What to ask about at the season ticket holder event tonight

I hate ticket increases

for "premium" games. That's a bad trend that seems to be more and more normal these days.

by thenerdhater on Nov 30, 2006 5:26 PM PST reply actions

F YOU PADRES!

Seriously do you not want fans? Is that it? You don't want us? Cuz seriously F YOU!

If you want to increase ticket prices for premium games then you had best decrease the prices for the Brewers or the Devil Rays series. Those tickets better be 50 cents and I get a free hot dog.

Walk up ticket increases. So I got to make two trips now? Thanks that's real f'n convenient.

by jbox on Nov 30, 2006 6:06 PM PST reply actions

you guys!!!!!!!!!!

You were LATE! Horrible! What kind of blog hosts are LATE to the meet and greet with the front office of the team you are COVERING??

:-)

I am praying that RevRun gives a report because I was having to do a lot of explaining and translating (as appropriate) to my son.

Bullet points though:

Grady made me feel somewhat better about the minor league system. It could be that it sucked for some time, but it seems to be improving over the last couple of years. He mentioned many all stars in the system and an overall improved batting average.

Sandy reminded us that at this same event last year, A-gon and CY were Rangers. Cameron had just been traded for. Piazza was even on their radar. They had not ever HEARD of Cla Meredith. Barfield was the "unknown" who was replaced a well beloved player. It was a good perspective to give us.

The crowd was rowdy and initially quite vocal. As each one talked though and as they answered some very pointed questions, people calmed down. From my observation though, the crowd was much more concerned and angry about the loss of Dr than Barfield.

Towers put to bed the Agon-Peavy rumor. Accused Philly Billy of making that one up just to make news! He also said in response to Ted Leitner asking him about Bonds "Bonds, my ass!" I am sure Ted's sigh of relief was bigger than ours, but it was still pretty funny. He talked about all the second basemen out there as being of interest. Graffanino, Giles, Loretta, Durham. In response to RevRun's arbitration question (good one! I forgot about the different levels abd possible compensation picks) he said they will offer it to all for sure. The only one they are still thinking about it Piazza. It's a high price tag 8-12mil so they want to KNOW what the result will be.

No one said anything about a flex price plan? Never heard of that one until today guys! You sure it was a credible source? Or is that another Philly Billy-National Enquirer quality rumor? :-)

Ok, that's all I can drag out of my brain cells right now. The event was something I hope I can score a ticket to again next year for sure. Food was free! Hot dogs, clam chowder and pulled pork sandwiches along with water and soda and some snack foods. Fireworks show afterwards. A good time!!

Christina

by Christina on Nov 30, 2006 9:44 PM PST reply actions

The Reverend Report

We didn't get there until 6:25. I knew it would be cold so I didn't wanna get there too early, but then we missed out on most of the concessions because we wanted to get a close seat (gotta give the gaslampball tee some visibility in front of the leadership). We grabbed some coffees and a bag of cracker jacks and then settled down off to the side.

Uncle Teddy Leitner MC'ed and started off by telling a very inappropriate story about Steve Garvey. I forget how he got to Steve Garvey, wow Ted has ADD worse than me! I think he was talking about bloated contracts to try and comfort the fans who are worried about the lack of activity in the free agent market. Did Garvey have a bad contract that hurt the team in the mid or late eighties? Anyway so Ted told a story that Secratariat sired 11000 offspring and that only Steve Garvey has more. Sandy sat upright in his chair after this story and was visibly displeased. I could only barely muffle my laugh.

Ted introduced Clay Hensley and we all gave him a round of applause for that game when he took that broken bat off the back of his coconut. Ted described how they stitched his scalp like a boxer in the dugout between innings before putting the hat back on him and letting him continue. Someone please post the box score from this game cause if I remember he went on to pitch a gem.

Next Ted explained that Cla Meredith was suppposed to be there but his sister is in labor in Richmond so he stayed there since the holidays.

Next up was the CEO, Sandy Alderson. The crowd was a little vocal and the natural leader handled it with grace. He described his plans for the team in detail and I have to tell you, I have a lot of faith in the direction of this Padres team.

Grady Fuson talked about our minor leagues. He mentioned the names of several outstanding players with big league potential. He proudly stated that in 2005 the Padres were 24th in the majors in overall minor league win percentage. In 2006 they were 11th. A remarkable improvement indeed.

