Thursday, April 9, 1998
San Diego fans deserve own modern ballpark to salvage sport
COLUMN: Baseball, city would receive diverse benefits if project
passes
$90 million. Imagine what you could do with all that money if
you won Wednesday night’s lotto.
I know what I would do. Give half of it to the city of San Diego
to help pay for a new baseball stadium.
As new stadiums sprout up across the nation from the Ballpark in
Arlington to Bank One Ballpark in Arizona, San Diego is left with
Qualcomm Stadium, which is tailored to the San Diego Chargers. Most
of the baseball stadiums now have beautiful backdrops, from
spouting water fountains to swimming pools, yet the Padres are
stuck with glaring chairs that blind batters in sunlight.
It is time for San Diegans to step up to the plate and vote for
a new ballpark. A new ballpark is a necessity to keep the Padres in
San Diego and to keep them from moving away, a la the Cleveland
Browns.
Los Angeles fans should take note, as a football stadium
proposal is up in the air and a new arena is going to be built for
the Lakers.
There are several reasons why a new stadium is essential for any
sports team across the nation.
Firstly, a new stadium creates needed revenue. The Padres are
14th in baseball in annual salary and owner John Moores took a
$20-million loss last year. A new stadium will create a new,
frenzied atmosphere, like the aura at Coors Field in Colorado,
which will up the attendance, as well as sell out the luxury
boxes.
By selling out games, the Padres will then have the money to go
after big-name players like Mike Piazza, which can have a major
impact on a team and decide whether the team makes the World Series
or not. After all, last year’s World Series was a match-up between
two teams who seemingly bought their way to the finale.
Make no mistake about it, money is the key for sports nowadays.
By building a new park the whole city will gain much needed tourist
money. The Padres are looking at building a stadium in the old
Warehouse District, which is by the Gaslamp District.
After the games, the Gaslamp will be full of partygoers, which
will have a major impact on the money that flows into downtown San
Diego, as well as benefit the hotel industry. For businesses, a new
stadium would be an added boost to their income.
Secondly, a new stadium is good for baseball. Instead of having
to play in a football park, the angles and scenery of the park will
be structured for baseball only. Make the park big and grand. A
place where it feels like the fans are walking back into time and
can feel the essence of the national pastime. Instead of palm trees
in the outfield, add nostalgia like the cornfields in "Field of
Dreams".
Imagine a ballpark specifically created to tailor to baseball.
Nice basepaths, checkered outfield, a beautiful outfield wall with
a large warning track and deep fences to make baseball what it once
was. San Diego could bring back the old school National League way
of playing ball. Runs would be manufactured by Tony Gwynn singles,
sacrifice bunts, two-out singles and superb defense. A new stadium,
if built right, can bring back that nostalgia.
The stadium should be built as a monument for San Diego. A place
where all worries vanish and only baseball rests upon one’s mind.
Boston has Fenway, Baltimore has Camden Yards, so the Padres need a
stadium to rejuvenate baseball fever in San Diego. (I would endorse
naming the ballpark after Tony Gwynn, who has remained true to the
blue and orange since arriving on the Padres.) A stadium would give
San Diego a global appeal, a local identity.
Lastly, a new stadium is needed to give something to the
children of San Diego. Children need to have a baseball stadium to
bring back the joy of the sport. It would rekindle the desire to
pick up that Louisville Slugger and hit some baseballs. The
children of our future deserve a team and a ball park to grow up
with. To help create a new San Diego Padres identity.
Let us hope that the San Diego tax payers find enough love in
their hearts to fund the stadium.
If I had to pay the taxes, I would on the drop of a dime.
Nothing is more special than the smell of fresh grass, the sight
of a packed stadium, the sound of wood hitting a baseball, the
taste of a hot dog and the feeling of childhood baseball brings to
us.
Salmon is an assistant sports editor who is a rabid baseball
fan. All Padres fans – especially those who are anti-Dodgers – can
email him at [email protected].