Twenty years now, where’d they go.
Twenty years, I don’t know…”
-Bob Seger
Every visit
to Petco Park is an all-inclusive trip down memory lane. From the short
conversation about duck hunting I had with Ted Williams when we ceremoniously raised
the right field foul pole sometime in 2001 to the day we opened the place and
Rudy helped Rickey find the Western Metal Supply Building, there is never a
shortage of fond recollections.Tonight
was an overload not unlike the surplus adrenaline I carried home with me after
every game of the magical season of 1998.
The game
was the second game of what I like to call a multi-generational doubleheader.
Trevor Time 2.0 and his Blue Jays won their Little League game 2-0 and soon
after the final out, we hightailed it down the 94 to our summer home. As always,
we knew we were in for a great night but nothing could have prepared us for
what was to come.
Not long
after the gates opened I had a great conversation with a man who has had season
tickets since the early 1980’s. Though I hadn’t known him previously, he knew
me well and talked of the excitement I used to bring to the Murph. You know you’ve
done something right if someone you’ve never met before recalls and praises
your work…
Had an
early dinner at Lolita’s before the game. Not bad. But nothing beats the camaraderie
and hospitality of tailgating. When Petco Park was designed, there was
initially no plan to include tailgate facilities. Makes me think Dean Spanos
must have been the one to put the idiotic “no tailgating” idea in the suggestion
box…
Sensory
overload occurred when Ted Leitner’s voice came across the PA. Just hearing him
say names like Gwynn, Caminiti and of course Hoffman made me feel like I had
been transported back two decades…
Another sensory
overload came when I was asked “What is your favorite memory of the 1998
season?” No problem thinking of one, the hard part was focusing on that one
memory while hundreds of other great memories came to mind…
Surpassed
only by my niece and nephew making a surprise appearance at Trevor’s game
earlier in the day, the most heartfelt moment came when I ran into former
Padres Director of Military Marketing Captain John C. “Fingers” Ensch; a great
man and a great American. They just don’t make them like Captain Jack anymore…
In another
heartfelt moment, members of the Caminiti, Coleman, Gwynn, Picciolo and Towers
families were introduced. Hey, who’s cuttin’ onions?...
Cuttin’ Onions,
Part Deaux: There were scattered empty seats around the ballpark due to it not
being a sellout. The tears flowed when I saw the empty seats of Frank Glenski
and Jim Zimmerman; stalwart fans who passed on just before this season started…
If sports
fandom was structured like the military, Summer Serrano and the Madres would be
SEAL Team Six. They are hands down the best of the best…
Spent a
good amount of time with Franklin “K Man” Lewis, one of my closest friends
anywhere in or out of the Ballpark. No matter how much some things change,
Franklin is a great reminder that the best things never do…
I’ve had
some habits over the years I would rather not see my children pick up. But it’s
an honor to share baseball with Trevor. He’s at home there, taking to the
ballfield like a duck to water. Or an Eskimo to an igloo. Or a Dodger fan in
jail. Or... well, you get the picture…
Our actual
seats were in the upper deck and naturally we ended up just a bit closer to the
field, having spent the last five innings of the game directly behind the home
dugout. I assure you all, when you saw me looking at my phone in the top of the
11th inning, I was reading the early release of Nick Canepa’s “Sez Me” column. I’m still hoping he
knows imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery…
A college
kid sitting behind me was talking about his uncle, who attended our division
clinching, come from behind win against L.A. I turned around and smiled, then
told him my part of the story. When I finished he stared at me in awe. He then
tugged the sleeve of my jersey and said “This
thing’s two years older than me!” Sometimes “Old Moments” are the best
moments…
Call me old
fashioned, but I think John Moores had a more of a right to speak during
tonight’s pregame ceremony than Ron Fowler. No John Moores means no Petco Park…
I love our
downtown home. Always have, always will. What I don’t like is how each season
it looks more and more like a NASCAR uniform…
Didn’t get
my usual opportunity to talk to some of the current Pad Squad members but I did
get the chance to watch them do slingshots. Barely reached past ten rows on most
attempts. Something’s missing…
There was
nothing missing during the National Anthem. Anisha Gwynn delivered as expected.
I wouldn’t mind hearing her beautiful rendition another 3,141 times…
Padres great Gary Templeton recently claimed
the 1984 Padres would have beaten the 1998 team. Tough call but the consensus I
gathered leaned toward the team that built the Ballpark. I’d hand it to ‘98 as
far as starting rotation and outfield, but leadoff hitter would have to go to
the 1984 team hands down. Saddens me to think how unknown Alan Wiggins is to so
many fans. With apologies to Rickey Henderson (who was well past his prime in a
Padre uniform), Wiggins was the best leadoff hitter we’ve ever had…
As I begin
to close this thing out, I recall a spirited conversation about Goose Gossage
and Trevor Hoffman. Often spoken of as not the nicest of guys, Goose was always
great whenever I had the chance to talk with him. But Rudy didn’t name his firstborn
after no bird…
As usual, I
cannot write about, visit or even think about Petco Park without these three
words running through my head;
Thank you, Larry…
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