“We Are The Brooklyn Brawler”

Back in the 1980’s, professional wrestling came back into the mainstream of America.  Wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Andre The Giant and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair would strut into the ring, theme music playing as they entered the square circle, to face their opponents in a one on one match.  On the other side of the ring was the guy whose sole purpose for being there was to lose and make the star look good.  Many nameless faces would come and go over the years, but one would rise to the top of this lowly heap and his name was The Brooklyn Brawler.  He would occasionally wrestle a faceless guy and get the win, but his job was to make the main event wrestlers look good, all the while losing big matches to the stars.

I was reminded of all of the above today as I listened to Padres GM Josh Byrnes on the Mighty 1090 talking about the Padres.  The Padres off-season has been a major disappointment.  While the Dodgers, Angels and Giants have spent money to acquire talent, the Padres have sat on the sidelines and have done nothing to improve the team.  After listening to Josh Byrnes, I had to draw the conclusion that the Padres ownership knows it can’t compete with the above teams and has decided to spend little and hope for the best.  As a Padres fan, I felt sick to my stomach and at the same time, felt bad for Josh Byrnes.  I know he’s doing his best, but the reality is the Padres will have to overachieve this season to be in the hunt to win the west.  Sadly, the reality is we’ll win maybe 65-75 games, see some young players develop, watch Chase Headley and see if he’s a rising star or a mediocre player who had a fluke year in 2012, and Petco Park will be filled with fans of other teams.

I will continue to be a Padres fan.  I will cheer for my team, realize what the situation is with the team and accept the sad fact that we are the Brooklyn Brawler, with all the perks and props that goes with that.

The Casual Fan