document_title: Telomere

question_text: repetitive dna at the end of a eukaryotic chromosome

text: Telomere

text: Discovery[edit]

text: In 1933, Barbara McClintock, a distinguished American cytogeneticist and the first woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,[8] observed that the chromosomes lacking end parts became "sticky" and hypothesised the existence of a special structure at the chromosome tip that would maintain chromosome stability.[9] Similar observations were reported by Hermann Muller who coined the term "telomere".[10]

text: In the early 1970s, Russian theorist Alexei Olovnikov first recognized that chromosomes could not completely replicate their ends. Building on this, and to accommodate Leonard Hayflick's idea of limited somatic cell division, Olovnikov suggested that DNA sequences are lost every time a cell/DNA replicates until the loss reaches a critical level, at which point cell division ends.[11][12] However, Olovnikov's prediction was not widely known except by a handful of researchers studying cellular aging and immortalization.[13]

text: In 1975–1977, Elizabeth Blackburn, working as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University with Joseph Gall, discovered the unusual nature of telomeres, with their simple repeated DNA sequences composing chromosome ends.[14] Blackburn, Carol Greider, and Jack Szostak were awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.[15]

text: Nevertheless, in the 1970s there was no recognition that the telomere-shortening mechanism normally limits cells to a fixed number of divisions, nor was there any animal study suggesting that this could be responsible for aging on the cellular level. There was also no recognition that the mechanism set a limit on lifespans.[16][17]

text: It remained for a privately funded collaboration from biotechnology company Geron to isolate the genes for the RNA and protein component of human telomerase in order to establish the role of telomere shortening in cellular aging and telomerase reactivation in cell immortalization.[18]

text: Nature and function[edit]

text: Structure, function and evolutionary biology[edit]

text: Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences located at the termini of linear chromosomes of most eukaryotic organisms. For vertebrates, the sequence of nucleotides in telomeres is TTAGGG.[19] Most prokaryotes, having circular chromosomes rather than linear, do not have telomeres.[20] Telomeres compensate for incomplete semi-conservative DNA replication at chromosomal ends.[21] A protein complex known as shelterin serves to protect the ends of telomeres from being recognised as double-strand breaks by inhibiting homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ).[22][23]

text: In most prokaryotes, chromosomes are circular and, thus, do not have ends to suffer premature replication termination. A small fraction of bacterial chromosomes (such as those in Streptomyces, Agrobacterium, and Borrelia) are linear and possess telomeres, which are very different from those of the eukaryotic chromosomes in structure and functions. The known structures of bacterial telomeres take the form of proteins bound to the ends of linear chromosomes, or hairpin loops of single-stranded DNA at the ends of the linear chromosomes.[24]

text: While replicating DNA, the eukaryotic DNA replication enzymes (the DNA polymerase protein complex) cannot replicate the sequences present at the ends of the chromosomes (or more precisely the chromatid fibres). Hence, these sequences and the information they carry may get lost. This is the reason telomeres are so important in context of successful cell division: They "cap" the end-sequences and themselves get lost in the process of DNA replication. But the cell has an enzyme called telomerase, which carries out the task of adding repetitive nucleotide sequences to the ends of the DNA. Telomerase, thus, "replenishes" the telomere "cap" of the DNA. In most multicellular eukaryotic organisms, telomerase is active only in germ cells, some types of stem cells such as embryonic stem cells, and certain white blood cells. Telomerase can be reactivated and telomeres reset back to an embryonic state by somatic cell nuclear transfer.[25] There are theories that claim that the steady shortening of telomeres with each replication in somatic (body) cells may have a role in senescence and in the prevention of cancer. This is because the telomeres act as a sort of time-delay "fuse", eventually running out after a certain number of cell divisions and resulting in the eventual loss of vital genetic information from the cell's chromosome with future divisions.

