It was a warm afternoon in San Diego. Petco Park was about halfway full, with thousands more shuffling in by the minute. I found myself surrounded by Tigers fans. “Great” I whispered, “now I get to hear about the ‘84 series for the next three hours.”
The starting time for the game was still about 20 minutes away, and vendors started to walk through the aisles offering mostly cold drinks and iced treats.
I waited for the rest of my party to return from the concession stand and looked down at my cell phone, shuffling through unread text messages.
San Diego baseball fans are usually pretty tepid, usually more enthused to talk about the weather and summer blockbuster movies than what’s going on inside the diamond, so when suddenly a mixed chorus of boos and cheers rained down on the field, I quickly lifted my gaze to find the center of debate.
And there he was. Never looking up from the perfectly mowed grass, jogging along the outfield towards the home bullpen in left-center field, Trevor Hoffman, cap pulled down low on his forehead and jacket covering up name and number, couldn’t hide from his fans—and his detractors.
I decided to voice my opinion, standing up from my seat along the right field wall and expelling a hearty, “Booooo!” My notion of the tepid, fair-weather San Diego fan was about to be challenged. “Come on, man! He’s the best ever!” I heard a voice say a few rows behind me. “Exactly. And he’s done. Remember what happened to Tony Gwynn,” I shouted.
And Willie Mays. And Babe Ruth. And Michael Jordan. And countless other legends.
Trevor Hoffman turns 41 this October, an October he’ll no doubt spend in his home in Southern California watching other teams compete for a World Series crown, as the Padres stumble towards a season where they can potentially lose upwards of 100 games.
Though it would be truly incorrect to pin the Padres’ woes on a few blown saves and an uncharacteristically high ERA from Hoffman, here’s just a few reasons why Trevor should consider sitting there in his living room and making the decision to hang it up soon—and fittingly—leaving the ninth-inning routine and “Hell’s Bells” to his probable successor, Heath Bell.
His salary
The Padres aren’t that cost-cutting, bottom-dwelling club that they have historically been. The Padres’ management consider the ‘08 season as a setback from the ultimate goal that San Diego has of being a perennial playoff contender.
Petco Park has eased the team’s finances, giving it great revenue, which has reflected itself in the Padres’ payroll staying over the $70 million mark, even after trading Greg Maddux and releasing Jim Edmonds earlier in the season.
However, San Diego’s payroll still ranks 19th in the league, and 1/10th of the team’s salary is going squarely into Trevor Hoffman’s pocket.
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