Commissioner Bud Selig knew it to be true.
“There are a lot of cities vying,” he told reporters as Petco Park opened in 2004, “but this would be a great place for an All-Star Game.”
Better late than never.
The Padres’ downtown venue finally hosted a Midsummer Classic on his date — July 12 in 2016, a dozen years after the Friars moved from Qualcomm Stadium into East Village, which became revitalized with the move.
Two Padres appeared in the game and one even started: Wil Myers, whose June homer binge (11) thrust him onto the NL roster and even into the Home Run Derby.