Voters Approve Padre Stadium; Team to Offer Brown a Big Deal

Voters in San Diego on Tuesday approved a $411-million plan to build a downtown ballpark for the San Diego Padres designed to keep the team from leaving the city.

With about two-thirds of the votes counted, Proposition C was leading, 58%-42%.

Proposition C called for the city, the city’s redevelopment agency, and the San Diego Port District to provide 70% of the money, and the team the other 30%, possibly by auctioning off naming rights to the facility.

The Padres pledged to take a lead in finding private investors to build hotels and commercial buildings surrounding the ballpark.

Padre owner John Moores insisted that the team is losing millions of dollars and needs a 41,000-seat “intimate” ballpark to boost attendance and become profitable. In exchange for the park, the team promised to remain in San Diego through at least 2024.

Boosters saw the measure as a way to redevelop the eastern part of downtown. Critics said the financing plan was based on overly optimistic projections about new visitors drawn to San Diego and downtown hotels by a new ballpark.

*

The Padres are ready to offer free-agent starter Kevin Brown a four-year contract worth about $10 million a year, a salary that would make him among the highest-paid pitchers in baseball, General Manager Kevin Towers said.

Brown filed for free agency last week after posting an 18-7 record with a 2.38 ERA in helping the Padres win the National League championship.

“It’s a historic proposal compared to what the Padres have done in the past,” Towers told the Bloomberg news service. “We haven’t even done this for Tony Gwynn.”

*

Dave Stewart, 41, the Padres’ pitching coach, has accepted a position as assistant general manager with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Stewart considered offers from Florida and Oakland but chose the Blue Jays, for whom he pitched in 1993 and 1994.

*

Voters sided with the Cincinnati Reds and overwhelmingly rejected an issue that would have prevented a new baseball park along the Ohio River.

Nearly three years after Hamilton County voters approved funding for a baseball stadium, they went along with the Reds’ wishes to put it next to Cinergy Field.

An issue that would have put the ballpark on the northern fringe of downtown was losing by a nearly 2-1 margin with 66% of the vote counted.

*

The Houston Astros have made an offer to bring back Randy Johnson, but they disputed a report in the Houston Chronicle that they proposed a three-year deal worth $33 million to $36 million.

General Manager Gerry Hunsicker said, “We met with him and made a serious offer, but as far as the term or dollars involved, it’s just not appropriate.”

The Astros are on a short list along with the Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers.

Johnson, 35, made $6 million this season, when went 10-1 for the Astros after he was acquired from Seattle July 31.

*

Joe Torre, who guided the New York Yankees to a record 125 victories and their 24th World Series championship, won the Associated Press’ manager-of-the-year award.

Torre, whose Yankees won the World Series twice in his three years with them, received 85 votes from writers and broadcasters. The Padres’ Bruce Bochy finished second with 48 1/2 votes, followed by the Chicago Cubs’ Jim Riggleman, 20 1/2; the Astros’ Larry Dierker, 10, and the Boston Red Sox’s Jimy Williams, 8.

*

Don Denkinger, 62, is retiring as a major league umpire after nearly 40 seasons because of an ailing right knee.

Denkinger is best remembered for his controversial call during Game 6 of the 1985 World Series between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. Denkinger called the Royals’ Jorge Orta safe at first even though replays showed he was out. “Instant replay proved I was wrong,” Denkinger said.

The call enabled the Royals to win that game to tie the Series. They then won Game 7.

*

The Oakland Athletics have given General Manager Billy Beane a four-year contract extension. This past season Beane signed first baseman Jason Giambi and outfielder Matt Stairs to multiyear deals. The A’s also signed their first-round draft pick, pitcher Mark Mulder, to a record contract. . . . The Chicago White Sox said they were not picking up the $2-million contract option for 1999 for infielder/outfielder Wil Cordero. . . . Among the latest to file for free agency are Boston pitcher Dennis Eckersley and outfielder Darren Lewis, Cleveland catcher Pat Borders and San Francisco pitcher Danny Darwin. David Cone and the Yankees continued discussions about an extension. . . . The Atlanta Braves reportedly are working on a trade that would send pitchers Denny Neagle and Odalis Perez to Colorado for outfielder Larry Walker. Atlanta outfielder Ryan Klesko and Colorado reliever Curtis Leskanic also have been mentioned as possibilities if there’s a deal. Fueling speculation was the hiring of former Colorado manager Don Baylor as the Braves’ hitting coach on Monday as part of an overhaul of the coaching staff. . . . Ryne Sandberg, a 10-time all-star second baseman with the Cubs, rejoined the club as an instructor. . . . Gary Sutherland, a major league scout for the Dodgers the past 10 seasons, has been hired by the Angels.