SB Nation User Blog: sdgaucho

Petco Park ushers

sdgaucho — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:52:58 -0000

Hi guys, I just wanted to share something with the Gaslamp Ball community. I went to the game last night, and I wish I hadn't, not just because of the end result. The following is the letter I sent to the Padres this morning. Thanks for reading.

I had a very bad experience at Petco Park last night that I wanted to share with you. My friends and I were walking up the ramp to our seats in section 315, and we paused at the top of the ramp in section 329 to watch the last at bat of the inning. Khalil Greene was up with the bases loaded. There were two outs and two strikes on Khalil. The usher responsible for patrolling section 329 didn't like the fact that we stopped there. My friends had sat down in the Upper Boxes in 329, and that apparently offended this man greatly, because he motioned them out of there in the rudest manner possible short of using profanity.

Now, these weren't their seats (although there wasn't a soul in the entire section, so I don't see the harm being done), so I can't really say I object to him moving them out. He could have done it in a more courteous manner, but I've learned to curb my expectations of the staff at Petco these days. What I can't forgive so easily is his attitude following. My friends left the seats and joined me behind the blue line to watch the last of Greene's at bat. The man must have taken this as a personal slap in the face because he looked at us and shouted "MOVE ON NOW!". The look on his face suggested that if we didn't comply, some kind of physical interaction would have followed.

We weren't seat crashing, we had every intention of moving on to our seats, AFTER the Greene at-bat. If we had proceeded directly to our seats we would missed the at-bat since you can't see the field from the concourse. We paid money to watch a baseball game and that's all we were doing, watching one at-bat in a bases loaded situation, yet we were treated like scum by this rude, humorless curmudgeon. Keep in mind that walking around Petco, you see A TON of people standing near various sections watching the game.

Did this guy walk around the whole stadium herding people away, or were we just lucky? And it's not like we're a gang of punks looking to cause trouble, one of my friends was pushing a stroller for God's sake. I've been to Petco dozens of times, I am a former full season ticket holder. I know ballpark etiquette, and we did nothing wrong. My experience at the park has also given me the good fortune of meeting ushers who bend over backward to make your ballpark experience a good one.

To say this man was not in that category would be a massive understatement. Like I said, I've been to the park often enough to know that there are good people there, but my friends have not. Consequently, they leave Petco Park with a bad taste in their mouth and a negative impression of the organization I grew up supporting. That hurts me, and it should hurt you too.

Given the on-field issues the team has suffered through this year, you can't afford to alienate people like me. I have and will continue to support this team through thick and thin, but I need to know that the organization takes itself seriously on each and every level, and after last night I have my doubts.

I know being rude and stupid isn't a requirement for becoming an usher, but this guy slipped through the cracks. Personality and self-awareness should be the deciding factors in whether or not someone is hired into a position like that. This man embarrassed the Padres last night, and as a life-long fan, I take great offense to that. I hope you address this, because failure to do so would say a great deal about the state of the organization at this point, none of it good.

Piazza calling it quits

sdgaucho — Tue, 20 May 2008 19:33:12 -0000

Piazza calling it quits

"Last but certainly not least, I can't say goodbye without thanking the fans," Piazza said. "I can't recall a time in my career where I didn't feel embraced by all of you. Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland and Miami -- whether it was at home or on the road, you were all so supportive over the years.

I Broke Tony Gwynn!! - Updated!! Back in the game!!

sdgaucho — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:13:28 -0000

Finally, some good Pads-related news. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. A winning streak perhaps?? Compotent baseball perhaps?? He can even bobble a little! Behold:

I am very sad. I was changing out my computer at work and one of the four T. Gwynn bobbleheads I have in my office was knocked behind my desk. It suffered a compound fracture of the neck along with cuts and scrapes. The head can be re-attached with superglue, but I'm afraid his bobbling days are over. This is just the latest sad chapter in what has been a rough season so far. Just thought I'd share my pain with my fellow GLBers. Hopefully the team and my psyche can recover.

Opening Night pictures

sdgaucho — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:59:46 -0000

Most of these were taken by me, but some were taken by my friend Andy, who is a professional photographer. Unfortunately, he labeled most of his shots so I couldn't pass them off as my own, damn him. It was a fun, though cold, night at the park. Baseball is back!!

Enjoy:

Pics

FriarFest 2008

sdgaucho — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 01:13:08 -0000

Went to FriarFest today and had a fun time. We went on the clubhouse tour and saw some neat stuff, then got to run the bases. This was my first time on the field with the bases installed, and it was very cool. I always envied the kids for getting to run the bases during the season, so it was fun finally getting to do it. Although we didn't meet up with jbox at third base, we ran into him and Jon at a later point.