text: Telomere length varies greatly between species, from approximately 300 base pairs in yeast[26] to many kilobases in humans, and usually is composed of arrays of guanine-rich, six- to eight-base-pair-long repeats. Eukaryotic telomeres normally terminate with 3′ single-stranded-DNA overhang, which is essential for telomere maintenance and capping. Multiple proteins binding single- and double-stranded telomere DNA have been identified.[27] These function in both telomere maintenance and capping. Telomeres form large loop structures called telomere loops, or T-loops. Here, the single-stranded DNA curls around in a long circle, stabilized by telomere-binding proteins.[28] At the very end of the T-loop, the single-stranded telomere DNA is held onto a region of double-stranded DNA by the telomere strand disrupting the double-helical DNA, and base pairing to one of the two strands. This triple-stranded structure is called a displacement loop or D-loop.[29]

text: Telomere shortening in humans can induce replicative senescence, which blocks cell division. This mechanism appears to prevent genomic instability and development of cancer in human aged cells by limiting the number of cell divisions. However, shortened telomeres impair immune function that might also increase cancer susceptibility.[30] If telomeres become too short, they have the potential to unfold from their presumed closed structure. The cell may detect this uncapping as DNA damage and then either stop growing, enter cellular old age (senescence), or begin programmed cell self-destruction (apoptosis) depending on the cell's genetic background (p53 status). Uncapped telomeres also result in chromosomal fusions. Since this damage cannot be repaired in normal somatic cells, the cell may even go into apoptosis. Many aging-related diseases are linked to shortened telomeres. Organs deteriorate as more and more of their cells die off or enter cellular senescence.

text: Shelterin[edit]

text: At the very distal end of the telomere is a 300 bp single-stranded portion, which forms the T-loop. This loop is analogous to a knot, which stabilizes the telomere, preventing the telomere ends from being recognized as break points by the DNA repair machinery. Should non-homologous end joining occur at the telomeric ends, chromosomal fusion will result. The T-loop is held together by several proteins, the most notable ones being TRF1, TRF2, POT1, TIN1, and TIN2, collectively referred to as the shelterin complex. In humans, the shelterin complex consists of six proteins identified as TRF1, TRF2, TIN2, POT1, TPP1, and RAP1.[22]

text: Shortening[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Telomeres shorten in part because of the end replication problem that is exhibited during DNA replication in eukaryotes only. Because DNA replication does not begin at either end of the DNA strand, but starts in the center, and considering that all known DNA polymerases move in the 5' to 3' direction, one finds a leading and a lagging strand on the DNA molecule being replicated.

text: On the leading strand, DNA polymerase can make a complementary DNA strand without any difficulty because it goes from 5' to 3'. However, there is a problem going in the other direction on the lagging strand. To counter this, short sequences of RNA acting as primers attach to the lagging strand a short distance ahead of where the initiation site was. The DNA polymerase can start replication at that point and go to the end of the initiation site. This causes the formation of Okazaki fragments. More RNA primers attach further on the DNA strand and DNA polymerase comes along and continues to make a new DNA strand.

text: Eventually, the last RNA primer attaches, and DNA polymerase, RNA nuclease, and DNA ligase come along to convert the RNA (of the primers) to DNA and to seal the gaps in between the Okazaki fragments. But, in order to change RNA to DNA, there must be another DNA strand in front of the RNA primer. This happens at all the sites of the lagging strand, but it does not happen at the end where the last RNA primer is attached. Ultimately, that RNA is destroyed by enzymes that degrade any RNA left on the DNA. Thus, a section of the telomere is lost during each cycle of replication at the 5' end of the lagging strand's daughter.

text: However, test-tube studies have shown that telomeres are highly susceptible to oxidative stress. There is evidence that oxidative stress-mediated DNA damage is an important determinant of telomere shortening.[31] Telomere shortening due to free radicals explains the difference between the estimated loss per division because of the end-replication problem (c. 20 bp) and actual telomere shortening rates (50–100 bp), and has a greater absolute impact on telomere length than shortening caused by the end-replication problem. Population-based studies have also indicated an interaction between anti-oxidant intake and telomere length. In the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project (LIBCSP), authors found a moderate increase in breast cancer risk among women with the shortest telomeres and lower dietary intake of beta carotene, vitamin C or E.[32] These results suggest that cancer risk due to telomere shortening may interact with other mechanisms of DNA damage, specifically oxidative stress.

