BY MARK A. LARSON
When the umpire yelled “Play Ball” and the leadoff hitter stepped up to the plate, it was the start of the first Major League baseball game in 15 years that I had seen outdoors.
Yet, there was much more to it than that. It was the first time in nearly 25 years that I would be watching a ballgame with one of my oldest friends. It was the first time my son would witness a Major League contest without a roof over his head. It was the first time since the Metrodome opened its doors in 1982 that I would see a game at a stadium during its first year.
Petco Park
15 years after opening — (Photo/Wikipedia)
While on a family vacation this past August, we were outside in the bright southern California sunshine – not far from the blue Pacific – on a Sunday afternoon at the Padres’ brand-new stadium, Petco Park in San Diego.
Watching a ballgame in San Diego was a homecoming of sorts. For I lived in the hometown of the Padres from 1977-81 during my four years at San Diego State University (SDSU), attending a few games each season. Except for a brief one-day visit in 1988, I hadn’t spent any time in the area since I graduated and moved back to Minnesota 23 years ago.
Some of my best baseball memories occurred in San Diego. For instance, I attended my first All-Star game there in 1978 and witnessed Gaylord Perry’s 3000th strikeout at a Padres game at the tail end of the 1979 season. (At the time, Perry was only the third pitcher in history to reach that milestone.)
Yet, perhaps one of the best parts of going to any baseball game is who you share the experience with. The two games from the late 1970s mentioned above and the one at Petco Park has a common denominator besides being in San Diego. I attended them with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in 15 years, Troy Kirk.
I’ve known Troy for over 30 years. In fact, he was the first friend I met after my family moved from the Twin Cities to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1972.
Although I still had my baseball card collection in 1972 after five years of avid collecting, I had pretty much given up the hobby by the time I moved to California. However, Troy – who was still an active collector – was solely responsible for rekindling my interest in card collecting in the spring of 1973. If it wasn’t for Troy, I would have missed out on the past three decades of a very enjoyable hobby.
In 1990, Troy – who has done extensive historical research on both baseball and the card collecting hobby – wrote a book that sold nationwide called “Collector’s Guide to Baseball Cards”.
Attending the Padres game at Petco Park with Troy and one of his sons, plus my own son, James, really added to the excitement (unfortunately, the Padres lost to the Marlins that day).
Petco Park is a small (46,000 capacity), open-air baseball-only stadium located downtown. Like some of the newer major league ballparks built during the past dozen years, Petco Park incorporates an old, brick building into its structure – the Western Metal Supply Co. building built in 1909. It houses the Padres store, party suites, balcony and rooftop seating, plus the Padres Hall of Fame Bar & Grill. The left field foul pole is at the southeast corner of the building.
The horseshoe design of Petco Park places most of the seats between the foul poles. Beyond the outfield is the unique “Park at the Park,” where you can sit on the grass and watch the game if you like.
Prior to the opening of Petco Park last April, the Padres played in the same stadium since they entered the National League through expansion in 1969. From 1969-80, it was simply called “San Diego Stadium”. In 1981, it was renamed “San Diego/Jack Murphy Stadium” after the death of a prominent local sportswriter, who was instrumental in promoting the construction of the stadium in the 1960s. Finally, from 1998-2003 the Padres’ home park was called “Qualcomm Stadium”.
In addition to the game at Petco Park, my son and I also visited the “San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum”. A large section of the museum covers the history of San Diego area baseball, from little league, high school, college, minor league to major league ball. (San Diego had a team named the Padres in the Pacific Coast League from 1936-68.)
One of the most popular San Diego ballplayers of all time is eight-time N.L. batting champion Tony Gwynn. Not only did Gwynn enjoy a 20-year Hall-of-Fame caliber career with the Padres, but he is a native of San Diego and was a star baseball and basketball player at San Diego State University. He currently coaches the SDSU Aztecs baseball team.
Other notable native San Diegans featured at the museum include Ted Williams, Graig Nettles, and three generations of the Boone family … Ray, Bob, Bret and Aaron.
Going to out-of-town games and museums is always fun and an eye-opener because it gives you a different perspective on the game of baseball.
There’s an old saying that states: “You can’t go home again.”
In other words, you can revisit old places and people from earlier in your life, but it’s never quite the same and you usually end up disappointed.
Well, on that warm, sunny Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, great old memories had led to a batch of fine new ones. As exciting as it was to see a game in a new ballpark, the best part of the day was talking baseball and visiting with an old friend, and sharing both the game – and later – the museum experience with my own son.
I was not disappointed.
• • • • • •
• Originally Published in Oct. 2004 “Twin Times” •
THIS ARTICLE FROM THE “TWIN TIMES” NEWSLETTER – OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE TWIN CITIES SPORTS COLLECTORS CLUB – IS REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. IT HAS BEEN RETYPED, BUT NO CONTENT HAS BEEN CHANGED (EXCEPT FOR VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, CORRECTIONS TO ANY TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND THE ADDITION OF GRAPHICS). COMMENTS OR INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE MAY BE OUT-OF-DATE.
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