I also scored a Padres banner at the Padres Foundation Garage Sale. They could have washed them, but it was only ten bucks, so I'm not complaining.

This was my first FriarFest and I had a really good time. My only complaint is the fact that the ticket machines at the main gate couldn't scan the print-at-home tickets. What's up with that? You'd think they had plenty of time to get it straight, but I guess not.

See my pictures at the following link. alohabing will be posting hers later, look for a shot of me sliding into second. By the way, pay special attention to the last shot of my set. You'll see a certain group of rabid fans on the jumbotron.

Enjoy.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.bc7f0j0o&x=0&y=-lk5ima

Compadre Batting Practice

sdgaucho — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:57:18 -0000

Last Saturday I joined some of my fellow season ticket holders for batting practice at Petco Park. It was a blast hitting balls on a big league field. They pitched kind of slow; I felt like I was coming out of my shoes, kind of like Khalil trying to hit Livan Hernandez. But I'm not going to complain about the opportunity to do something like this. I have to add that I ripped one back up the box, and if the guy hadn't ducked behind the pitching machine, he would have been gargling his molars. Teach him to pitch slow.

They also let us play the field while other people were batting, so I got to step on the infield dirt for the first time. It was really cool fielding ground balls, even though I booted one at second base. But in my defense, second base is not my natural position. We all know from the Compadre Field Day pictures that I'm a pitcher/outfielder.

After I was done, we went down to the visitor's dugout and discovered that the doors to the tunnel were open, offering us complete access to what lies beneath. We got some nice pictures, but eventually a redshirt came around and bounced us out.

My friend and fellow GLBer alohabing and her husband, Mr. Bing, took these pictures, so thanks to them. This was a lot of fun. Enjoy the pics.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.92ki21co&x=0&y=-yn6wd7

I can't believe it's over

sdgaucho — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:06:40 -0000

It's all been said, but I'm going to put my two cents in anyway.

Not the ending we wanted. I'm feeling what you're all feeling; I can't believe it's over, just like that. We got screwed. The umpires hate us. All that. I feel you. But the bottom line is, we didn't execute when we had a chance to win. The Rockies did. They move on. We don't. But let's think about what we saw this season:

Jake Peavy: The best pitcher in baseball. Does he choke in big game situations? Absolutely not. He has the opposite problem. Chokers don't want the ball, they don't want any responsibility or accountability. Jake wants it too much. He gets too pumped, too amped. His attitude and personality are a big part of why we love him, along with that magic right arm. But when he learns to pace himself, to dial it down when the situation calls for it, we will see a great pitcher evolve into a great big game pitcher. It will be wonderful to watch.

Adrian Gonzalez: Can we say "superstar"? 30 -100 while playing most of his games in the best pitchers park in baseball. A great (though erratic at times) glove. There is not a first baseman in the game, Fat Albert and Ry Ho included, who I would take over our home-grown kid. Here's to many years of AGone's sweet swing lighting up the National League.

Kouz: What does it say about a kid who is struggling to hit .100 at one point in the season and finishes at .275? And he will only hit for more power. Any fears about the second coming of Sean Burroughs have been laid to rest. Kouz will be a solid major leaguer at third base for a long time to come.

"Dammit" Khalil: Almost a 30-100 season with next to no plate discipline isn't an easy thing to do. And he can do things with the glove that other shortstops can only duplicate on the video game system of their choice. He may be a K-Bot, but he's OUR K-Bot.

Uncle Milty: Re-sign him? Hell yes. He brings something we sorely need to clubhouse: passion. Will he go off every now and then? Of course. Will his bat go off a lot more frequently? No doubt. He's an exciting, talented player. We need him on our field.

Mike Cameron: Re-sign him? Unless Torii Hunter is willing to take a San Diego discount, we pretty much have to. And I'm fine with that. He can cover an outfield like few others, and he plays with absolutely no fear. Sure, he'll throw in the more than occasional K, but he can also go deep at any moment. I'll take Mike Cameron on my team.

Bud Black: A few rookie mistakes aside, I thought he did a decent job. Stop playing all the scrubs on the same day, know your personnel a little better, and learn the proper way to restrain a player who's going off, and maybe you can hang around as a big league manager. He's going to be our manager for the next few years at least, so we're going to have to learn to live with him. Let's hope he learns from his mistakes.

