S1: Welcome to Kpbs Roundtable. I'm Matt Hoffman. This year's Comic-Con might look a little bit different. There's an ongoing writers strike , and it has several major studios staying away this year.
S2: So while I think some people are going to be disappointed that Marvel's not there or some big celebrities are not there , I don't think this is a sign that the studios are just going to start passing on Comic-Con every year.
S1: And this year's Padres season came with some very high expectations. But so far , the team has not really reached the heights that many fans expected.
S3: I think what we've seen so far , number one is baseball is a complicated , tricky sport and that the best teams on paper don't always win the most games.
S1: Don't go anywhere. Roundtable is coming up next. First , the news. You're listening to Kpbs Roundtable. I'm Matt Hoffman. In less than two weeks , Comic-Con returns to San Diego. It kicks off with its preview day on July 19th , and then it continues through the 23rd. The annual comic book and pop culture event. It's really become a cultural phenomenon that happens each July. It brings with it thousands of fans A-list stars and , of course , comic book creators to downtown San Diego each summer. But this year the con is likely to look a little bit different. Several major movie studios have decided to sit out this year's edition. It has some wondering what it could mean for comic con's future. Here to help us navigate what's been happening is Philip Molnar. He's the senior business reporter with the San Diego Union Tribune and Kpbs. Beth Accomando is here with us. She's our arts reporter and really our resident expert on Comic-Con being a long time attendee. I want to welcome you both here to roundtable. Phil , first question goes to you. You know , from your reporting , it sounds like Comic-Con is going to look a little bit different this year. What's the latest there ? Yeah.
S4: So there are a lot of studios that say they're not going I mean , we've sort of had this before. In 2018 , Marvel and HBO said they weren't going and it was like a sort of a crisis back then where people are you know , they're asking me to be at radio programs and all sorts of things to talk about that this year is a little different. It's not just two studios. It's like the really big ones that have been making a splash the past few years. Marvel Studios is not going to be there. That's the biggest one. But you also have Netflix and now Warner Brothers own DC Sony and a lot of the other big studios that you might not really know what movie that studio is from. They're staying away. So it's a lot actually , compared to previous years where some people might have sat out. So we're still waiting. It looks like Prime Video , which has made a big show in the past couple of years. Just today we got the schedule. It looks like they're going to be there. Paramount Pictures skewed me there with the new movie , but it definitely is going to look different than the last few in-person years.
S1: And we'll definitely dive into that a little bit. But Beth , you know , the movies in the studios , they've become a growing part of Comic-Con , especially over more recent years.
S2: So as someone who's been attending the Comic-Con since the 70s , like the studio presence has never been a big deal for me. I mean , it's a treat and it's something that I enjoy when I can get in for those , but it's not the thing like that I go to Comic-Con for. So while I think some people are going to be disappointed that Marvel's not there or some big celebrities are not there , I don't think this is a sign that the studios are just going to start passing on Comic-Con every year. I mean , we do have a unique situation this year with the strikes. So , you know , I'm just not sure. And on a certain level , you know , maybe Warner Brothers is relieved that they don't have to be here and talk about The Flash. So maybe they're also taking the opportunity to not show up for other reasons besides just the strike. But , you know , I think to say that the studios are not having a presence is also a little bit misleading because although DC and Marvel in terms of the studios are not present , DC and Marvel do have a presence at the convention , they're both going to be on the exhibit floor. DC is going to be screening some of their animated features. Both of them have panels that are going to be there. They're just not in Hall H And you know , it's kind of refreshing to see DC and Marvel focus back on comic books instead of just the big feature films they have. So I kind of looking forward to that. But yeah , I mean , for some people it's going to look very different. For others like me , it's like , Well , this year there's not going to be a lot in Hall.
S4: H Yeah , it's just to echo about to say , yeah , I mean I've been going to comic conventions most of my life. Back then it was I used to go to the Motor City Comic-Con every year and then a few in Chicago. And then I used to go to New York Comic-Con a lot. And back then it wasn't all about those those studios being there , you know ? And it was funny because this summer I got to go to San Diego's other smaller conventions called Rocket Con , which was in Mission Valley. And it was like , you know , 5000 people or something. But there was no Hollywood presence. And it just felt kind of good to be there and to make these connections with people and kind of go around and do that. So it was pretty interesting. And also , yeah , what Beth was saying to we got the exhibit hall floor plan this year and I was like , Really ? That's going to look different with like different studios not going to Hall. H But it looks so similar to last year that I was nervous. I was just like uploaded last year's exhibit plan because Marvel's got a gigantic presence there. DC's they're. Has its usual big like two column area going on. So where are the studios ? I probably said that first they might not be in Hall H in that big 6500 room , you know , area. They are going to be at the studio or be at the convention in different ways.
