For A.J. Preller, Bob Melvin and a star-laden Padres offense, the past serves up hope.
Let's visit the the Padres' doldrums of June 1996, fellas.
Go to downtown Chicago. See manager Bruce Bochy, pained by yet another defeat. Walking near Lake Michigan, he muses to a Padres colleague that Larry Lucchino will fire him if the team doesn't pull out of its free fall.