Kevin Towers discussed trade rumors and put to bed the Peavy-Gonzo for Manny scuttlebutt. He briefly spoke about Kevin Kouzmanoff. Parenthetically, I read an interesting article about him on MiLB.com worth checking out...
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/gen/articles/printer_friendly/milb/y2006/m11/d20/c145665.jsp
(can you visualize the 2007 NL ROY as our starting 3B?)

New manager Buddy Black was introduced and spoke well. He mentioned how the first thing he asked for was the phone list and he went right down it calling his players. I hope he's here for a while and I hope he's here when the Padres do something they've never done.

A question and answer session followed. Some were great questions and some people whined about non-sensical things. I took a stab and stood tall at the mic with my gaslampball tee. I asked two questions.

To Sandy, will San Diego be involved in the WBC in 2009?

His response: They most likely will, although not necessarily the final round. He reminded me about the great series in Anaheim that included Japan, Korea, USA, and Mexico. I remember. That was six games. We only had 3. Great response. Hooray for March 2009!

To KT, with tomorrow's arbitration deadline looming, will we offer arbitration to Dave Roberts and Mike Piazza in order to receive bonus draft picks.

His response: Tomorrow they will offer arbitration to Ryan Klesko, Chan Ho Park, Alan Embree, Dave Roberts, (did he say David Wells? I can't remember) and one or two others. He stated they were still on the fence about offering arbitration to Piazza because if he accepts and isn't signed by someone else, they are on the hook for $8-11m for the year. A candid response and I am grateful for it.

I waved at Christina and had a
great conversation with ABY afterwards. Also ran into Johnny Dub, jbox, and Dex in the discount store afterwards.

GO PADRES!

Got a flight for tonight and I'm ready to ROLL! All my homies checkin fo' me and I'm ready to GO!

by TheRevRun on Dec 1, 2006 12:39 AM PST up reply actions

Blum

You forgot to mention they resigned Geoff Blum!

Otherwise a great summary of the event. Even though a lot of fans don't want to think so, the management of the Padres is well aware of what is going on within the organization and with the fanbase. They know they have holes on the roster and are going to fill them as best as they can. I have confidence in the direction they are going with the organization, and it was definitely encouraging to hear about the improvements in our minor league system.

The Barfield trade was quite unpopular amongst the season ticket holders.

I think Bud Black made a good first impression. As much as I liked Bochy, I am looking forward to the BB era...again...

I don't think they said anything about offering arbitration to Boomer, but I don't think they believe he will pitch anywhere but here if he does pitch. Iirc Todd Walker was getting an arbitration offer as well, and we already get compensation for Woody being picked up. He mentioned that they would be comfortable with Bard-Bowen at catcher, but that Piazza wasn't out of the picture yet, even if he doesn't get arbitration (Which seems risky considering if he accepts he will get MORE money than the contract we bought out).

That kid with the Green-Loretta print was pretty angry. He kind of scared me.

Oh, Christina forgot to mention the Cheesecake on a stick in her food rundown. Mmmmm....cheesecake.

by osbug on Dec 1, 2006 5:24 AM PST up reply actions

For TheRevRun....

The game Clay got drilled in the back of the head was May 4th against the Dodgers. He pitched six innings, gave up only 2 hits and no runs. He struck out three and walked three. Threw 77 pitches. After he got drilled in the cranium in the 2nd inning, the trainers had to change the bandages every inning to help stop the bleeding.

Embree got the win in a 3-0 victory. How did we get the three runs? Tanner hit a 3-run homer in the eighth.

Ahhhh....anybody else sick of all the off-season bullshit and miss ACTUAL baseball??

BTW - Thanks to Christina, TheRevRun and osbug for the detailed reports about last night's events.

One question for osbug. In your report you posted "You forgot to mention they resigned Geoff Blum!". I can't find anything on this. Is this true? If it is, it's great news. Blummer did an amazing job for us last season.

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 1, 2006 8:18 AM PST up reply actions

I did forget that one

Told ya I would forget something important! Yes, KT announced it to us. And Blummer was on the radio this morning with Scott & BR and confirmed it.

Christina

by Christina on Dec 1, 2006 8:24 AM PST up reply actions

True Story

In his initial speech KT said he wasn't planning on saying anything, but they resigned Blum (Yesterday I believe). I think he said they will probably make the announcement this afternoon. He then talked about how happy Blum was to be a Padre, and how happy the triplets were as well.