S1: And Beth , you mentioned the writers strike there. And an actor strike is also a real possibility. That's Sag-aftra that the union that represents actors , they extended that deadline to next week for the potential strike. And Beth , you had a chance to speak with Comic-Con spokesperson David Glanzer , and here's what he had to tell you about the situation.
S5: I think there's a mistaken belief that , you know , it's almost as if studios and entities are boycotting the show. The reality is , you know , there's a strike with at least one union , a potential pending strike for another. And that's really kind of turned the tables around a bit.
S1: So , guys , it sounds like that the strike is kind of the reason why this isn't happening.
S2: I mean , it's not like the studios are saying Comic-Con isn't worth attending. They've got a lot. You know , it cost them a lot of money to come to pay for celebrities to come down to house them , to put together these panels. So I just think it was too risky for them. With the writers strike in progress , potential actors strike looming on the horizon to gamble on trying to put something together for a big panel in Hall H.
S4: Yeah , and I think the extension as well , the extension to July 12th further cemented that the actors probably won't be there because I spoke with the entertainment attorney last week. And one of the things is even if the actors somehow by July 12th come to an agreement , it still takes 3 to 4 weeks to ratify a contract. So chances are they would not be able to go to Comic-Con even if everything works out and they get an agreement by July 12th , which a lot of industry sources are saying , that's probably not going to happen. So I think once that became clear , it was like , Oh , okay , we're not going to spend thousands or who knows , maybe $1 million to bring some big hall h panel with all of our actors and all the bells and whistles.
S1: Coming up on Roundtable , more on this year's Comic-Con and what you can expect even if you don't have a ticket. You're listening to Kpbs Roundtable. We're talking about Comic-Con. Our guests are Kpbs arts reporter Beth Accomando and Phil Molnar from the San Diego Union Tribune.
S2: You know , the the panels just started to roll out on the Comic-Con website. I haven't had a chance to go through all of it , but I believe Paramount is going to be there. And like I said , DC is going to be showing some of their animated films , which honestly , I mean some of the DC animated stuff is the best stuff that they're doing and they're going to be premiering , I think a couple of films there. I think only one is actually related to Justice League , but Lionsgate is going to be there with some of their TV shows. I am of course interested in the Continental because that's in the John Wick universe. So I mean , I think it remains to be seen. I'm sure there's not going to be as much of a huge line outside of Hall H camping out as far as I know. I think only the Thursday panels , Wednesday , Thursday are up so far , but it doesn't look like there's a heavy load of stuff going on in Hall H at this point. I think. Oh , Paramount I think has the Mutant Ninja Turtles film. So yeah , I mean , I think it's going to be a little different. Some people are worried that because there's not going to be the big line at Hall H , there's going to be more people on the floor , which is a possibility. So , you know , it is going to be a little different. And but there's still going to be a lot of stuff going on. I mean , there I forgot how many hundreds of hours of programming there are , but Hall H is just a fraction of what that is. And , you know , I'm hoping people may take this opportunity to say , I'll try something different. I know I've interviewed people who said like , Yeah , I got turned away at Hall H and I was really depressed and I walked by a panel room and I went in for this panel on the Scott Pilgrim comic , and I fell in love with it and I never would have known about it , you know , if I had gone to the The Hall H Show. If you're going to Comic-Con with a very narrow focus of what you want to do , and that's to see a big Hollywood panel , then yes , you're probably going to be disappointed. But there's just so much going on. I mean , I kind of look at it as a relief to like be able to to go and not have to spend time waiting in line and maybe get to more panels.
S1:
S4: I really echo what Beth said , But from a business perspective for our tourism industry , where we spend millions of dollars each year to promote San Diego , one of the things they always love about Comic-Con is how much free media or earned media you get. You get journalists from all over the nation , international journalists who are coming to San Diego reporting , Oh , this happened there or this happened there. So while the user experience here at Comic-Con , it might be hard to tell there's something going on , you know , all that kind of stuff. From that perspective , at least there is some concern from that tourism industry where maybe if there isn't , you know , Marvel DC , all these other ones , you're not going to get as much international press or attention here in San Diego. So there is , you know , a negative in that in that sense from that perspective , you know , because they're always trying. You know , I had a story a couple of weeks ago about this world design capital thing that's happening next year. And the city is giving $3 million for the event. And it's kind of controversial. I mean , the whole purpose behind the city's plan there. And the idea is that you're going to get a lot of media attention for this. But Comic-Con is like our biggest possible thing. So if that's diminished a little bit , I mean , is it going to make less people come to San Diego ? No , I don't think so. But it's not all roses , you know , basically. But from a from a financial perspective to , you know , I talked to the hotel manager of the Manchester Grand Hyatt , That's our biggest hotel in all of San Diego County with 1628 rooms. Right. So as of right now , he's had no cancellation. So people aren't it's not that they're not coming , but maybe the spotlight on San Diego is going to be a little diminished this year.
