In response to the UT’s “5 Reasons To Keep and 5 Reasons To Let Mike Cameron Go” to which no writer apparently wants to take credit for, The Sacrifice Bunt is here to provide 5 additional equally credible reasons to keep Mike Cameron.

1. Batting gloves (or lack thereof) Think back on some of the greatest players of all-time: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Willie Mays. Did any of them wear batting gloves? No. This can’t be a coincidence. There’s something to it, but no one on the Padres seems to take notice. That is, of course, except for Cameron. As a modest player, Cameron knows better than to constantly shove his excellence in the face of his opponents. That’s why he saves his batting glovelessness for special occassions, like Jackie Robinson Day:

Not only is it a sign that Cameron’s a player on another level than the rest, but it looks cool. And we know how important style is.

2. Old, beat up glove

Take a look at these pictures and tell me what you notice:

That’s right, Cameron’s very photogenic when he ranges to his left. And he’s had the same glove his whole career. That kind of loyalty is very rare these days, making it ironic if the Padres let Cameron walk.

3. Spring Training Photos

I’m getting kind of worried that this is going to turn into a photo essay, so I’m going to refrain from using any actual photos here. Go to Google and look around for some pictures of Cameron at Spring Training. Then come back here and thank us.

4. Off-center Hat

More so than any other, baseball is a sport about style. The players have become so stylish that they’re breaking the rules. Unfortunately for us, there aren’t a lot of Padres concerned with doing it big. The best we’ve got is Bard using that red bat every now and then. That is, of course, except for Cameron. Along with his long pant legs and general swagger, Cameron’s hat, worn just to the right, added a bit of excitement that is otherwise missing at Petco Park.

5. Ray Lankford Comparison

We’re well aware that Towers called the Lankford-for-Woody deal the worst trade he ever made, but did you realize that Lankford posted an OPS+ of 132 the year he became a Padre at the age of 34? That’s not bad. And for his efforts, Poppa Ray was named the fourth most similar batter to Mike Cameron this season. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.

This UT post previously made fun of at Friar Forecast.

Ok you really need to see these spring training photos:

This article included contributions from Melvin Nieves

“Mikey, buddy”, said Kevin Towers with an arm across his shoulder and a sly grin creeping across his face. “I’m thinking about ‘offering’ you some arbitration. You get what I’m freshing here? Yeah? You do? Great, I’m buying the PBR next Mike Cameron Sloshball Classic™ this year.”

Padres do their arbitration thang, Mikey C. style. They’ll offer him arbitration, which he’ll likely not accept says Tom Krasovic.

Build through the system baby, take advantage of every opportunity.

Also, Padres interested in Kazuo Fukumori. Thats all I gots.

Umpire: You can’t leave first until you chug a beer. Any man scoring has to chug a beer. You have to chug a beer at the top of all odd-numbered innings. Oh, and the fourth inning is the beer inning.

Mike Cameron: Hey, we know how to play baseball.

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It’s not as common as greenies, but big leaguers have been known to step on the field liquored up. … Almost every current major leaguer I spoke to knew of players who had stepped on the field under the influence. When asked what the signs were, the players typically responded the way Giant Ryan Klesko and Padre Jake Peavy did: ‘I just knew.’ Interestingly, another Padre, center fielder Mike Cameron, had a more intimate experience with game-day tipsiness:

“Sh-t, I’ve played drunk.

“When?

“New York City.”

What were the circumstances?

“I went four for four with two jacks and eight ribbies. I’m not saying that’s the only day I played drunk, but that was the best one.”

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Mike Cameron: ‘I’ve Played Drunk’

Frankly, I’m more upset about the cursing.

Mike Cameron is suspended for the first 25 games of next season after testing positive for stimulants.

“The one thing I wanted to make sure was explained is, no steroids,” Cameron told AM 1090, the Padres’ flagship radio station. “I never took nothing like that before in my life. That would be 50 games, and that would affect me a whole lot more.”

“After all of the analysis and testing, I can only conclude that a nutritional supplement I was taking was tainted,” he said ‘Unfortunately, the actual supplement is gone, and therefore cannot be tested. Without the actual supplement in hand, the rules are clear, and I must accept the suspension.”

Padres CF Mike Cameron suspended 25 games for positive stimulant test

It’s hard to say what this means so early in the happenings. Maybe I’m just a softy, but I think that I believe Cameron. He’s done nothing in his time here to lose the trust of the fans so I don’t think this necessarily changes that.

I had been on the fence about bringing him back, but now it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea. We could probably get him on a short term deal and he sucks in April anyway (.508 OPS this year, .500 OPS last year). Then again, we’re might be missing Giles at the beginning of the year as well. Hopefully SuperBlum can play the outfield.