Padres-Mariners: The "Natural Rivalry"

Call it what you will. The Yankees/Red Sox matchup of interleague play. One of the most heated rivalries in the MLB. No matter what, when time comes for the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres’ yearly matchup, fans around the nation camp around the television set, screaming for their favorite team and defaming the enemy.

If only the above scenario were the case. Instead, the interleague “rivalry” that kicked off yesterday is one of the most boring in baseball. (Besides Felix pitching a shutout 2-hitter and the Ms breaking their losing streak, winning 5-0. I guess that was exciting.) The two teams, with four playoff appearances between them in the past ten years and no World Series title whatsoever, are no Yankee or Red Sox teams. This year, they entered the series with the 29th and 30th worst offenses in the MLB.


There is no rivalry here. The Mariners have not had a good year in a long time. And the Padres? Even worse. If the Ms have lacked excitement, the Padres are just plain dead boring.

And yet, the MLB continues to try to foster this “natural rivalry”. They share a spring training facility! Big whoop. They are close in proximity, being only 10,073 miles apart! For me, and your casual fan, this series is just another series.

Can someone please explain to me why the MLB does this? I mean, I really don’t mind that we get to face a below-average team for a whole series every year. But trying to foster a rivalry where there is none? This I don’t get. It just seems like a cheap attempt to raise ticket sales. And it’s not working.

So please, MLB, mix it up. Give us a series against a team other than the boring old Padres. Only, make it against one just as crappy.



Photo Source: http://www.peoriaaz.gov/springtraining/images/Spring_Training_Banner.jpg