Quadruple-A Baseball: I Need Therapy

Jun 10, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Yonder Alonso (23) reacts after striking in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies defeated the Padres, 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

I love the Padres. I am a hardcore sports fan, so I like a few different teams. But I can tell you that the San Diego Padres may be my favorite team of them all. I do enjoy BYU sports and Chargers football, but there is nothing like a summer game at Petco Park or coming home after a long day and flipping on the game on Channel 4 and now Fox Sports San Diego. The Padres have been therapeutic for me….and also have had me nearly calling a therapist.

The first two games of the series against the Giants had me in pure bliss. We had scored 13 runs, on 20 hits, and things were looking up. Then a guy named Tim Lincecum came along and ruined the party. Once again, I am down in the dumps, shaking my fist at the heavens screaming “Why us?!” I have been through so much with this team.

I vaguely remember as a little kid the ’98 World Series, but I do remember it. I was watching when Tony Gwynn slapped hit number 3,000 in Montreal in 1999. I was there during the struggles of the early 2000’s. I was there for the 2 straight National League Western Division championships in 2005 and 2006. I was heartbroken with the rest of San Diego as the Padres squandered a lead in the 13th inning of game #163 against Colorado in 2007. I still don’t think Matt Holiday touched home plate. I was there for Greg Maddux’s 350th career win (no really, I was there in the stands that night). I watched in awe as Adrian Gonzalez hit 30+ home runs 4 straight years in San Diego. I marveled as Trevor Hoffman made history. We all have been there. We all have suffered, cheered, cried and yelled.

As Padres fans, it has been a roller coaster ride, lots of ups and downs. In recent years unfortunately, it has been more downs than ups. This year the Padres are 2-5 after winning two straight games. Twice they have been shutout after winning two straight. Also, 3 times this season they have been shut out a day after scoring 6+ runs. The Padres keep playing with my heart. I get all excited, watching them string together a few wins then they lose, and lose bad. Then it’s back to “Fire Bud Black!” and “Trade everybody!” I experienced this yesterday watching the buzz-saw that was Lincecum.

We need consistency. We also need to understand that a baseball season is 162 games long, a marathon not a sprint. Had the Padres lost yesterday’s game 5-4 I might not feel the way I do. But a day after scoring 7 runs on 12 hits, you can’t come up with a goose egg in both the runs and hits column. That’s toying with everyone’s emotions in San Diego. I love this team so much. I will watch as many games as I can, even if we finish 40-122. But until we can find a way to get a consistent flow of offense, the Padres will continue to cause me to have a therapist on speed dial, and they will continue to play…Quadruple-A baseball.