The new Padres HOF is nearing completion and will open Friday at Petco Park, but the Bud Selig HOF Plaza "is down," according to Nick Canepa of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The Padres in January '15 were awarded hosting rights for this year's All-Star Game, and there is "no question naming a plaza after then-Commissioner Selig eased Petco into the winner's circle." But Selig's name adorning the plaza "did not sit well" with fans, and Padres President & CEO Mike Dee and ownership "have to be given some credit for righting a wrong." Dee said, "When we made the (Selig) announcement, we underestimated the sentiments of the fans. And the reaction of the fans was something we heard. In processing the feedback from our fans ... we made the decision to move in another direction. ... We still will honor Commissioner Selig someway, but in our offices." Canepa writes as of yesterday, the HOF plaza "doesn't look as though it possibly can be completed by Friday, but [it] will be." The 2,000 square feet of indoor space will be "totally dedicated to Padres and San Diego baseball history." The outdoor plaza originally intended for Selig will "offer 1,500 square feet of space." There will be Baseball HOF "replica plaques of every Padres player who entered the Hall not wearing a San Diego cap." Other plaques "will be dedicated" to Padres HOFers. Canepa writes it is "great to see the Padres preserving their past -- not to mention San Diego's baseball yesterdays and todays." There practically was no "evidence of any history before this" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/29).