Trevor Hoffman: Let's start this by saying this man has done more for baseball in San Diego than anyone, save one guy they made a statue of. His dedication to this team and this community is beyond question and his performance on the field has been a rare combination of greatness and consistency for more than a decade. If there is a gold standard for Hall of Fame closers, Trevor Hoffman is that standard. That being said, the writing is on the wall. Nothing lasts forever. The days of Trevor as big time closer are over. And there is no shame in that. Everyone ages. Even Rivera has shown the effects this season. For Trevor to still be as effective as he is, with another 40 save season, is a testament to his greatness. But the intimidation factor is gone. The "Oh shit" factor is gone. Hell's Bell's don't ring as loudly as they once did. There is no shame in recognizing that.

Trevor is still a highly effective pitcher. As someone said in the thread, average hitters (i.e. most of the hitters in baseball) will still be handcuffed by Trevor Hoffman. But the big time hitters, the great ones....man, it's a tough thing to say, but do we really want Trevor facing any of them with a 1 run lead? He doesn't need to retire. He can obviously still help us, and he's earned the right to go out on a better note. I'm thinking he should split time with Bell at closer next year. If it's a three run lead, it's Trevor Time. Maybe even a two run lead against a weak hitting team. But if it's a 1 run lead against a good time, it's time for the Cookie Monster. They can share the closer role, and it would work out for everyone. You can't just demote Trevor. First off all, you can't do that to the guy. Secondly, 42 saves isn't an accident. Clearly he still has something left in the tank. We just need to be more judicious with the way we use it now. There is no shame in that.

I still love Trevor Hoffman. I will cry when we retire his number and when his statue takes its place next to Tony's. I will cry during his Hall of Fame speech. The sun is setting on a great career.

Lastly, a HUGE thank you to all the members of GLB. I found this place midway through the season and now I can't imagine Padres baseball without it. Everyone brings their own unique perspective and personality to the mix, but we are united in our passion for our team. Regardless of age, gender, or geography, we all found a place we can come together, and I just think that is the coolest thing. Thank you Dex and jbox for all your hard work and dedication in supplying us with this outlet.

I will be checking in over the off season. There will be pictures from another Compadres event in November (sdgaucho taking his cuts in the cage baby! Look out Western Metal Building, I'm coming for you!) And maybe a Spring Training road trip.

Take care everyone. The best to all of you.

Compadre Field Day 2007

sdgaucho — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 21:47:38 -0000

Wow, the last couple of days have really sucked. But you know what didn't suck? Compadre Field Day!

It rained on us a little, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits as we frolicked on the field at Petco Park. This year, I had the photography services of my friend and fellow Gaslamp Baller alohabing. She has a really nice camera and took some good action shots of me. This is pure self-indulgence on my part. There are no pictures of Padre players in here, just me having a blast on the field. The Friar was there, if that adds any legitimacy. But if you want to see a fellow GLBer robbing a homerun, throwing off the mound, and chilling in the dugout, enjoy. This really was a cool experience. And you'll notice from the number of shots that I REALLY liked pitching from the mound. That was good times.

Again, nothing Earth-shattering here, just wanted to share.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.5yz27v40&x=0&y=ecmg2e

Off day photojournal

sdgaucho — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 17:35:04 -0000

This seems to be the day to share pictures, so I wanted to join in the fun. Most of these were taken last season, but since I didn't know about GLB last season, I'm sharing them now. Some of them turned out pretty well.

The first link is a combination of shots from last year's Compadre Field Day and the games when Trevor tied and broke the saves record.

The second group is from last year's postseason. It didn't turn out great for us, but I got some good shots. A note about the game 2 pics; if it looks like I was practically sitting on the field when I took the pictures, I just about was. A friend of mine scored some crazy seats through his work, and I was about 4 rows back from the third base line. It was mainly Cardinals family and executives around me, but still great seats.

The final link is one I posted a while back in one of the threads, but if you missed it then, here's your chance. It's from Tony Gwynn night when they unveiled the statue, and also pics from the giant jersey dedication. For those who haven't yet seen the statue up close, I took approximately one million shots of it from every conceivable angle.

I love taking pictures of Padre stuff, so there are a ton of shots here. I figure we have nothing better to do on an off day. Enjoy.

PS - Anyone going to this year's Field Day?

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.amfcjra8&x=0&y=i1h2mj

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.bnoxxlp8&x=0&y=-4f63d7

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=bao1rk0.35jejlgg&x=0&y=-9mur12