Thanks For The Roster Upgrades! Now Let’s Discuss A Petco Park Beverage Menu Upgrade
Dear San Diego Padres,
I am so sorry for your loss.
Your roster additions made for an exciting season in 2022, despite the temporary loss of you know who.
Beating the Dodgers in the Wild Card round made all of our lives more bearable for another year so THANK YOU!!
I have no doubt that more great things are ahead for us San Diego Padres fans.
I have been one of the Friar faithful since my family moved here in 1973 from northern California. My dad had been hired to coach quarterbacks at San Diego State.
But we loved baseball too.
Dad played college baseball for Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He earned a spot as a pitcher on Team USA in the Pan American Games held in Cuba in 1963, the year I was born.
His love of the game spread to our whole family.
We were thrilled to move south and root for our new MLB home team, the San Diego Padres.
Father-Daughter Bonding With Jerry Coleman And The Padres
I first remember cheering for the Padres from our San Carlos living room when I was about 12.
My dad would listen to the games on our stereo console while relaxing on the couch after work.
Laying on the carpeted floor near dad, I would listen along with him as Jerry Coleman did the play by play. The batter’s names rolling off his tongue in long, drawn out syllables.
Number 11 – Ennnnnzzzzzoooo Herrrrrnannnnnndezzzzzzzzzz!!
Number 23 – Titoooooooooo Fuuuuentesssssssss!!
I could picture the play happening as the crowd cheered at Jack Murphy Stadium. I learned so much about the nuances of the game from my dad during that time, even though we were only listening on the radio.
A lot has changed since then Padres.
Your beautiful home at Petco Park is something the whole city has come to love.
Yes, many of us were sad to see your old home bull-dozed last year. But we are also beyond enthusiastic about your promising future.
A Season Of Change Is Brewing
In the meantime, I would like to make a humble request on behalf of some of us loyal Padre fans who LOVE spending time in your house.
I’m not sure that you have noticed (since you have been a little busy), but the world (i.e. people) and their habits have changed a lot in the last few years.
(I shudder to remember the 2020/’21 seasons with cardboard fans in the stands.)
Nearly two years of staying home has driven a frightening increase in alcohol consumption around the world.
Many people are addressing the problem now and becoming more mindful of their drinking habits by cutting down or moderating their consumption.
This rising health consciousness among consumers and the “sober curious” has led thousands to seek healthier, alcohol free beverage alternatives. Without sacrificing quality and taste.
Ok, So Here’s My Ask For Next Year
Could you please add some of the newly available and delicious alcohol free, adult beverage choices to Petco Park concessions?
Maybe you didn’t know that this is now a thing?
There are many wonderful AF options that can be found at your local grocery store these days.
Perhaps you could consider something from Athletic Brewing Company? Their beers are locally made and all alcohol free!
Stella Artois, Heineken, Moretti and Corona now make 0.0 beers too.
Or maybe a specialty AF cocktail or two? Betty Buzz Ginger Beer with a shot of cranberry juice and a big squeeze of lime comes to mind. So delish!
There are millions of options beyond a Shirley Temple.
For us to have a few choices that are not kiddie drinks when we walk up to the bar or concession stand at a game, would be AMAZING.
Us former drinkers are fully accustomed to forking over exorbitant amounts of money to drink at Padre games.
In fact, we would be thrilled to pay too much for any luscious alcohol free specialty drink or beer at Petco Park the minute we arrive.
IF ONLY WE COULD FIND ONE.
Do You Have Any Alcohol Free Beer? Hahahaha…
What I discovered this season when the Padres played in the NLCS at Petco is that this is pretty much impossible.
Every server I asked in the park had no idea if any NA (non-alcoholic) beers were available at Petco. One guy, who seemed to be in charge of something, mentioned Seaside Market.
The Petco Park Insider Beer Guide I found online also said to try Seaside Market and that they had “over 100 beers inside Petco.” (So encouraging!)