Another funny thing he brought up was that he talked to Bochy yesterday (Bochy was dropping off his car), and Boch said he was going to go to the event and get on the mic and ask why they hadn't signed Bonds yet. That would have been awesome but he didn't show =P

by osbug on Dec 1, 2006 8:24 AM PST up reply actions

Blummer Back In The Fold....

This really is fantastic news. I was worried he was going to follow Boch up north. We all know how fragile Tanner is...it's nice to know we have Blum ready to step in at a moment's notice.

One of the reasons they work so well together is because they actually get along. Watch during the games when is Blum is starting. He always sits next to Khalil in the dugout...they're always communicating. They play the same position and genuinely root for one another. That's pretty rare. And getting Greeney to talk with ANYBODY is pretty rare in itself.

Thanks Christina and osbug. Finally some real and good news.

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 1, 2006 8:55 AM PST up reply actions

i miss actual baseball too

Yesterday I was listening to Darren Smith on my drive home and he said something about Matt Vasgersian and I remembered how much fun it is to watch baseball. Then I realized that it was still November and I got sad. :(

<3baseball

by Bryan on Dec 1, 2006 8:37 AM PST up reply actions

I agree with the Matty thing...

While in AZ visiting family for the T-Day weekend I caught the Cardinals game and Matt was calling it. I have to say that it was very weird. I've heard him calling different events before but never in the Pads off-season that I can recall.
I kept waiting for him to throw out a "Santa Maria".

by jburtrum1 on Dec 1, 2006 10:02 AM PST up reply actions

: ( sad

When does the Caribbean series start up again? January, February?

"...first the shit must always hit the (hard core) fan." - Nico, AN

by ABY on Dec 1, 2006 10:08 AM PST up reply actions

I hear him every weekend

when my son plays his MLB game on his PS2! It always makes me stop for a minute when I hear Matty's voice.

It was really something cool to be at Petco last night. I was there two weeks ago of course for the finish of the 3-Day walk, but the last time Alex and I were there together for a Padre event, it was the final regular season home game that capped off that amazing weekend of baseball with Trevor's record breaking game. We kept looking around and soaking it in. Finally Alex asks me "WHEN is opening day?!!" April buddy - April! I have already put in for the day off on my work calendar :-)

Hey Jbox - can we get a countdown up there to when pitchers and catchers report? Then maybe a countdown to the first Spring training game? then one to Opening Day? We need HOPE!

Christina

by Christina on Dec 1, 2006 10:34 AM PST up reply actions

David Wells

I believe he did NOT mention david wells. He also laid to rest that Liney would also not be going anywhere...

"...first the shit must always hit the (hard core) fan." - Nico, AN

by ABY on Dec 1, 2006 10:45 AM PST up reply actions

Thanks

Thanks for the reports folks - good to hear what went on.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 1, 2006 3:16 AM PST up reply actions

ticket increases

You know, I can't say that I am surprised. I guess when I read that all three of these new "9-pack" ticket plans include a different Red Sox game, I should've figured it.

It's going to be the biggest weekend of the regular season at PETCO when the Red Sox are here and honestly I don't blame them for ticket increases. 80s night should be fun that Friday. And how great could that Sunday day game be?! (Or... please move it to the ESPN Sunday night game!!!)

It is questionable but not unreasonable if it generates a substantial amount of revenue that can be ADDED to player salaries. They could make it up to us loyal fans by having discounted tickets and/or concessions during some of those Rockies, D-backs, and Pirates weekday series.

Got a flight for tonight and I'm ready to ROLL! All my homies checkin fo' me and I'm ready to GO!

by TheRevRun on Dec 1, 2006 12:01 AM PST reply actions

the ticket price increases are legit

the padres mentioned it in a press release around the end of the season. it should still be on padres.com.

i'm more pissed about the gameday ticket price hike than the red sox thing though. i went to about 20 games this past season, and i'd guesss that in 13-14 of those i bought my tickets 90 seconds before walking through the gate. lots of times i wouldn't decide to go to a game till that morning, so the price increase is super inconvenient indeed.

by Bryan on Dec 1, 2006 12:16 AM PST reply actions

That Padre Facial

So ever since the Padre off-season, whenver I hear talk about the Friars on the radio, on TV, in the paper or here on our beloved Gaslamp Ball, I've noticed I always have the same facial/body language. I kind of rub my face and forehead while I watch/read/listen, kind of like a dad does when he's just a wee bit overwhelmed by his crazy yet lovable kids and he's just sorta frozen in thought about what to do, but he doen't do anything cause no plan of action is coming to him. That kind of concerned, but hopefull, yet "state of disbelief" paralysis.