text: Telomere shortening is associated with aging, mortality and aging-related diseases. In 2003, Richard Cawthon discovered that those with longer telomeres lead longer lives than those with short telomeres.[33] However, it is not known whether short telomeres are just a sign of cellular age or actually contribute to the aging process.[citation needed]

text: Lengthening[edit]

text: The phenomenon of limited cellular division was first observed by Leonard Hayflick, and is now referred to as the Hayflick limit.[34][35] Significant discoveries were subsequently made by a group of scientists organized at Geron Corporation by Geron's founder Michael D. West that tied telomere shortening with the Hayflick limit.[36] The cloning of the catalytic component of telomerase enabled experiments to test whether the expression of telomerase at levels sufficient to prevent telomere shortening was capable of immortalizing human cells. Telomerase was demonstrated in a 1998 publication in Science to be capable of extending cell lifespan, and now is well-recognized as capable of immortalizing human somatic cells.[37]

text: It is becoming apparent that reversing shortening of telomeres through temporary activation of telomerase may be a potent means to slow aging. The reason that this would extend human life is because it would extend the Hayflick limit. Three routes have been proposed to reverse telomere shortening: drugs, gene therapy, or metabolic suppression, so-called, torpor/hibernation. So far these ideas have not been proven in humans, but it has been demonstrated that telomere shortening is reversed in hibernation and aging is slowed (Turbill, et al. 2012 & 2013) and that hibernation prolongs life-span (Lyman et al. 1981). It has also been demonstrated that telomere extension has successfully reversed some signs of aging in laboratory mice [38][39] and the nematode worm species Caenorhabditis elegans.[40] It has been hypothesized that longer telomeres and especially telomerase activation might cause increased cancer (e.g. Weinstein and Ciszek, 2002). However, longer telomeres might also protect against cancer, because short telomeres are associated with cancer. It has also been suggested that longer telomeres might cause increased energy consumption.[30]

text: Techniques to extend telomeres could be useful for tissue engineering, because they might permit healthy, noncancerous mammalian cells to be cultured in amounts large enough to be engineering materials for biomedical repairs.

text: Two recent studies on long-lived seabirds demonstrate that the role of telomeres is far from being understood. In 2003, scientists observed that the telomeres of Leach's storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) seem to lengthen with chronological age, the first observed instance of such behaviour of telomeres.[41] In 2006, Juola et al.[42] reported that in another unrelated, long-lived seabird species, the great frigatebird (Fregata minor), telomere length did decrease until at least c. 40 years of age (i.e. probably over the entire lifespan), but the speed of decrease slowed down massively with increasing ages, and that rates of telomere length decrease varied strongly between individual birds. They concluded that in this species (and probably in frigatebirds and their relatives in general), telomere length could not be used to determine a bird's age sufficiently well. Thus, it seems that there is much more variation in the behavior of telomere length than initially believed.

text: Furthermore, Gomes et al. found, in a study of the comparative biology of mammalian telomeres, that telomere length of different mammalian species correlates inversely, rather than directly, with lifespan, and they concluded that the contribution of telomere length to lifespan remains controversial.[43] Harris et al. found little evidence that, in humans, telomere length is a significant biomarker of normal aging with respect to important cognitive and physical abilities.[44] Gilley and Blackburn tested whether cellular senescence in paramecium is caused by telomere shortening, and found that telomeres were not shortened during senescence.[45]

text: Exercise-induced lengthening[edit]

