Former Dodgers Owner Peter O'Malley, his son Kevin and nephew Tom Seidler are "mounting an aggressive push" to buy the Padres, and the group wants to "close a deal by the All-Star break," according to sources cited by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSPORTS.com. Sources said that the O’Malley group has "signed documents permitting it access to team financial information," and that they apparently have "raised sufficient equity to purchase the club." Initial indications are that the group "values the Padres at less than half of the Dodgers’ $2.15 billion sale price, and perhaps significantly less" (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/28). In San Diego, Tim Sullivan wrote if O’Malley "wants to get back into baseball, he is exactly the sort of steward the Padres sorely need: connected, respected, responsible, visionary." But despite the "favorable buzz O’Malley’s name evokes, the sale of the Padres is not yet a one-horse race." There are "at least three or four different groups exploring the idea -- O’Malley being the most public -- and the list may run much longer than that." One prospective bidder said Saturday, "I can smell big money when I get involved. I think this thing is going to go for a big number" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/29). Padres 3B Chase Headley said, "You could do a lot worse than the O’Malleys. If there’s a royalty of baseball, that’s certainly one of them. They’ve got a pretty solid foundation with the game." Padres manager Bud Black acknowledged that there is "something 'very influential' about the O’Malleys and their baseball stature." Black: "It’s a name that’s been associated with major league baseball for a very long time, in a very positive way. It’s been a very influential name in the game" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/29).
LET'S MAKE A DEAL: In Calfornia, Marc Figueroa wrote, "Never thought I'd say this, but I miss the Padres." Fans cannnot watch Padres broadcasts because of the "continued impasse" between TWC and FS San Diego. Figueroa wrote, "The Padres should step in as the sensible ones in all this and push Time Warner and FSSD to come to an agreement. Time Warner is already losing subscribers because of this, and the stalemate certainly doesn't help the Padres, who were already dealing with a dwindling fan base" (NORTH COUNTY TIMES, 4/29).
