Padres Baseball – Take me out to the Ball Game

Padres 2010 season, for me, started Saturday the 17th. It was a beautiful San Diego day, in the sense that everything was perfect: temperature, humidity, clarity, and even the smells were sweet.

We found a good parking lot at 9th and E. Parking for 2 hours cost  $5.00. Parking for the length of a typical game ran us $8.00, which I consider a bargain for downtown. We walked the 4 or 5 blocks to Petco and entered the park to smiling crowds.

Perhaps the nicest aspects of Petco in San Diego is the huge number of eateries in the neighborhood.  We chose to eat at K.C. B.B.Q.  This was my first time to the B.B.Q. joint with the Top Gun reputation.  I suppose it’s a Kansas City thing, and I suppose there are plenty of Kansas City style B.B.Q. fans about, I’m just not one of them.  The waitress was great.  Sevice was very good.  Side dishes were more than adequate, but my ribs are better than theirs (at least to me).  The tab was moderate but we left satisfied that we’d be able to last till the later innings when we’d eat a hotdog and drink a beer.

According to the Petco website’s FOOD AND BEVERAGE POLICIES, the San Diego Padres allow guests to bring food into PETCO Park as long as the items are consumed in the general seating or designated picnic areas. Outside food cannot be brought into any restaurant, club lounge, or suite. Guests must also adhere to the following:

• All food items should be wrapped, bagged, or left inside a container to avoid spillage.
• Food that could be thrown as a projectile should be sliced or sectioned (i.e., oranges, apples and other fruits).
• Food containers must be soft-sided and small enough to fit under the guest’s seat. Bottles, cans, thermoses, jugs and containers larger than 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches are prohibited.
• Sealed, bottled water under one-half liter (20 oz.) and soft-sided single juice or milk containers are the only outside beverages permitted into PETCO Park. Guests with disabilities may bring factory-sealed plastic or paper containers that contain liquids required for medical reasons into the ballpark.

This policy seems fair enough but who wants to lug the stuff around?  I’ll stick with the hotdog and a beer.

I was blessed with a home team victory – the first two-game winning streak – which turned into the first sweep of the season, in favor of the Padres.

I really enjoyed the 5:30 start time because it put me in my bed before 9:00 p.m.  This season, the Padres have several 3:30 starts on Thursday games.  Perhaps I’ll have to take in a few of those games as well.

Overall the Padres look hopeful for an enjoyable year.  I don’t expect to see World Series action for our team this year, but I do expect to see real professional baseball played by some great to be major leaguers.

*Photo from SD Dirk via Flickr