text: A 2013 pilot study from UCSF took 35 men with localized early-stage prostate cancer and had 10 of them begin "lifestyle changes that included: a plant-based diet (high in fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains, and low in fat and refined carbohydrates); moderate exercise (walking 30 minutes a day, six days a week); stress reduction (gentle yoga-based stretching, breathing, meditation)" and also "weekly group support". When compared to the other 25 study participants, "The group that made the lifestyle changes experienced a 'significant' increase in telomere length of approximately 10 percent. Further, the more people changed their behavior by adhering to the recommended lifestyle program, the more dramatic their improvements in telomere length."[46] A 2014 study entitled "Stand up for health – avoiding sedentary behaviour might lengthen your telomeres: secondary outcomes from a physical activity RCT in older people" indicated somewhat contradictory results, stating, "In the intervention group, there was a negative correlation between changes in time spent exercising and changes in telomere length (rho=-0.39, p=0.07). On the other hand, in the intervention group, telomere lengthening was significantly associated with reduced sitting time (rho=-0.68, p=0.02)."[47]

text: Sequences[edit]

text: Known, up-to-date telomere nucleotide sequences are listed in Telomerase Database website.

text:
Some known telomere nucleotide sequences

Group
Organism
Telomeric repeat (5' to 3' toward the end)

Vertebrates
Human, mouse, Xenopus
TTAGGG

Filamentous fungi
Neurospora crassa
TTAGGG

Slime moulds
Physarum, Didymium
TTAGGG

Dictyostelium
AG(1-8)

Kinetoplastid protozoa
Trypanosoma, Crithidia
TTAGGG

Ciliate protozoa
Tetrahymena, Glaucoma
TTGGGG

Paramecium
TTGGG(T/G)

Oxytricha, Stylonychia, Euplotes
TTTTGGGG

Apicomplexan protozoa
Plasmodium
TTAGGG(T/C)

Higher plants
Arabidopsis thaliana
TTTAGGG

Cestrum elegans
TTTTTTAGGG[48]

Allium
CTCGGTTATGGG[49]

Green algae
Chlamydomonas
TTTTAGGG

Insects
Bombyx mori
TTAGG

Roundworms
Ascaris lumbricoides
TTAGGC

Fission yeasts
Schizosaccharomyces pombe
TTAC(A)(C)G(1-8)

Budding yeasts
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
TGTGGGTGTGGTG (from RNA template)
or G(2-3)(TG)(1-6)T (consensus)

Saccharomyces castellii
TCTGGGTG

Candida glabrata
GGGGTCTGGGTGCTG

Candida albicans
GGTGTACGGATGTCTAACTTCTT

Candida tropicalis
GGTGTA[C/A]GGATGTCACGATCATT

Candida maltosa
GGTGTACGGATGCAGACTCGCTT

Candida guillermondii
GGTGTAC

Candida pseudotropicalis
GGTGTACGGATTTGATTAGTTATGT

Kluyveromyces lactis
GGTGTACGGATTTGATTAGGTATGT

text: Cancer[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008)

text: Telomeres are critical for maintaining genomic integrity and studies show that telomere dysfunction or shortening is commonly acquired during the process of tumor development.[50] Short telomeres can lead to genomic instability, chromosome loss and the formation of non-reciprocal translocations; and telomeres in tumor cells and their precursor lesions are significantly shorter than surrounding normal tissue.[51][52]

text: Observational studies have found shortened telomeres in many cancers: including pancreatic, bone, prostate, bladder, lung, kidney, and head and neck. In addition, people with many types of cancer have been found to possess shorter leukocyte telomeres than healthy controls.[53] Recent meta-analyses suggest 1.4 to 3.0 fold increased risk of cancer for those with the shortest vs. longest telomeres.[54][55] However the increase in risk varies by age, sex, tumor type and differences in lifestyle factors.

text: Some of the same lifestyle factors which increase risk of developing cancer have also been associated with shortened telomeres: including stress, smoking, physical inactivity and diet high in refined sugars [55] Diet and physical activity influence inflammation and oxidative stress. These factors are thought to influence telomere maintenance.[56] Psychologic stress has also been linked to accelerated cell aging, as reflected by decreased telomerase activity and short telomeres.[57] It has been suggested that a combination of lifestyle modifications, including healthy diet, exercise and stress reduction, have the potential to increase telomere length, reverse cellular aging, and reduce the risk for aging-related diseases. In a recent clinical trial for early-stage prostate cancer patients, comprehensive lifestyle changes resulted in a short-term increase in telomerase activity and long-term modification in telomere length.[58][59] Lifestyle modifications have the potential to naturally regulate telomere maintenance without promoting tumorigenesis, as traditional mechanisms of telomere lengthening involve the use of telomerase activating agents.[citation needed]

