Tagged: world series
Heartbreaker
San Diego is the worst city ever to be a sports fan.
I’m serious. You’ve got a football team who’s been to ONE Super Bowl and lost, a baseball team who’s been to two World Series and lost, and now a college basketball game who won their first two NCAA tournament games ever but couldn’t make it anywere.
Welcome to our world.
It takes a ton of dedication to be a sports fan here. We’ve been disappointed so many times. I’ve only been a San Diego sports fan for about five years, and I’ve already lost track of the times that San Diego teams have let me and the city down.
It’s really, really awful. It’s so sad. It’s heartbreaking. It’s like being stuck in a never-ending rut. I don’t see how we’re ever going to get out. For some reason, we just have never been a winning city.
Tonight, the No. 2 ranked San Diego State Aztecs lost the No. 3 UConn 74-67. It was heartbreaking. We were trailing for most of the night, and we were no where near our best. We did have the most incredible season of Aztecs basketball ever, but it doesn’t seem to mean as much where you don’t get anywhere for it.
It’s so hard to watch and to cope with after it’s over. This city bonded with the team and followed it and cheered it on so hard. We wanted them to win so badly. We want them to do what no other team has done before (besides the Little League World Series): win a major championship for San Diego.
I’m heartbroken for the Aztecs. I’ll be the first to say that I was definitely a bandwagoner for this team. I didn’t follow the Aztecs all season long. I haven’t been a long-time Aztecs fan who’s been through the good and the bad. But even though I wasn’t there all the time, I’m still really sad about this loss.
But Padres baseball starts in a week. San Diego will have another team to root for. I hope with all my heart that we’ll do well, but I’m scared that they’ll let us down again. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a die-hard Padres fan. I don’t give up when it gets tough. I’ve stuck with the Padres through some of the most horrible games and stretches of games ever. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. I don’t have to like losing. I’m scared of disappointment.
I sure experienced that last year. We were in first place for the entire season, and then things fell apart. With no warning, we lost our lead to the stupid Giants. But then we won two games against them in the last few games of the season. That was hope. That was excitement. And then we lost in the last game of the season to give the Giants the West and ultimately, the World Series.
It stunk.
It makes me wonder when this drought is going to end. Are we going to have to endure 10 more seasons of disappointment? How long is it going to take for us to break through and have a team that can make it all the way to the World Series?
I’m so glad that I have hope in something bigger than baseball (JESUS!!), because if not, I would be so seriously depressed right now.
Sports can obviously never satisfy. San Diego sports definitely cannot satisfy. They all fall somewhere. I’m very thankful that because of God, there is meaning to my life that is way outside of cheering for a sports team.
Despite it all, San Diego is my city. It’s my home. Even though we can’t get our sports act together, I wouldn’t trade being a sports fan of this city for anything. It’s hard, but anyone can be a Yankees or Red Sox fan. It takes a lot of guts and a lot of dedication to be a fan of the Padres. I really, truly love it.
But for now, we’ve got a brand new season of Padres baseball to look forward to. We don’t know where they’re going to be at the end of the season, but why don’t we enjoy the ride? I’m looking forward to some good, solid, fun baseball. I can’t wait!
GO PADRES!!
Five Years
Where will the Padres be in five years?
Last night I met with a group of girls, and our leader asked us where we saw ourselves in five years. That got me thinking: where will the Padres be in five years?
Well, the big Padres news of the day is that Jeff Moorad is “awfully close” to buying a third of the Padres. The deal may go down as soon as this afternoon! Moorad’s group will have five years to buy the rest of the Padres. So, five years from now, which will be 2014, Moorad will probably be announcing that he’s bought the last share of the Padres. There will be rejoicing in the streets of downtown San Diego.
But it’s really interesting to think about, isn’t it? Will the Padres have a World Series by then?
How will the Padres be doing? Will they be losing 100 games at a regular rate, or was there a miraculous turnaround in 2009 (hint hint) and they went from worst to first? What will the NL West be like?
Who knows with the crazy NL West? In five years, Manny might (should) be retired. In five years, all these young prospects will be taking over the teams. All of the teams in the NL West have a lot of excellent prospects. We’re starting to see some of these guys in the Majors. In five years, all of these teams will probably be ruled by the young guys.
What will MLB be like by then? Will there be any change in the whole steroid situation? Will they start punishing players, making stricter testing? Will Bud Selig still be the commish?
Will I still be running this blog by then? I’ll be in college, so I might not be posting as much. But who knows how long this blog will even be here, you know. It’s gotta end someday, but I wonder how long I’ll be able to keep it up. Of course, I would love to do it for the rest of my life, but who knows what will come up.
Five years…five new World Champions…five seasons of baseball…so much could happen in five years. I see my Padres with a new owner, a new philosophy, and being highly competitive. With all the young prospects up here, we will be a solid team. A threat even. I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict (though I hate predictions) that my Padres will get a World Series sometime in the next five years. There it is.
Where do you see your team in five years?
Yesterday the Padres aquired pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz from the Marlins for cash considerations. Seems like a pretty good move. We need arms, we need pitching that can do well. Right now, I think the rotation will be Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Walter Silva, Shawn Hill, and Kevin Correia. I’d say just get Baek out of there. He’s been doing horrible.
Yesterday we lost 8-4. Kevin Correia allowed six runs. Cla Meredith hasn’t given up a run yet this spring (YES!!). Henry Blanco had a homer. David Eckstein went 3-for-3. Adrian Gonzalez had two hits.
Today we are off. Tomorrow we are playing the A’s. Our country boy Jake Peavy will be starting, followed by newly signed Shawn Hill. I’m excited to hear Jake pitch again. It’s been a long time!!
