Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
refriedgringo's avatar

David Dodd

David Dodd is a Reader contributor. See staff page for published articles.

Major League Soccer eyeing San Diego market

I'm not sure when I'll be taking in a Padres game at Petco Park this season with the exception of the opening series, the Reader isn't going with sports coverage anymore and I'm unsure that any other publication is looking for a writer. But I am a fan, so perhaps we can arrange something. Last year, the Xolos played Club America at Petco Park, and I covered the event with the intention of doing a story on it. The Xolos were more than happy to give me press credentials, but the Padres refused to cooperate, the big story was how small the pitch was due to the Padres not wishing to remove the pitching mound for the match. They wouldn't let me interview the grounds keeper, so I tabled the piece. Anyway, I payed very close attention to the crowd for that game, it was probably 90% Latino, and the majority were Mexicans. This is your core demographic for soccer in San Diego. I got a great set of soundbites from my pal Bernie Wilson, an AP sports writer, in the Padres press box a few days before the match. I consider Bernie to be the voice of the average sports fan in San Diego, and Bernie hates soccer. Most people I run into in San Diego - sports fans - hate soccer. I love soccer, but I'm very much in the minority, and so are you. Bernie feels that soccer is useful as a tool for conditioning, especially with young athletes, but otherwise he has no use for it. So, the Mexican demographic is the vast majority for soccer, and while they did well in attending the Xolos vs. America match, I'm not so sure that Chivas U.S. would do so well in San Diego. The MLS bought Chivas, they couldn't even survive in the Los Angeles market, how are they going to draw any better in San Diego? I would rather be wrong and you be right, but for now my opinion stands, based on what I know about the tastes of the demographic that would be most likely to attend a soccer match. Regarding Chase, sources tell me that the Padres and Headley are very far apart on a contract. If nothing gets done before the season starts, I would expect that if the Padres are floundering and out of playoff contention that Chase will be traded before August. Too bad, really, because Chase is a very nice guy and a good third baseman, but even with a payroll approaching $90 million, the Padres aren't likely to give $20 million to one player. However, stranger things have happened, so I suppose we'll see how it plays out. Looking forward to that beer this summer, Barnaby.
— February 22, 2014 12:01 p.m.

Minor leaguers sue Major League Baseball

Not sure where this suit will go, but the players get paid by the month, here's the breakdown: (Level,1st Year, 2nd Year, 3rd Year): Rookie - $1150, $1200, $1250; Short A - $1150, $1200, $1250; Low A - $1300, $1350, $1400; High A - $1500, $1550, $1600; Double A - $1700, $1800, $1900; Triple A - $2150, $2400, $2700 Added to this: $500 bonus after 60 days in Double A time, $1000 bonus after 60 days Triple A time. All minor league players receive $20 meal money per day that the team is away from home. Not including the off season. So, while the kids don't make much, it gets a little better in AA and AAA. Also, because the seasons are much shorter up to High A level, the players are free to work elsewhere in the off-season. The big problem with paying minor league players more money is how lopsided the structure of the game is. In order to bring fans into the Major League parks, clubs have to hire the best talent. And yes, a lot of those guys are overpaid. Clubs like the Yankees, for example, could easily pay their minor league players more, but the Padres or the Rays couldn't afford that. With 25 players on 6 clubs in the minors, that's a chunk of payroll even at the small prices for each player. So, the only collusion I can see is that some clubs can afford more but protect the clubs that can't with a level playing field. However, without that level playing field in the minors, no way the game can be competitive. That's how owners see it, and I agree. One solution is to cap player's salaries in the majors and trickle some of the cash into the minors, but the Player's Union would fight that fiercely.
— February 12, 2014 10:13 a.m.

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader