Jack Murphy Stadium is now called Qualcomm Stadium
Jack Murphy Stadium is now called Qualcomm Stadium
Jack Murphy Stadium is the home of the San Diego Padres of the National League.
Jack Murphy Stadium has changed a bit since these photos were taken in 1994. The upper deck has been fully enclosed and the name has been changed to Qualcomm Park. These things can only detract from what was a pleasant, if unremarkable ballpark.
You have to drive east from San Diego to get to the stadium, which is set all by itself in a valley with mountains to the north and south. The views of these mountains were very nice, but are now obstructed by the new grandstand in right center.
The stadium itself is multi-purpose, but much nicer than most of the others built during the same era. The somewhat rectangular shape allows the seats to be a little closer to the field and it is a little bit smaller and cozier than you would expect.
You will notice that the upper deck was completely covered by tarpaulins decorated with logos of the other major league teams. This looked very nice, but made a sad statement about the popularity of the team. Our seats were down by 3rd base, but the southern California sun can be brutal, even in mild San Diego, so we moved up to the loge level, from which we had a very nice view of the action.
The sunbathers out in the centerfield bleachers seemed to care not at all about the goings-on down on the field, nor did anybody else, for that matter. It was a far cry from the wild crowds seen here during the 1998 postseason. This was laidback, southern California baseball.
Considering the atmosphere, small crowd, and closed upper deck, it really seemed much more like a AAA game than a big league game, but it was pleasant enough.
