Padres seek first All-Star Game at Petco Park

Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler said on Tuesday that the team is preparing a presentation for Major League Baseball, as per the request of the Commissioner's office, to propose bringing a Midsummer Classic to San Diego.

"It takes a little work and a little effort, but why shouldn't we have an All-Star Game?" Fowler said after he spoke at San Diego State University.

The Padres have hosted the All-Star Game twice, first in 1978 and again in '92. The games were played at Jack Murphy Stadium, the home of the team until the 2004 season.

The 2004 season was the first for the Padres in their downtown ballpark, Petco Park.

Team president and CEO Tom Garfinkel has notified Major League Baseball that the team is interested in hosting a Midsummer Classic. Fowler said Garfinkel will also put together the All-Star Game proposal.

"We've made the formal request of Major League Baseball," Garfinkel said. "We're in line with a lot of other clubs that would like an All-Star Game.

"We think that San Diego and Petco Park are as deserving as anyone in baseball to get an All-Star Game. Petco Park is an ideal environment for a marquee event like that."

The 2013 All-Star Game will be played at the Mets' Citi Field in Queens. The 2014 game will be played at the Twins' Target Field in Minneapolis. Both ballparks opened after Petco Park.

"It's probably a few years away, but we made the formal request, and it's a priority of ours to try to get a commitment for the future," Garfinkel said.

The 1978 Midsummer Classic drew 51,549 to Jack Murphy Stadium, where the National League, led by MVP Steve Garvey of the Dodgers, defeated the American League, 7-3.

Then in 1992, 59,372 fans saw the AL win, 13-6. Ken Griffey Jr. of the Mariners was named Most Valuable Player.