but the WAY he said it. The Padres, after the C. Arnholt Smith days, had to be re-established as a franchise by Kroc, then they had to be re-established after the Werner group’s firesale by Moores, and now the Moorad group has to do the same after the Moores divorce/divestment.

Moorad went too far talking about the name on the front of the jersey, overemphasizing the franchise reorganization and giving too little thought to how the fans connect to the players, especially the talent that represents the franchise in the public mind. Adrian apparently took it personally with his ill-considered statement.

It’s ill-considered because all franchises expect their players to express some pride in their employer and for the uniform they wear, even when it’s a lie. The Yankees would not be amused by a player of theirs not expressing pride in the pinstripes and what they stand for. Neither would any other ballclub. Adrian was responding to Moorad’s poor emphasis as if it were directed at him personally, and responded to it with that statement, but it definitely was not the thing to say in public.

It’s sad, but just as Moorad himself developed that “I’m not sure I like/trust this guy” attitude toward Towers, Adrian is probably developing the same attitude toward Moorad. It doesn’t help that Adrian’s agent has responded to dealing with a former player’s agent with a hardline “no discounts/Teixeira money” stance. Given the new owners’ installment plan purchase and low attendance, that probably poisoned the well.