But that's not what being a Padres fan is all about. You see, unlike Chicago Cubs fans, Padres fans really have no expectations of their team. If we do, our expectations are modest: play .500 ball, stay out of the cellar, beat the Dodgers in our season series, and have killer giveaways. Anything above and beyond, say, making a pennant run, getting into the playoffs, or -- if the planets and the checkbooks are in alignment -- go to the World Series, then that's all just gravy.
Because being a Padres fan is about enjoying baseball in perfect weather. You can accuse us of being fair-weather fans (see Florida Marlins fans) or no-weather fans (see Montreal Expos fans) or even ho-hum-weather fans (see LA Dodgers fans) -- Padres fans just like to see their team play hard and make a decent effort, even if we don't have the talent to compete over the course of a season. And most seasons the team does just that -- which wasn't always the case in the pre-John Moores ownership era.
Which brings us to the 2003 Major League Baseball season just under way. You see, this season is somewhat of a special one to savor because it is the last season the team plays in the Q/Qualcomm/Jack Murphy/the Murph/San Diego Stadium before moving to their new ballpark digs downtown, Petco Park (we'll save the smart aleck quips for next season).
Never mind that ace closer Trevor Hoffman is out for at least half of the season if not all of it. Or that slugger Phil Nevin is lost for the entire season. Or that the pitching staff is talented but woefully green. Or that beyond first baseman Ryan Klesko and centerfielder Mark Kotsay, each day's starting lineup will cause a bump in sales of game programs. It all doesn't matter, because this is the last season baseball will be played in that once charming stadium (not ballpark) turned imposing football white elephant (thanks to the San Diego Chargers) we call the Q.
Oh, and some of the memories we have. Like the very first season as a major league expansion team in 1969. I was 10 years old and the team was dreadful but we loved the fact that we could finally see the Dodgers and the Giants in the flesh. Like our first star, slugging first baseman Nate Colbert. Like the god-awful team uniforms of the 1970s and '80s. Like the magical Cy Young year of Randy Jones. Like when Ray Kroc saved the team from leaving for Washington D.C., and then proceeded to chide the team one night on the PA system for their "stupid play." Like when Tony Gwynn became our very own homegrown superstar - and dared to stay his entire career. Like when Steve Garvey led the team to its very first World Series appearance in 1984.
Like the infamous fire sale of the Tom Werner ownership era. Like Roseanne's butchering of the "Star Spangled Banner." Like owner John Moores rescuing the team from oblivion in the mid-1990s. Like the division championship in 1996. Like the National League pennant in 1998. Like Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley.
Like all the players who passed through the city on to stardom: Dave Winfield, Ozzie Smith, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Fred McGriff, Rickey Henderson, Steve Finley, Ken Caminiti, Gaylord Perry, Goose Gossage, Steve Garvey, Graig Nettles, Rollie Fingers, and on and on.
So, yeah, the 2003 season doesn't look too promising. And the team keeps promising things will change in 2004 when they settle into the Kennel, er, Petco Park. But hey, it's baseball. Only this year, in San Diego, we'll be looking back more than forward. Say goodbye to the Q this year, and enjoy it because it's baseball.
