Thoughts on the Toreros' Season

It sure was fun while it lasted, wasn't it? USD fans now face the return to harsh reality, as their beloved Toreros' wild ride to March Madness has come to an abrupt, heartbreaking end. There is an empty feeling that is impossible to ignore throughout the entire city of San Diego, as residents return to the minutia of the daily grind, left only with the memories of a special season...

Memories...

The screams of Toreros basketball fans are still echoing in the rafters of Jenny Craig Pavilion. "GO TOREROS! GO!"

Yes, Jenny Craig Pavilion. Throughout the gloom of winter, San Diegans knew the one place to go where they could always find the heat; a place where they could forget about their daily troubles, and just catch a good game of ball. A place where they could come and be proud to be fans; a venue with a name which now haunts opposing coaches at night in their dreams; the Torero's cherished home ground: The Jenny Craig Pavilion.

If you're not a local, then you might not understand, but in a hard working town like San Diego, basketball means something. You see, in this part of the country, there's not always a lot to look forward to; most folks have taken so many hard knocks that it's hard to get excited about something so trivial as a game with a ball and a net; but the Toreros played their hearts out in spite of it all, and in so doing, they captured the hearts of a new generation of fans.

And for a little while, San Diego was a place to be. We were in the news. We were alive and united. We had smiles on our faces. We had hope...

Hope...

Playing in a little town like San Diego, it's difficult to get national respect. The world was shocked when the Toreros, OUR Toreros!, upset heavy favorite U-Conn in the first round. Yes, the big-shot talking heads on ESPN acted surprised, but the locals knew better. We knew our Toreros could do it all along - and that with any luck they'll do it again.

Next season - it seems like an eternity from now - the Toreros will be back, and they'll be improved. It's going to be a long wait for the first "midnight madness" practice of the 2008 season, but it will come. In the meantime, Padres baseball will be back soon, and with it, the crack of the bat that reminds us that somewhere, spring has arrived.

Some people will always find a way to complain. To those people, the Toreros are just another team from San Diego that couldn't win the big game. Yes, it's fun to dream of championships, but sometimes, you've just got to take what life hands out. This year, the Toreros showed us how fun it is to be a fan again. That seems like plenty to cheer about. GO TOREROS!

Thus concludes my best imitation of what a prominent Cleveland sports journalist would end up writing about, were he to be placed in San Diego.