Can the Padres save San Diego sports fandom? – The San Diego Union-Tribune

As the chef at Bub’s at the Ballpark sports bar just a few minutes’ walk from Petco Park, Todd Nash spends a good chunk of his time marinating in the blood, sweat and tears of Padres fandom. His restaurant is the site of pre-game happy hours and post-game parties (or post-mortems), and if the team is having a good night, the cheers from Petco make the Bub’s walls rattle.

So he would probably be all-in with the Padres even if he wasn’t a fan, which he is. But the native San Diegan is also a recovering Chargers fan, so while he spends his days and nights in the shadow of Petco, a piece of his heart still lives at Qualcomm Stadium.

And he is not alone out there. Even as the team has moved out and our collective sports consciousness is shifting to Padres baseball, many Chargers supporters are stuck in grieving gear.

“I have always been a Padres fan, but I don’t know if I can find another team that I will love as much as the Chargers,” Nash said, as Bub’s filled up with people heading to Saturday’s Padres FanFest gathering to kick off the season. “For people like me, it’s bred into your life. It’s what you do on Sundays. It’s your tradition. I hope rooting for the Padres will help. Time will tell on that one.”