Olney: How the Padres are embracing the spirit of late owner Peter Seidler
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Buster Olney, ESPN Senior Writer
Every baseball fan base has its own identity. A Philadelphia Phillies crowd is intense. Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are raucous (but late-arriving, fighting through the traffic bottlenecks). New York Yankees fans are anxious, emitting murmurs of distress between pitches.
In San Diego, as Padres manager Mike Shildt said, “every game is like a party.”
That was late owner Peter Seidler’s vision for this team, which will manifest today in Game 3 of San Diego’s division series against the Dodgers. Seidler died in November at the age of 63 (the cause of death for Seidler, a two-time cancer survivor, was not disclosed). But if he had been in attendance today, you probably would’ve found him behind home plate in the hour before first pitch, genially chatting and absorbing all of the sights and sounds, watching the gathering fans, loud in their Padres colors and enthusiasm, the atmosphere distinct.
Seidler deserved the credit for so much of it. After purchasing the team in 2012, he worked against the industry’s conventional wisdom about what was possible for this franchise. The Padres, long defined as a small-market club that struggled to afford stars, are now a team loaded with big names, big talents and championship aspirations.
With a foundation of expensive veterans such as Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Yu Darvish and emerging talents such as Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill, the Padres have baseball’s best record since the All-Star break, while playing with heart-shaped patches bearing Seidler’s initials.
“Peter was the one who said, ‘Hey, we’re San Diego, we’re putting this city back on the map, I’m going to create this atmosphere,'” said Eric Hosmer, who played five seasons with the Padres.
Tony Gwynn Jr., the son of the late Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn and an analyst on the team’s radio network, said, “People enjoy coming to Petco Park now, because it’s almost a social event.”
Baseball in San Diego didn’t always feel like this. In 1993, about the middle of Gwynn Sr.’s Hall of Fame career, the Padres drew just 1.3 million fans, in a season in which the team’s then ownership ordered the unloading of stars such as Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff. On some days, Jack Murphy Stadium — the Padres’ home at the time — was so empty that birds and other wildlife would scavenge leftover concession food — during the game, rather than afterward. There were few humans around to interrupt.
Even in the midst of a stretch of contention after Petco Park opened in 2004, interest continued to lag. From 2008 to 2015, San Diego ranked no higher than 10th in the National League in attendance. A few years ago, Seidler stood behind home plate at Petco Park and talked with a visiting reporter about how to augment the baseball experience in San Diego. He’d grown up in the sport: His mother’s father was Walter O’Malley, the owner had moved the Dodgers franchise from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in the hope of more business, and the team has operated close to or at capacity for Dodger Stadium for most of the decades since. Seidler was raised in baseball, and he knew how a community could link with a team. He was determined to find the path to the same level of excitement in San Diego.
In 2018, the Padres’ payroll was $94 million, with the franchise residing in the familiar neighborhood of small-market teams. But in spring training of the next year, the Padres shocked the baseball world by agreeing to a $300 million deal with Machado — a massive contract that was wildly out of character for the way the franchise had conducted business for decades. At the time, the perception within the industry was that this deal, along with the $144 million contract that Hosmer had signed the prior winter, would place the Padres on an unsustainable financial track.
Even Gwynn Jr., who witnessed the deconstruction of really good Padres teams in the past because of payroll concerns, acknowledged that he was initially skeptical that the franchise would continue on this path.
But Seidler continued to tell San Diego general manager A.J. Preller to think big, to pursue even the most expensive players. The Padres took on salary to acquire Darvish; they traded for Joe Musgrove. In summer 2022, Preller traded for Juan Soto, the game’s best young star, and waded in the deep end of free agency again the following offseason.
The Padres tried to sign shortstop Trea Turner, offering him a record sum for a player at that position, and when Turner signed with the Phillies, Seidler and Preller met with Aaron Judge, dangling the concept of a deal that would’ve been worth something in the range of $400 million. When Judge re-signed with the Yankees, the Padres pivoted to Bogaerts, signing him for $280 million — far beyond what the Red Sox had been willing to pay.
