Say Goodbye to the Q
September 28th marked the last game the Padres will ever play on Jack Murphy Field at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly Jack Murphy Stadium, even more formerly San Diego Stadium). Next season, starting April 8, 2004, the new home of the San Diego Padres will be Petco Park located in downtown San Diego. I’ve been a Padres fan since I was 5 months old, according to my parents. Being in New Mexico most of the season makes going to games a little difficult, and I managed to get in only one game this year. Saturday night, Clarke and I headed to Old Town for some pre-game margaritas and (what else) chips and salsa. One quick trolley ride later, we were at the Q. We wandered around the stadium, getting one last look at the Q. Tons of people (42,000), kettle corn, and insane merchandise sales. Clarke and I scaled the steps to our seats (View, right behind home plate, three rows from the top). We cheered our Padres on to another loss, but the best part of the night was after the game. Since it was the last night game at the Q (Sundays are always afternoon games), they had an official “Lights Out” ceremony where all the stadium lights were shut off leaving us only in the light from the scoreboard. After that, they had the Padres All-Time Team come out onto the darkened field, lit only by spotlights. Very cool. Very touching. Eventually, the lights were turned back on and we made our way down the big spiral ramps for the last time. Who said there was no crying in baseball? Pictures!