text: Cancer cells require a mechanism to maintain their telomeric DNA in order to continue dividing indefinitely (immortalization). A mechanism for telomere elongation or maintenance is one of the key steps in cellular immortalization and can be used as a diagnostic marker in the clinic. Telomerase, the enzyme complex responsible for elongating telomeres through the addition of telomere repeats to the ends of chromosomes, is activated in approximately 80% of tumors.[60] However, a sizeable fraction of cancerous cells employ alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT),[61] a non-conservative telomere lengthening pathway involving the transfer of telomere tandem repeats between sister-chromatids.[62]

text: Telomerase and cancer[edit]

text: This section may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. The talk page may contain suggestions. (October 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Telomerase is the natural enzyme that promotes telomere lengthening. It is active in stem cells, germ cells, hair follicles, and 90 percent of cancer cells, but its expression is low or absent in somatic cells. Telomerase functions by adding bases to the ends of the telomeres. Cells with sufficient telomerase activity are considered immortal in the sense that they can divide past the Hayflick limit without entering senescence or apoptosis. For this reason, telomerase is viewed as a potential target for anti-cancer drugs (such as Geron's Imetelstat currently in human clinical trials and telomestatin).[63]

text: Studies using knockout mice have demonstrated that the role of telomeres in cancer can both be limiting to tumor growth, as well as promote tumorigenesis, depending on the cell type and genomic context.[64][65]

text: Telomerase is a "ribonucleoprotein complex" composed of a protein component and an RNA primer sequence that acts to protect the terminal ends of chromosomes from being broken down by enzymes. The telomeres (and the actions of telomerase) are necessary because, during replication, DNA polymerase can synthesize DNA in only a 5' to 3' direction (each DNA strand having a polarity that is determined by the precise manner in which sugar molecules of the strand's "backbone" are linked together) and can do so only by adding nucleotides to RNA primers (that have already been placed at various points along the length of the DNA). The RNA strands are replaced with newly synthesized DNA, but DNA polymerase can only "backfill" deoxyribonucleotides if there is already DNA "upstream" from (i.e., located 5' to) the RNA primer. At the chromosome terminal, however, there is no nucleotide sequence in the 5' direction (and therefore no upstream RNA primer or DNA), so DNA polymerase cannot function and genetic sequence might be lost through chromosomal fraying. Chromosomal ends might also be processed as breaks in double-strand DNA with chromosome-to-chromosome telomere fusions resulting.

text: Telomeres at the end of DNA prevent the chromosome from growing shorter during replications (with loss of genetic information) by employing "telomerases" to synthesize DNA at the chromosome terminal. These include a protein subgroup of specialized reverse transcriptase enzymes known as TERT (telomerase reverse transcriptases) and are involved in synthesis of telomeres in humans and many other, but not all, organisms. Because DNA replication mechanisms are affected by oxidative stress and because TERT expression is very low in most types of human cell, telomeres shorten every time a cell divides. Among cell types characterized by extensive cell division (such as stem cells and certain white blood cells), however, TERT is expressed at higher levels and telomere shortening is partially or fully prevented.

text: In addition to its TERT protein component, telomerase also contains a piece of template RNA known as the TERC (telomerase RNA component) or TR (telomerase RNA). In humans, this TERC telomere sequence is a repeating string of TTAGGG, between 3 and 20 kilobases in length. There are an additional 100-300 kilobases of telomere-associated repeats between the telomere and the rest of the chromosome. Telomere sequences vary from species to species, but, in general, one strand is rich in G with fewer Cs. These G-rich sequences can form four-stranded structures (G-quadruplexes), with sets of four bases held in plane and then stacked on top of each other, with either a sodium or a potassium ion between the planar quadruplexes.

