It's Opening Day and...

...I’m excited.

There, I said it.

It took me along time to admit it, but there it is. This young Padre team excites me. So much that I drafted Mat Latos in my fantasy league and then got pissed when I missed out on taking Kyle Blanks in the 13^th. We've got great young guys on the squad like Blanks and Latos. And we are finally giving Venable playing time; Headley gets his natural position, Cabrera at short and one of my all time favorite players David Eckstein covering the second bag!

However, anytime I get excited about anything it goes to crap. This is true. I can prove it. Look at my hairline. So, in honor of today marking the Padres first game of the season here is my all-time top ten List of Things I Got Excited About But Then Went To Crap. In no particular order:

1) The 2006 Padre season. Chris Young was a beast; I mean he even fought Derek Lee! Which (literally) broke the MLB record for tallest fight in history! We got David Wells (again) and picked up Mike Piazza a few years too late, but it was still exciting. Then we started Josh Bard over Piazza 3 games to 1 in the playoffs and lost to the Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the playoffs. Go figure.

2) All my relationships. Well, almost. I got my first “official” girlfriend when I was a freshman in High School and that went like it was supposed to; kissing, heavy petting and very little conversation. We broke up after a few months and I don’t even think either of us knew it. I still see her from time to time and wonder what might have been if 14-year old me cared anything about what she had to say. (Note: Most women will think - "kissing, heavy petting and very little conversation? Ha! That’s still what men really want!" And I think for the most part you’re wrong, it’s just that when you say stupid things like that - you’re right).

3) Anytime the Chargers are in the playoffs.

4) Anytime Ohio State is in any kind of championship game and it’s not 2002.

5) Star 100.7fm.

6) My current vehicle. It’s a 2003 Ford Ranger Edge (I bought it new). I bought it because (a) my girlfriend at the time loved guys in trucks and (b) it looked a lot like the truck Marty gets in Back to the Future. That’s honestly the only two reasons why. I didn’t even want the truck, I liked the car I had but women and Michael J. Fox are hard to ignore. Since about three months after I bought it, it has been nothing but a pain. Constantly breaking down and getting terrible gas mileage. Plus, that girl is no longer in my life (See No. 2) and they haven’t made a new Back to the Future movie in almost twenty years!

7) Sonic Burgers.

8) The 2008 Padre season. For some reason I thought it was awesome we got Tad Iguchi and it wasn’t. Khalil began to implode; we had a patchwork outfield cornered by the ghost of Brian Giles and like a bad omen Chris Young got plugged in the face. I stopped watching half way through the season. Then Indiana Jones 4 came out and I knew 2008 was cursed.

9) Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

10) Super Bowl XXIX. 49ers V. Chargers. Still the hardest thing I had to watch at 15-years old. It was like watching (from the first twenty seconds mind you). factory workers skin and gut a cow. It was like watching David and Goliath if Goliath just walked over and stomped on David. It was like watching your dog get hit by a car. I can’t remember totally, but I’m pretty sure I cried. One of the most lopsided victories in Super Bowl history. It is still tough to think about. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be the worst idea for some local band (Maybe Switchfoot?) to write a song like ‘American Pie’ about that game. I’d at least download it.

(Honorable mentions: The 1998 World Series, Weezer’s Red Album, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, My career at Sea World, Anytime I drive to LA, Friday Night Lights Season 2, Josh Childress’ career, Bobby Hurley’s career, Fantasy Football, Getting a job anywhere, My 20’s, Khalil Green and the 2002 Iraq War.)

Enjoy the season everyone! Win or lose we’re gonna see a lot of hustle this year and as a fan, that’s all I can really ask for.

To 2010…