I mean, I don't blame the Padres for not signing anyone at these salaries, but then they NEVER sign other teams' high priced free agents. And this is the one year they truly talked the talk.

And that carrot the front office dangles to the fans never seems to get any closer, yet we always seem to fall for it.

And there's talk about trading away our best young players (again), yet, our best young players rarely turn into anything special so why should I care if they go to another team (again).

And the Friars have won back-to-back division titles which is awesome, but they did do it in a horrible 2005 division and were a huge disappointment in the playoffs in 2006.

Our teams often look rather dull on paper, but we usually find something to cheer about.

I don't really know what to say about our Padres anymore. I hope they're good. I think they'll be good. But I did give up my season tickets last year and went to just one game (which is easily my lowest since probably 1988, my last year without a drivers license). Man...They defended their title and I went to just one game...

Damn, I'm rambling. But I think I needed a good ramble, as I have yet to understand what to think about our team.

...

I just stared at the monitor for five minutes without blinking.

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 12:36 AM PST reply actions

Ticket Prices

I can live with the premium pricing - most clubs are doing that now - but the walk-up surcharge is strange to me. Are other clubs doing this? It seems like an invitation to stay home and watch the games on TV.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 1, 2006 3:19 AM PST reply actions

Walk up surcharge

might be exclusive to the Padres. I've never heard of this anywhere else, outside of some...concerts!!

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Dec 1, 2006 10:52 AM PST reply actions

On the other hand

San Diego is a late-to-purchase ticket market -- for anything, traditionally. So, either this will spur ticket sales -- but if the market continues to form, and the team is good, and you decide to go to the game instead of the beach/mtns/zoo/etc -- ya gotta pay more.

Perhaps, this is a VERY smart move.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Dec 1, 2006 11:08 AM PST reply actions

re: Walk-up Surcharge

I agree with Smooth Jazz Man on this...to a point. This is a "VERY smart move" if you're trying to find another way to put more money John Moores pocket. But for the fans...it's bullshit.

Why should fans be punished for making a last minute decision to go to the ballpark? The "business" logic here is that if the team is good and on a hot streak people will in essence kind of jump on the bandwagon and shoot down to Petco to grab tickets at the last minute (and pay more to do it). Well, f*** that. It's their job to make this ballclub a contender...and now they're going to make an even bigger profit for doing their job? Sorry. But that sucks. And I could care less if EVERY team in baseball is doing it...that doesn't make it right. They should be encouraging people to walk-up and buy tickets to fill up those empty seats at the last minute. Asses in seats = beer sales, food sales, merchandise sales, etc. THAT'S where the profit is. And a full ballpark only helps our performance on the field...it increases our homefield advantage.

I have no idea what the additional surcharge will be...but I know this...it can't be worth it. Giving fans ANY reason...even the smallest of reasons to NOT go to the ballpark is a bad move. To jack-up the price on walk-up tickets is a bush league maneuver. I'm the first guy to admit what a total apologist I am for this franchise, but this indefensible.

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 1, 2006 12:03 PM PST up reply actions

Soooooooo?

...you are against it then?

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 1, 2006 12:29 PM PST up reply actions

Ummm...

I'm still kicking it around a little. ;)

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 1, 2006 12:31 PM PST up reply actions

hahaha!

that made me laugh out loud.

by jbox on Dec 1, 2006 2:10 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Whining

Get over it. Their job is to make money, not to field a contender. It just so happens that fielding a contender helps them make money.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 1, 2006 12:49 PM PST up reply actions

Ahhh Richard....

Such a sentimental baseball purist.

Shouldn't you be busy breaking down the Geoff Blum deal...adjusting for the ballpark, of course.

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 1, 2006 1:10 PM PST up reply actions

Uh-oh! :$

Now you've gone and done it!

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 1, 2006 1:15 PM PST up reply actions

too funny

That cracked me up Drama... adjusting for Ballpark HAHAHAHA! oh man.

by fairweather on Dec 1, 2006 2:23 PM PST up reply actions

Drama is on a roll today

good stuff.

by jbox on Dec 1, 2006 2:25 PM PST up reply actions

Certainly

Certainly their job is to make money and that's why I can see the price increases for the premium games - that's been tested league wide over the last few yrs and it hasn't really hindered attendance anywhere. They do it in Colorado and those games still manage to be the few they sell out.

