“Padres Baseball–New Era”

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Padres baseball has gone from good times, when Ray Kroc saved the franchise and got them to a World Series,

To the very good times when Larry Lucchino  and John Moores teamed up to save the franchise a second time, built Petco Park, and got to the World Series.

And now we seem ready for possibly the greatest times in Padres baseball, Peter Seidler’s signing spree that could make this team a World Series champion.

The latest step was the Sunday morning signing of Manny Machado to an (11Y-350M) extension…a lifetime contract that will span his entire career.

This step on Seidler’s checkerboard, came after the extension for Yu Darvish.

It followed the trade deadline deal for slugger Juan Soto and the trade for Josh Hader.

And prior to that it was the mega extension for home grown pitcher Joe Musgrove, and the huge extension for young slugger Fernando Tatis, the original Machado contract, and the early free agent signings of Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers.

The misguided eras of Chub Feeney and Tom Werner and the Terrible 15 seem a long time ago.

Seidler has a blueprint, uniquely crafted in the San Diego market, and though many question the ‘sustainability’ of what the Padres are doing, those from the outside do not understand America’s Finest City..

Where there is justified criticism that should be directed at places like Baltimore, Tampa, Kansas City, Detroit, Pittsburgh and more, there should be compliments directed at Seidler, for his vision and creativeness.

In what is called a ‘small market, how do you rationalize a (253M) payroll and a luxury tax number that is now at 274M-crossing the third threshold?

San Diego County may have 3.3M-residents, but this has become a solo market, so different than anywhere else.

San Diego was devastated when the greed of Chargers owner Dean Spanos was more important than 55-years of loyalty, in a town that rated the NFL ahead of the MLB team in town.

The city lost its franchise, the fans lost its heart, no one won, except the Padres.

History will write the Seidler blueprint is not just about his wealth, but a business model he  created because he is in San Diego, and not somewhere else.  And his is really the only game in town.

The other small market, small payroll teams, don’t own their market.  The Steelers, Penguins and Pitt own Pittsburgh, not the Pirates.  Milwaukee, Bud Selig’s hometown, has to compete against the Packers-Bucks-Badgers.

The Red Sox have the Patriots-Bruins and Celtics in Boston.  Miami gives up space to the Heat-Dolphins-Hurricanes.  Think Kansas City, you think Chiefs, those  Super Bowl Chiefs, not the Royals.

Is this a small market, yes.  But it’s a regional market that stretches north into the inland empire, and south across the border to Mexico.

Add in, this is a ‘melting pot’ market of people who have moved here from somewhere else.  They moved to the sunshine but never left their emotional attachment to their teams back home.

That explains why you see enormous amounts of Cubs-Red Sox-Pirates-Cardinals-Mets-Yankees  jerseys in the stands when those teams, the fans other team from back home, arrive at Petco Park.

Seidler and his new CEO-Eric Gruepner designed this game plan.  The Padres now control all the sports sponsorship industry in San Diego.  They have always had a strong corporate baseball following.  Now they have taken on everything the NFL-Chargers left behind in NFL sponsorships, when they left in the middle of the night.

And they have outdistanced small minded SDSU who never embraced the Chargers business partners nor its fans.

Look at the signage in the stadium  Look at the broadcast inventory.  Look at the good citizen projects the franchise is involved in in this community.  Still to come will be additional revenue streams when the development of Tailgate Park is completed.  Connect the business dots on all this.

Now you mix in Petco Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, and the destination point 1st place Padres baseball becomes, and you know why the Padres spending spree makes sense.   Invest, win, reinvest, cement a legacy.

Baseball’s new rule changes encompass bigger bases this year.  The Padres seem to have every base covered, from roster acquisitions, contract signings and business dealings.

And the fans, it is absolutely amazing, the electricity at home games, everyone wearing Padres brown and gold, and the likelihood every home game will resemble an NFL playoff game in terms of sellouts and atmosphere..

I told Seider and former owner Ron Fowler, you put a good product on the field, you win, and will draw 3M fans not including what you will draw come the playoffs.  Imagine what this place will be like in Brown-October (World Series) time.

This owner may be our version of Peter O’Malley…George Stienbrenner or many other legendary owners in the game.

This next era of Padres baseball may be the greatest era.  Peter Seidler has checked off all the boxes on how to build a winner and he believes to sustain a winner.

Take that Dick Monfort, Rob Manfred and a critical national media.

You are like me, like the fans, like the owner.  Waiting for the umpire to yell ‘Play Ball’ on opening day.  A Golden Era for the Brown & Gold may be upon us.

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