The Little Team that Could: San Diego Padres Take the Baseball World by Surprise

It is nearing the end of the 2010 baseball season with just 35 or so games left to play for each team. The Yankees again look as if they've bought a pennant unless the persistent Tampa Bay boys of summer shock them, the Red Sox are fighting to stay in the race, and the Dodgers are well into their customary post-All Star break swoon. As for the Chicago Cubs, it's "Wait'll next year!" once again.

There are no surprises there or in most of the rest of baseball. The teams singled out before opening day are pretty much where the pundits picked them to be. Except one, the humble San Diego Padres, one of the lowest budget teams in modern baseball and rated 29th of 30 overall by the '˜experts' prior to the season.

The Padres, a collective of youngsters for the most part, have taken the baseball world by surprise winning 76 games of their first 129, are in first place in the National League West division leading San Francisco by five games as of August 30th, and have been entrenched there for most of the season much to the chagrin of everyone in the know about baseball. Who'da thunk it?

For a team with payroll of less than $45 million (compared to the Yankees at way over $200 million), the Padres have achieved a miracle of sorts. Looked down upon by most of the pundits, they have opened the eyes of those who think you can't win today without spending gazillions of dollars on overpaid, pampered egomaniacs. To wit: Manny Ramirez of the Dodgers for one.

The Padres have a youthful team with most players earning less than $500,000 per year. However, the joy of this season has been watching them overcome all odds and win consistently with a brand of baseball featuring great pitching from their five starters and a bullpen of reliable relievers, to a pesky defensive attitude of making big plays when needed. That, combined with their uncanny ability to come up with crucial hits when a game is on the line '" especially so in late innings, and a team committed to stealing bases like thieves in the night, has led to their first place standing and the projection of a playoff spot come October. (Don't mention that around the Padre players '" not yet anyway. Their team attitude has been '˜one game at a time' all year and they aren't yet looking too far ahead of themselves.)

Around San Diego there's a buzz in the air. Radio talk show guys are quizzically asking "Is it a dream? Are the Pad's really going to the playoffs?" Of course, those are the same guys who have regularly and hostilely questioned management for years for not going all in, for not signing megabucks demanding, budget busting superstars, for believing the club's farm system and trade pickups were subpar, and other inane such suggestions put forth as if they themselves knew more about baseball operations than the owners and managers. (Are your ears burning, Hacksaw Hamilton?)

The big conundrum now is fan attendance which is averaging slightly over 25,000 per game. The Padres have gone to the extreme to improve overall attendance which once, opening year for the new PetCo Park ball field, exceeded three million. It is up over the 2009 average of 22,000+ per game, but the fans have not flocked to the ballpark in the numbers the owners would like to see. With the economy being what it is, with San Diego offering so many other outdoor summer activities, attendance has been disappointing considering the Padres near season long dominance of their division as well as key wins against the better teams in baseball. However, attendance is picking up and the Padres will surpass the two million mark before season's end '" 18 more home games.

As a long time fan of my local team, it is fun to watch them play. Their youthful exuberance is evident each and every time they take the field; they are never intimidated nor hesitant when playing the '˜big boys' of baseball '" they truly believe they can win every game they play even against their most formidable opponents. There are no superstars on the team. Every player supports his teammates and every player is supported, in turn, by them even when they've had a bad game. It is '˜team' in its most simplest form; there's not an iota of selfishness to be found. Clubhouse chemistry is, at times, questioned as a true necessity by modern day baseball buffs. Some say it is not as vital as some others tout. I disagree. Chemistry is a prime factor in the Padres clubhouse; it's all for one and one for all. They bolster each other's confidence and challenge each other to play better every game. They have fun at the game of baseball and it's obvious.

Will my loveable San Diego Padres, the little team that could, make it to the playoffs this year? Most likely. Will they prevail in the stout competition they will face come October? They see no reason why not. They have confidence in their abilities and do not look at their season as some sort of fluke. They truly believe they will have earned their 1st place position and are not going to give it away without a fight. Me, too.
The Padres have not enjoyed a trip to the World Series since 1998 when they were swept by the daunting Yankees of the period. Could 2010 be a rematch? Could it be possible that the world famous and world hated Yankees come up against their '˜David'?

Let's get out to the ballpark and support them this last month and let them know we appreciate their spirited, never quit brand of baseball as well as their "We're having fun!" sports entertainment provided us.

Go Pad's!