made a list of 14 resolutions for myself to be a better Padres/baseball fan in 2014 and thought I'd share it with you all so that maybe you can join me in some of them and we can motivate each other.
... and now resolutions 6-10...
6. Be nicer to other Padres fans
I think in 2013 I saw more pointless and petty arguments between Padres fans than I ever have. And I’ll admit that I involved myself in some of it. But I’m going to try to stop fighting with other Padres fans, because there are so few of us as it is and we all ultimately want the same thing, so it’s stupid for us to argue over things that don’t matter like what nicknames we should use for certain players. Let’s aim for more friendly discourse, debate, and discussion and less judgment of others for showing their fanhood in different ways.
7. Foster creativity.
Another resolution inspired by Dex’s Happiness Project. To put it simply: more Padres arts & crafts! This could include anything from writing more Fanposts to organizing your baseball memorabilia in a cool way to making a siiiick coffee table out of baseball cards to carving a baseball-themed pumpkin for Halloween. You could even become your own Baseball Card Vandal. Find a way to incorporate baseball into your creative outlet of choice and share it with us.
8. Educate myself
I want to learn as much as I can, not only about the Padres, but about other teams and about baseball in general. I plan on making a better effort to pay more attention to what's going on around the league and making myself more sabermetrically aware.
9. Interact more
One of the things that turned me into the fan I am today is meeting and interacting with other fans through social media, at the ballpark, and especially here at Gaslamp Ball. Being a part of the Padres community and connecting with other fans makes the season so much more enjoyable.
10. Be louder (without being obnoxious)
I’ve always thought most Padres fans at Petco Park needed to be more outwardly passionate. We need to stop letting opposing fans take over our ballpark both in numbers and spirit. It’s so disheartening to be at home and be able to hear Padres fans drowned out by the chants and cheers of opposing fans. We need to start drowning them out. I know it’s hard to be loud and supportive if the team isn’t doing well, but it’s a hell of a lot more fun to be at the ballpark and cheering on your team than sulking and letting the other team’s fans take over. On a related note, it’s really annoying to be at a game and see someone who is supposedly a Padres fan do nothing but complain about a poor performance by a player or the team. Let’s all resolve not to be "that guy."
Resolutions 11-14 coming soon...