I just question whether or not SD is the right place to test out a surcharge on game day tix if it's not being done elsewhere and has proven itself a revenue generator. As SJM points out above, SD is a late-to-purchase market - why give people any reason to say "That sucks" and skip going to a game? Sure, the possibility is there that if they end up being a good team, people will start to come out to the park, but I couldn't foresee that happening until after the All-Star break at the earliest and how much does that really translate to from a revenue standpoint? Hard core fans will complain, but still go - they may just plan in advance a little more or they'll just pay the extra fee and bitch about it. But they'll still go.

The people who this affects - and, to me, turns off - are the people sitting around on a weekend with nothing to do and one person says "Wanna go to the Padre game?" and the other person says "Nah. It costs more on game day. Let's just go to Taco Bell and take a nap." Even if the fee is nominal, the impression becomes that it's a hassle and the team is being miserly.

Just seems odd to me for the SD market.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 1, 2006 2:01 PM PST up reply actions

ticket boost

It depends on how much it turns out to be. The extra charge for walk-up tickets may be the same as the extra surcharge you already pay for buying online, who knows. If you wanna see a Padre game, an extra 2 bucks shouldn't be a dealbreaker, that just means you won't have that money for 1/8 of a hot dog. And if you're sitting around on a weekend prior to a Padre game/run for the Border, you could just go online and get your tickets before you go. Price hikes in general sucks, I'm just sayin'.

by Gone Savage on Dec 1, 2006 7:22 PM PST up reply actions

I agree

Kevin - I agree with you - a buck or two increase would be irrelevant - it wouldn't stop me from buying the ticket. I just think it's a perception issue - the casual fan may not know that the surcharge is minimal. All that they will hear is "Padres raise the price of walk-up tix" - without investigating what the actual price raise is - and will turn up their noses at the idea. If you couple that with the notion that the Pads aren't doing anything this off-season - again, I think that's the view of the casual fan, not the informed one - I think the team is throwing some unnecessary hurdles out there for folks who might otherwise think about going to a game.

It really isn't a price issue - I think it's a perception issue. And that seems to be something the team battles every year.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 2, 2006 9:02 AM PST up reply actions

Perception

Obviously, the Padres aren't going to market it like, "Hey everything's more expensive if you wait till the last minute!"

Instead, it'll be more along the lines of, "If you get your tickets in advance, you can save a few bucks and spare yourself a wait in line. Better yet, buy a season ticket package and save even more money."

by Dex on Dec 2, 2006 9:19 AM PST up reply actions

Well, no...

They won't trumpet the move and they'll spin it in the most positive fashion they can, just like you suggested. And maybe that's not even spin, because it is true - buy your tix early, save some money.

But it'll get reported and I think it will irritate the casual fan.

Because, you know, they don't spend the majority of their days hanging out on message boards, dissecting the most important, earth-shattering things in life, in order to find the one, golden answer. Like we do. Because we're so cool.

(We are cool, right?)

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 2, 2006 9:25 AM PST up reply actions

Why would anyone support this?

The Padres are setting this whole "ticket fee" as a penalty and not a reward.

If the Padre are determined to squeeze more out of fans, why not just add the extra costs up front, raise ticket prices across the board, then give discounts to people who buy early? At least the "perception" would be the Padres are giving fans a chance to save money, rather than penalizing fans for buying tickets on game day.

But it is weird to hear some of the biggest Padre fans support these extra fees, even if it's a buck or two. What's the logic behind supporting this? So millionaires can get wealthier? Because "other teams are doing this"? So that we can maintain our $75 million payroll? I don't understand anyone supporting these fees.

The perception of the Padres has really plummeted over the past ten years, while the perception of the Boston Red Sox has gone through the roof. Larry Luchino, anyone?

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 2, 2006 10:11 AM PST up reply actions

re: Why would anyone support this?

I don't think anyone's supporting it, we're just trying to deal with it somehow. It pissed me off more when I went to get walk-up Park Passes and they said they sold out but then when I got decent seats I checked out the park behind us and it was like 1/3 full through the whole game.

by Gone Savage on Dec 2, 2006 11:50 AM PST up reply actions

1/3 full or 1/3 empty

That happened to me too... I tried to rationalize it by assuming the park passes were walking around and/or the season-ticket holders hadn't shown up.

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 2, 2006 6:06 PM PST up reply actions

Does Anyone Support This?

