[editor's note, by Dex] I'll admit it. That loss got me down, but we're not eliminated yet. The Padres are at their best when people count them out. Read the words of Pants to get yourselves on the up and up again.

I don't see a Fat Lady anywhere!

This is not the Padres team of 2005. This is not the Padres team of 1996. The feelings that most of us are having right now are more like 1984 feelings. We were optimistic of the post-season back then. Then the Cubs smacked the Padres in the mouth...twice! We were depressed. We were mad. And do you think we just rolled over? NO! Dammit. We BELIEVED!

In Game 3, Ed Whiston took the hill against Dennis Eckersley, and you know what happened? The Padres lost.

No, silly, they won. Did I mention it was Ed Freakin' Whitson versus Eck? Then Game 4 happened. Oh, the humanity! Our collective souls were crushed once again because we are Padres fans.

Wait, what? Oh, yeah. THIS happened:

And that was against Lee Smith. Perhaps you've heard his name recently. Something about someone or other involving "saves" and "all-time"?

Then in Game 5, Eric Show gave the Padres a solid 1.1 innings of work to put the Padres in a 3-0 hole, followed by Andy Hawkins, Dave Dravecky, Craig Lefferts, and The Goose combining for 2 hits and 1 walk to hold the Cubs to 3 runs so that Leon Durham could do his thing in the 7th and lo and behold, the Padres came from 2 games behind to beat a Cubs team that, for all intensive purposes, should have won the NLCS.

So, for all you youngsters out there with your iPods and your myspace and your TRL do not despair. There is no Cardinal mystique. There will be a Game 3 and a Game 4 and there sure as hell will be a Game 5 and then a Game 1 again! This franchise has done it once before and they can do it again.

Unless, of course Suppan and Marquis pitch in a manner that makes Jeff Weaver's Game 2 performance look Jeff Weaver pitching on other day of his life. All they have to do is beat Carpenter, but we all know the Padres have no chance of beating Carpy. None. Right?

The series is not over. Hit your booze bottles or your beer or your crack / hookers / heroin / listening to the Corky's commercial binge or whatever vice that gets you through trying times like this for the next 42 or so hours.

On Saturday morning, take a hot shower, got get yourself some fish tacos, and pray at the alter of Bip Roberts that you've built in your house. Game 3 is just around the corner and that will lead to baseball salvation and, ultimately, the NLCS!

Good luck and Godspeed, you Padres fans! Keep the faith!

GO PADRES!

Update [2006-10-6 15:26:15 by Pants]: Sing along with Aki to get you going.