Since moving to the desert I must confess that I have become a bit of a Padres fan. I still live and die with the beloved but I have another team to cheer for. Not necessarily because of the team alone, but mostly because the announcers are so damn much fun to listen to.
Play-by-play man, Don Orsillo and color analyst, Mark Grant, have a blast calling the games. They, of course, are very professional and very good at what they do, but they also allow themselves to have a good time. I appreciate their humor and interaction. The other day there was a problem with the pitchcom and while play was halted, Mark Grant started to talk like he was listening to an order at a drive thru window, scratchy and barely audible. He asked Don if they were picking up an order from Jack in the Box and was that the problem. (Three taco's and a Jumbo Jack please.) I laughed for half an inning.
One of the other things I've noticed is that the fans are quite different between the two cities. If the Cubs win a game, the fandom believes with all their heart, that they are going to the World Series. If they lose a game the fandom believes with all their heart that everyone should be fired and the team burned to the ground. Padre fans, on the other hand, are thrilled when they win and celebrate by happily walking out of the stadium and finding the nearest fish taco stand. When they lose they walk out of the stadium shouting, "tomorrow we will get 'em," as they go to the nearest fish taco stand.
Padres fans love to cheer on their team, while Cubs fans are generally delusional and filled with angst. I know this to be true because I am one.
On the other hand they do share some similarities. On top, you can see, the Padres fans welcoming a Dodger fan to Petco while another one says hello to a Rockies fan. On the lower row above, two ladies are getting acquainted at Wrigley, while bleacher fans welcome a couple of Pirate fans to the left field seats. Ah, fun at the old ballpark.
I have a friend, who used to live in San Diego, until recently, who refused to cheer for the Padres because they beat the Cubs in the 1984 playoffs. I told him repeatedly that his anger was misplaced. Instead of hating the Padres, he needed to hate the guy that caused the Cubs to lose that series,...
...Leon Durham.
Bill Buckner did the same thing with the Boston Red Sox and he needed to go into the witness protection program for 20 years, Cubs fans blame Steve Garvey for hitting it instead of Durham for not catching it. Padres fans went to the nearest fish taco stand to celebrate after the game.
I get that the Cubs fans have many more years of frustration to boil up and use when needed while the Friar faithful are only frustrated for half a century or so. I'm guessing they will eventually accept the fact that God hates them too, just like the 29 other teams fans have. Or maybe it's just us Cubs fans that feel that way. In any case, I will continue to enjoy my new love affair with the Padres, and their announcers, while hoping the Cubs figure out whatever it is they are trying to do for the past two years.