Other teams should have a Petco game

I was at Petco Park on Wednesday for the Sixers-Lake Elsinore game. Lake Elsinore gets to play one game at the home of the San Diego Padres every year since the park opened. It’s a great PR move — both for the Padres (who get to showcase future Padres) and for the Storm (who can showcase a team that’s just up the road). And, minor leaguers get to play in a big league stadium — invaluable experience.

Why don’t more teams do this? Sixers general manager Loren Foxx was in attendance on Wednesday and loved the whole concept. He would gladly give up a home game for a chance for his team to play at Dodgers Stadium as part of a doubleheader with the Dodgers, although he would prefer to give up a weekday game (like this year’s Lake Elsinore game) rather than a weekend game.

The Quakes could do the same thing with the Angels. It’s really a win-win situation. Yes, the big-league club is spending a little bit more for security and to keep concession stands open, without much added revenue. But the goodwill created is more than worth it.