San Diego Reader

The Union-Tribune is reporting tonight (July 19) that the Padres will sell their Triple-A minor league team if a home can't be located in Escondido or someplace else in North County. The Escondido deal has been cooking for some time, but lack of redevelopment funding could thwart it. California budget negotiations could crimp use of redevelopment funds for projects that could be funded by the private sector — and for other uses, too. Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad wants to put the AAA team within the San Diego market for reasons that many people cannot understand.