text: Mammalian (and other) somatic cells without telomerase gradually lose telomeric sequences as a result of incomplete replication (Counter et al., 1992). As mammalian telomeres shorten, eventually cells reach their replicative limit and progress into senescence or old age. Senescence involves p53 and pRb pathways and leads to the halting of cell proliferation (Campisi, 2005). Senescence may play an important role in suppression of cancer emergence, although inheriting shorter telomeres probably does not protect against cancer.[30] With critically shortened telomeres, further cell proliferation can be achieved by inactivation of p53 and pRb pathways. Cells entering proliferation after inactivation of p53 and pRb pathways undergo crisis. Crisis is characterized by gross chromosomal rearrangements and genome instability, and almost all cells die.

text: ALT (Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres) and cancer[edit]

text: It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article. (Discuss) (August 2015)

text: About 5–10% of human cancers activate the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway, which relies on recombination-mediated elongation.[66] Rarely, cells emerge from crisis immortalized through telomere lengthening by either activated telomerase or ALT (Colgina and Reddel, 1999; Reddel and Bryan, 2003). The first description of an ALT cell line demonstrated that their telomeres are highly heterogeneous in length and predicted a mechanism involving recombination (Murnane et al., 1994). Subsequent studies have confirmed a role for recombination in telomere maintenance by ALT (Dunham et al., 2000), however the exact mechanism of this pathway is yet to be determined. ALT cells produce abundant T-circles, possible products of intratelomeric recombination and T-loop resolution (Tomaska et al., 2000; 2009; Cesare and Griffith, 2004; Wang et al., 2004).

text: Evolutionary aspects[edit]

text: Since shorter telomeres are thought by some to be a cause of aging, this raises the question of why longer telomeres are not selected for to ameliorate these effects. A prominent explanation suggests that inheriting longer telomeres would cause increased cancer rates (e.g. Weinstein and Ciszek, 2002). However, a recent literature review and analysis [30] suggests this is unlikely, because shorter telomeres and telomerase inactivation is more often associated with increased cancer rates, and the mortality from cancer occurs late in life when the force of natural selection is very low. An alternative explanation to the hypothesis that long telomeres are selected against due to their cancer promoting effects is the "thrifty telomere" hypothesis, which suggests that the cellular proliferation effects of longer telomeres causes increased energy expenditures.[30] In environments of energetic limitation, shorter telomeres might be an energy sparing mechanism.

text: Relation to breast cancer[edit]

text: In a healthy female breast, a proportion of cells called luminal progenitors that line the milk ducts have proliferative and differentiation potential and most of them contain critically short telomeres with DNA damage foci. These cells are believed to be the possible common cellular loci where cancers of the breast involving telomere dysregulation may arise.[67] The telomere shortening in these progenitors is not age dependent but is speculated to be basal to luminal epithelial differentiation program-dependent. Also, the telomerase activity is unusually high in these cells when isolated from younger women, but declines with age.[68]

text: Measurement[edit]

text: This section may be too technical for most readers to understand. Please help improve it to make it understandable to non-experts, without removing the technical details. The talk page may contain suggestions. (June 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Several techniques are currently employed to assess average telomere length in eukaryotic cells. One method is the Terminal Restriction Fragment (TRF) southern blot,[69] which involves hybridization of a radioactive 32P-(TTAGGG)n oligonucleotide probe to Hinf / Rsa I digested genomic DNA embedded on a nylon membrane and subsequently exposed to autoradiographic film or phosphoimager screen. Another histochemical method, termed Q-FISH, involves fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).[70] Q-FISH, however, requires significant amounts of genomic DNA (2-20 micrograms) and labor that renders its use limited in large epidemiological studies. Some of these impediments have been overcome with a Real-Time PCR assay for telomere length and Flow-FISH. Real-time PCR assay involves determining the Telomere-to-Single Copy Gene (T/S)ratio,[71] which is demonstrated to be proportional to the average telomere length in a cell.

text: Another technique, referred to as single telomere elongation length analysis (STELA), was developed in 2003 by Duncan Baird. This technique allows investigations that can target specific telomere ends, which is not possible with TRF analysis. However, due to this technique's being PCR-based, telomeres larger than 25Kb cannot be amplified and there is a bias towards shorter telomeres.

