The Padres drew 186,729 over the weekend for their
three home games against the Braves, and Sunday's crowd of
65,042 was the third-largest to see an LCS game in MLB
history (THE DAILY). The large crowds led to a front-page
feature in Saturday's S.D. UNION-TRIBUNE wondering if the
strong attendance "could undercut the club's claim" to need
a new ballpark. Richard Rider, a ballpark critic, said it's
"kind of hard to justify moving when you have 65,000 fans
showing up for postseason games." But Padres VP/PR Charles
Steinberg said the crowds are creating a "mirage" that the
Stadium works for MLB (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/10).
LAST NIGHT COULDN'T HAVE HELPED: San Diego voters go to
the polls on November 3 to vote on Proposition C, the new
ballpark redevelopment project. A "Yes On C" sign is placed
on the right center field wall at Qualcomm (THE DAILY).
During the seventh inning of last night's Braves-Padres NLCS
Game 5 on Fox, Joe Buck commented on Proposition C as plans
for the proposed ballpark were shown. Buck: "You try to get
a gauge on the future of Proposition C and you really don't
get a good feeling one way or the other" (Fox, 10/12).
MOORES CHANGES POLITICAL STRIPES: In San Diego, Gerry
Braun reported that Padres Owner John Moores, one of the
"most influential" Democrats in the city, has recently
decided to "forsake" his party affiliation and has re-
registered as an Independent. On Friday, Moores hosted a
fund-raiser for GOP U.S. Senate nominee Matt Fong. Moores
said that his decision to re-register "was not a political
calculation," but the "culmination of various frustrations
with the Democratic Party" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 10/11).
