MILWAUKEE —
The new Padres appear to be baseball’s Ricky Bobby.
“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
That was the war cry of Will Ferrell’s character in “Talladega Nights.” And that is essentially the mindset of Padres veterans, a small band of men who have ridden waves of emotions that rose and fell with their expectations for this season.
At present, there is a pall over the Padres that has been absent in recent Septembers.
There is disappointment where there used to be acceptance. Scowls where there used to be shrugs.
And the thought among some in the organization who are observing this malaise is that it’s “not a bad thing,” as one official said.