Petco Park

After living in San Diego for 15 years, I happened to move less than a month before Petco opened. I would have had opening day tickets too. It was on a return visit that I was able to attend my only two games at this park [so far]. This is a great place to see a game. Some of the things that the Padres did right, using a downtown location [right near the convention center, gaslamp district, and a trolley line], incorporating one of the original buildings into the park [Western Metal], and having a large open park in the outfield for people to watch the game on blankets/beach chairs. If I was forced to complain about something, it would be the emphasis they placed on luxury suites which pushes the upper deck seats a little higher.
The games I happened to attend were in the park’s inaugural season against the Giants. I went with my friend AJ who had season tickets along third base in shallow left field. These seats are angled towards the pitcher’s mound which meant that our seats at the end of the row were de facto front row to the outfield. The Giants and Padres would finish second and third in the NL West – both above .500 and both just out of the playoffs. The Pads had Ryan Klesko, Phil Nevin, Brian Giles, and Khalil Greene. The Padre starting rotation was Brian Lawrence, Adam Eaton, Jake Peavey, Ishmael Valdez, and David Wells with Trevor Hoffman in the bullpen. The Giants had Barry Bonds, JT Snow, Marquis Grissom, and Jason Schmidt.
The Pads won the first game on an OK Peavy start [didn’t get the win] and a Trevor Hoffman save. Bonds had a non-steroid related stolen base. The Giants won the second game with Schmidt getting the win over Wells.
 

Before the second game, my friend AJ received an early entry pass for us as a season ticket holder benefit. We arrived at the park and they let us in an hour before the general gates opened. Normally the Padres are finished with batting practice but the extra hour let us see the home team BP. Presumably, we were also let in early so we could get autographs. As we made our way down to the field on the first base side Jake Peavy was signing for everyone…well almost everyone. As he made his way down the line he got to AJ, looked at him without signing the ball, and went on to the next person. No explanation. Another fan who witnessed the snub took AJ’s ball and had Jake sign it. The fan was great. Peavy was a dick. Too bad AJ wasted a clean baseball on his signature.

AJ [in the grey jersey] Getting snubbed by Peavy

Update 09/06/2013: I am in town for some fantasy football drafts and get to attend 2 Padre games. In the second game I am sitting in the right field bleachers - front row just above a "party deck". Bottom of the first, lead off hitter Will Venable hits a 2-1 fastball that bounces off the lower wall, and hits me in the face. It broke my glasses; the right lens popped out - over the wall into the party deck. Fortunately someone found it and gave it back to me. It took 5 minutes to pop the lens back in. Here is the ball - and my shameful moment.