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“Padres Baseball–More Than a Game”

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We sit here and wait.
We sit here and pray.
We sit here and hope.

America begins its 5th week of Virus-Crisis lockdown.

The numbers are staggering, those ill with Covid-19, those hospitalized, those in ICU, those who died.

The economy has been shattered, when you hear-read comparisons that date back to the failures of 2008, the drops to levels of 1929, and what his happening with bailouts, loans, unemployment.

All this makes the opening of the baseball season inconquisential.

But San Diego Padres is more than just an upcoming game with the Dodgers, interleague play with the Red Sox, free agent contract seasons, guys coming off Tommy John surgery, the standings, homesteads and road trips.

Think of the names Ron Fowler, Peter Seidler, Erik Greupner.  Some you know, some you don’t.  They are the ones atop of the Padres organizations chart at Petco Park.

It is just not GM-AJ Preller and his new manager Jayce Tingler.

Their lives have been forever changed, as has their job responsibilities because of what is happening globally.

The next time you go to a game, and you cast a glance into the owners box seats just to the right of home plate, or take a look at the owners sky boxes, understand what those three execs are dealing with.

Think the words….”Burden-Responsibility-Investment”

Padres baseball is more now than just pennant races and trading deadlines, injuries and roster moves.  It’s more than the Amateur draft, the International signing period, draft pick slot money. It’s more than just a 40-man roster, or the starting nine any given night.
It’s more than the Disabled List, Tommy John surgeries, rehab stints and what’s going on down on the farm in El Paso or Amarillo.

Fowler-Seidler-Greupner wake up each morning carrying the weight of the organization on their shoulders.  Making decisions that impact not just their employees, but their families too.

A survey of the Padres organization chart shows who works there, not just on the baseball side, but equally as important, the business side, and the community side.

Take a look at the structure of Padres baseball.
..56-different business executives in the Padres front office directory.
..40-players on the Padres major league roster-protected list
..45-employees in baseball operations working for the GM
..31-Minor league administrators
..50-Scouts in the USA and abroad
..84-Managers-coaches-trainers across 9-teams fielded by Padres

..136-Staff members who work on the business side for the Padres
..250-Minor league players under contract on 8-teams-Academy.
..250-Gameday and stadium employees.

At last count, the total 952-total people, baseball, non baseball, major league thru minor league, and game day who count on a paycheck from the Padres.  Think of that staggering number.

So while you the fans, those of us in the media, wonder about Manny Machado’s bounce back season, Will Myers’ strikeout issue, the emergence of young stars Chris Paddack-Fernando Tatis, the return to health of Garrett Richards, or the blue ribbon bullen, there’s a lot more to Padres baseball than just a game against the Dodgers on the schedule that is at stake.

And while baseball floats all these ideas of the Arizona-Bubble League, or the Grapefruit-vs-Cactus League circuit, just to try and get the game up and running, think of what is on the mind of Fowler-Seidler-Greupner every morning as they meet on Video Conference calls.

The Padres decision makers.  Baseball fans for sure, but understanding too , they are impacting so many other lives that revolve around all things wearing Brown & Gold.

The Padres baseball leaders, carrying a burden, taking a responsibility, dealing with the investment, that are as important as wins and losses when the umpire yells “Play Ball”.  It is more than a game.

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