September 18: Pick on Someone Else

I'm not a huge football fan; pro or collegiate. I couldn't care less about the NBA. Hockey? What's that? It's no secret that the only sport I follow is baseball. Not Minor League baseball or college baseball, but Major League Baseball. It's all I care about. Not only do I love the sport, but I love the Padres of San Diego. A team in its forty-first year. A team without any world championships, no hitters, or players who have hit for the cycle. Since 1969, the team has been to the World Series twice and has a 1-8 record between the two appearances.

If history says anything at all, the team I love and follow is not any good. For this reason, I've never been one to talk down on someone else's team. No matter how much I loathe the Dodgers, Rockies, Giants, or Diamondbacks, you will never hear me talking trash to a fan of those teams. No matter how poorly any of those teams are doing, I will never rub it in the face of its fans. I never have and I never will. I understand that when people do it to each other, it's generally in jest and it isn't intended to hurt feelings. But because I don't follow any other sports and my heart is 100% into Padres baseball, "trash talk" hurts.

For some reason, people love to tease me. I don't know if it's because I laugh it off or because I'm genuinely goofy. Whatever the reason, people seem to leech off this trait and attack me at my weakness for the Padres. Although, I never thoroughly enjoy the taunts, I can deal with the first few assaults. It's when they keep coming that really irritates me. I know they've been sucking. I know they aren't deserving to make the playoffs. I get it!

Today it happened. A lot. Someone thought it would be funny to tell everyone I work with to approach me and mention a recent game. Okay. Funny. But when people come up to me multiple times it gets old. Really old. "Man, I'm sorry to hear about your Padres?" Are you? Can you name three players on the team? Who do you like? Can you name three players on that team? The answer was always no.

Make fun of my hair. Make fun of my inability to get a date. But leave my Padres alone. It's sort of a sensitive subject and I don't find it that amusing. Thank you.