves and officially get down to business as the Padres' chief executive officer.

Padres manager Bruce Bochy has a fairly good notion of what the addition of Alderson, the architect of the Oakland Athletics' powerhouse of the late 1980s and early 1990s, will mean in the long run.

"A man of his knowledge and experience, he's got a lot of ideas. He's a guy who's going to have a lot to say and make changes," said Bochy, whose club returns home tonight to face the hot Arizona Diamondbacks. "That's Sandy. I welcome that, and (general manager) Kevin (Towers) welcomes that. I'm sure there will be a lot of changes everywhere."

Of course, the more pertinent question, particularly in the wake of one of the most distressing road excursions by the Padres in recent memory, is: What action, if any, will Alderson take right off the bat?

The status of Bochy, whose contract expires after this season, would be uncertain even if his underachieving club hadn't lost five of six games ----and in ugly fashion ---- at Arizona and San Francisco to fall to fourth place in a division it was widely picked to win. The finale against the Giants on Wednesday was the nadir, a 10-3 shellacking that Bochy called "pathetic" and "as bad as it gets."

Since then, local sports radio has been ablaze with demands for a drastic shake-up. Some have called for the head of Bochy, the Padres' manager since 1995, which puts him second in seniority with one team behind Atlanta's Bobby Cox.

If Alderson stays true to his word, he won't be so rash. In introducing Alderson to the media on April 19, Moores said the CEO would decide all personnel matters, but that he expected to be consulted regarding Bochy, the only manager he has ever employed.

At the same news conference, Alderson said he won't come to San Diego with an agenda and that he intends to "listen and try to learn" at the start of his tenure.

Padres players believe that Alderson will follow through on that approach, foreseeing no immediate ejection of Bochy despite their poor performance.

"I doubt that he would make any sweeping decisions right away, until he got familiar with everything, got to know everybody," second baseman Mark Loretta said.

"That's true, really, with any business. I know in talking with my dad, who's a high-level executive, he said whenever he would come into a new situation, he would take his time before making changes that were not necessary at all."

Closer Trevor Hoffman agreed, adding the caveat that everyone should be on alert as Alderson settles in during the summer.

"Anybody coming in and making quick decisions wouldn't make sense," Hoffman said. "We know what his role is; we know that he's got the authority to do some things. If you want to stick around, do a good job."

All it would take, seemingly, to silence the speculation surrounding Bochy is for the Padres to begin playing up to the high expectations that accompanied them into the season. Yet players say they aren't lugging onto the field the burden of possibly saving Bochy.

"I think it would be a disservice to him as a manager if that was anybody's focus in here as opposed to what they have to do get a hit off (Giants pitcher) Jason Schmidt or hold (the opposing) lineup down to no hits," Hoffman said. "I think he's done a great job here. It's a dead issue as far as what we directly can or can't do.

"If we go out and win ballgames, then it might become a moot point."

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