Sayonara Salute #10: Devin Setoguchi

[sanjosefuji]

Each year fans have to deal with the possibility of their favorite players on their favorite teams being traded. I've dealt with my share of heartache... and although I might be used to it... I'm not going to lie... it still sucks. Some are more painful than others... but it seems like the first time and the most recent hurt the most.

1984 - Rickey Henderson traded by the Oakland A's to the New York Yankees.



1992 - Jose Canseco traded by the Oakland A's to the Texas Rangers



1993 - Rickey Henderson traded by the Oakland A's (AGAIN) to the Toronto Blue Jays.



1996 - Tim Hardaway traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Miami Heat.



1997 - Mark McGwire traded by the Oakland A's to the St. Louis Cardinals



1998 - Nick Van Exel traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Denver Nuggets.



1999 - Eddie Jones traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Charlotte Hornets.



2000 - Joey Galloway traded by the Seattle Seahawks to the Dallas Cowboys.



2001 - Jeff Friesen traded by the San Jose Sharks to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.



2004 - Shaquille O'Neal traded by the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat.



2008 - Brett Favre traded by the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets.



2010 - Adrian Gonzalez traded by the San Diego Padres to the Boston Red Sox.

And now we can add this one to the list:

2011 - Devin Setoguchi traded by the San Jose Sharks to the Minnesota Wild.

After Jeff Friesen was traded in 2001... it seemed natural that Patrick Marleau would take his spot as my favorite San Jose Shark. Both Friesen and Marleau were solid players and at the same time humble fan favorites.


Then in 2007, a 20 year old half Japanese guy suited up and scored 2 goals in the 2007-08 season opener and his first regular season game as a San Jose Shark. He went on to score 7 goals and 1 assist in his first nine games as a Shark. And from that moment forward... I had a new favorite player: Devin Setoguchi.


Now... I know this sounds bad... like I dropped Marleau like a bad habit. Okay... before I continue on about Seto... let me just say this: I've never stopped liking Patty. When many San Jose fans started saying Marleau should be traded... I always stood by him and said he's one of the leaders on the team and I hope he stays a Shark for life.


But let's face the facts... there just aren't a lot of hockey players who are Japanese. And the handful of players who are don't play for the Sharks. Plus... Setoguchi fit the perfect hobby image for me. He was good, but not great. Which meant that he was readily available, but affordable. Plus he was exciting to watch... when he was on his game.


Unfortunately... he was also very inconsistent... know for his goal scoring streaks... and sadly... his goal scoring droughts. Which is why his name has been in trade rumors for the past two seasons.


Then... two days ago he signed a three year contract extension, which definitely brought a smile to my face. I figured the Sharks were happy with his playoff performance that included 7 goals (two were overtime winners).


Sadly... this was just a tease... because Seto was traded yesterday to the Minnesota Wild for blueliner Brent Burns. The Sharks definitely needed a solid blueliner and Burns is just that. So as a fan of the San Jose Sharks, I understand why they did it.


But as a fan of Devin Setoguchi... this has seriously bummed me out.


So here is today's question of the day:

Have you ever been bummed out, because your favorite team traded your favorite player?


If so... who was it? Do you still collect him/her?

By the way... I'll still be collecting Setoguchi. If there's something positive to come out of this trade... it's the fact there'll be Sharks fans dumping their Setoguchi cards at blowout prices.


So here's my sayonara salute to #16. I wish you the best of luck in Minnesota and will be cheering you on anytime you're not suiting up against the Sharks.


Have a great weekend everyone! Sayonara!



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