Those guys lost games, not you

San Diego Padres fans, you are not alone.

New York Mets fans already populate the world of off-season misery you now inhabit.

Take some advice from the mental health professionals consulted by the New York Daily News.

“It’s important to separate yourself from the team’s losing, to not think that you’ve lost in your own life,” said Judy Kuriansky, a New York clinical psychologist and Columbia University professor.

Among others interviewed was pop psychologist Joyce Brothers, who sounded more like Dr. Ruth when she said male Mets fans were likely to suffer a decrease in testosterone levels.

“A lot of what would have been some pretty wonderful sex went by the board,” Brothers said.

“I think it’s very hard to give up a gift that you had put in your pocket already,” she added. “There’s a certain amount of humiliation going on too.”

Speaking of humiliation -- but give Trevor Hoffman credit for the way he took responsibility for his blown save Monday -- among the new offerings on EBay Tuesday was a 2007 trading card for baseball’s career saves leader, with a starting bid of $1.98.

From the item description: “We’re Overstocked, YOU SAVE!!”

Did they have to mention the word “save”?

Trivia time

The decision by a federal jury that New York Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden sexually discriminated against a former team executive adds new meaning to the title of a book Thomas co-wrote about the Detroit Pistons’ 1989 NBA championship. What is that book’s title?

Pride of the Indians

LeBron James upset some people in Cleveland when the Cavaliers star said he would root for the New York Yankees instead of the Indians in their American League playoff series.

But James, who has been photographed wearing a Yankees cap in the past, said he has been a fan since boyhood.

That hasn’t sat well with Indians great Bob Feller, the (Cleveland) Plain Dealer noted.

“I’m going to a Cavaliers game and sit right by their bench, wearing a Detroit Pistons cap. Let’s see how LeBron likes that,” Feller said.

Still posting up

There aren’t too many athletes’ blogs that would be very interesting when the player is probably out for the season. But there’s something about the quirky stuff Greg Oden writes at yardbarker.com.

He titled a recent post, “My New Family Member,” and included an account of enlisting neighbors to search when his dog got out of the backyard.

“His name is Charles Barkley McLovin and he is my new dog. He is a Boston/Beagle. He is not too big because i cant have a big dog while im renting my house. He is very quiet, hasnt even barked since i had him so far. He does of course pee in the house, making me mad. I know it takes time to train a dog, but don’t you wish that a dog can just be born knowing to go to the restroom outside and to eat his food out of the dish?”

Let’s consider the punctuation evidence of the text-messaging generation, not of Oden spending only a year at Ohio State.

Nice rock

A former race car driver submitted the winning bid Tuesday for North Carolina Speedway, the Rockingham, N.C., track known as “The Rock” that was abandoned by NASCAR in 2004.

The new owner, who also operates a driving school, said he plans to bring lower-tier racing to the track.

It’s not quite California real estate.

The 250-acre site went for $4.4 million.

Trivia answer

“Bad Boys! An Inside Look at the Detroit Pistons’ 1988-89 Championship Season.”

And finally

With Notre Dame coming to town to play UCLA on Saturday, the brief moratorium on items poking fun at the Irish is over.

From NBC’s Jay Leno: “They’re 0-5 so far. Saturday they lost to Purdue and here’s the worst part: Not the university, the chicken company. . . . Here’s something I did not know. Did you know Notre Dame is a Latin phrase meaning ‘The New York Mets?’ ”

robyn.norwood@latimes.com