Dear Padres Fans,
You've run into the problem that has plagued professional sports for years. Some owners want to win and forgo profits, other owners want to make profits and don't care about winning. The Redskins are the most profitable sports team in the world, yet they haven't won shiat in decades. For over a decade in the 1980's to early 90's the New York Yankees lost money every year because the owner did everything they could to win.

Yes. Next question.

Yeah, I can see the resemblance.

Was San Diego hoodwinked?

"Build us a stadium and we'll do everything we can to win the World Series."
*San Diego votes to build stadium*
"We're selling the team and getting rid of all our talent to maximize profits."

You tell me.

That stadium is great

Having lived here for over 20 years, I can say without reservation that yes, the people of San Diego were royally and genuinely f*cked, without the courtesy of lube, dinner, a movie or even a goodnight kiss. Didn't even get trolley fare home.

This town has been controlled by big developer money virtually forever. What they want, they get, because they have it like that. The first question I asked when this clusterf*ck was first proposed was "how in the hell are they going to get public money for something a private business will own and operate?" Then I asked "with land at a premium here already, how are these idiots going to shoehorn an entire stadium in beside a port, a huge convention center, a buttload of railroad tracks, and an already overbuilt downtown?"

Somehow, they did both, and it's been downhill for everyone but the money people since. I laughed my ass off at the prices people were paying (and in some cases are still paying) for new condos near enough to the stadium so that people could see the game from their windows...

Another team owned by billionaires that won't cough up any salary money. Meanwhile, a horde of people think the Yankees are what's wrong, and not all the teams sitting on tons of cash.

I live 100 yards from San Diego.

Best 100 yards I've ever paid for in my life.

What a bunch of maroons!

Did the Padres take any money from local governments to build the stadium? If so, then yes. You were taken, bamboozled, scammed, any way you want to put it; that money is gone and never coming back, all for lining the pockets of the club owners.

This article is what happens when middle aged white guys read Malcolm X.

Somebody's been watching White Collar....

When the government takes money from the general populace for billionaires' projects, it's ok and patriotic even. When it's the other way around, it's communism.

/It is a nice stadium.
//And you can usually get home plate row 10 seats for 35 dollars.

No worse than the residents of Hamilton County in Cincinnati on the Bengals stadium

/fark Mike Brown

How about Cleveland? Clowns just got the city to pony up $5,800,000 for renovations, and they don't even play NFL games there. Good thing they opted for an open air stadium...

WTF Indeed: Dear Padres Fans,
You've run into the problem that has plagued professional sports for years. Some owners want to win and forgo profits, other owners want to make profits and don't care about winning. The Redskins are the most profitable sports team in the world, yet they haven't won shiat in decades. For over a decade in the 1980's to early 90's the New York Yankees lost money every year because the owner did everything they could to win.

Of course, in the 1980's and early 90's, the Yankees didn't win shiat.

"Ooooooouuuuuuu, I have been bamboozled!"

006andahalf: When the government takes money from the general populace for billionaires' projects, it's ok and patriotic even. When it's the other way around, it's communism.

/It is a nice stadium.
//And you can usually get home plate row 10 seats for 35 dollars.

It's a beautiful ballpark, and you can get quality beer and tasty food. Plus, there's credit union ATMs in it, so you don't get raped with MegaBank fees when you take out money for your $9.00 fish tacos.

Too bad the baseball played in there is crap. It makes me mad, really. A truly spendid ballpark in a location 95% of MLB teams would kill for, and what do we get? AAA baseball.

Break Open Your Cold Ones! Toast The Padres! Enjoy This Champion Organization!

/obscure?

Mad Canadian: Break Open Your Cold Ones! Toast The Padres! Enjoy This Champion Organization!

/obscure?

Fark PETA and their subliminal messages.

/lifelong Padres fan
//not going to another game until they change back to brown uniforms

The book Free Lunch has a fairly sizeable section on how stadium deals often screw over the taxpayers and the money pretty much goes right into the pockets of the team owners. The Nationals are the foremost example of this - MLB took over the Expos, got DC to give massive tax breaks and subsidies to the owners they more or less handed the team to the tune of those owners more or less making money to "buy" the team.

Why, you've been hoodwinked, my good man! Flim-flammed! Bamboozled! Swindled! Hornswoggled! The Kansas City Two-Step, they call it! A slick-looking fellow comes along, sells you the Brooklyn Bridge with all the fixings, and just like that, he's on the 2:36 to Chicago! Baffles the cops from coast-to-coast!

But I tell you, my friend, you and I are going to double-cross that devilishly debonair double-dealer! We'll do a number on him! We'll give him the bum's rush! All I need is your wallet and directions to the nearest airport! 23 skidoo!

TKM: I live 100 yards from San Diego.

Best 100 yards I've ever paid for in my life.

What a bunch of maroons!

Tijuana?

generalDisDain

Everyone in favor of public money for stadia, as demonstrated in the "Seattle is a 5 sport city" thread from tuesday.

davidphogan: TKM: I live 100 yards from San Diego.

Best 100 yards I've ever paid for in my life.

What a bunch of maroons!

Tijuana?

I was guessing I. B.

/Not sure which one is worse.

only cleveland fans get bamboozled

Petco Park is nice.

/Never heard of Petco Field

Petco Park is nice and yes, San Diego got farked pretty hard. The Padres basically take anyone who does half-way decently and trade him ASAP. The Padres are now, basically, a harvesting farm operation. You play for the Padres, they break you in, give you a cheap ass contract and then trade you.

/lives in East County
//Big developer money is coming east, so developers are beginning to think that the desolate back country is something more than useless.

So San Diego is like the 26 or so other MLB teams that act as AAA farm teams for the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels ?

/complainers, get in line