Amarillo, Padres Agree to PDC

PRESS RELEASE – Amarillo Professional Baseball and the San Diego Padres announced today that they have agreed to a player-development contract (PDC) that will run through the 2020 season.

Solar Power for Petco Park, No ‘Baby Poop’ Brown and Yellow Unis for Padres

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres baseball team, will soon have a 336,520-watt solar power system.  Read more here.  Meanwhile, fans hoping the Padres will bring back brown uniforms on a full-time basis will have to keep hoping.  Read more here.

Golf Returning to Petco Park

Callaway is bringing a nine-hole golf experience back to the San Diego Padres’ stadium for the third year in a row, with the Links at Petco Park running from the 5th to the 10th of October.  Read more and view photo here.

Padres Announce Petco Upgrades

The San Diego Padres have announced details surrounding upgrades at Petco Park for 2016.  The centerpiece of the updates is a new two-level social space in right-center field inspired by San Diego’s beach lifestyle.  Read more here.

San Diego Padres rendering from Facebook.

Petco Park Golf Course Proves Popular

Fans of both baseball and golf are turning out in droves for the Links at Petco Park, a golf course that will temporarily exist inside the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park.  Read more and view photos here.

San Diego Awarded 2016 MLB All-Star Game

San Diego (CA) has been awarded Major League Baseball’s 2016 All-Star Game, Commissioner Bud Selig announced on Thursday.  It will be the third time the San Diego Padres will host the Midsummer Classic and first at Petco Park.  Read more and watch video here.

Jackrabbits Go 1980s Retro Padres with Unis

Beyond the name and logo unveiling for the expansion summer collegiate Kokomo Jackrabbits (Prospect League) during a press conference on Monday, non-attendees caught a glimpse of the team’s throwback San Diego Padres-inspired uniforms via Twitter.   They are not for everyone (at least one uni-aficionado loves the old Padres look), but the brown, mustard and orange will certainly stand out from the rest.  For a closer inspection, click on the graphic below:

 

Padres, Chihuahuas Extend PDC

PRESS RELEASE – The San Diego Padres and the El Paso Chihuahuas have agreed to extend the Player Development Contract to run through the 2016 season.

Ballpark Quirks: Petco Park’s Western Metal Supply Company Building

In a series called “Ballpark Quirks,” Sports Illustrated takes a look at the distinctive features and oddities that make up each of MLB’s 30 parks. Up now: Petco Park’s Western Metal Supply Company building.  Read more and view photos here.

Petco Park 10th Anniversary Celebration Tonight

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, will mark the 10th anniversary season of its namesake Sunday by presenting a $10,000 check to the San Diego Humane Society.  Read more here.

Padres Fill Anouncer Position

During the seventh inning stretch Saturday against the San Francisco Giants, Alex Miniak was in the Padres announcing booth at Petco Park when he officially announced that he won the job.  Read more and watch videos here and here.

37-Story Residential Tower Approved for San Diego’s Ballpark Village

The city agency overseeing downtown San Diego agreed unanimously Wednesday to approve a new 37-story, 688-housing unit tower for the Ballpark Village project next to Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.  Read more here.  Visit Downtown San Diego Partnership here.

Rendering courtesy of Carrier Johnson + Culture

Padres Unveil 2014 Promotional Schedule, Petco Park Upgrades on Tap

The San Diego Padres have announced their 2014 promotional schedule, which includes a throwback series against the Chicago Cubs (May 22-25) with the Padres wearing their retro 1984 brown and orange jerseys for three games.  Read more here.  It also appears that Petco Park will be getting a few upgrades.  Read more here.

San Diego Padres 2014 promotions from @Padres Twitter

Longtime Broadcaster Memorialized at Petco Park

A memorial service was held Saturday at Petco Park for Jerry Coleman, who served as broadcaster for the San Diego Padres for four decades.  Coleman, 89, died Jan. 5.  He won four World Series titles with the New York Yankees and was the only major leaguer who saw combat in both World War II and Korea, flying a combined 120 missions as a Marine Corps pilot.  Read more here.

Padres Will Hold Open Tryouts for Vacant PA Job

The San Diego Padres have announced that they’ll host open tryouts for their vacant public address announcer position. The casting call will be held Jan. 25 beginning at 9 a.m. at Petco Park.  Read more here.

Petco Park to Host Davis Cup Tennis

Two people with knowledge of the event say the first-round Davis Cup match between Britain and the United States will be played at Petco Park from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2.  Read more here.

