I still love my Padres, but this season is becoming unbearable to watch. Wednesday night, Albert Pujols knocked two key players out of the game (broken nose for right-hander Chris Young, sprained left ankle for catcher Josh Bard) in the same inning. Because, you know, being the worst team in baseball just wasn't punishment enough for whatever transgressions the Pads had made against the baseball gods.

In light of my actual team's extreme suckitude, I mentioned a few days ago the possibility of following an American League team this year. I've gotten some good suggestions both in the comments and via email (thanks!), and I've narrowed my choices to three teams:

Cleveland Indians

• Pros: Smart organization, good young talent, great collection of names (Asdrubal, Fausto, and Masahide sounds like the law firm quite literally from hell).
• Cons: Known as the Naps from 1903 to 1914.

Kansas City Royals

• Pros: Joined MLB in 1969, the same year as the Padres; model franchise from 1975 to 1985; good young talent.
• Cons: Contracts of Jose Guillen and Gil Meche.

Toronto Blue Jays

• Pros: Great city, play in only current big-league ballpark I've visited outside of California.
• Cons: Not the most talented bunch of players.

As you can see, I'm biased toward small- to mid-market teams, preferably ones that don't suck. I'll make my choice sometime next week; meanwhile, I'd love to hear your thoughts.