Kevin Smith fell in love with the Padres in 1984, when — as a 10-year-old — he watched the team come back against the Cubs to reach the World Series for the first time.
“That team was magical, and the awesome brown and gold jerseys,” Smith said.
Funny thing is, Smith didn’t grow up in San Diego or Santee or the South Bay.
“I grew up in San Antonio,” Smith said. “I’m a lifelong Texan. San Diego is wonderful and the Padres are always a great reason to visit.”
Not many long-distance relationships last as long as this one.
“Forty years of mostly pain, but I’m no quitter,” Smith said. “This team is special. I truly believe they’re going to win the World Series this year, something that I never thought would happen in my lifetime.”
Something about fate, Smith said.
“There have been so many magical moments this year,” he said. “All the walk-offs. Jackson Merrill. The triple play. Profar stealing the homer from Mookiie.
“They just seem like a team of destiny.”
Smith was here two years ago when the Padres beat the Dodgers in the NLDS — “That Game 4 will always be a core memory,” he said — and couldn’t miss coming again.
So he got some tickets off the secondary market and flew here from Austin to be present for Games 2 and 3 of the NLDS.
Smith sat on the lower level, one section past the Padres dugout and nine rows up from the field.
He joined nearly 50,000 others, clapping, cheering, waving golden yellow towels and keeping the faith, even when the Padres fell behind early.
“They’ve come back so many times this year I never counted them out,” Smith said.
Tough ticket
Ninety minutes before first pitch, a guy named JoJo was leaning against a fire hydrant on Imperial Avenue, about a block from the home plate entrance to Petco Park.
He held up cardboard sign that read: “I need a ticket.“
Guys like JoJo used to be all over the place, walking around outside stadiums before big games.
They would carry a cardboard sign in one hand asking for tickets while waving a fistful of tickets in the other.
Most people call them scalpers, although a preferred title might be secondary ticket market procurement specialist.
As Mike Damone said in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” to a couple of would-be customers: “Did you call me a scalper? Listen, gentlemen, I perform a service here.”
JoJo has been providing a service for 30 years.
It ain’t what it used to be.
“It used to be when I came out here people were all over me,” JoJo said. “Not anymore.
“Not since they started putting the tickets on phones.
“How much are tickets?” one Padres fan asked as she walked toward the ballpark.
“I don’t have any,” JoJo said. “I need tickets. It’s not a trick.”
JoJo said it used to be easy to make hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars a day.
“When it was regular tickets, I had a guy that would come out here from the organization he worked for and he would give me 36 tickets every day,” JoJo said. “I was guaranteed to make $500 every day.
“Now, he doesn’t do that anymore because everything’s on the phone and he can’t get the tickets.”
Added JoJo: “I’ll be lucky if I get two today.”
Business has been brisk on the resale ticket market this week. As first pitch approached Wednesday evening, the website TickPick had tickets listed for three and four times face value.
Tickets in Gallagher Square — which is standing room only — were listed for $215. Tickets behind the plate were $650.
“With everything on the phone now … Terrible,” Jojo said. “We can’t do nothing.”
What is a secondary ticket market procurement specialist to do?
King me
Ever hear 45,000 people go “awwwww” at the same time?
Olivia King performed the national anthem before Wednesday’s National League Division Series game. As she sang, the videoboard flashed to her brother, Michael, as he watched from the Padres’ bullpen.
The performance was a surprise to the Padres right-hander. He sported a smile bright enough to light the Gaslamp Quarter.
The crowd awwwwed — and then roared.
Olivia King is a pop and R&B singer who has more than 250,000 social media followers and 10 million streams on Spotify. She sings the song that plays during Michael King’s starts, “Messin’ With the King.”
Thx, KOC
The Padres’ celebrity superfans have been out in full force over the last week.
Tom DeLonge of Blink-182 threw out the first pitch in last week’s wild-card series, then led Tuesday’s crowd in a live(ish) rendition of “All the Small Things” in the eighth inning.
Slightly Stoopid frontman Miles Doughty rang the mission bell.
Comedians Dave McCary (aka Mr. Emma Stone) and Kyle Mooney sat up close during the Padres’ sweep of the Braves, and wrestling legend Rey Mysterio pumped up the crowd while wearing his trademark mask.
Tony Hawk threw out a first pitch. Rob Machado and Drew Brees shared a luxury box with Brian Dutcher.
Wednesday, Kevin O’Connell took a detour from coaching the undefeated Minnesota Vikings to be in attendance at Petco Park. He rang the mission bell to start the pregame festivities. (The Vikes are on a bye this week).
A Carlsbad native who played quarterback at La Costa Canyon High School and San Diego State, O’Connell is a vocal Padres follower and a household name in his hometown.
Except for one thing: his name was spelled Kevin O’Connoll” on the video board.
Oh well. As Mike Shildt says, “We’re human.”
Free who?
Among the cool things we’ve seen on fans over the past week — an authentic 1969 Nate Colbert jersey! A No. 19 jersey with Mark Grant’s phrase “Some Kinda Nice” as the last name! — there have been some head-scratchers.
Wednesday, we spotted an intrepid fan on the club level wearing the lime green jersey of the Roswell Invaders, a team out of the semipro Pecos League.
Nearby, a fan rocked a Chris Young giveaway T-shirt jersey from nearly 20 years ago. Longtime Padres fans repped Mike Cameron, Khalil Greene and Eric Hosmer at the ballpark.
But as strange and obscure goes, nothing tops the fan who watched Wednesday’s game wearing a royal blue “Free Ippei” T-shirt.
Ippei is Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s disgraced former translator who allegedly wired nearly $17 million of the slugger’s money to a bookie to cover gambling debts.
Parting thought
Back in the day, Kool & The Gang’s “Celebration” was played after a Padres victory and Annie’s “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” after a loss.
We recall fans wishing that little red-haired kid would be seen and not heard.
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