Padres President & CEO Mike Dee helped bring Bruce Springsteen to Fenway Park when he was with the Red Sox, and he now "sees no reason why Petco Park can't draw and attract similar national and international events to the downtown ballpark" such as the Davis Cup match next year, according to Corey Brock of MLB.com. Dee yesterday said, "We're open-minded to all kinds of events. ... We're going to be focused on building that." He said the ballpark "should be a 365-days-a-year venue." Brock noted tickets for the Jan. 31-Feb. 2 Davis Cup match will be available to the general public on Dec. 6, "starting at $100 for a three-day package." The event marks the first time a Davis Cup event "will be played in an open-air baseball stadium in the United States" (MLB.com, 11/5). In N.Y., Christopher Clarey notes this will be the Petco Park's "first tennis event, and the Cup matches will be held in a stadium built in left field that will make use of some existing seats in the bleachers and additional seating in temporary grandstands to be built on the outfield grass." USTA Team Events Senior Dir Jeff Ryan said that capacity for the event "would be about 8,000, with the potential for more seating if demand warrants." But the event "might be a tough sell on Super Bowl Sunday" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/6). The AP's Bernie Wilson reported while organizers of the event have not decided if there will be red or green clay on the court, they "feel their choice of surface will give the Americans an advantage over Britain, which is expected to be led by defending Wimbledon champion Andy Murray" (AP, 11/5).
