I don't have much interest in watching baseball games if the Padres aren't involved.  Unlike most San Diego fans and Adrian Gonzalez, I don't have a second favorite team or an American League team that I root for.  I sure as hell am not rooting for a team just because they have a former Padre on their roster.  It's the Padres or nothing for me.

But I do feel like I should have at least some idea of what is going.  I considered watching game highlights to bring me up to speed on what has happened so far in the Post Season, but found a better way.  TAIWANESE ANIMATION!

I can't believe nobody told me how entertaining these games have been so far.  The Phillies having birds poop on their faces, balls bouncing off heads and the Cardinals litterally drank the Brewers.

I guess I'll make an attempt to watch some of these World Series games just so I don't miss any more.

Go Baseball!

On this final day of the 2011 regular season, Channel 4 will be broadcasting its last Padres game.  I want to thank the Ch4 crew for being outstanding all these years and making watching the Padres even more enjoyable.  Hopefully they will find a home at the new network and continue to give us brilliant and fun Padres broadcasts.  I'm certain they won't disappoint us in tonight's season closer.

Wade LeBlanc will try to end the season on a high note as he takes the mound in tonight's finale.  He has done well in his last two starts, combining for 13 innings in which he gave up three runs on eight hits, three walks, and 14 strikeouts.  He hopes to leave a lasting impression in his final start of the season and help the Padres go out with a victory.

Ryan Dempster will try to do the same for the Cubs.  After eight seasons with the team, this may be his last start for them, and in any case he will try to put up a fantastic performance against the Padres tonight.  He is under .500 for the season and hasn't won a game in September, but he has been a fairly solid starter for the Cubs over the years.

Tonight we bid farewell to a 2011 season that many consider disappointing and unfulfilling.  It's a very bittersweet moment.  On one hand, we can finally put this season behind us and look forward to hopefully a better season in 2012.  We can take those 91 losses and push them to the back of our minds.  However, we must now face the offseason.  No more games every night.  No more trips to the ballpark this year.  No more GLB game threads to make you feel less lonely while watching the game at home by yourself.  No, we will have to wait until next Spring when we can get our Padres baseball fix again.  We'll count down the days until pitchers and catchers report, then the days until Spring Training games begin, and finally the days until regular season starts.  When we can gather once more at Petco Park or watch at home from other cities/states/countries, with the anticipation at an unbearable level, and collectively feel at home again as our Padres take the field in probably some snazzy new uniforms that people will hate, but we won't care because baseball will be back and once again all will be right in the world.

I attended my last game of the season last night.  After jbox and I parted, I'm not gonna lie, I got a little emotional.  Despite the ups and downs (noticeably more downs than ups) of this season, it was still full of fun and memories.  We introduced some new players to the organization and said goodbye to others.  We got to see the future of the team come up and give us a taste of the talent that we can look forward to.  We watched our team go through early struggles and injuries and losing streaks, but we also watched them battle back after the All Star Break, get some big wins, and have fun right until the very end.  We were on the good side of some lopsided victories, won some important series, retired Trevor Hoffman in style, and made things in the NL West a little interesting with some division wins at the end.  I also can't remember a year when players interacted more with fans than they did this year, whether it was Orlando Hudson berating boo-ers on Twitter or Heath Bell or Anthony Bass giving away tickets to thank fans for their support.  We've complained and moaned and been depressed many times this season, but we had a lot of good times as well.  Just try to remember that when you start to get sad about the unfulfilled potential of this 2011 season.

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!! FINISH STRONG!!

You guys! Two games left! Is anyone else freaking out? Just me? Okay.

Continue reading this post »

Here we are, entering the final series of the season.  These last three games mean virtually nothing, but let's enjoy them anyway.

Mat Latos will make his final start of 2011 tonight and aims for a strong finish to a season that began a bit rocky for him.  He overcame his first-half struggles and has been able to revert back to the pitcher we saw in 2010, being more consistent and dominant on the mound.  His last start was his best of the year, although he came up just short of a complete game.  He pitched 8 2/3 innings of six-hit one-run ball, walking one and striking out nine.

For the Cubs, pitching opposite Latos, will be Casey Coleman, who has struggled this season as well, but is coming off a fantastic performance against the Brewers.  He struck out a career-high eight batters in six innings of work and allowed just one earned run on two hits and three walks.

Most Padres fans are happy to see the end of the 2011 season.  Let's send it off on a high note and win this last series.

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!! RUIN EVERYTHING!!

Fourth to last game of the year today.  Soon, the Padres' 2011 season will officially be in the books and we will have to wait roughly 4 1/2 months until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training and we can all get our Padres fix.  I know it's been a tough year and we haven't been given much to cheer for, but I'll be a sad jodes on Wednesday night when it's all over, and I plan on following every pitch of these last four games.

Continue reading this post »

Padres play their last Saturday night game of the season.  It's beginning to look like they don't have a chance at the playoffs.  Let's just keep the faith anyway, just in case.

Go Padres!

And so we being the final home stand of the 2012 season.  The season went by so fast and still can't come to an end soon enough.  I think I have a couple more games in me, but I'm ready to put this one to bed.  In a few months I won't even remember the names of Andy Parrino, Will Venable or Alberto Gonzalez.  They'll just blissfully slip from my memory into the ether like so many Padres before them.  I can't wait.

Go Padres! Beat the Dodgers!

Britta Perry trying to convince the Padres F.O. to let her be an honorary Padre:

Continue reading this post »

I've been a bad Padres fan this week.  I've completely missed the games Sunday and Monday and made no effort to find out what happened besides looking at the score.  Only 8 more games left and I'm fading. 

Let's look over the game notes:

• Mat Latos is making his 30th start...
• The Padres haven't won back to back series since the end of June...
• The Padres play .500 ball against the rest of the NL but are 24-43 against the NL West...
• My favorite player Denorfia is hitting .424 since returning from the DL....

Yeah so enjoy this game, I'm going to try and catch the tail end of it.

Go Padres!

The Padres were unable to complete the sweep yesterday against the Diamondbacks.  Aaron Harang couldn't keep the ball from leaving Petco Park, giving up two monster home runs, but he kept us in the game.  However, our bullpen gave up three runs and our offense, after scoring first in the third inning, couldn't make anything else happen at the plate against Arizona starter Joe Saunders, who came within an out of a complete game.  The Padres looked like they were going to rally in the ninth, getting two runners on base with two outs, but J.J. Putz was brought out of the Dbacks bullpen and recorded the last out.

Tonight we kick off our last road trip of the season, consisting only of a three game series in Colorado.  Kevin Millwood will try to keep impressing the Rockies management, as he has since joining the team in August.  In his seven starts with Colorado, he has pitched at least five innings in each and only given up six walks total.  He posts a 3.68 ERA and a 3-2 record and hopes to show the Rockies that he belongs in the starting rotation next season.

Southpaw Cory Luebke will toe the rubber for the Padres.  He has pitched well for the Padres in his 15 starts this season, but hasn't won a game since August 16th.  He has struck out eight or more batters in five of his last eight starts, including his last start, against the Giants, when he pitched a solid six innings and gave up just two runs on 10 hits.

Chase Headley was reactivated from the disabled list today and will be available to pinch hit tonight.  Jesus Guzman was a scratched from the lineup with a sore neck and Aaron Cunningham will be making the start in left while Kyle Blanks will move to first base.  This series against fourth-place Colorado has no playoff implications whatsoever, so we can't really play spoiler. However, we can still ruin the Rockies' night by getting the victory!

GO FRIARS!! KEEP THE FAITH!! RUIN EVERYTHING!!