So I went.
The server at Seaside stared at me blankly when I requested an alcohol free beer. Then she muttered, “no we don’t have any”.
Truthfully, I wasn’t surprised. I had already tried finding an AF beer during the regular season. But I was a tad hopeful that things had changed. Nope.
So it’s true what it says in the screenshot below that I took from the Petco Park Insider guide regarding NA beer:
“Selections could be hit or miss, so best of luck!”
(Translation: So long, you boring, non-drinking suckaaaaa!)
Non Drinkers and Health Conscious Padres Fans Will Pay For Craft Drinks Too
I get it. No one wants to hear that some of us have chosen not to drink anymore. But you know what? Our numbers are growing.
Sales of traditional beer and wine have dropped significantly in the U.S. this past year.
And, there has been a 20-21% increase in sales of non-alcoholic beer and wine.
This reduction in alcohol sales began well before the pandemic. It was driven by millennials, seeking a more healthful way of living.
The non-alcoholic drinks category has grown like wildfire since then. The NA beers of yesterday (remember O’Douls? Yick!) are a thing of the past.
Based on consumer demand, breweries both large and small, have come up with new brewing methods.
This has created a vast array of beer selections from lagers to IPA’s with 0.0 alcohol.
Many of these are as delicious and refreshing as their boozy counterparts, without the health (and drunk driving) risks of alcohol.
These NA beers provide an alternative for those San Diego Padres fans whose love affair with booze has ended.
Fans who still pine (pun intended) – me me me – for a cool, refreshing glass of something special in our hands at a Pads game.
The Sober Movement Is A Trend That Is Here To Stay
The explosion of sober lifestyle books and podcasts in the U.S. tells us that this is a hot topic.
There is a whole segment of the population looking for alcohol free alternatives. These are not your father’s alcoholics. They are a new breed.
They have made the choice to remove or reduce their alcohol intake for health or personal reasons. (Or like me, they just knew they were drinking too much.)
Not all of them are willing to go on a wild goose chase for mocktails or NA beer in a stadium full of drinkers.
It took me months after quitting alcohol to feel strong enough to ask for an AF drink out loud.
There’s a shame wrapped around the question. It feels like a failure.
Like you are standing there holding a brown paper bag with a bottle in it and all eyes are on you. Judging you.
But I have come to realize that most people don’t care. In fact, strangers are often so supportive.
“You rock. Go girl! I wish I could do that.” They say.
But you could, I think. You just have to start.
Anyway, I made the decision to do it. And so have many, many others.
And now that we are alcohol free, we don’t want or need that numbing agent anymore. But we do seek connection.
We all want to be a part of a community. Part of something bigger than ourselves.
We Are All One Community Bonded By Our Love Of The Pads
My belief is that there is a whole crazy gang of non drinking Padres fans hiding in plain sight at the games.
Stuck watching the game with a bottle of water, sugary lemonade or gargantuan Diet Coke. I mean someone could make a fortune here!
Yes we have changed our relationship with alcohol. But we still want to be invited to the party and treated as a valued guest like everyone else.
We love Hodads just as much as you do and would be ecstatic to enjoy an AF beer with our burger! And we are willing to pay for it.
We are a community – bonded together by the love of our Padres, no matter what we have in our cup.
Of course we will come cheer for our Pads, even if the beverage choices don’t change. But I at least wanted to make the request.
So, my dear San Diego Padres, if you do find a way to offer us some AF drink options at Petco Park next season, we will be thrilled and forever grateful for the love (and good beer).
I promise you won’t regret it. See you in 2023!
THANKS AND GO PADRES!!
Sincerely,
Tammy
(Loyal Padre fan since 1973, Social Drinker since 1978, Alcohol Free since 2021)
If you want more information about what it’s like for a long time social drinker to go alcohol free, check out my post “Sober Hair is Actually A Thing! (And 24 Other Great Things That Happen When You Go Alcohol Free)”