Padres Will Freeze Or Reduce Price Of Majority Of '10 Tickets

The Padres Thursday announced that the majority of tickets at Petco Park for the '10 season -- including 100% of full-season ticket packages -- will either be reduced or remain at '09 levels. Eighty-six percent of full-season packages will see a drop in price, while 60% of individual game tickets will be lower for '10. All full-season plans will represent a 35% discount from individual game prices, and 25,509 full-season seats will be $22 and below. The team next season will be eliminating both "Premium" and "Advanced" pricing and will be offering a new flexible payment plan for season-ticket holders. The team also announced that the requirement to purchase Founders Club memberships for new season-ticket accounts will be eliminated everywhere except in the Sony Home Plate Club (Padres). Padres President & COO Tom Garfinkel said, "We are restructuring everything." Padres Vice Chair & CEO Jeff Moorad: "We are now providing our fans with more affordability, more options and enhanced value. ... We proactively asked our fans what was important to them and they told us that this economy has affected everyone and affordability was a priority." In San Diego, Bill Center notes the Padres "will draw fewer than 2 million fans this year for the first time since the strike-shortened 1995 season and are running 21[%] behind last season's pace" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 9/25).

DOUBLE PLAY: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's David Biderman notes Moorad reached an agreement to buy the Padres in January, but "still owns a 12% share of the Diamondbacks." Sources said that D'Backs Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick "won't buy out Mr. Moorad's shares, worth about $45[M], because he's upset over his abrupt departure." Kendrick declined to comment (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/25).

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