Padres player scandals, city council caves to John Moores, farm manager Russ Nixon tells history

1995 season-long strike, handicapped fans tell how it is for them, who really owns the team?

Author

By Matt Potter, Ken Kuhlken, Patrick Daugherty (RIP), Robert Kumpel, Thomas K. Arnold

Publish Date

May 8, 2021

Dave Dravecky, 1984. Dravecky’s left arm was amputated, along with his shoulder and shoulder blade.

The Evil I Do Not Intend

Dravecky raised some eyebrows that month when he appeared with Eric Show and Mark Thurmond at a John Birch Society booth at the Del Mar Fair. Back home in Boardman, his parents were stunned. His father said, “Well, it’ll ruin his career.” Yet most people remembered the Padres’ Bircher contingent as “Eric Show and those other two guys.” Upbeat where Show was moody, reserved where Show was outspoken, Dravecky was little tarnished by the controversy.

By Victor Dighe, June 15, 1995 | Read full article

All councilmembers except Juan Vargas attended, including Valerie Stallings, who had reaped thousands of dollars by selling stock obtained in an offering by Neon Systems, a Texas company controlled by Moores.

Masters of Deceit

"[The Padres] want the city's share (10 percent) of sky-box licensing revenue from the Chargers, a cap at $25.5 million on the city's 10 percent take of Padres' ticket revenue, use of the city's sky box for several games, and free rent in their office space near the stadium. They want to collect fees (for 10 years) for 3500 parking spaces at Qualcomm for people who leave cars and take the trolley to the downtown ballpark.

By Matt Potter, Aug. 31, 2000 | Read full article

Such Good Friends

Harry Mathis: "Due to a comedy of errors related to attending the gala before the Saturday night [Padres] game, I was charged for two $32 tickets to the game on my Visa when I thought I was simply being charged for a ticket to the gala for my wife since my invitation covered only myself. The fault was probably mine for not questioning one of your young staff members more closely when she stopped me at gate C….”

By Matt Potter, Sept. 14, 2000 | Read full article

Samuel Russo: "It states at the elevator that it's only for the handicapped or press, but it's always full of other people."

Stadium Compassion

"I come to Padres games, but football's the worst because of the crowds. Walker points to a white car in another handicapped spot. A handicapped tag hangs on its rearview mirror, and the rear license plate reads ‘Pearl Harbor Survivor.’ This chick right here jumped out of her car and started sprintin' away. She was, like, 22 years old. We saw her plate and asked her if she knew what the Arizona was, and she was totally clueless!"

By Robert Kumpel, Nov. 16, 2000 | Read full article

Construction-site sign

Who Really Owns the Padres?

Last week, construction suddenly ground to a halt, and JMI announced that it was suspending the operation until the city came up with the cash to build the adjacent baseball stadium, on hold since last spring, when it came to light that then-city councilwoman Valerie Stallings had accepted gifts and stock tips from Moores…. It turned out that the much-heralded bank loan JMI had announced for the project had never been made.

By Matt Potter, May 3, 2001 | Read full article

“He treasures his private life, but when you buy a ball club, you lose a lot of that.”

Clinton-and-Brown-Loving, Rich Texas Liberal Seeks Date with Padres

Most of the money Moores gave to the Clinton camp came through the Democratic National Committee. “Federal law limits individual gifts [to presidential candidates] to $1000 per election, and we have to stick by those guidelines. But I’ve given a lot more to the Democratic National Committee, to its ‘Get Out the Vote’ campaigns, that sort of thing. In total, I think we’ve given the Democratic party $400,000 or $500,000 in the last four or five years.”

By Thomas K. Arnold, Nov. 3, 1994 | Read full article

The Padres have complete say over the ball team: who comes, who goes, who stays.

Baseball Will Humble You

“Mickey Mantle was quiet. He didn’t say a whole lot to anybody. But he was a fun-loving guy. We knew that. He had that drawl, and anytime he said something, even though it wasn’t funny, it sounded funny. Mickey was a typical switch hitter, a low-ball hitter from the left side and a high-ball hitter from the right side. You tried to stay away from that, but you know, you weren’t going to stay away from that enough.”

By Patrick Daugherty, July 1, 1993 | Read full article

"I’m not a strikebreaker. I’m a ballplayer. If I don’t do the job, then you can tell me I suck. But the media has already judged us."

No Fossils, No Fat Guys

“You guys know a lot of strikers, right? Any problems?” Pete admitted he’d gotten indirect threats. “So-and-so said that if you play, this is going to happen, things like that. ‘Tell Roberts anyone who crosses is going to get their leg broken.’ I know who it came from and all, but I don’t care. They’re going at it as if this were some sort of moral crusade They’re trying to legitimize the situation.”

By Ken Kuhlken, March 16, 1995 | Read full article

Ted Leitner: “Don’t bother to pay attention. These guys aren’t going to be here. Anyway, they’re scabs.” (Sandy Huffaker, Jr.)

Farewell to Baseball's Good Old Days

That evening, I called Pete Roberts at the Holiday Inn. Pete’s a pitcher. He was a little concerned about Lysander, today’s starter, whom he said had been throwing well, but this week had suffered from a sore elbow. Tomorrow, Pete explained, the team will be chosen. By Tuesday he could be in San Diego studying the help-wanted ads. “I’ve had some good days and some bad ones,” he admitted.

By Ken Kuhlken, April 6, 1995 | Read full article