Padres 101

Published: Thursday, July 31, 2008 6:47 PM PDT

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The San Diego Padres Baseball Club, like any large business, is a complex entity. Many employees with different skill sets work together to provide fans with the entertainment experience they have come to expect. From groundskeepers to broadcasters, quantitative analysts to medical staff, it takes a lot to operate a baseball team.

As is the nature of the entertainment industry, fans can only follow the workings of the team as often as their leisure time (and entertainment budget) allow. In order to follow a sports team, fans rely on others, most often members of the media, to report on and summarize team related information and keep fans in the loop with their team. The spectrum of these reports varies wildly, ranging from sports updates on the nightly news to in-depth, frequently updated Web sites.

Now, thanks to the internet and other new forms of communication, in-depth coverage is available to anyone who cares enough about watching grown men run in circles. Web sites provide competition in the analysis fans need to enjoy the game.

The bad news is, San Diego traditional media hasn't successfully responded to the improvement in sports coverage. Radio commentators and newspaper columnists supply fans with misinformation, poor research, and display a less than thorough understanding of the complexity under which the San Diego Padres conduct business.

Therefore, The Sacrifice Bunt, in conjunction with voiceofsandiego.org, present a series titled "Padres 101." We will break down the business environment that surrounds the team, and all the background info behind decisions the team has made to stay competitive. This is the stuff you don't hear on the radio. Stay tuned.

--MELVIN NIEVES