Here we go again. When I came up with this goal to write 365 different posts, it was at the end of December. The first December, mind you, that was not spent in the medium climate of California. I came up with the idea not knowing what the upcoming year would have in store for me. I wasn't thinking about the San Diego Padres because I, like everyone else in the country, didn't think they would amount to anything in 2010.
If you've been keeping up with this blog, you'll know that the Padres have taken over my posts within the last few months. They're winning. They're winning to the tune of having the best record in the National League. They're winning to the tune of being one win away from being the only team other than the New York Yankees to have a winning record in the last seven consecutive months. It's a good time to be rooting for the Friars and my excitement is clearly making its way into my blog. The Padres are on my mind so they're what I'm writing about. Deal with it.
This morning on the way home from rehab, I was listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio. I rarely listen to the channel because there are too many topics in the world of sports other than baseball. I don't know jack about any other sport so listening to shows about the NFL, NBA, or college football just doesn't do it for me. I lucked out this morning, though. Colin was talking about Cincinnati Reds baseball and how he thought they were frauds. If you don't know anything about baseball, the Reds are the other surprise team in the sport this year. Colin, however, isn't buying it. He thinks they're a team built for the regular season and will never amount to anything in the postseason.
He made some good points about how the Reds have beat up on the lousy National League teams, but what caught my attention was how in the process of naming off all of these terrible teams, he never once mentioned my Padres. He didn't bring the Padres up because they aren't a terrible team. When Colin started naming the teams that were going to succeed in the playoffs, he named the Cardinals, Phillies (neither of which has a better chance of clinching a playoff berth than Cincinnati but that's neither here nor there), and Yankees. Again, no mention of those guys down in San Diego.
After yesterday's win over Milwaukee, a fan called in to the postgame show and sang the same tired song that San Diego fans are used to. It's the only song we know. "The media doesn't give the Padres enough credit." Even in 1998 when they made it to the World Series, the producers played clips of spaghetti westerns that asked, "Who are these guys?" They were on one of the biggest stages in sports and they still weren't getting any respect. It used to really bother me. This was my team you're not talking about!
I don't know when it changed, but I have a completely different perspective now. I don't want my team featured on Baseball Tonight. I don't want Colin Cowherd talking about my team's chances at success (whether it's a positive or a negative). I know how good or bad my team is doing and I don't need some talking head giving me his opinion. Without the media coverage, my team can do their thing, fly under the radar, and leave their opponents wondering what hit them.
Every player that comes to San Diego loves it. They never stay because they can get more money from another team, but their most memorable years are those spent in a Padres' uniform. Ask Greg Maddux. The year he had the most fun? 2007. His first year with the Padres. The Padres didn't make the playoffs that year (and no, I don't want to go into more detail than that) so why was that year so memorable for Mad Dog? I'm going out on a limb here, but I would be willing to bet that the lack of media coverage that he was used to in Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles had something to do with it.
The only thing that coverage brings is pressure. If you get a group of athletes that can play the game, playing in a city that doesn't get any "respect" from the "experts" can be that extra boost needed during crunch time. If you want to root for a team that ESPN loves, buy a Red Sox or Yankees cap. I want my team to win. I want to be the underdog. Who are these guys? Just another baseball team. Hey, how about those Yankees?
No comments:
Post a Comment