I'm a rolling thunder, a pouring rain
I'm comin on like a hurricane
My lightning's flashing across the sky
You're only young but you're gonna die
I won't take no prisoners, won't spare no lives
Nobody's putting up a fight
I got my bell, I'm gonna take you to hell
~ AC-DC's "Hells Bells"
It's no news that these are hard times.
The hardest thing so far for me is watching Trevor Hoffman leave San Diego for Milwaukee. It hurts far more than looking at my 401(k) balance. After all, money may come back someday. But Trevor? As they say in baseball, "That ball is gone."
Aside from the excitement of watching Hoffman pitch baseball at his best, he is an unmatched team leader and role model for the younger players. Hoffman has been a Padre since 1993, works hard, is dedicated to his team and winning, is devoted to his family, helps the community, and wanted to stay on with the Padres after he retired to act as a liaison between players and management.
Trevor Hoffman is every bit of the good stuff, and he didn't deserve to have his $4 million deal pulled off the table by Padres management. I don't care if he hadn't answered them yet after three weeks. The man is a champion who put untold millions in the club's coffers just by showing up in the ninth inning. He should have been treated with more respect. But he wasn't, and now he's gone. It will be a challenge to get happy about baseball season this year.
There is no way to explain to someone who has never been to a Padres game closed by Trevor Hoffman the thrill of watching him trot out of the bullpen for the final outs, but here's a link that will try. Here's another link to his record-breaking 479th save, a game my daughter attended. Everyone in the stadium would stand as one electrified body, roaring cheers over the strains of AC-DC's "Hell's Bells," Hoffman's signature tune. I was fortunate to be there a few times to experience the excitement of his wins. I admire him as a player and as a person, and after Tony Gwynn retired, Hoffman became my favorite baseball player.
I'm a bereft fan now, with no one to look up to on the Padres and nothing to look forward to next season. In San Diego, Trevor Time is over, and it's taking me to hell.