Perhaps, this is a VERY smart move.

by Smooth Jazz Man on Fri Dec 01, 2006 at 01:08:31 PM EST

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 2, 2006 6:45 PM PST up reply actions

Kevin, you support this!

Kevin - I agree with you - a buck or two increase would be irrelevant - it wouldn't stop me from buying the ticket.

by Winfields Ghost on Sat Dec 02, 2006 at 11:02:32 AM EST

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 2, 2006 6:46 PM PST up reply actions

I think it's different

Support is much different than being realistic about the situation. I don't think Kevin was supporting the idea of paying more to get into a game - I think he was making the point that it wasn't like ticket prices were being doubled.

I don't think anyone's yelling "I cannot WAIT to pay more for tickets this year! This is SO awesome!"

I think its just a matter of recognizing that teams are always looking to find new revenue streams and ticket prices will always be a fluid thing. As Richard rightly pointed out earlier, its their job to make money.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 2, 2006 7:40 PM PST up reply actions

And...

I think what Smooth Jazz Man is saying is that it might turn out to be a very smart move by the organization if the late to purchase market theory holds true.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 2, 2006 7:46 PM PST up reply actions

Sorry for Any Misunderstanding

It just didn't sound like you were against the fee when you said, "a buck or two increase would be irrelevant - it wouldn't stop me from buying the ticket."

But I can't imagine comments like that would make the Padre front office reconsider.

If anyone from the Padres reads this blog (and I would imagine someone does), I stronlgy cast my vote against such a fee.

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 2, 2006 10:28 PM PST up reply actions

I support it.

It encourages people to commit to going to games earlier, but at the same time likely won't be a deterrent to showing up to games when you do decide to go at the last minute. Also, I can't bring myself to be upset about an increase in the price of something. Nobody bitches when the price of milk goes up, so why cry like little babies about something like this?

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 12:52 AM PST up reply actions

I'm confused....

"It encourages people to commit to going to games earlier..." - Why is this a benefit? How does this benefit anyone involved?

On more thing, you're telling us when gas prices were over $3 bucks a gallon you didn't complain at all?

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 3, 2006 7:35 AM PST up reply actions

Re: Gas

I complained about the tax on gas, but I did that when gas was under two bucks, too.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 2:13 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Why is this a benefit?

It should improve attendance.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 2:15 PM PST up reply actions

Ummm...

Increased prices will raise attendance?

Do you work for the front office or something?

by Mikegedup on Dec 3, 2006 5:59 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Ummm...

Encouraging people to buy early while at the same time not making the penalty for last second buying prohibitive should raise attendance.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 8:13 PM PST up reply actions

I completely disagree,

basic principle of economics says that as prices rise, demand goes down.

Besides if they really wanted to increase attendance they would do any of 3,000 things instead of this. Make no mistake, the only reason for doing this is to squeeze a few more bucks out of parkgoers.

Like it has been expressed before, i want to know how much it has gone up before i get mad. Its the principle of it all... they do it because they can.

by Mikegedup on Dec 3, 2006 9:49 PM PST up reply actions

That's a little harsh

Would the Padres rather know prior to the game how many tickets they've sold? Of course they would. Increasing the price of walk-up tickets doesn't decrease the demand for tickets. It just decreases the demand for walk-up tickets, thereby increasing the demand for tickets sold in advance. These advance sales include game packages and season ticket sales, which is basically the life-blood for any sports franchise.

They're basically saying to fans that the best value you can get with the Padres is by purchasing more than one ticket at a time and well in advance.

Imagine any other event besides a Padres game. As an event planner, you want to know how many people you can expect prior to the date of the event. It just simplifies the whole thing. In turn, you try to make it attractive to attendees to make their intentions known early. Also, speaking as somebody who's been burned trying to walk up and purchase park passes, it's just another reason to not be such a procrastinator.

by Dex on Dec 3, 2006 11:41 PM PST up reply actions

The Padres will know

that the attendance will be less then it would have been if they left the price alone. Hope that helps them in their planning.

by jbox on Dec 4, 2006 9:04 AM PST up reply actions

re: planning

Much as I think it sucks, I doubt if it will make a blind bit of difference either way... $2! People will be over it in a week and the hard-cores will still show (sometimes last minute) and the fly-by-nights will not be affected because they are not casual fans BECAUSE of the price!

