The UT is reporting that the Padres ownership group is close to reaching an agreement to buy the Portland Beavers and move them to a new facility in Escondido.  According to the UT the team would likely play its 2011 season in Lake Elsinore.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/20/padres-affiliate-may-be-move/

As a North County resident I really hope this happens and I'm pleased to hear that we could be watching them as soon as next season.  Anyone have a good Escondido team name?

I was going to post this under today's links, but I think it's a topic that deserves its own space for discussion and speculation.   As previously noted here, the Padres AAA affiliate in Portland is going to be homeless after this season, as PGE Park is being converted into a Soccer stadium for an MLS expansion team. The owners of the Padres would like to move the team to a proposed 10,000 seat ballpark on the campus of Cal State San Marcos.  (I'm imagining "Stone Field")  The team would need a temporary home for at least the next two seasons while the proposed park is built.  Most news stories have suggested that the team would likely relocate to an unoccupied spring training facility in Tucson during that time.

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I just got back from my first trip to Spring Training and I want to encourage anyone who hasn't gone before to go for it.  It was great to see the Padres in a more casual atmosphere with less glitz and noise.  My friends and I had advance tickets for the game against the Cubs but didn't really need them and did just as well on the days when we got tickets at the gate.  The tickets are cheap, there really aren't any seats in these parks that wouldn't be considered field level at Petco and you can hear what's being exclaimed and argued about on the field from most seats.  We walked up to the gate at the Rangers training facility in Surprise Arizona two hours before game time and scored tickets in the front row behind the Padres dugout.  We were able to get Adrian Gonzalez' autograph and saw him hold many a baby for photos.  Between innings I caught a ball thrown into the stands by Nick Hundley.  In Peoria I got to go on the field between innings and participate in a ridiculous contest for a lame t-shirt and a one in thirty chance of winning a cruise to Alaska.  It was semi-humiliating but I was victorious, got to be on the field and may yet win that cruise.  We all had a relaxing time and are already making plans for next year.