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June 21, 2004

Prospectus Today

Petco Party

by Joe Sheehan

"It's pretty."

So says Sophia about Petco Park, which we both visited for the first time on Saturday night. The park is located in downtown San Diego, and very much a part of the area. In fact, before the game we traipsed over to Seaport Village and walked around, and the post-game options for attendees make it possible to make a night out of a day at the ballpark.

The most significant impression the park made on me was the size of the outfield. Seeing it on television just doesn't do it justice. If Petco Park doesn't have the most actual acreage between the infield and the fences--I guess the really deep center field in some parks could give them more square footage--the 400-foot distances to left-center and right-center fields make the outfield look vast, almost as if a fourth outfielder would be needed to cover the ground.

The way in which Petco's huge outfield affects the game was a big topic of conversation on Saturday. Padres GM Kevin Towers, addressing an audience of nearly 100 BP readers before the game, referenced the park's dimensions and their effects on game play and team construction frequently in an hour-long session. Towers was enthusiastic, forthright and informative, exactly what you'd hope for from a speaker. His turn at the mike made the Ballpark Feed a success.

Once the game began, however, another Towers took center stage. Blue Jays starter Josh Towers, who entered the game coming off his season-worst outing and at risk of losing his rotation spot. I wouldn't be surprised if Towers stayed behind when the Jays flew out of California last night; if there's a park in which he could make a lot of money, it's this one, with its huge outfield and benign winds. Towers was excellent, tossing just 78 pitches--59 strikes--in seven innings, with just a poor play by a displaced infielder separating him from a shutout.

That infielder, Dave Berg, figured in all three of the Padres' runs in their 3-2 win. Playing left field because nearly every other outfielder in the Jays' system has been injured, Berg couldn't get to a Jay Payton fly ball in the fourth inning, allowing it to bounce on the warning track and over the fence for a rule-book double that plated the Pads' first tally. In addition to not being able to play left field, Berg can't play shortstop and he's hitting .222 with no extra-base hits and three walks this season. His two-year contract--granted before the '03 season--was a mistake, and he really should be released.