The Padres: A team of destiny

October 21, 1988
Originally published by The State Hornet (Sacramento State)

Think about it. With all the hoopla going on in baseball this year, it's easy to overlook that no dog was as consistently as far under as the San Diego Padres. The Padres were the worst team in baseball just five years ago. They were playing this year not only to have a winning season, but to get their city to vote for a new stadium to keep them from leaving.

It was a foregone conclusion this spring that either the Padres would have a good season or their next address would be in northern Virginia, where a lot of baseball teams seem to be headed lately.

It's not as if things have been iffy in San Diego before. They stunk up the majors so bad as an expansion team in the '70s that they were nearly headed to the nation's capital. Then Ray and Joan Kroc of McDonald's managed to save the team...

...while poisoning the rest of us with their hamburgers.

Remember the movie The Bad News Bears? In those days, when you went to see the Padres play, you couldn't tell the difference. They were that horrible.

The San Diego brass woke up after a over a decade of sloppiness. They wooed Steve Garvey away from the Los Angeles Dodgers, then lured Goose Gossage away from the Yankees.

Back then, they wore those insipid brown and gold colors that made them look like overgrown tacos. In 1984, they sneaked past the Cubs into the Series, only to be pile-driven by the Detroit Tigers.

Brown and gold gave way to brown and orange after that, but the swinging friars could not recapture their magic. Then came the blue and orange trappings, and still they stunk.

Until 1996, when they fought past the heavily-favored Dodgers to win the National League West. Then another appearance this year, which saw them get past two teams--Houston and Atlanta--which should have beaten them handily.

One constant over the years--Tony Gwynn, of batting title fame.

Here is one guy who could have split a long time ago. Nobody ever plays 15 years with one team anymore, let alone a whole career.

There are many obvious contrasts in this World Series.

In New York, you go to the game praying you don't get beat up or mugged. Yankee fans are so tough, they belt on each other. In San Diego, you go wearing shades and sunscreen. Padre fans don't bite, scratch, kick or throw things--except the occasional beach ball. Statistically, these two teams don't even compare. This season, New York had more runs, hits, homers, stolen bases, walks and they hit better. The Padres' only hope is to counter that with their good pitching.

No one, but no one will be surprised if the Yankees swat them aside like an annoying gnat in the Series. But the point is, they got there when no one expected them to. The blue and orange have nothing to lose.

I don't know about you, but I love an underdog. Which means I've been hurt more often than not--making the rare upsets all the more better.