Word has come out that the Padres may be sold sooner rather than later (according to hints dropped by local media types, we're talking this week or perhaps next week), which is more than likely good news after the Moorad debacle. Looking at the groups who have been reported as being "finalists" in the bidding process, I can't say that I have a real problem with any of them. On paper, I see positives with every group, and very few negatives. That said, we've been burned badly, and I have some suggestions/demands for the incoming ownership group.
A Major League team requires a Major League payroll: $43M, $37M, $45M, $55M. Those are the payrolls for the last four seasons of Padres baseball. Considering the Padres (and other "small-market" clubs) were reportedly receiving $35-40M annually from revenue sharing, these numbers are absurd at best. Really, they're flat-out infuriating and insulting to the fanbase. Instead of supporting a Major League payroll, Jeff Moorad implied that attendance needed to improve to see spending increase. With the new television contract, there's not excuse not to field an $80M+ baseball club.
The burden of proof is on you, not the fans: As I said in the previous section, Jeff Moorad implied that it was on Padres fans to buy tickets if they wanted to see the payroll increase to a reasonable level. The Padres fanbase has no reason to trust ownership, and this kind of attitude isn't going to serve you well with San Diego fans. We need a reason to trust that you have the club's best interests at heart.
What you shouldn't do is come into town telling us who and what we are; Tom Garfinkel-style turd polishing will not work anymore. I wish I had all of the answers to what you need to do to rebuild trust, but I know bringing in legitimate Major League talent is the first step. Make us feel welcome in our own park, and establish Petco Park as home of the San Diego Padres and Padres fans, not the "any fan will do" method that has allowed opposing fans to fill our ballpark. Thank your predecessors, because you're walking into a shit situation and it's their fault. The good thing is that when we're given something to buy into, we show up.
GET THE GAMES ON TV. NOW: Don't shill for DirecTV, don't throw up your hands/shrug your shoulders and tell the fans to call up Time Warner and AT&T and do your job for you. Get the games on TV, now.
Focus on draft and development: This should be an easy one for a team in this market, but our history suggests otherwise. If you're serious about winning in San Diego (and if you're not, stop reading and please drop out of the bidding), you're going to need to build from the ground up. Draft the best talent available, then sign that talent. "Signability" is not a word that should be in your vocabulary. Spend money on international scouting and free agents. Do not stick your nose in the process, allow the people you hired to actually do their job. Which brings me to....A Major League team requires a Major League payroll: $43M, $37M, $45M, $55M. Those are the payrolls for the last four seasons of Padres baseball. Considering the Padres (and other "small-market" clubs) were reportedly receiving $35-40M annually from revenue sharing, these numbers are absurd at best. Really, they're flat-out infuriating and insulting to the fanbase. Instead of supporting a Major League payroll, Jeff Moorad implied that attendance needed to improve to see spending increase. With the new television contract, there's not excuse not to field an $80M+ baseball club.
The burden of proof is on you, not the fans: As I said in the previous section, Jeff Moorad implied that it was on Padres fans to buy tickets if they wanted to see the payroll increase to a reasonable level. The Padres fanbase has no reason to trust ownership, and this kind of attitude isn't going to serve you well with San Diego fans. We need a reason to trust that you have the club's best interests at heart.
What you shouldn't do is come into town telling us who and what we are; Tom Garfinkel-style turd polishing will not work anymore. I wish I had all of the answers to what you need to do to rebuild trust, but I know bringing in legitimate Major League talent is the first step. Make us feel welcome in our own park, and establish Petco Park as home of the San Diego Padres and Padres fans, not the "any fan will do" method that has allowed opposing fans to fill our ballpark. Thank your predecessors, because you're walking into a shit situation and it's their fault. The good thing is that when we're given something to buy into, we show up.
GET THE GAMES ON TV. NOW: Don't shill for DirecTV, don't throw up your hands/shrug your shoulders and tell the fans to call up Time Warner and AT&T and do your job for you. Get the games on TV, now.
Hire/retain good baseball people and let them do their jobs: Stay in the owner's box. Do what you need to do to make this business run optimally, but do not directly involve yourself in the on-field product. We don't need the owner forcing things like, say, multi-year deals with Orlando Hudson. Or drafting Matt Bush over whomever. Let the baseball people work, and if they're not doing their job, step in and replace them.
Intelligent free agent signings: In the world of sports talk radio and newspaper comment sections, willingness to spend big in free agency is the ultimate measure of an owner's constitution. I would argue that free agency isn't as important as developing your own talent and retaining it, but it's a necessary piece of the puzzle. Free agency should be used to compliment your existing roster, to fill in holes that you're unable to fill through your system. The Padres are never going to find themselves in the position to sign Albert Pujols, nor should they aspire to be in that position. We should use free agency dollars to bolster a homegrown roster, not putting all of our eggs in one or two baskets...or worse, create a revolving door of stopgaps (i.e. the Kevin Towers Plan).
Additional items I'd like to see:
+ I'd like to see less of a "house cleaning" and more "taking out the trash". Namely, Black and Byrnes being sent on their way.
+ Bring back brown (and gold) as our primary color(s). The common misconception seems to be that the "Bring Back The Brown" movement wants to bring back a specific uniform set. That's not the case. Rather, I'd like to see an evolution. We do have a history, which has now been ignored for 22 years. We need to embrace that history and re-establish a kit that is distinctly San Diego Padres. Give us our identity back.
Intelligent free agent signings: In the world of sports talk radio and newspaper comment sections, willingness to spend big in free agency is the ultimate measure of an owner's constitution. I would argue that free agency isn't as important as developing your own talent and retaining it, but it's a necessary piece of the puzzle. Free agency should be used to compliment your existing roster, to fill in holes that you're unable to fill through your system. The Padres are never going to find themselves in the position to sign Albert Pujols, nor should they aspire to be in that position. We should use free agency dollars to bolster a homegrown roster, not putting all of our eggs in one or two baskets...or worse, create a revolving door of stopgaps (i.e. the Kevin Towers Plan).
Additional items I'd like to see:
+ I'd like to see less of a "house cleaning" and more "taking out the trash". Namely, Black and Byrnes being sent on their way.
+ Bring back brown (and gold) as our primary color(s). The common misconception seems to be that the "Bring Back The Brown" movement wants to bring back a specific uniform set. That's not the case. Rather, I'd like to see an evolution. We do have a history, which has now been ignored for 22 years. We need to embrace that history and re-establish a kit that is distinctly San Diego Padres. Give us our identity back.
Posted this on the Padre Fan Forum on MLB.. they want you guys to write more often.. HINT
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said except one. I think the "Bring Back the Brown" crowd DOES want a specific (of two) uniform set. And that is where I think the movement has gone wrong. The uniforms they seem to want back are the years that are almost universally considered Top Ten All Time Worst Uniforms Ever material. Your idea of going back to the traditional colors but re-established in a new scheme makes much more sense. However, variations of blue have now been on the unis for longer than brown was. And for too many of the brown years, the unis were hideous. So that's a battle likely lost.
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