Soccer Game isn't going to ruin field at Petco Park, everybody relax

by jbox on Aug 25, 2010 5:17 PM PDT

If you haven't heard, Petco Park is going to host a soccer game and some of the players aren't happy about it. Will Venable wonders "Are they serious?" and Heath Bell says that it's "Asinine". It seems they are upset that the grounds crew will have to remove the mound for the game and the field will be littered with divots.

"They’re not worried about the field looking good. They’re just trying to make a profit. Very interesting … I’m sure Luke (Yoder) and his (grounds) crew will make it right, but we have the best pitching staff in the major leagues and that mound is our office. It should not be messed with at this time of the season."

I wonder if Heath Bell and Will Venable are aware that when the Padres played in Qualcomm Stadium they shared the field with the Chargers for the entire month of September and sometimes October. I'm quite certain that two NFL teams battling on the field do far more damage than a couple soccer teams ever could. Back then the Grounds Crew would remove the mound too and then turn it around and have the field playable for baseball the next day. This went on for more than 3 decades.

With this in mind I'm pretty sure Petco Park will be perfect condition when the Padres return home a full 10 days after the Chivas Soccer game on Sept 14th.

Furthermore I applaud the Padres for finding new ways to make a profit. If the Padres make more money then they can sign players and isn't that what we all want? Especially if the money doesn't have to come from our pockets?

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Dear soccer fans,

please help increase our payroll with your delicious monies.

Love, jodes.

Isn't it enough to know that I ruined a pony making a gift for you? ◔ヮ◔
Uncommon Sportsman :: Absurdity in play

by Axion on Aug 25, 2010 5:19 PM PDT reply actions

Oh, Ax.

Always wanting to be me.

I need new pants.

by jodes0405 on Aug 25, 2010 6:17 PM PDT up reply actions

It appears you have lots of proxies.

"Savvy Chicks Dig the Bullpen"

by eastbaysd on Aug 25, 2010 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Heath clarified his statement the other day on 1090

He said his main issue is that the players weren’t consulted first. This prompted Garfinkel to call in and say that Buddy did OK the event. So it mainly just sounds like poor communication and Heath being a little too upset when he said something on the record.

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by matthewverygood on Aug 25, 2010 5:20 PM PDT reply actions

Lies.

Soccer ruins everything.

Ask any baseball player, any real baseball player. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning's winning.

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Aug 25, 2010 5:21 PM PDT reply actions

It's SOCCER.

Not rugby, football, or a concert. Each section of the pitch will be stepped on, at most, four times per game, and lightly at that. No soccer player worth his salt is a heavy stepper.

It’s not like scrum time or the line of scrimmage in football, where digging into the turn with cleats is required.

Dammit Venable, you went to fucking Princeton. Stop saying stupid things.

(Ball still can though. He’s funny.)

by I8EtoDunbar on Aug 25, 2010 5:45 PM PDT reply actions

What about the murph?

It just seems silly to hold this at PETCO when the murph is available for use. Shouldn’t the money to rent out the facility go to the city and not the padres anyways? I was under the impression the city owned both stadiums.

by kevintheoman on Aug 25, 2010 6:11 PM PDT reply actions

I have a couple thoughts on that

Even though the Q is “available” on 9/14, the Chargers probably don’t want anybody to touch their grass less than a week before the home opener. Also, Chivas won’t come close to selling out that 60,000+ venue. They’d prefer something like Petco that they can pack easier. There’s also bound to be other financial considerations (concessions, insurance, etc.) that will differ greatly between the Q and Petco.

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by matthewverygood on Aug 25, 2010 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions