West Coast fan in an East Coast city

As I have mentioned a few times, my San Diego days are long behind me even though I am still an avid Padres fan.

And having been born into a Washington Redskins family (my dad grew up in Northern Virginia) I know all about trying to show your loyalty for a team on the opposite side of the country. Even though I haven't lived in SD for around 13 years, I have always lived in NL West country and because I was still getting settled in from my move across the country last year, it didn't seem to hit me as hard but the East is a hard place to root for a team.

Whether it's because the games don't start (mostly) until after 10 p.m. or just the simple fact that West Coast teams have no media exposure out here, I have to say that following the Padres has been hard this year. I have MLB Gameday and all the wonderful data it provides but it still isn't a TV.

But thinking about the scenario, this is what has made me a dedicated fan. With a Redskins obsession on the West Coast, I constantly had to defend my team to people who didn't watch them much and only knew what they saw on ESPN. It's not necessarily a position I love being in but being more than a fair weather fan means rooting for your team even when the situation is less than ideal, and this is one of those cases.

So as I am surrounded by Nats and O's fans, I proudly let my friends know that I root for SD. And after explaining my long history of growing up during the Tony Gwynn era, I have another thing to take solace in, my team can beat theirs. And with both teams trying to get rid of the mess previous GM's left, I think I can safely say the Padres will be better than them for a while.

So while I may not be able to catch my team on TV or the radio most nights, it's still a good time to be a Padres fan despite losing 2-of-3 to Arizona to start the second half off. Because in the end, you could be a fan of the Nationals.

Down and out

An out-of-work manager doesn't want the job and yet the Padres couldn't beat the Orioles Wednesday night. Justin Germano got lit up in the first and if it weren't for Russell Branyan's home run, they would have been shut out.

David Wells is up against probably the most reliable pitcher for the O's, Erik Bedard. The teams get underway early and at the conclusion of this game, I will be limited to only seeing the Padres when they are on ESPN. Here's to hoping this game is one worth watching.

Look at me

Alright, I admit it, I'm the Johnny-come-lately of the group and all of the news going on today has been reported on other sites and blogs. But that doesn't mean I still don't want to throw my two pennies into the void known only as the internet.

First things first, Tuesday's game. Got to love beating up on a team that can't figure out which way is up. Steve Trachsel got bombed, Jake Peavy was great for five innings (too bad he pitched that sixth) and the game went on forever. I TIVO'd the thing and started watching around 11 ET and when I turned the TIVO'd portion off around 1 ET because I didn't get the whole thing recorded, the game was still on! Got to love getting a lot of offense from a lot of different people but the fact that Khalil Greene actually went 4-for-5 when he is usually striking out every other at bat impressed me the most.

Today's game should be no different, the O's have nothing to throw at the Padres and Justin Germano is on a roll. While new addition Michael Barrett will not be in the lineup tonight, it sounds like he has a good rapport with former Cubbie Greg Maddux and Peavy so if those two guys like him, I'm excited to see what he can bring to this offense. And with Barrett's seemingly consistent presence on ESPN for his "spirited" play, a little more exposure for the Padres should be a good deal as well.

Taking notice

Jake Peavy's resurgence and dominance on the mound is finally getting noticed. Apparently the Padres have a friend at ESPN in Jerry Crasnick, who also just recently wrote about Trevor Hoffman and his quest for save No. 500. It's nice to see someone other than the Yankees and Red Sox getting coverage from ESPN.