S1:
S2: Nobody's canceling. I mean , part of it , too , is if you do refund your ticket , I think there was a period in which you could , you know , you kind of lose your your spot in the ability to get tickets for the following year. And the tickets are so hard to get that , you know , let's say there's 6000 people who only go for Hall H and they decide not to go next year. I'm sure there's 6000 people waiting in line somewhere who will , you know , want a ticket. And , you know , just to to add on to that notion of the the economics here , you know , I used to shoot video for Comic Con back in the 90s and they wanted me to get video of people like coming out of hotels and eating at restaurants because back then , the city felt there was no economic benefit to having Comic Con there. They said things like , Oh , people who go to Comic Con sleep on their friends floors and eat at McDonald's. So like , why do we want these people here ? And , you know , I feel the this concern over the lack of studio presence and the lack of Hollywood here is really more about how Comic Con is perceived from the outside , more so than from the inside. And , you know , it feels more like a concern that the city might lose money in terms of are there going to be less activations or they're going to be fewer places , you know , being taken over by studios or companies , you know , in the Gaslamp area ? I don't feel like it's a concern about , Oh , is the attendee experience going to be better ? You know , it's really feels like this concern over , oh , if there's less media coverage than San Diego gets less of the spotlight. But I mean , I'm not sure Comic-Con is worried that there might be less media coverage of them. Maybe it means more people get in next year. I don't know.
S4: Yeah , yeah. It's more like a tourism perspective as far as those people getting nervous and the people that look at that industry and stuff. But I haven't seen any sign yet that the Gaslamp will be jammed up with events. As far as I go , you know , I'm still waiting to hear about a lot of them , but some of the fun ones I've heard so far , Adult Swim is going to have a large installation outside. There's going to be a Sonic the Hedgehog pop up restaurant , which I'm really excited about. Jurassic Park is going to have this. 30th year anniversary thing where you remember the scene where you can sit out , you know , the guy sitting on a toilet and the T-Rex eats out in the first movie. So they've remade that so you can sit on the toilet as a , you know , T-Rex comes at you. And of course , Comic-Con museums can be doing a lot as well. So yeah , outside it doesn't seem like any different. I know there's already at least one rap I've seen downtown , and next week I plan on walking around and figuring out what we've got. So on the outside , it doesn't look much different. And it looks like the studio spending is just about the same on the exhibit floor as far as I could tell.
S2: The other thing about the activations outside is they don't require writers or celebrities to be there. It's just the studios promoting their own stuff and a lot of that , you know , a lot of those activations have to be kind of put in place further in advance. So , you know , the writers strike or an actor's strike may not have impacted the fact that , oh , we're not going to have a big panel , but we're still going ahead with our outdoor activation because we can. Yeah.
S4: Yeah. The other thing was thinking about too , is like in 2018 , when Marvel and HBO didn't go , you know , there was at the time , there's there's a lot of competing festivals out there. Like Disney has its own thing called D23. Star Wars has its own thing called Star Wars celebration. At the time , DC was doing its own thing like this DC fan zone , so there was this thought in 2018 , Well , hey , maybe Comic-Con is going away a little bit because these two studios are there. What's going on ? And just Marvel Studios , like when all out last year they had one of the craziest panels. I got in there , luckily , and it was one of the most amazing panels I've ever been at. The actors , they had somebody come out and costume all this stuff going on and then HBO that wasn't there. That same year when we were concerned , the Comic-Con was finished. Last year , HBO built a castle downtown for their latest Game of Thrones show. So , I mean , there is evidence in the past of things slowing down at Comic-Con and then picking back up as things go. One thing I'm kind of surprised about anyways with even with the studios that have decided not to go , is a lot of the. At least one excuse given for why Hollywood blockbusters haven't done as well. There's been a few bombs , You know , this this summer , The Flash , Indiana Jones , the new Pixar movie Elemental. And one of the concerns , you know , is that all those writers and actors weren't able to go on talk shows to promote their films. That's one of the excuses for why the box office isn't doing as well. So I must say , I am still , even with everything going on and everything you said , surprised that War Studios didn't try to say , Hey , you know what ? With everything going on with the actors , we got to take this shot. We got to we got to take over. Hall H. Even if it means all we can bring out there is like the catering service from the show or something , you know , because one one that I've noticed is prime video. So this , this is what I really felt weird today is so the schedules came out and the biggest ones that are going to be there so far it seems like prime video. So not only did Prime say that they're going to have their cast of the of the Wheel of Time , which is like a fantasy , epic long book series. So they said the cast is going to be there. And I got an email seeing if I had availability to interview any of the actors. So I'm not sure what's going on there , but it definitely seems from the look of it , the prime is like , okay , if all these studios are going to stay away , this is our shot.
