San Diego Padres Owner Ron Fowler Slams Team

By Ron Juckett |

Aug 8, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres former shortstop Garry Templeton is presented his Padres Hall of Fame plaque by president Ron Fowler before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

After disastrous road trip, San Diego Padres owner Ron Fowler called his team “miserable failures” in a radio interview.

Ron Fowler, the principal owner of the San Diego Padres, ripped the team for poor play on a San Diego radio station Wednesday night.

Speaking with ESPN’s The Mighty 790, Fowler called the team “miserable failures” after winning only one during an eight-game road trip.

The Padres have not had a good season. Dead last in the National League West at 21-34 and 12.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants, you can see where there might be frustration. With a lower-end payroll of $100.1 million, San Diego ranks 13th in batting average at .231, last in on-base percentage at .287 and 11th in team ERA at 4.37.

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Add that San Diego is hosting the All-Star Game this year, and the massive spotlight going with it, and one understands why things are reaching a boiling point.

It has been six seasons since San Diego finished with a winning record. Ten since making the playoffs and 18 since they won a postseason series. The average batter is 29 this year, the pitchers are 28.6. With Matt Kemp and Melvin Upton making north of $20 million in 2016, you would grumble as well.

Ripping the players on the radio, however, is another story. When you have a beautiful ballpark, like Petco Park is, and play in one of the best climates in the country, you would think free agents would flock to play there. Think again. Every few years San Diego pushes all-in for a grab at glory and it bites them in the end. Over the last 20 years, the Padres finished above .500 seven times.

This is not even the first time a Padres owner publicly took the team to task. In 1974 Ray Kroc, who turned McDonald’s into a global sensation, called the team out after a 9-5 loss to the Houston Astros at San Diego’s home opener. He grabbed the public address microphone and let them have it. For the record, the Pads went 60-102 that year with a winning percentage of .370.

This year’s squad has one of .389.

There are bright spots. Wil Myers is doing well at first. Kemp has slugged 13 homers so far. Drew Pomeranz sports an ERA of 2.48 after 10 starts while Fernando Rodney as yet to allow a run in 19 innings, saving 10 games.

Although the team responded with a resounding 14-6 win Wednesday at Petco against the Seattle Mariners, public shaming at this level backfires. The team as constructed is not in the same class as the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers up I-5.

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Instead of lashing at his team, perhaps Fowler would be better served by looking at how his baseball operations are run. Right now, they are not good.

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