The Padres’ payroll increased to $248 million in 2023. The team’s spending spree has generated a lot of commentary from other organizations — a lot of it negative, with rival executives expressing shock over how much long-term debt San Diego has taken on with all of these deals. When asked about this in spring 2022, Seidler smiled slightly — knowingly — and said, “We’ll be fine.” He didn’t offer any details about how the Padres would make it work, or what new revenue streams might emerge to help pay for the massive obligations. Rival executives have assumed that part of Seidler’s bet was that the Padres franchise would grow in value over time, in a way that would cover costs.
And sure enough, the Padres have ranked in the top four in NL attendance every year since 2021. This year, they averaged more than 41,000 fans a game — more than any team in baseball outside the Dodgers and Phillies. In the first season after Seidler’s passing, the Padres reduced their payroll and flipped Soto to the Yankees for pitching in a blockbuster offseason trade, but Preller and CEO Erik Greupner continued to foster a fan expectation that the team will work to win.
In March, Preller swapped prospects for Dylan Cease, the best available starting pitcher at the time, and then Preller made the first big deal of the season by dealing for batting Luis Arraez in early May. At the trade deadline, San Diego continued to add — relievers Tanner Scott and Jason Adam, among others. With those bold moves fortifying the roster, the team took off after a middling start, making a late run at the NL West title before locking in the NL’s top wild-card spot. They swept the Atlanta Braves in the first round and split the first two games of the division series in L.A. Now, the Padres come home with a chance to take down their biggest rivals in front of a rocking Petco Park, just as their owner would have wanted.
“I’d say San Diegans are really happy with where we are,” said Gwynn Jr., “as opposed to what they had seen before.”
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Ryan S. Clark
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Kristen Shilton
There’s an ancient South Florida proverb about numbers: Not one. Not two. Not three. Not four.
Opening the Eastern Conference finals with five goals in Game 1 on Tuesday showed that at least for one game the Florida Panthers could find a breakthrough against the Carolina Hurricanes. Only for Thursday to arrive and the Panthers to once again post five more goals in a 5-0 win to take a 2-0 series lead before heading back to Sunrise for Game 3.
How did both teams perform? Who are the players to watch next game, and what are the big questions facing the Hurricanes and Panthers ahead of Game 3 on Saturday?
Say what you will about the offside goal being akin to Charlie Brown getting the football pulled out from under him by Lucy. While it’s possible that the disallowed goal could have provided momentum, there were other things that suggested the Hurricanes were going to struggle.
Under Rod Brind’Amour, they’ve become one of the teams that consistently generates the highest number of shots per game. They entered Game 2 averaging 33.2 shots per game, yet they hadn’t even cracked double digits until there was 14 minutes remaining in the third period. Natural Stat Trick’s metrics showed they had two high-danger scoring chances midway through the third period, and after giving up seven goals throughout the entirety of the second round, they’ve allowed 10 goals in the first two games.
Or view it this way: The Panthers had more goals than the Hurricanes had high-danger scoring chances. — Clark
What more is there to say about Florida, really? The term “clinic” doesn’t seem to cover it. The Panthers have done it all against Carolina in these first two games.
Thursday was another dominant performance by the reigning Stanley Cup champions in an offensive and defensive effort that requires no notes. The Panthers set a tone early with Gustav Forsling‘s goal just 1:17 into the game and never relented. The Hurricanes were averaging over 33 shots per night in the postseason (second most among playoff teams), and Florida limited their chances to seven shots through the first two periods alone — while the Panthers pummeled Carolina with 16 shots and four goals in the same span. It was enough to chase Frederik Andersen from the net, when he was replaced by Pyotr Kochetkov with a four-goal deficit.
The Hurricanes’ top scorers were simply no match for Florida’s attack or a locked-in Sergei Bobrovsky, who, while not heavily challenged, was a match for all comers in a 16-save shutout. The way Florida is playing right now, one has to wonder how the Hurricanes can get back in this series as the teams shift down to Florida. — Shilton
Three Stars of Game 2
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Panthers go up 3-0 on Sam Bennett’s power-play goal
The Panthers threaten to run away with it after Sam Bennett’s power-play goal makes it 3-0 in the first period.