S1: So and I think it's great for people to hear that there are still going to be those activations because not all San Diegans , in fact , not even majority of them have tickets to Comic-Con. So it's great to hear that people can still go down there. And you know , they used to have that big Fox Ferris wheel and all that stuff down there. A lot of fun for people. And Beth , as we've been discussing here , you know , movies in their studios , they're clearly just one piece of Comic-Con.
S2: I have to confess there are booths that I always want to go to. I collect Godzilla stuff , so anime link is top of my list. I love Troma Studios , which is not a big Hollywood studio. They are the outsider. So you know , I look forward to things like that and to meeting my friends and to , you know , artists and stuff that I've come to know over the years. Artist Alley is something that I love walking through because I always find cool and amazing stuff and same thing with small press. So I like to go for kind of the things that I'm not sure are going to happen , you know , and just to experience stuff there because I'm a fan of pop culture and I mean , there's stuff I like to I love the Droid builders. They always have the best panel. That's just a ton of fun. And the legal geeks are another one that have always had like entertaining stuff. So there's , you know , people that I love to see every year doing panels , and then there's just such a diverse array of stuff out there that you can go to on panels. I mean , there's Holocaust survivors who are involved in graphic novels. There's how two panels on how to draw. And probably the biggest secret at Comic-Con is their film festival. You know , I think that's a fabulous thing. Some of the films are great and , you know , it's also a great place to go to just chill out for a little bit. It doesn't tend to be crowded , nice , cool , air conditioned theater. You get to watch movies about pop culture and it's great.
S1: And we're only just beginning to learn the schedule fill quickly.
S4: I mean , one of the biggest things is I used to be part of a group when I went to New York University called the Comic Book League. We were a club at the university and all those people that I was in that club with him all gone out and had their careers. And I've got a friend that's a comic book artist and writer. I've got a friend that's a comic book journalist , and I love the chance for all of us just to get together again. And you don't really need any of that with a panel or anything like that. But I must say , my favorite part of Comic Con the past few years , maybe because I'm getting older or maybe because those crowds kind of wear me out , is all the installations outside ? I don't know. I just have fun with every single one. I try to sign up for as many as I can , and whenever I do a story , just about everything that's going on outside and how to get in , it tends to be my most popular story of the year. It doesn't matter what happened at Hall Age , doesn't matter any of this that we're talking about. The actors strike that my story about what's going on outside and how to get into all of it , I could pretty much guarantees to be my most popular story.
S1: And I think a lot of people can relate to that now , not to turn the mood too much , but , you know , San Diego has been comic cons home since it began. And we know that they do some events in other cities , but nothing like they do here in San Diego. And there's been a lot of rumors over the years that Comic-Con may leave America's finest city. And Beth , you actually spoke with Comic-Con about these rumors. And again , here's David Glanzer with what they had to say.
S5: We would love to stay in San Diego , but if we hear from our attendees. You say that they may pass on the show because , you know , certain aspects may be too challenging or too difficult. We'll have to listen to them.
S1: What does that mean ? I mean , that doesn't sound too assuring for people. You know , I think you've mentioned before that they've said that they never really wanted to leave.
S2: I mean , they rely on thousands of volunteers that come here from San Diego. The show , you know , evolved here. Most of the people who work on the show live here in San Diego , but they do face some challenges. You know , they're running out of space. They've they're using practically all the space they can from the nearby hotels. And this year , you know , the cost of hotels is just really sky high. And for a lot of just your average attendee , it's hard to pay 300 , 400 , $500 a night for a hotel. So , again , I don't think they want to leave. Their contract is good through 2025. But yeah , I mean , I'm sure this is part of a negotiation , too , where , you know , if we say we have the potential of leaving , you know , they have looked at other venues to go to and it's hard to find another space that's that big and that they can move to. I mean , they do WonderCon up in Anaheim , which is kind of like what Comic-Con was maybe like in the early 2000s or something. And it's a big deal. You know , they have to move their offices up there and they have to , you know , recruit volunteers from that area or get people from here. So I don't think it's something they want to do , but I'm sure it's something they will say they will do at this point to try and negotiate for better terms. And , you know , some of this is negotiating for better terms for their attendees. They don't make money off of the hotels. They're not getting a profit from that. But it is tough for people to attend from out of town.