New Plans for Petco Park Ballpark Village Unveiled

New plans for the long-awaited Ballpark Village on the the triangular-shaped block across from Petco Park have been unveiled by the developer.  The estimated cost is from $225 million to $250 million.  Read more here and view rendering here.

Rangers Play Two at the Alamodome

San Antonio (TX), America’s seventh-largest city, hopes to one day host a Major League Baseball franchise.  In the meantime, a total of 75,210 fans (34,641 Friday and 40,569 Saturday) showed up at the Alamodome for two games over the weekend between the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres.  Read more here and here.  View photo gallery here from World Wide Baseball Stadiums.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Peoria Sports Complex (Peoria, AZ)

Eric and Wendy Pastore from DigitalBallparks.com visit Peoria Sports Complex, the spring-training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.  Read more and view photos here.

Padres Sold to O’Malley, Mickelson

A group led by former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley and pro golfer Phil Mickelson reportedly reached an agreement Monday to buy the San Diego Padres for around $800 million.  Read more here.

PETA Group Uses Buy-A-Brick Guerrilla Messaging

When the folks from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) couldn’t convince the San Diego Padres to drop pet-store chain PETCO as a ballpark sponsor or the Miami Marlins to reverse course on the aquariums behind home plate at the new Marlins Park, they used the teams’ buy-a-brick programs to get their message across.  Read more here

San Diego Padres For Sale

Majority owner of the San Diego Padres John Moores announced Tuesday that the franchise is for sale.  Read more here.  Don’t expect the process and result to be anything like the sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Read more here.

Moorad Withdraws Application to Buy San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres vice president, CEO and 49-percent stakeholder Jeff Moorad has decided to withdraw his application to aquire full ownership of the team from 51-percent owner John Moores, so the two can focus on securing the team’s television rights before Opening Day.  Moorad and his group reportedly have two more years to complete the purchase of the franchise.  Read more here.

Hotel Development Could Pay Homage to Former Padres’ Home

A new hotel complex and public park that are expected to be part of the redevelopment of Lane Field, former home of the Pacific Coast League’s San Diego Padres from 1936 – 1957, could celebrate the old ballpark.  According to UT-SanDiego.com, Jerry Trammer, project executive for the Lane Field development, is quoted

Padres Unveil New Uniform Designs and Logos

PRESS RELEASE – The San Diego Padres today unveiled their updated uniforms and new logos at a special event for select season ticket holders at Petco Park. Padres President/Chief Operating Officer Tom Garfinkel was on hand along with several Padres players to make the announcement.

Giant Golf Club Unveiled at Petco Park

As part of an advertising deal with TaylorMade, the San Diego Padres attached an 80-foot, 950-pound model of the golf company’s R11 driver to the right-field foul pole at Petco Park.  Now, this sounds really nifty, but it falls short of the Eveleth (MN) standard.  While the shaft and grip part of the club is the real replica deal, the R11 head is merely a 14-foot-wide by eight-foot-tall image.  Read more and view video here.

Ballpark Visit ALERT: Peoria Sports Complex (Peoria, AZ)

Baseball Road Trip visits the Peoria Sports Complex (Peoria, AZ), the spring home for the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.  Read review and view photos here.

Padres Look to Hitch Ballpark Pitch to Economic Development

In order to give reluctant Econondido (CA) City Council members confidence that spending $50 million on a new Triple-A ballpark for the Portland Beavers would and could spur collateral economic development, the investment group led by San Diego Padres owners Jeff Moorad is exploring the purchase of properties around the four potential ballpark sites for a district of shops and restuarants.  Read more here.

Newspaper: Escondido Ballpark ‘Well Worth Pursuing’

The North County Times has endorsed a proposed plan to build a new $45 million stadium to bring the Triple-A Portland Beavers to Escondido (CA).  Read more here.

Deal for New Escondido Ballpark for Beavers Close at Hand

The Triple-A Portland Beavers could be on their way to Escondido (CA) within the next two years, if the city 30 miles north of Petco Park agrees to build a new $45 million, 9,000-seat stadium to house the team.  A memorandum of understanding on the deal is expected to be signed soon by an ownership group led by San Diego Padres CEO Jeff Moorad.  Read more here.

Petco Park Delivers 7.6 Percent ROI

A report commissioned by the San Diego Regional Development Corp. indicates that the orginal $300 million development of Petco Park in downtown San Diego brought in a 7.6 percent annual rate of return on investment over the past 10 years, which far surpasses the original forcast of 1.7 percent.  Of course, there are those who dispute the study, which was done by Minnesota-based Conventions, Sports & Leisure.  Read more here.