San Diego Padres Baseball Team

He is a self-described computer nerd who has turned software into an impressive collection of hardware. John Moores, formerly of Houston and now of San Diego, is said to be worth more than $400 million, but he hasn't forgotten humble roots. His success in computers and real estate has been accompanied by wide-ranging philanthropy. He even contributed an estimated $80 million to rescue a charity case known as the San Diego Padres from the fire sale regime of Tom Werner and partners.

When Mark Mulder took a line drive off his arm in the second inning and doubled over in pain, the St. Louis Cardinals figured it would be a short outing for their 16-game winner. Instead, Mulder shook off the hard shot to his left biceps from Joe Randa and put his team on the brink of a playoff sweep.

Fred McGriff, the most consistent home run hitter in baseball the last five years, was traded to the Atlanta Braves for three minor leaguers on Sunday as the San Diego Padres continued to slash their payroll. McGriff, whose $4-million salary was the highest of any Padre, was traded for outfielders Melvin Nieves and Vince Moore, and pitcher Donnie Elliott as the two-time defending National League champion Braves hoped to improve their poor offense. The Braves' .

Matt Watson, a junior pitcher from Cal State Fullerton, signed a minor-league contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, he said Wednesday. The 22-year-old right-hander, drafted in the 14th round, will report Sunday to the Blue Jays' New York Penn League Class A team in St. Catharines, Canada. Watson made four starts and 11 relief appearances for the Titans this year. He had 28 strikeouts and 27 walks in 33 innings and was 1-5 with a 4.91 earned-run average.

Joan Kroc knows. Being the owner of a major league baseball team is not all champagne, cheers and excitement. It also comes with headaches and heartaches. I hope she warned Tom Werner. I hope she told him owning the Padres was more than sharing the team's experience of winning the National League Championship Series and Tony Gwynn's experiences winning batting titles and Mark Davis' experience winning the Cy Young Award. Downs come with those ups.

Only Tony Gwynn could turn a night that was supposed to be ceremonial into something so instructional. On the night he reached the hallowed mark of 3,000 hits, Gwynn wasn't content to stop there. He rapped out four hits in five at-bats during the San Diego Padres' 12-10 victory over the Montreal Expos Friday night. After achieving the milestone hit with a first-inning single, the impromptu ceremony--consisting mostly of hugs, applause and a few fireworks--took less than three minutes.

Two San Diego Padre players were arrested Tuesday for allegedly propositioning undercover policewomen during an anti-prostitution sweep on a Manhattan street corner. Pitcher Scott Sanders and outfielder Derek Bell were arrested about 2 a.m. EDT on a misdemeanor charge of patronizing a prostitute. The arrests came 18 hours before they were due at Shea Stadium to play the New York Mets. The two pleaded innocent Tuesday evening to soliciting a prostitute.

It's the home opener of Mexico's world series. A no-name tenor is belting out the Mexican national anthem through a scratchy loudspeaker. A phone company executive is preparing to throw out the first ball. An army of bookies is working the stands, bleating out the odds on the first pitch. And the Mexico City Red Devils--a team whose average salary is $12,000 a year--are about to take the field for the Mexican League championship.

Professional baseball teams, already looking ahead to spring, are stealing an idea from the airline industry to boost lackluster attendance. The San Francisco Giants expect to become the second team in baseball with a frequent-fan program that rewards attendance at home games with coupons and prizes. It will be modeled on a similar scheme introduced by the San Diego Padres last year.

Roberto Alomar finally made it to the major leagues this week--about 2 1/2 weeks later than the most highly regarded prospect in the San Diego Padres' organization was expected to arrive. Alomar, youngest son of Padre coach and former Angel second baseman Sandy Alomar, led Padre infielders in spring training with a .360 batting average and startled veterans and most of the coaching staff with his defensive ability at second base.