Padres To Pay $125,000 For Extra Costs Associated With WBC

Padres Exec VP & Managing Dir of Ballpark Management Richard Andersen said that staging the semifinals and finals of the World Baseball Classic at Petco Park “has become a logistical challenge that is straining the Padres’ pocketbook,” according to Steve Schmidt of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The team on Thursday agreed to pay $125,000 associated with added police patrols and other event-related security. Padres officials initially believed that the event “should be treated like a regular Padres game, pointing to a ballpark operating agreement that requires the city to pay for security outside Petco Park.” But San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said that the “regular operating agreement didn’t apply.” Sanders: “In our estimation, this is not a Padres game. This is a special event.”

CUBAN ISSUES: With Cuba playing in Saturday’s semifinal, Schmidt reports the San Diego branch of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “prepared to step in this weekend if needed. ... In other words, if a foreign ballplayer seeks asylum in San Diego, ICE will provide him with protective custody.” ICE spokesperson Lauren Mack said, “In immigration-related matters, we would take the lead role.” Meanwhile, WBC officials said that the ban on “signs with political messages” will apply to Petco Park (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 3/17).