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Opening Day brings loss, questions on how season will go
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It was only one game, so no reason to push the panic button just yet.
Given the San Diego Padres performance on Monday at Petco Park, however, fans may be wondering if a new record for futility will be set this season downtown.
The Padres kicked off the 2009 season with a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, once again providing ace pitcher Jake Peavy with little run support.
For a team that often left its pitchers in the dark last season when it came to run production, yesterday's start could prove to be an ominous sign of things to come.
Since Petco's debut in the downtown area five years ago, many local businesses will tell you that as the Padres go, so does business during the home season.
If the team gets up in the N.L. West pennant race and is playing good ball well into summer, then local bars, restaurants, shops, etc. should bring in some much needed added revenue downtown. If the team is 20-25 games out of first place come the All-Star break in July, then business owners should not be planning those much anticipated vacations.
Monday's season-opener served up the largest crowd (45,496) ever at Petco Park, but a home opener, especially against your hated division rival, tends to bring out the folks.
What will happen later in the season if the club is buried in the cellar and you're trying to put people in the seats when folks like Florida, Washington and Houston come to town? Remember, this is a Padres squad (with some changes here and there) that came within one loss of 100 losses a season ago.
Season-ticket sales have reportedly dropped some 25 percent from what they were going into 2008, a season that saw the Padres lose 99 games and finish last in their division.
When the economy is in the tank as it is now, dropping tickets prices (the club has done that) and loading up the home calendar with promotional items will hopefully put fans in the seats, even if the product on the field is mediocre at best.
The worst fear for downtown business owners would be a Padres team topping last season's loss total and great weather all summer long. That recipe for disaster could mean lots of empty tables at downtown bars and restaurants before and after games and traffic jams in the beach areas.
For Padres fans and business owners alike, they're all hoping this season doesn't strike out.
For more on the San Diego Padres, visit: http://www.examiner.com/x-1742-San-Diego-Padres-Examiner
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