A while back I think it was ESPN had an article that paired MLB teams with Premier League teams. So the article would say that if you are Yankees fan, then you should follow Chealsy, Bo Sox were Man U etc etc. The Padres were paired with Fullham F.C and in the lil blurb summary the articled said something along the lines of 'both fan bases love their teams but do not expect championships'. It's sad for die-hards and the Faithful, but for baseball in America's Finest City, that's entirely true.
What should be the expectations for our franchise?
What do we as fans and ticket buyers generally expect?
Should we demand World Series title(s) from our team?
First and foremost, we in San Diego are not clamoring for championships because we live in Southern California. It's beautiful, there's a lot to do but no pressure to always be doing something, and if you want to go outside and enjoy your life with the windows down and the taco stand open, you can do it 340 days a year. Even Petco feels more like an artistic sandstone addition to the Gaslamp Quarter and, not necessarily negatively, gives the feeling of little homage to the old tenants of the houses of baseball that other newer parks like SF and MIL have incorporated into the design. We live in paradise. Do we want to watch a big league ball game? Absolutely. But is it cool if our boys of summer don't make the playoffs? Yes. Generally it's because we can still go to the beach in December, and nobody says 'wicked pissah' to us ever.
Speaking of, have you ever been to Boston? All offense, that's a jankity city, no wonder they are sports obsessed. NY? Well first of all the Yankees have built a winning tradition due mostly to success during a completely different era of sports that should count for less in today's game if we are being objective - but also in a market that large in size, with that much money, hell yes it's understandable that they expect championships, they have the means. I would hate to be a Mets fan, so much money and nothing to show for it every year. But it seems like everyone in the big markets refuses to accept how their superior-on-paper can falter come playoff time.
As for each individual season, I expect the Padres to continue to build, not buy, winnings teams and then add the key pieces at a price in seasons where we can make an impact in the division, and eventually win the division. Getting swept out of the first round by St. Louis 3 times in 10 years got a little old, truthfully, but I still consider those three seasons successful on many levels.
But as for demanding World Series titles from My Padres? I really never even think of that. I think about what advice I'd give to a time traveling penguin ("Stay frosty, friend") more than I think about why the Padres don't ever win it all. This is because when it comes down to it, getting to the playoffs is the most anyone can reasonably ask from any franchise, and especially in MLB.
I know it's sexytime to win it all, but people put so much damn stock into winning a championship. It seems every player's legacy relies on the resume builder of winning it all and it's ridiculous to put so much clout into winning everything when playoffs in all major sports have become such a (joke) gamble. There are too many examples to name, but the first one that come to mind are last season's Seahawks. When shit like the last year's Seahawks happens, you can people possible take the playoffs that serious!?
Derek Jeter said it best at the end of last season "The best teams make the playoffs, the hot teams win." The playoffs are a crap shoot. Which can be great if you are on the right side of the upsets or the hot streaks. But look at two teams in last five years, both in our division, in the Giants and the Rockies. The Rockies, all respect due, had the most unbelievable run I've ever seen in sports (I think it was 17 in a row to take the division, and then swept themselves into the Series). Then there was the Giants last season, best team in the bigs? HAH. Champions? Yup. That's the glory of sports. So to say that going to the final series in a major sport and losing is devastating loss, is completely over the top.
The Miami Heat are taking (and will be until tip-off next season, or perhaps eternity) so much shit for not winning a ring this year, and especially Lebron James. It's chic to hate them, which is sort of getting old. Lebron has been to the finals twice and is 0-2. But Magic Johnson (for my money G.O.A.T: the cat was a 6'9'' pointguard) lost four times in the finals. With the level of today's competition, getting to the finals four times is outlandish, after that the better team might win, but hey f***it they might not. Similarly to the hate going on down in MIA, everyone is jumping onto the Dirkus Circus's bandwagon for getting his ring. The man was always that dude. It should be a more 'oh cool great for him' instead of 'now he is welcome to the best-humans-ever-club.'
And that's where I start to see the stereotypical San Diego sports fan state of mind coming out of me. However for my money we have it right.
Should fans demand a good product and therefore winning? Yes. Championships? Definitely not. Love the game and your team. Enjoy the success good fortunes, and if you're a true fan, bare the lows and the hang-with-em seasons. Everybody needs to chill out brah' and embrace the glory of the playoff chaos.
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