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 4, 2006 11:30 AM PST up reply actions

declining attendance

Actually, if they hadn't changed anything, attendance would probably have gone down. It's gone down every year since Petco opened.

by Dex on Dec 4, 2006 11:34 AM PST up reply actions

Well raising prices

isn't going to increase attendance.

by jbox on Dec 4, 2006 11:52 AM PST up reply actions

re: raising prices....

It's not about HOW much the increase is...it's just the perception of it. Fans like us will pay it and not think anything of it. But, you have to remember how many fringe fans there are out there. Everyone has a breaking point...there are some people out there that will see this as another way for the rich to try and get richer and say "That's it. Enough is enough."

Let's have some fun out here! This game's fun, OK? Fun goddamnit.

by Drama on Dec 4, 2006 12:15 PM PST up reply actions

the difference

Milk and Gas fall under consumption spending. Essential items that are mandatory.

Padres tickets are luxury items. You can't compare the two.

by jbox on Dec 3, 2006 11:42 AM PST up reply actions

gassssss....

Gas can be luxury too, depends where you live!
Anyway, I still don't get the advantage... I'm not whining, just asking?

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 3, 2006 11:48 AM PST up reply actions

Re: luxury vs. consumption

It's even dumber to whine about an increased price for a luxury.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 2:14 PM PST up reply actions

It could be said it is dumb to whine in general

or is the person who responds to the whining dumb?

I'm just saying you can't compare milk to Padres tickets.

I think you should take your argument to Sandy. Tell him to stop whining about the cost of free agents. He's been doing plenty of it.

by jbox on Dec 3, 2006 2:22 PM PST up reply actions

I thought one of the reasons that...

The park was built downtown was so that the "walk up" option was appealing?

"Also, I can't bring myself to be upset about an increase in the price of something."

Damn that must be nice...

by Mikegedup on Dec 3, 2006 5:57 PM PST up reply actions

Icy....

Do you think the casual fan even knows of the increase (yet)?

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 2, 2006 6:03 PM PST up reply actions

No

No, I don't think the casual fan knows yet. I'm just working under the assumption that someone on TV or at the U-T will make a big point of mentioning it as we get closer to the start of the season.

by Winfield's Ghost on Dec 2, 2006 7:43 PM PST up reply actions

And the nominees are....

Gaslamp Ballers,

I nominate the walk-up surcharge as the smartest move by the Padres this year!

Signed,
Padre Accountants

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 11:44 AM PST reply actions

nominees

Maybe instead of the "Padre" transfer being given away at the gate it could just be a HUGE "S" - so we can tatoo it on our foreheads!

"Do not mistake temptation for opportunity" - me fortune cookie!

by ABY on Dec 1, 2006 11:50 AM PST up reply actions

Introductions

Hi San Diego Padre Fans,

I couldn't be happier to be a part of the team. I'm so glad Mr. Moores and Sandy Alderson brought me here to make the Padres World Champions for years to come. I look forward to the upcoming season.

Signed,
The Premium Ticket Pricing Policy

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 12:04 PM PST up reply actions

A Great Quote Just Said on the Radio

To paraphrase a caller on 1090 in regards to the Padre ownership...

"To them, it's a business. To us, it's a passion. And they need to show us some passion in the business they run."

Beautifully stated.

I couldn't figure out why exactly why I've continued to lose interest in this Padre team even though they have been competetive since the move to Petco. There's just no "Passion" to this front office. I guess that's why we don't have fan clubs for bankers.

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 1:32 PM PST reply actions

Banklamp Ball

I'm starting my banking blog on BankBlog Nation right now.

I was talking to my wife about how crazy this whole offseason has been and I started to realize just how tough it is to build a real contender when you are the Padres. I still think in my heart that top players do not want to play for us just like they wouldn't want to play for the Brewers or Devil Rays. Even though we know that we are obviously better than most teams, big players want to play for the big name clubs with the big money.

Yes we all know that teams are overpaying right now for some marginal talent and I'm glad we are staying away from that. But, I'm wondering how the front office can attract top tier players to come here. And not "used to be" top tier guys, or "great clubhouse guys"... but solid impact players.

My thoughts are centered around building an incredible pitching staff. A staff where no team felt safe on any day. I think a lot of integrity is built around your rotation. Maybe building an offense around a great pitching staff. Shoot I don't know... this is probably why I suck at fantasy baseball.

by fairweather on Dec 1, 2006 2:39 PM PST up reply actions

Re: Passion

I'll take winning over something like intangible like "passion."

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 12:55 AM PST up reply actions

The Padres have been winning...

But attendance is dropping as frustration with the team grows.

