Padres pushed the envelope, rivalry with Clayton Kershaw Jumbotron poke

In the middle of two well-played games in the long-awaited first meeting of the season between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, a little fun and stoking of the Interstate-5 rivalry off the field has suddenly captured the headlines.

If you missed the news or the video, following Friday's Padres win over their neighbors to the north that included San Diego hanging a loss on future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw, the folks running the Padres Jumbotron had a little fun at the expense of the southpaw.

The quick insertion of a crying Kershaw has caught all of the attention around fans knee-deep in the rivalry, with some calling it classless and others loving what the Padres did.

Here's the simple truth: If the goal for the meme usage was to allow Padres fans to bask in the glow of the win, mission accomplished. If the goal was to give the Dodgers plenty of momentum heading into Saturday's game, mission accomplished as well.

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, wearing blue or brown, the quick clip of Kershaw did what it was supposed to do. The Dodgers won Saturday's game and Kershaw seemed to shrug off any poke at him on the Petco Park big screen.

No big deal, right? Well, apparently it is to some who think it took things in the ever-growing rivalry a bit too far. The San Diego Union-Tribune seemed to land on the Dodgers side of the argument, chiding the Padres for what they did.

Come on. Please. Those who have actually watched MLB evolve over the last few years have seen bat flips, home run celebrations, and individuality through athleticism come out as a part of the game. Today's players aren't buttoned up and proper. They're emotional human beings, just like the fans who cheer them on and the people who work behind the scenes for the organization. Celebrating a win over your biggest rival? Yes, that deserves some emotions, even if, in the grand scheme of things, it is one game out of a 162-game regular season schedule.

There is no doubt that, next weekend when the Padres head north to take on the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, emotions will be running high and there will likely be some kind of surprise waiting on social media or the big screen if the Dodgers register a victory. Expect it because it will happen and, when it does, take a breath and know that each side can revel in a victory however they like in May ... but it's making it to October and beyond and celebrating then that really counts.