San Diego Natives Know: Padres Just a Feeder Team

Just as I'm removing the tags from my eBay purchased replica jersey of an All-Star to rally behind a dismal time in San Diego Padres baseball lore...

“To a certain extent, I don't disagree with people who say the best thing for the Padres is to go out and get a bunch of people for me,” said San Diego native and Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

Trade an All-Star, a rock, a cornerstone to an organization in order to fill the multiple gaps with prospects?

These holes were ripped open by the frugal spending of the front office, feeding San Diego with public relations light shows and excuses about rebuilding periods.

I have heard this scenario way too many times before. 

Being born and raised in San Diego, my household taught me to live and die with this team. My parents named me after former Padres pitcher Randy Jones.

These owners both new and old do not realize that there has been a Padres history before them. San Diegans that remember games at the Jack Murphy Stadium, or even as far back as those from Balboa Stadium, know they are trying to dupe us once more.

“If you're looking at it from an ownership standpoint, I think there's a lot to it, just because of where the team is and everything. Would I want to be traded? No. Is it to a team that has a chance to win the World Series? I'd have to be intrigued by it. Know what I mean?”

Gonzalez's words sound familiar. They have been uttered not verbatim, but with the same concepts by former Padres like Dave Winfield, Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff... basically every Padre except Tony Gwynn Sr. (*making a sign of the cross, uttering prayer, signal to swing away*).

After three decades of personally following the Padres, I don't think I can take another rebuilding period with promises of competitive teams in the near future. I've heard that song and dance way too many times to continue shoveling it to fuel my hopes and dreams with this team.

If this organization really believes trading away Gonzalez, or even their attempts to trade gunslinger Jake Peavy, is the best way to make this team better, they are believing in their own lies too much.

It kills me that the millionaires who own this team have so much money, they could buy themselves a major league ball club to field, instead of the Triple-A squad they're trying to pawn off on us at Petco Park.

But, all they have shown since Matt Holliday missed the plate and went on to the World Series in October of 2007, is cheap pockets and apathy toward the promises made to San Diego.

I filled out the ballot and voted "Yes on C" just like every drone in San Diego did.

Why not? We'd be getting a new ballpark downtown. Sure, we were paying for it, but who cares?  Management was going to guarantee us they were fielding a contender every year from the revenue earned.

This year, I have a few bets that we will break the 100 game loss total and the front office still looks to break 2,000,000 at the gate.

Is the money made at the gate and from the eight dollar beers going back into building this team stronger, on the cornerstone players we have, who are about to enter their prime years?

No.

Trading for multiple aspiring young whipper snappers will build the team of the future.

What happens when these players grow into All-Stars? Ask Gonzalez or Peavy.

The Padres won't pay them enough to stay. The Padres hope they won't want to stay. What's the best way to do it? Demolition. Leave the team worse off than it was when you started.

Gonzalez sees the writing on the wall. He grew up cheering for this team. He thought things had changed. I thought things have changed. I know Jeff Moorad is still a transitional owner for the next few seasons, but I hope he knows there are a lot of San Diegans at the end of their rope.

The cost of living in America's finest city has come up. Ticket prices are higher than they ever were at the Murph. If you don't field a contender, we won't show up anymore. Remember the Chargers' ticket guarantee that helped bankrupt the city?

Am I giving up on supporting the Padres? No, I don't look at it that way.

I consider it rebuilding my San Diego resume. Surfing, skating, kayaking, mountain biking in Mission Trails...heck, I might even check out the ponies at Del Mar. At least that's something that will let me get my money's worth.

Speaking of money's worth, do you think I could get same value on this "Never Been Worn" Adrian Gonzalez jersey before he joins the Red Sox?