This seems odd for a team coming off Back-to-Back championships. "Winning" obviously isn't the only thing a fan cares about. Something's missing in this front office.

Maybe the price increases and new fees will bring a spike to those attendence figures (as some here predict).

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 4, 2006 10:12 AM PST up reply actions

intangibles

I sooo wanted to write something funny here like "do your friends knick-name you Data (from startrek)?" "Do you bleed?" ...but while I was thinking of just the right line, I re-read the thread and I realised I agreed with you godammit!

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy!" - Brian's mum

by ABY on Dec 4, 2006 11:33 AM PST up reply actions

If You Build It, They Will Come....

Back in the euphoric Winter of '98, I don't believe anyone who voted for Prop C ever imagined Petco buying us a Carlos Lee or Juan Pierre at these prices. However, I think we all believed a downtown park would allow us to keep the best Padre players around, free agency be damned.

Let's build from within.

Let's lock up all our stud young players and continue to grow our farm system. No Padre fan would complain about that, as long as ticket prices remained reasonable.

John Moores refuses to spend money like the Big Market clubs. But is he starting to charge ticket prices like them?

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 3:01 PM PST reply actions

Re: Locking up our stud young players

Of our young players, only Peavy qualifies as a stud and he was locked up.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 3, 2006 12:56 AM PST up reply actions

Just Curious...

Does anyone on this site read Bill Simmons on a regular basis?

by Pappa Morgigno on Dec 1, 2006 3:20 PM PST reply actions

re: Just Curious...

I only read Simmons when his stuff ends up on firejoemorgan.com.

Padres Nation E-mail me

by Richard Wade on Dec 1, 2006 5:10 PM PST up reply actions

I loathe bill simmons

he said once that he didn't consider the national league worth watching. it seems like he writes to appease the new england fanbase and nobody else.

by Bryan on Dec 1, 2006 5:41 PM PST reply actions

Payroll Deduction

I'm gonna set up Payroll Deduction for the Padres so they can just take my money whenever the need it. It'll be much more convenient for them.

by jbox on Dec 3, 2006 11:27 AM PST reply actions

Ticket Prices

As far as the ticket prices go, have they even announced the cost of tickets for next season? I know that my season tickets went up a bit, but their price has been rising much slower than the single game tickets. What if instead of just raising ticket prices across the board, they will increase revenue with the game day price increase?

As far as the advantage of selling tickets ahead of time, I would guess it is logistical. If you don't know how many people are going to show up to a game, it probably makes it hard to plan how many concessions people to have, how many ticket windows to have open, how many hot dogs to cook, beers to chill etc. Maybe they are looking for a way to offset the cost of employees that show up and get sent home early. I can imagine it is the same as with airlines, where you can get cheaper tickets by buying tickets ahead of time. The airlines can do this because if they sell enough tickets they don't have to worry about a flight going out at 20% capacity or cancelling due to lack of passengers.

by osbug on Dec 3, 2006 6:44 PM PST reply actions

It really is true about SD as a walk-up market

I work in the radio industry here. It's a well known trend (except for the BIGGEST artists) for concert buying -- the tickets sell very late, with at times -- walk up tix available. Pads fans have long been able to walk up at the Q and buy tix the day of the game -- there were 68-thousand seats! I think management is trying to take advantage of the late-to-buy consumer or, is trying to change the culture of 'late-to-buy.'

"Buy now, pay less." Get that cash in the bank immediately! (I've asked at other web sites, and I've been told the Yankees do this, too.-- a different price on the day-of-game. However, I haven't confirmed that) But, in the case of the Yanks -- there aren't that many tix available for walk-up, just scattered singles and some bleachers available, so the impact is slight. (I'm speculating there)

Let's use the Chargers as an example. If they are 10-2...why do the games not sell out to black-out levels until just hours before the deadline? You'd think ALL the GA seats (club seats don't apply to the black-out rule) should be sold out -- NOW! (However, there are so many bad seats at the Q, perhaps that has to be taken into consideration) I think this is just indicative of the late-purchasing market. There are SO many entertainment options here -- sports teams are fighting for the casual fan.

This is a unique market, one that also wants "extra value" in their ticket. That's promotional items -- whatever they might be. All teams give stuff away, but the Padres are one of a handful of teams that make sure everybody leaves with some sort of trinket (Except kids-only promotions) Most teams have "First 25/30K get the promotional item" but not here.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Dec 3, 2006 8:43 PM PST reply actions