The Padres "won a doubleheader in the courts" last
Friday after Superior Court judges "dismissed" two lawsuits
related to the team's proposed ballpark development in
downtown San Diego, according to Anthony Millican of the SAN
DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, who wrote that the latest lawsuits are
the "last of about a dozen to be decided at the trial court
level." So far, attorneys for the city and the team "have
won every case," with several being appealed. Padres
President & CEO Larry Lucchino: "The big picture is that we
are now 12-for-12 in cases." In one decision, the court
"finalized an earlier ruling" and dismissed a suit that
challenged the San Diego Unified Port District's $21M
contribution to the ballpark project. The other suit
"involved a challenge to the City Council's decision to
authorize up to" $299M in bonds to pay the city's share of
the ballpark, "which critics said would be almost $75
million more than voters approved" (UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/20).
SAY MY NAME: Meanwhile, the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's
John Rofe reports that the Padres "have asked [MLB] to
approve a local Indian tribe that operates a San Diego-area
casino as a possible naming sponsor" for their proposed
ballpark. Although the team has yet to choose a naming
sponsor, two sources "confirmed that the short list of three
includes the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation." But one
source "said the Padres have settled on Sycuan -- a longtime
team sponsor -- and are waiting only for" MLB's approval
before finalizing the deal. Another source noted that the
other two companies the team is "still considering" are
Labatt USA, which would name the ballpark after its Tecate
beer brand, and Leap Wireless Int'l, a subsidiary of CA-
based Qualcomm (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/22 issue).
