i wonder how the padres do so well competing with the la teams just up the road. they are doing okay...
The Padres don't really compete with the Dodgers or Angels in terms of marketing, fan base, or broadcasting. There's not very much overlap. San Diegans tend to dislike Los Angeles, just like most other people in the rest of California do. Except for the occasional transplant, considering how geographically close they are, there aren't many Dodger fans in San Diego and vice versa.
I used to be a Raiders fan when they played in L.A. After they moved back to Oakland, I not only gave up on them, I cared less about the entire NFL. Someone from out of state once suggested to me that I could root for the Chargers instead. The idea was so preposterous that I laughed out loud. And I spent my college years in San Diego. I love visiting and wouldn't mind living there. But I'm not going to root for a San Diego team after growing up with the L.A. teams. That's never going to happen.
And as IJ said, it depends on what you mean by "do so well". The Padres are having a bad season even in a weak division. They've never won the World Series and got pasted the two times they played in it. It's not like they're the Clippers of MLB or anything, but through most of their history they have not done "so well."
On the other hand, they've been to the World Series a lot more recently than the Dodgers have.
So why the need to act like an ass. Just play the damn game and leave the childish antics at home.
If all players just played the damn game without any character, you'd be complaining that none of them have any personality. These oddballs make sports more interesting. Just because Steinbrenner prohibits his players from having fun, doesn't mean the rest of the teams have to as well.
