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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, October 1, 2008 Bud Black not fully responsible for Padres' bad season Associated Press SAN DIEGO -- Padres general manager Kevin Towers figured the first step toward digging out from a 99-loss season was to bring back Bud Black as manager. "This is still the right guy to lead this organization," Towers said during a news conference in the home dugout at Petco Park on Tuesday. "I don't think based on the record we could hold him fully responsible for the outcome of the season." The Padres had their worst finish in 15 years, dropping to last in the NL West at 63-99, 21 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. San Diego won the NL West in 2005-06, then, in Black's first season, fell one loss short of clinching the wild-card in 2007. "As we look at this season, I think we all should be held accountable, from players to front office to the coaching staff on why we ended up where we're at," Towers said. "I don't think Buddy got stupid in one year. He did a very good job for a first-year manager, took us one pitch away from making the postseason. I kind of chalk this up to a bad year." Black, who has one year left on his contract, met with Towers for several hours last week while the Padres were in Los Angeles. Black met with CEO Sandy Alderson and Towers on Sunday morning, then the front office and coaches met on Monday. At one point, Towers said he told his superiors: "I guess I'm willing to put my neck in the noose with him going forward that he's the right guy to help us turn this thing around." Black is 152-173 in two seasons. The former big league pitcher was hired in November 2006 after Bruce Bochy was allowed to jump to the division-rival San Francisco Giants despite having a year left on his contract. "Anytime you go through a season like this, there's going to be speculation," Black said. "But I was never given any indication from Sandy or Kevin about not coming back. So, I knew that I had another year left on my contract and I assumed that they wanted me back. "But I've been around the game long enough to know that hey, when seasons happen like this, there's bound to be changes." READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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