S1: All right. Now , quickly before we go , let's get some final thoughts. Comic-Con is finally almost here. What are you guys going to be watching for in the couple of weeks ahead.
S2: Huh ? Just trying to survive all the stress. I mean , I run a booth. I'm also going to be doing coverage , you know , for Kpbs. And I want to go to panels and I want to shop and I want to hang out with my friends. So , yeah , it's just trying to manage time. I would like to go to a panel that tells me how to stop time and control it so that I can manage it better , but I'm not sure that's going to happen.
S1: And Phil , you have the final word. Yes.
S4: Yes. Well , I am doing a meditation retreat at the Deer Park Monastery at Escondido , like the four days before Comic-Con. So I'm hoping to be as calm as humanly possible coming into the event and not lose my mind. So that that's my thought right there.
S1: Very cool. Well , it's coming up. A lot of people looking forward to it , especially those activations hearing those are still going to be there. Beth Accomando is Kpbs arts reporter , and Philip Molnar is senior business reporter with the San Diego Union Tribune. Great to have you both here on Roundtable.
S2: Thank you. Thank you.
S1: What are you excited for for this year's Comic-Con ? You can email us at Roundtable at PBS.org or give us a call. (619) 452-0228. You can leave us a voicemail there , but if you do , be sure to leave your name and what city you're calling from , as we might use it in a future show. Coming up , the San Diego Padres had some very high expectations coming into this season , but at the midpoint , the team has lost more games than they've won.
S6: If they can start to flip that play some inspired baseball. I think you see a team that could again climb the standings and get back into the position that we expected them to be in the beginning of the season.
S1: That discussion coming up just after the break. You're listening to Kpbs Roundtable. I'm Matt Hoffman. We're just over halfway through what's been called the most anticipated baseball season in San Diego history. But so far , the Padres , they haven't quite lived up to the hype. The team sits fourth place in their division , and that's out of five teams , not really where Padres fans expected them to be. They own baseball's third highest payroll , and San Diegans have bought in this year in a major way. The team is on pace to see a record number of fans at Petco Park this year. Joining us to discuss what's going on with the San Diego Padres at the halfway point are Ryan Finley. He's the sports editor with the San Diego Union Tribune. And Dani Tripp is here with us. He's a sports anchor with NBC seven San Diego. All right , Ryan , we had you on around the time that spring training started.
S3: You know , this is a team that on paper , when the season started , was expected to be among the best in baseball. And just so far , they just haven't played like it. It starts with their big four , right That's Manny Machado Wants Soto , Zander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. They've all been good in stretches , but they're not good at the same time. And I think that what we're seeing sort of with their disappointing season so far , it's situational hitting has been bad. You know , there's been no clutch hitting either. I think they've actually been pitching well , though. Their bullpen has been a little bit of a problem lately. It just comes down to their best players aren't playing like their best players. And and I think that you know baseball is a sport that you usually you know are what the back of your baseball card says you are. I think that there's some reason to believe that that their big four will sort of return to form as the season goes on. But it's certainly pretty concerning early on. I mean , they Peter Seidler spent a lot of his hard earned money signing these four superstars to to try to win a World Series and bring a championship to San Diego. And so far , really with the exception of Fernando Tatis Jr , I think that they're all really disappointing and that's something that has to improve. If the Padres are going to make a run here in the second half of the season.
S1: And Peter Seidler , of course , is the Padres majority owner.
S6: We use that to kind of gauge our expectations for a season. That's what we have to go off of. And just guys track record from one season to the next. And you know , it can be a little bit different when new guys come to town. Juan Soto got out to , you know , he wasn't playing to the one Soto level when he got to San Diego. Certainly had some moments , you know , last year into the postseason , but a slow start for him. Xander Bogaerts was , you know , everything you hoped he would be the first month this season. Then he injured his wrist. We kind of learned that that's been a recurring issue for him. And you saw his performance slide a little bit. I think , you know , they've they've each had their moments. Obviously , Tatis missed the first 20 games of the season. But it was like it's like you haven't been able to kind of get everybody pulling in the same direction at the right time. And there's been glimpses of just how dangerous this team has been. And we saw it , you know , during that three game series Against the Angels first time they swept a three game series. And so they appear to be moving the right direction. Jake Cronenworth is another guy that's been , you know , far below the level we've come to expect from him from his first three seasons with the Padres. That included two All-Star appearances. And so I think , look , you can get into the weeds of the numbers. You can find a whole bunch of different stuff if you scan the baseball references and Fangraphs and baseball savant. But at the end of the day , it's guys not playing up to their potential and it's a star player is not playing up to the potential and that's putting more pressure on the Austin Noles of the world and the transgressions of the world. But again , you went in this season with optimism and hope because of Machado , because of Bogaerts , Tatis , Soto and Cronenworth. And by and large , those guys haven't played up to expectations. And I think that's why you've seen a team that's underachieved to this point.
