Bud Selig Hall of Fame Plaza will be Cornerstone of Padres Shrine

By Bill Center

The Padres Tuesday night honored Allan H. (Bud) Selig for his 22 years of service as the Commissioner of Baseball by dedicating a future attraction at Petco Park in his honor.

The promenade just inside the Gaslamp Gate at Petco Park was renamed The Selig Hall of Fame Plaza. The area was formerly known as the Palm Court Plaza. The street-level plaza near the Western Metal Supply Co. building is one of the busiest areas at Petco Park.

In the future, the Padres Hall of Fame will be in the same area.

“We’re going to focus on significant players and events in Padres history in this area,” said Padres Executive Chairman Ron Fowler. “This will be a featured area of Petco Park. And the Selig Hall of Fame Plaza will be a cornerstone of that project.”

Selig expressed his support of the Padres and said he liked the Padres chances of hosting an All-Star Game at Petco Park in the future.

“I’m working on the All-Star Game,” said Selig. “I like San Diego’s chances. They’re better than a prime candidate. You can take it from there.”

Selig visited Petco Park as part of a farewell tour of all 30 Major League parts. San Diego was his 15th stop.

Selig has played a role in several Padres milestones during his reign as Commissioner of Baseball.

He helped sustain Major League Baseball’s support of Petco Park’s construction when the ballpark project was slowed by legal challenges in the early 2000s.

“Selig helped Peter Seidler and myself as we put together our ownership group,” said Fowler. “He helped keep baseball here.”

Selig said he believes the Padres “will be one of the game’s cornerstones.”

He also spoke of Tony Gwynn and closer Trevor Hoffman, who will be inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday.

“One of the greatest ambassadors we had was Tony Gwynn,” said Selig. “I couldn’t help but think about Tony today.”

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