I can’t believe Opening Day is so soon! I mean, Jake will start again on Wednesday, I think, and then his next start will be Opening Day! And of course, the day before Opening Day is Fan Day!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHH!! It’s going to be here before I know it, seriously.
In some exciting news, I am going to get to go to a Padres game with my brother’s baseball team! It’s in May, and we’re thinking about getting field level seats! We can get a great discount, so that would be so much fun. I can’t wait! It’s going to be great to get out there and watch a game.
My ten-year-old brother had a game last night. I didn’t get to watch it, but I wish I had. My brother got an infield hit, and then the ball got thrown past first or something and he ended up at third. The next batter drove him in! I knew he would get his first hit when I wasn’t there! But they won 10-something, and my brother got the game ball! I’m so excited for him, and I’ll definitely be out there for his next game on Saturday morning!
Hope you all have a great day!
GO PADRES!!!
(photo credits: mlblogs.com, nothingbutballs.com, ryanagraves.com)
40 Years of Padres Baseball
Next year, the Padres will be celebrating their 40th anniversary. It’s pretty amazing that they have been here for so long. There have been a lot of bad years of San Diego baseball, but there have also been a few great ones.
The Padres were a minor league team until they got accepted into the National League in 1968. They made their major league debut in 1969 at San Diego Stadium. In 1974, Ray Kroc bought the Padres, thus preventing them from moving to Washington D.C. In 1982, Tony Gwynn made his major league debut. In 1984, the Padres went to their first World Series, but fell 4 games to 1 against the Tigers. 1998 was very possibly the best year in Padres history. We had a ton of amazing players like Trevor Hoffman, Tony Gwynn, Kevin Brown, Sterling Hitchcock and Greg Vaughn. Trevor got 53 saves in 54 chances that year. WOW. We got to the World Series, but the Yankees swept us in 4. It was an amazing year.
In 2004, we moved to Petco Park. The young Padre Jake Peavy had 15 wins that year. In 2005, we won the NL West. Unfortunately, we got eliminated by the Cardinals in the first round. We also won the West in 2006, but again were foiled by the Cardinals. Cla Meredith, Adrian Gonzalez, and Chris Young had great years.
In 2007, we made it to a one-game playoff against the Rockies, which we lost in 13 innings. And ’08 was bad.
The thing that sticks out the most about the Padres over the years is their inability to do well in the playoffs. We’ve made it to only two World Series and we’ve won 5 championships. The people of San Diego want a world championship. And I see it happening the near future. We will get our World Championship someday.
Meanwhile, it’s going to be a fun celebration of 40 years of Padres baseball next year. I am very excited. The Padres haven’t been that good, but we the people of San Diego have baseball. We have a beautiful ballpark. And sometime soon, we will have a world champion team.
A World Series for San Diego
As the World Series this year begins, it makes me think of the Padres. Their last WS appearance was 10 years ago, in the amazing season of 1998.
I wasn’t a Padres fan back then, but I’ve certainly heard about it. That was the WS where we got swept by the New York Yankees. Those were the days of Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Kevin Brown, and Trevor Hoffman. Today’s team is completely different from that 1998 team. Today’s team has a different front office, a different ballpark, and new logos, colors, and uniforms. Today’s team is made up of Jake Peavy, Trevor Hoffman, and Brian Giles, with rising stars like Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chase Headley, and Nick Hundley. This is a young team, no doubt about it. For the last two years, this team has failed.
But I truly believe that we will win the World Series in the near future. Brian Giles has talked about it over and over again. He believes that this team is just a few pieces away. I think it will take a few years, but I agree with him. We’re very close to being a contending team. 2008 was just a glitch that broke the string of three years of contention.
I’ve been watching the playoff games, and it would be incredible to have the Padres there. I see the energy in the ballparks, and I imagine it in PETCO Park. It would be the big downtown party. The playoffs get a lot of publicity, and it would be so cool to have the Padres there. I haven’t truly experienced a Padres championship yet. But I’m ready, hungry for it. Watching the Red Sox in the past two postseasons, I think I understand more clearly now, the joy of having your team in the postseason. It’s amazing.
I don’t know when the Padres will get our World Championship, but we will. It might take a while, but we will get there, and we will win. There will be many disappointments and frustrations, but that will all be forgotten when we win it all. Someday, the Padres will bring a World Title to San Diego. I can’t wait for that day.
RED SOX WIN!!!
For some reason, the Red Sox have suddenly become my second-favorite team. I mean, they always have been, but I’ve really gotten into them this past week. Maybe it’s because they are so talented. Maybe because I think they’re the best team in the playoffs. But whatever the reason, they’re drawing me in. Last night walk-off win thrilled me so much! It was almost like the Padres had won with the way I reacted. Well, I would have been leaping around the house like mad if it were the Padres, but I was still pretty excited about the win. Walk-offs are so much fun, especially when it’s a rookie who gets the big hit. But it was a wild 9th inning. In the top half, the Angels got a runner to third with 1 out. The batter totally missed a bunt with a squeeze on, and Jason Varitek was able to run the runner down and tag him out. The batter then struck out. In the bottom half, Jason Bay hit a ground-rule double with one out, but it probably would have been an inside-the-park homer if in hadn’t bounced into the stands. After Mark Kotsay lined out sharply, rookie Jed Lowrie came to the plate. On a first-pitch curveball, he grounded it just though the hole between first and second. Bay raced around third, and crossed the plate just as the throw came in. It wasn’t close. The Red Sox won. It was a great, great game. Jon Lester had a wonderful outing.
So it will be Boston vs. Tampa Bay in the ALCS, starting on Friday. I am really looking forward to this series. Both of these teams are very talented. The NLCS will be played by the Dodgers and the Phillies. It will be very interesting. I’m picking the Red Sox and the Dodgers for the World Series. Let’s see how it goes.
Unfinished Business 