S1: Well , and Dani , you kind of hit on it right there in either of you , feel free to jump in here.
S6: And , you know , it wasn't just people in San Diego. I mean , I remember an ESPN piece that had them posting the highest projected win total outside of , say , the Mets. And the Mets are another team that's had a completely miserable first half of the season. Baseball is just a funny sport that way. You know , you look at , again , the Fangraphs , the world , all the projections , they had them among the best teams in all of baseball and certainly the National League when when you have a postseason run the way they did , when everything kind of came together and you add as Andrew Bogaerts and and you kind of strengthen , you know , you you add a Michael Wacha , these guys , you know , there's reason to feel good about what this team had coming in the Dodgers. You know they they lost some pieces And so you have this great postseason where they beat the Dodgers. There are a couple steps away from a World Series. And then you add a talent like Xander Bogaerts. How could you not go into the year expecting to at least match what they did last season ? But again , baseball can be a strange sport. It can be difficult to figure out , you know , what is the source of a team's ills. And that's been the case for this team. But look , you can you can go and hindsight as much as you can , but I don't think we were necessarily wrong in expecting this team to perform at a high level going into this year.
S1: Well , guys , it has been a historic season for the Padres in other ways. And I'm talking about record fan attendance. 1.8 million people have been to Petco Park this year , and that's a record 34 sellouts. I mean , Ryan , kind of simple question.
S3: I think some of it is , is that the fans bought the tickets before the season started. Right. And you're looking at , hey , when can we fit in a game ? And you know , so many they had to cap season ticket sales so that more of the quote unquote average fans could go to games right. I think that a lot of it is that a lot of it is that these tickets were bought in March and April when the expectations were still very high. I think some of it , too , is that your average fan thinks that this is going to be a team that turns it around. You know , we saw some of that against the Angels this last weekend. This last weekend , earlier this week. You know , the Angels were a team , obviously. Shohei Ohtani , Mike Trout broke his wrist. But you know , certainly a talented team in the Padres came in and took it to him. Part of it's that part of it is San Diego has proven it can be a good baseball town when it likes the product on the field. And and while the results haven't been there , certainly this team full of superstars seems to have captured San Diego's imagination , even though they really haven't performed so well this year. And thirdly , and you guys know this , you know , San Diego's a tourist town. And and Petco is a great place to watch a ball game. You know , a lot of that is just the steady drumbeat of out-of-towners that visit San Diego year in and year out. You know , one of the frustrating parts to me in my former life , I was just a fan of this team. And and it was frustrating. For years , they weren't putting a very good product on the field. And I always suspected that it was because their attendance was always pretty good , simply because Petco was a great place to see. The game in San Diego is such a popular tourist destination. It's nice to see Peter Seidler and Padres ownership step up and spend the money to put a team on the field that can help justify some of these sellouts. And and I would expect to see more and more sellouts as the season goes on , even if this team continues to struggle. You know , there is a projection already that they're going to smash every attendance record they've ever had.
S1: You know , Darren , we've talked about the ups and downs with this team this season. They can go out and win , score 12 runs and then score no runs the next day.
S6: And. Unfortunately , this isn't new. I mean , 20 , 21 , they had an epic collapse , a team that had real postseason aspirations. And you even go back to last year , I think there were some lingering fears because of what happened to 2021 , you know , where they were in mid-September before they turned it on and even points throughout the summer where they just didn't look like they were like the team we all expected them to be. And so there was a lot of grumbling and certainly booing. I mean , we've definitely heard that at Petco Park because this is a team with massive expectations , massive payroll , lots of guys that have landed , huge contracts , if not this past offseason , then in recent years that just haven't played up to the standard we've expected. And so fans have have let them hear it. But I think worse than that , they've just kind of had to trudge through it and they've had to suffer through these disappointing games and disappointing seasons series against teams that that they should be beating and and watching this team that you know , even at points just hasn't looked like they've they haven't looked very inspired you know what I mean ? They haven't looked like a team that's had a whole lot of will. I mean , so often you've seen them go down early and you're like , it's a wrap. I mean , this team hasn't shown the gumption to kind of fight their way back. We've seen a bit more of that lately , which is which has been encouraging , but I think it's been really disheartening. And to go into the season with these expectations for it to just not be fun , you know , consistently fun to this point in the year I think is a drag. And so I think fans have every right to be disappointed with the product they've seen. But again , as you mentioned , to their credit , they continue to show up so good on them.
