Padres Ownership Press Conference in bullet point form!

• Dee: "This was a transformative off-season."
• Fowler: "I'm on food stamps so I had to hitch hike over ... yeah we're all in.  I think we had dry powder coming in we spent our money wisely.  Or I should say A.J. spent our money wisely, with Mike's help. It's exciting.  Fans are reengaged. There's an energy - I've been in San Diego for 40 years and that energy is back.  People are talking baseball.  It's fun to be a Padre right now."
• Fowler: A.J. Preller came in with a new approach, realizing that the Padres can't do things the way others do it.  He actually had a plan.  Not only that but he had multiple iterations of his plans.  Fowler and Dee are both pleasantly surprised.  A.J. Preller is "a joy to be around".
• Dee: All the moves this offseason were interrelated.  Preller had multiple plans but was able to execute "Plan A".
• Fowler: Preller relates to people well.  He's lowkey, but passionate and quietly competitive.  He's personable and compelling.  "I don't care what he's doing he's compelling at it."
• Dee:  "A.J. is a winner."  "He's got a quiet confidence about him."
• Fowler: The Padres knew that the community needed to be re-energized.  Dee has been working to upgrade the ballpark, but Preller got the team the players they need to win.
• Fowler:  "When you guys would ask about the payroll, the honest answer was that we didn't know.  We had a back-up budget, but as long as we thought it was the right thing to do and was moving the team in the right direction, we said 'yes'."
• Dee: Ticket sales are up year over year 600% since January 1st.  It wasn't so long ago that Petco Park was drawing 2.8 million fans.  They want to return to that number.   "San Diego is not a small market.  We have a population base on both sides of the border to draw 3 million and to draw 3 million consistently if we put the product on the field that we're working hard to do."
• Seidler:  "There's nobody more fiercely competitive in San Diego to win and win championships as this guy right here" [shoulder checks Fowler].  The Padres want to win year after year.
• Dee:  They're not disappointed that they lost out in the Cuban market.  They were happy to be part of the process until the end.  The team is excited to see Preller replenish the farm system.
• Seidler:  The ownership group was hopeful in their first two years.  They were a little fooled by some of the national media picking the team as a wildcard contender.  The sea change came when they made the change in baseball operations.  It's no longer about hope, it's about expectations.
• Dee:  The new scoreboard and changes to the seating in the ballpark will be ready by opening day.  He thinks the shortened 7 foot fence will lead to more exciting defensive plays.
• Fowler:  The Chargers are good for San Diego and they want them to stay in San Diego.  "If there is a way to get it done, it will get done.  Those of us who were around watching Petco happen, it's pretty ugly watching the sausage get made, but the outcome was decent.  We're hoping that same situation takes place for the Chargers."  Dean Spanos asked Folwer to stay out of it, because he's made comments in the past several years that haven't been helpful, so he's staying quiet.
• Seidler:  The real sea change happened when President Mike Dee came in and brought his energy, optimism and leadership skills to the team.
• Fowler: After looking at the attendance and marketplace they realized they needed to do some investment spending.