As the World Series this year begins, it makes me think of the Padres. Their last WS appearance was 10 years ago, in the amazing season of 1998.

I wasn’t a Padres fan back then, but I’ve certainly heard about it. That was the WS where we got swept by the New York Yankees. Those were the days of Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Kevin Brown, and Trevor Hoffman. Today’s team is completely different from that 1998 team. Today’s team has a different front office, a different ballpark, and new logos, colors, and uniforms. Today’s team is made up of Jake Peavy, Trevor Hoffman, and Brian Giles, with rising stars like Kevin Kouzmanoff, Chase Headley, and Nick Hundley. This is a young team, no doubt about it. For the last two years, this team has failed.

But I truly believe that we will win the World Series in the near future. Brian Giles has talked about it over and over again. He believes that this team is just a few pieces away. I think it will take a few years, but I agree with him. We’re very close to being a contending team. 2008 was just a glitch that broke the string of three years of contention.

I’ve been watching the playoff games, and it would be incredible to have the Padres there. I see the energy in the ballparks, and I imagine it in PETCO Park. It would be the big downtown party. The playoffs get a lot of publicity, and it would be so cool to have the Padres there. I haven’t truly experienced a Padres championship yet. But I’m ready, hungry for it. Watching the Red Sox in the past two postseasons, I think I understand more clearly now, the joy of having your team in the postseason. It’s amazing.

I don’t know when the Padres will get our World Championship, but we will. It might take a while, but we will get there, and we will win. There will be many disappointments and frustrations, but that will all be forgotten when we win it all. Someday, the Padres will bring a World Title to San Diego. I can’t wait for that day.