S1: And you know , recently we heard from the man at the top of all this. We're talking about Peter Seidler , the owner of the Padres. Ryan , the UT had sort of an exclusive interview with him.
S7:
S3: He's saying all the right things. I think the things that you would expect if you were a fan from the owner , you know , Kevin AC watched part of a game over the weekend in Cincinnati with Seidler and , you know , wrote , I think , very eloquently about , you know , Seidler was making some salient point and then somebody hit a home run and either , you know , stopped what he's saying and stood and cheered and , you know , was he is a fan , I think at heart. I think that he's also an optimist at heart. And I think he believes that there's no way this stretch of poor play can go on for the rest of the season that that they're bad luck can't last forever and that , you know , he keeps it in perspective in a way that I think I like. But I'm sure some fans don't like. You know , he said something like , you know , the real problems , he gets angry when somebody mistreats a homeless person downtown. He doesn't get angry when the Padres disappoint on the baseball field. You know , I think that that's the kind of big picture stuff that you don't necessarily see from owners all the time. You know , let's compare him to Steve Cohen , who's the owner of the New York Mets. Right. And the Mets are struggling just like the Padres are. Mets have spent much more money than the Padres have , and they're worse right now in the Padres are. But , you know , Steve Cohen , you know , kind of had a press conference last week and basically said , hey , if stuff doesn't start improving , you know , we're going to have to start really worrying about making some changes. Seidler It does not appear as prepared to make those drastic statements. He , you know , he would not necessarily guarantee Bob Melvin's job through the end of the year when he talked to Kevin. AC But I don't think that there's any belief out there that Bob Melvin's job is in trouble as it stands today. I think that Peter Sellers supporting AJ Preller like he always has and that I still think that the Padres are more likely to add at the trade deadline than sell. If they can just show some signs of life at some point here in the next two weeks. And you know , I think it starts with the series that they have this weekend and then you head into the All-Star break , come back , try to get hot. I mean , they're not all that far away from being a playoff contender. Again , you just got to turn , you know , a three game winning streak into a seven game winning streak and you're right back in it. And so I think that's the way Peter Seidler looks at it. He looks at it as if the Padres luck has to turn eventually. And when it does , he wants to add to this team and try to make that playoff push at some point. They're all in guys. Who cares if they have ? I mean , who cares if they need to add another $10 million in payroll at the deadline ? Right. This is a team that has made it clear that they have championship expectations. And I think that they're ready to add if they can just , again , get back in the thick of this playoff race.
S1: And you mentioned Bob Melvin there. He's the San Diego Padres manager. And guys , you know , a lot of fans will remember last season , Dani sort of hit on it earlier , historic run for the team. I mean , just even people that weren't Padre fans , if you were out at a bar during any of those playoff games , I mean , it was completely packed and people are screaming and yelling and there's blue and gold and purple or not purple brown everywhere. How did the Padres get back there ? How do they get to the playoffs ? And I remember , Ryan one time you said it's just about getting to the dance. It doesn't really matter how you get there. But Dani , how do they kind of get. Back there.
S6: Well , I think the Angels series is a pretty good example. You know , if you can copy paste that a few times , you're going to be in pretty good shape. And what you saw was Sandra Bogart's play like Zander Bogart's , you saw Jake Cronenworth play like an all star. We've seen Manny Machado for close to a month now , put up Manny Machado esque numbers And you know you had quiet series from Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr for the most part you know it's like to have to have every guy going each and every single game. That's just not how it's going to go. But if collectively as a group , you have some of those big names performing at their level , as Ryan said , if you're better in a situational kind of basis , which they had been those first two games runners in scoring position , I mean , they were they were delivering in a way that we haven't really seen them , you know , throughout the course of the season do. And so the starting pitching , for the most part , it's been really good. The bullpen has taken a step back , but for the most part they've been really good. It's it's all there. I think it's just kind of getting it going at the same time. And Juan Soto looking like Juan Soto , Fernando Tatis Jr , all those guys , if they perform up to expectations , I think it could happen pretty quickly. The other thing too is how many teams ahead of them in the wildcard standings are you really sold on ? You know , the Marlins , they got the top wildcard spot. They got a negative run differential and have been lights out in one run games. Is that sustainable ? You know , you've got opportunities head to head against the Diamondbacks , against the Giants. You know , how convincing are the Pirates and the Reds ? Some of these teams that they just saw , they lost those Series two , but those teams certainly seem gettable. They just hopped the Cubs and some of these other teams with the three game win streak that they had against the Angels. And so , you know , I don't think it's necessarily going to take a miraculous effort. I think if you just start to play close to your potential and start to reach your ceiling , you know , I think they can kind of turn this thing around quicker than maybe you'd think for a team that just a few days ago was , you know , eight and eight and a half games back of of a wildcard spot.
