Talks of the apocalypse were premature

On August 6th, 2012 Anthony Rizzo returned to PETCO Park.

Two days short of his 23rd birthday Rizzo entered his old stomping grounds (These grounds stomped Rizzo. Not the other way around) with the distinction of being one of the hottest hitters in the game. Coming off a monster July Anthony Rizzo's numbers through 33 games with the Cubs looked like this:

Click it! Sh*t is tiny!

With 9 HRs and an OPS a shade under .900, Padres fans screamed, "We always trade away our golden gods!!!" 
They didn't actually say that. I made that up based on a variation of what Padres fans do say and Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous in which Billy Crudup jumped off a roof into a pool proclaiming himself to be a Golden God. But that is neither here nor there. The point remains: fans were not happy to see Rizzo's success while Andrew Cashner* sat idle on the mend from an oblique injury.

*Disgruntled fans also made the Rizzo/Alonso comparison and will continue to do so. Forever . . .

But Petco Park happened to Rizzo and he cooled during the most humid month in San Diego's recorded history*. Rizzo went 1 for 12 with 3 strikeouts and the Cubs were swept out of San Diego.

*I can't substantiate this. My crude measurements are based on the frequency in which I sweat through my t-shirts in places other than the armpits.

Anthony Rizzo is now 23. Since he entered PETCO on August 6th the first baseman's journeys to the plate have yielded the following:

Click it! Sh*t is tiny!

It was @Ducksnorts who pointedly noted this Anthony Rizzo cooling trend yesterday on Twitter. As I look out to my patio, watching an ever so slight breeze affecting the local flora, I am provided pieces of hope.

Hope: That as Anthony Rizzo cools and Yonder Alonzo grows, talks of an apocalypse will subside for a time.

Hope: That Andrew Cashner shall soon return to fill out the rotation and start more than three games before succumbing to injury.

Hope: That, this is a one t-shirt day.