He had two goals and a helper, as the Panthers dominated the Hurricanes in Game 2. This is Bennett’s second career 3-plus point playoff game and second career multigoal playoff game.
2. Team defense
The Hurricanes were averaging 33.2 shots per game this postseason, second in the playoffs to the Colorado Avalanche. But the Panthers, with their efficient and suffocating defense, held Carolina to five shots in the first 30 minutes of the game. Near the end of the second period, the fans at Lenovo Center were growing tired of it and started chanting “shoot the puck” at their team. Carolina did have more shot volume in the third period, ending with 17, but nothing got past Sergei Bobrovsky.
3. Offside reviews and coaching tactics
Normally, I’m not the biggest fan of lengthy offside reviews. I wish there was a timer — if you can’t make the call in 90 seconds, then the call on the ice stands. But the Florida Panthers executed one to perfection in Game 2. Up 3-0 in the second period, the Hurricanes scored, but thinking the play was offside, the Panthers called a timeout to buy more time to see every angle available, eventually calling for the challenge. It was indeed determined to be offside and the goal was taken away. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 3
Let’s start here with the Hurricanes. There’s no shortage of options. Part of the reason Svechnikov is in this space is because he leads the Hurricanes in goals this postseason. The rest of it has more to do with whether the Canes can rely on a certain postseason pattern for Svechnikov holding true. After going goalless in Games 2 and 3 against the New Jersey Devils in the first round, he responded with a hat trick. He didn’t score in the first two games against the Washington Capitals only to then score a goal in three straight games. Could Svechnikov respond by grabbing at least one goal in Game 3? Or are the Canes in store for more offensive struggles once they arrive in Sunrise? — Clark
The Panthers’ instigator had been quiet since Florida’s first-round series win over Tampa Bay, recording just five assists in eight games heading into Game 2 against Carolina. But Tkachuk looked more like himself Thursday, agitating the Hurricanes and making his physical presence felt. He also emerged early on the score sheet, registering an assist on Gustav Forsling’s game-opening salvo and adding a goal — Tkachuk’s first in 10 games — in the opening period to extend Florida’s lead to 2-0. It was a testament to how commanding Tkachuk’s line was with Sam Bennett (two goals and an assist) and Carter Verhaeghe (three assists) that he was able to finally appear as the Tkachuk of old. If this was indeed Tkachuk’s reawakening after a slow stretch, then the Hurricanes better be well aware of Tkachuk going forward because he was as dangerous as ever at both ends of the ice in Game 2. — Shilton
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Matthew Tkachuk taps it in to pad the Panthers’ lead
Matthew Tkachuk sneaks the puck past the goalie to pad the Panthers’ lead against the Hurricanes.
Big questions for Game 3
What’s the response to their worst playoff loss this year?
Several questions will be asked when it comes to what adjustments can be made before Game 3. Could one of them be about what the Hurricanes must do to get off to a stronger start? Allowing two first-period goals in Game 1 already presented the reality that the Panthers were going to remain aggressive. But to then give up the first goal less than two minutes into the first before giving up three in total in an opening frame that saw the Panthers record just five shots on net? That only adds to the degree of difficulty for a team that has now lost two straight playoff games after losing two postseason games in total over the first two rounds, especially when the last time the Hurricanes were down 0-2 to the Panthers in a playoff series was during the 2023 Eastern Conference finals in which they were swept. — Clark
Will Sam Reinhart be back at full strength for the Panthers?
Florida saw one of its top skaters exit in the first period after Sebastian Aho delivered a hit that forced Reinhart out for the remainder of the game with a lower-body injury. While Florida had Game 2 well in hand even before Reinhart became unavailable, it’s safe to say the Panthers are a better team when he’s in the lineup. Reinhart’s status going forward is significant for Florida overall. Reinhart paced the Panthers with 39 goals and 81 points in the regular season and notched 11 points in 13 postseason tilts going into Game 2. Florida must hope that Reinhart isn’t just available for Game 3 (and beyond), but that he’s not too banged up to continue operating at a high level. — Shilton
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