ekansekans's blog: "df"

DENVER -- The OMalleys are back in the baseball business. Elvis Dumervil C Patch Jersey . Back in Southern California, too, just down the road in San Diego instead of Los Angeles. In a quick vote Thursday, Major League Baseball owners approved the sale of the Padres to a group that includes Kevin and Brian OMalley, the sons of former Dodgers owner Peter OMalley. Commissioner Bud Selig announced the endorsement after the conclusion of the owners meetings in Denver. Under the deal, the group will buy the franchise from owner John Moores for around $800 million. The final closing of the sale will be on or before Aug. 31. Ron Fowler, a local businessman in San Diego, will become the executive chairman. The new ownership group also consists of Peter and Tom Seidler, the nephews of Peter OMalley, along with golfer Phil Mickelson. This is a group of heavy hitters, especially given the pedigree of the OMalley family. The late Walter OMalley bought the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950 and moved them to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. Peter OMalley eventually took over for his father and all told under the familys ownership, the Dodgers won six World Series and 13 NL championships before being sold in 1998. In comparison, the Padres have been to two World Series, losing in 1984 and 1998. This is an organization once owned by the late Ray Kroc, who helped build McDonalds into a household name, and also Tom Werner, the producer of Roseanne Barrs television show. However, the franchise is probably better known for wearing distinctive brown-and-gold uniforms decades ago. Some fans are even clamouring to bring those jerseys back. The ownership group didnt address the uniform issue Thursday. What they did do is give a vote of confidence to CEO Tom Garfinkel and general manager Josh Byrnes. "Were looking for a long, consistent ownership group here," Fowler said. "As a San Diegan -- Ive been there for 30-plus years now -- I think its great for baseball in San Diego, that the OMalley family and the Seidler family are going to be the owners. Im looking forward to having some fun over the next five to 10 years." As for what name this new ownership group may operate under, Peter Seidler smiled and said, "The Padres." No, really. "Really, the Padres Group," he said. "We want the attention and spotlight to be on a great product on the field. Were going to be supportive and do everything we can to bring that down to San Diego. Were a bunch of Padres up here." Thats why Selig & Co. were supportive. "This group knows what it takes to compete," Selig said. "Theyre very optimistic. Im optimistic. Ive gone over their projections, gone over everything. I think their projections are optimistic, but realistic. This is a good day for baseball. "I think Padres fans have a right to be very happy today -- very happy." San Diego fans hope a change in owners can energize the Padres, who regularly have had one of baseballs lowest payrolls and have largely struggled since reaching the 1998 World Series. The Padres are 52-67 this season and sit in fourth place in the NL West. "Its a great day for the Padres. Its a great day for the organization. Its a great day for the city," Padres manager Bud Black said. "I think the Seidler family, the OMalley family, Ron Fowler, these guys coming on board, its fantastic. "Its the start of an era of new ownership, which I think is a very positive thing. Its great." The agreement with the new group came months after Jeff Moorads attempt to buy the team on a layaway plan collapsed. Moores deal with Moorad, who began his attempted purchase of the club in 2009, was valued at about $500 million. Moores divorce forced him to put the team on the market in 2009. Selig said its going to be difficult to say farewell to Moores. "I saw him this morning and I got very emotional," Selig said. "John did a lot of wonderful things for baseball. Very helpful for me, during a time when things werent, frankly, as great as they are right now. I know its the right thing for him to do. Believe me, I like John Moores a lot. He did a lot for this sport -- a lot." Selig was amazed at the ease with which this deal got approved by the owners. The vote was over in no time. "Theres always a little bit of a problem here or a problem there," Selig said. "The San Diego group is terrific. "They were very co-operative. They came in and had all of their work done. It was just easy. There was no other way to say it, it was just easy." The price for this sale was inflated thanks to a deal with Fox and the recent sale of the Dodgers for $2 billion. Asked about the local television situation, Seidler didnt want to talk about that until after the deal becomes final. "Were a combination thrilled to be in this position, but also feel a great sense of responsibility to the game and community of San Diego," Seidler said. "We really look forward to going to work and doing everything we can to make the city of San Diego happy with our leadership, particularly the fans. Bottom line: Were just happy to get going, work hard and take a bunch of good steps in the right direction." Matt Prater Jersey . Forget the outside pressure of trying to impress everybody else. The big right-hander is starting to look again like the star on the mound he was in Japan before coming to the major leagues this season. Demaryius Thomas Orange Jersey .C. -- Connecticuts Andre Drummond and Kansas Thomas Robinson have worked out for Charlotte as the Bobcats make their evaluations before the June 28 NBA draft. http://www.shopbroncosfans.com/elvis-dumervil-jersey . Ten months after he took on the task of mending the battered psyche of Canadas womens soccer team, and a day before his squad opens its London 2012 Olympic Games campaign, the coach said his players are all-business, and more than ready to play on sports biggest stage. Peyton Manning Elite Jersey .Y. -- Stalled lease negotiations have led to the Buffalo Bills and Erie County favouring a one-year lease extension that would allow the team to keep playing at Ralph Wilson Stadium next season while talks continue on a long-term deal. Peyton Manning Impact Jersey . -- Michael Gligic of Burlington, Ont.OTTAWA (CIS) - Hannah Haughn, a field hockey player from the University of British Columbia, and Raphaël Bélanger-Vaillancourt, a soccer player from University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières, were named the CIS female and male athletes of the week on Wednesday. Haughn, a first-year kinesiology student from North Vancouver, B.C., was named MVP of the CIS championship after she helped the top-seeded Thunderbirds capture their second straight McCrae Cup title - and their record 14th all-time - in Toronto. The 5-foot-3 midfielder was stellar at both ends of the field in guiding UBC to four wins and a draw in five contests, including a convincing 3-0 victory over the host Varsity Blues in the gold-medal final. Prior to the tournament, Haughn received the Joyce Slipp Award as CIS rookie of the year and was announced as a second-team all-Canadian. StFX rugby player Tyson Beukeboom, Sherbbrooke soccer player Marie-Ève Jacques and Guelph rugby player Britt Benn were also nominated for the womens award. Willis McGahee Youth Jersey. Bélanger-Vaillancourt, a second-year student from Laval, Que., earned back-to-back game-MVP nods as he led the Patriotes to their first RSEQ title since 2001 thanks to a pair of penalty kick wins at the conference Final Four. The sophomore goalkeeper was sensational in both PK sessions, stopping two of four shots in a 1-0 semifinal victory over UQAM and three of five kicks in a 2-1 gold-medal win against first-place Laval. Bélanger-Vaillancourt and UQTR will compete at this weeks CIS championship in Quebec City, starting with a quarter-final matchup against Alberta on Thursday. Soccer players Andrew Murphy of Cape Breton and Mark Reilly of McMaster, as well as Saskatchewan volleyball player Bryan Fraser were the other male nominees. ' ' '