Padres lose in 18 … but I only watched 4 innings.

PART THREE

SAN DIEGO –Petco Park was the scene of an18 inning thriller between the Padres and the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks … but I missed the last 14 innings due to a massive hangover.

The stadium the Padres have called home since 2004 is a magnificent piece of work, and it’s as fan friendly as any park I’ve seen. Part of the allure of the stadium is the location: Nestled on 10th Avenue in the far west section of downtown, just north of Harbor Drive and across the street from the convention center. More impressive, though, is the proximity to the water; CY Young pitcher Jake Peavy could hurl a fastball into the bay.

Unlike a lot of new stadiums that are being built with red brick (retro style), Petco is sandstone and stucco, which was designed to bring to mind the sandy beaches and water, according to the Padres website. Prior to Petco Park, the Padres shared Qualcomm/Jack Murphy/ San Diego Stadium, or whatever it was called, with the Chargers. While Qualcomm is a decent stadium for a football game, it never lent itself as a useful baseball park, in my opinion. Petco Park, on the other hand, doesn’t have an obstructed view in the 42,000 capacity park, and it’s simply how a baseball stadium should feel.

I’ve been going to San Diego for years, actually lived there for a short time in 2000, but this was be the first time I traveled there specifically to watch a Padre game. Back in ’00 I caught a handful of games at their old home but I hated that stadium -- for baseball, that is. When I started planning my trip a few weeks ago, I made a mental note this was going to be one of my favorite stops, especially since it was the second game and a short drive from Los Angeles. I love the city, the casual atmosphere, the people, Pacific Beach, Downtown, you name it and I love it. Besides, the Dodgers on Saturday; the Padres on Sunday, a little sightseeing, get my feet wet in the ocean, grab a beer at the Lahaina Beach House, what could be better?

However…

The 12 inning Dodger game on Saturday (click for story) left me exhausted and weary Sunday morning. I may be wrong but I think someone pounded me on the back of the head with a Louisville Slugger while I slept on the couch (I was offered the spare bedroom but didn’t want to mess up the sheets). All my planning and excitement for the Padres game was nowhere to be found, even after guzzling down a Venti Starbucks bold roast. All I wanted to do was eat fast food, watch bad movies on cable (Road House is a great hangover movie), eat more fast food, take a nap on the couch, watch more TV and eat again … but that’s not the way things went down. Nope. In fact, my next meal, a piece of pizza from a gas station in Gila Bend, AZ, wasn’t until 5.p.m. or so; the closest I got to taking a nap was when I nearly nodded off while doing 90 mph on the I-10 somewhere east of El Cajon and there would be no Patrick Swayze kicking some serious butt.

I purchased a ticket from a scalper for $10.00 and found my way to the first seat I could find, desperately trying to keep my footing as I ascended the stairs to the upper deck of the beautiful open-air stadium. My preference was to sit alone, avoiding a dialog with anyone and everyone, but the fans in San Diego are chatty and engaging ... and they wouldn’t leave me alone!

My first exchange with a Padre fan went something like this:

SD Fan: “Hey, you here to see the Diamondbacks?”

Me: (inaudible)

SD Fan: “I said, are you here to see the Diamondbacks?”

Me: “No. Yes. I’m not sure, why?”

SD Fan: “You’re wearing a Sun Devils hat. You from Arizona?”

Me: “Yep, from Phoenix but not necessarily here to see the Snakes.”

SD Fan: “Do you like the DBacks?” Who’s your favorite player? Is Brandon Webb coming off the DL soon? Blah, blah, blah…”

Me: “I don’t know”

SD Fan: “You don’t know what?”

Me: “Is this section (inaudible)?

SD Fan: “No, it’s (whatever section we were in)”

Me: “I’m in the wrong section. See ya”

I had four aspirin in my pocket, in addition to one Imodium and a gross of Tums, as I found my way to a new seat, one where no one would talk to me. My head pounding and body aching, I popped three aspirin and chewed on Tums while trying to find a place to rest. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem but today, well, it hurt to simply think. I finally found a spot where I could be alone, alone to think about how I would never mix scotch and red wine and certainly wouldn’t smoke cigars again but I had to pass an usher first.

That went like this:

Usher: “May I see your ticket?”

Me: “No”

Usher: “Pardon me?”

Me: “I can’t find it”

Usher: “Well you can’t site here without a valid ticket.”

Me: “There isn’t a sole sitting up here, what does it matter?”

Usher: “The rules are the rules.”

Me: “(inaudible)”

Usher: “Where you from?”

Me: “Tennessee”

Usher: “Really? Where? My sister lives there.”

Me: “It’s a small town south of Austin”

Usher: “Austin? Isn’t that Texas?”

Me: “Where’s the bathroom?”

Usher: “Down that way” (she points that way)

Me: “Thanks. Tell your sister I said ‘hi’”

Usher: “Huh?”

The game had some great moments. The DBacks, playing really good ball, manufactured 6 runs in 6 innings, and Dan Haren was tremendous on the mound. Another Quality Start for Haren: 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 run (earned) and 5 Ks.

I left after the 4th inning and was reduced to listening to the game on the radio, which I didn’t mind considering my condition. Unbelievably, I listened to the game on San Diego sports radio all the way to Yuma, AZ, where I was then able to pick it up on KTAR 620am out of Phoenix. By the time I reached Gila Bend, AZ, three hours later, the Diamondbacks finally won the game after 18 grueling innings … grueling for me, not them.

NEXT STOP: Chase Field (June 9, 2009)