S3: I agree to use a poker term here. Two guys I think how many teams in the National League are pot committed how many teams in the National League are buyers ? I don't think that there's that many. And really , that's all you have to do. Baseball is one of those things , right ? It's a long season. Good players generally , you know , finish about where they finished the year before , barring major injuries. The Padres. I think if they can just get to the point to the deadline where they can be buyers , they may be one of a small list of buyers in the National League. I'm not sure a whole lot of teams are going to go out there trying to take on payroll , trying to add more talent to their teams. You know , not that other teams aren't trying. They are. But the Padres have proven that they're willing to spend money. And I think that if money is the only thing keeping Peter Seidler and Prowler from acquiring another impact player , that's money that Peter Seidler is happy to spend.
S1: All right. Now , let's get some final thoughts as we wrap up here. We have a trade deadline coming up. We have an all star break coming up. There's still quite a bit of baseball left , even though we are past the halfway point.
S7:
S3: Be watching Zander Bogart's and Manny Machado. I'm going to be watching the left side of the Padres infield. To me , these are two guys who have proven over the years that they're two of the best in baseball. What they do , Neither player has played up to expectations , neither players playing up to the stats on the back of this baseball card so far this season. Manny Machado is one of the streaky players in baseball. When he gets on a heater , as my colleague Kevin AC says , there's nobody in baseball better than Manny Machado. If he can get even hotter than he is right now , if Sandra Bogaerts can get past the wrist injury that he's had , I think that they can really just rocket boost this team into playoff contention. I don't know if the Padres are going to make the playoffs this year. They've played a lot of bad baseball in the first half of the season. It leads me to believe that maybe they won't , but I think that if the left side of the Padres infield can get hot , it's going to make for a really fun end of the season.
S1: Some strong words there. Dani , you have the final word.
S6: Yeah , I think there's a few things. You know , the bullpen needs to be the bullpen that we saw at the beginning of the season. Lights out. They've been a bit shaky. You've had Michael walk hit the aisle , you've had you Darvish deal with a sickness of some sort. You got to get those guys back. You got to get them back on track because if if they are at the level they were pitching wise , then it's on the lineup. And that speaks to what what Ryan has said. I think , you know , you want those guys to be who they are. And , you know , again , in the last week to a few weeks , Manny Machado , Zander Bogart's Jake Cronenworth has have all resemble themselves. Does does that continue But also I mean can you can you win some extra innings games Can you win some one run games do you look inspired in the. It's because there's there's been reason to doubt that to this point. And so I think seeing those guys play to their potential , but also show some grit , you know , show a little bit of heart when things get tough , find ways to win when you're when you're in those , you know , high leverage type spots , do you get the big hit ? They've been doing that a little bit more. Again , they they've been the opposite of the Marlins so bad in those close game extra inning type situations. If they can start to flip that play some inspired baseball. I think you see a team that could again climb the standings and get back into the position that we expected them to be in the beginning of the season.
S1: And I'm sure , as you guys all said , fans are just waiting for those moments to happen. I've been speaking with Darnay Tripp from NBC seven San Diego , and Ryan Finley from the San Diego Union Tribune. Both of you , thanks so much for being here.
S6: Thank you , Matt.
S3: Thank you , Matt.
S1: That's going to do it for roundtable this week. We'd love to hear your thoughts on today's show. You can leave us a voicemail at (619) 452-0228. You can also email us roundtable at pbs.org. Don't forget to check out the roundtable podcast. If you missed any part of our show. Roundtable airs on Kpbs FM at noon on Fridays and again on Sunday at 6 a.m. The show is produced by Andrew Bracken , and Rebecca Chacon is our technical director. I'm your host , Matt Hoffman. Thanks so much for being here with us and have a great weekend.