text: While multiple companies offer telomere length measurement services,[72][73][74] the utility of these measurements for widespread clinical or personal use has been questioned by prominent scientists without financial interests in these companies.[75][76] Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, who was the co-founder of one of these companies and has prominently promoted the clinical utility of telomere length measures,[77] resigned from the company in June 2013 "owing to an impending change in the control of Telome Health".[78]


document_title: Longmire (TV series)

question_text: who plays the mayor on longmire season 5

root

text: Longmire (TV series)

text: Plot[edit]

text: This section's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (November 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) is the sheriff of Wyoming's fictional Absaroka County. Buffalo, in Johnson County, in northeast Wyoming, is the setting for some scenes set in the fictional town of Durant, county seat of Absaroka.[12] Sheriff Longmire's longtime friend, Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips), a Cheyenne man, provides insight to and sometimes aids in dealing with tribal police. (The Indian reservation has its own police force which has authority within the reservation boundaries except for capital crimes.) As the series progresses, the friends deal with issues of gambling at a casino on the reservation, issues of competing jurisdictional authority for protecting people and prosecuting crimes, and other issues of contemporary Native American life.

tag: p

text: In the first season, Walt's adult daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman) is concerned that her father has been stuck since the death of her mother. While preparing to run for re-election, Walt has delegated most police duties to deputies Branch Connally (Bailey Chase) and "The Ferg" (Adam Bartley). Branch has also entered the election, to unseat Longmire, and he is secretly dating Cady. Victoria "Vic" Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), a transplanted Philadelphia homicide detective, arrived in Wyoming six months prior and works as one of Walt's deputies.

text: In random flashback scenes, Walt and Henry travel separately to Denver, Colorado, where Walt attacks someone in a meth house. Denver Police Homicide Detective Fales (Charles S. Dutton) later comes to Wyoming to talk to Walt and Cady about Cady's mother's death. Cady is shocked to learn her mother was murdered, as Walt had told her she died of cancer. Fales tells Walt they found the murder suspect buried in a shallow grave. Walt denies killing the man; however, Detective Fales suspects that if Walt did not commit the murder, then Henry did.

text: In the second season, Cady goes to Denver to speak to Detective Fales, who gives her the details of her mother's murder and informs her the suspected murderer has also been killed. When Fales questions her, she says that her father confides in Henry Standing Bear, inadvertently giving Fales a new target of investigation. Henry tells Walt that he killed the murderer because Walt was unable to do so. Vic encounters Ed Gorski (Lee Tergesen), a retired cop from Philadelphia. They discuss the suicide of Gorski's former partner, whom Vic had implicated in a corruption scandal that prompted an internal affairs investigation. Gorski blames Vic for his partner's death and begins to stalk her. Frightened by Gorski's manner, Vic asks Henry for help, and Walt visits Gorski to warn him away. Gorski is subsequently beaten severely. Hector, a Cheyenne mercenary believed to have assaulted Gorski, is protected by Walt. Henry confesses to Walt that he hired Hector to kill Miller Beck, the murderer of Walt's wife, but Hector explains that he beat him and took his teeth as trophies. Fales and his team find the teeth at Henry's bar and arrest him. Walt wins the election. Cady is hospitalized after being hit by a car after hers is sabotaged. Branch investigates, leading to a confrontation with members of the local Cheyenne reservation.

text: In the third season, as Branch recovers from being shot, he comes to believe he was shot by David Ridges, a Cheyenne who was thought to have committed suicide and been cremated. Walt and the others do not believe him, and he begins his own investigation. In prison, Henry is abused by other Native Americans, led by former Cheyenne reservation police chief Malachi Strand (Graham Greene). Strand believes Henry contributed to his arrest through his friendship with Walt. When Malachi makes it difficult for Henry to obtain an attorney, Cady decides to represent him. Henry gets released on bail and sets out to prove his innocence.

text: Malachi is also released and begins working as security for Jacob Nighthorse, a prominent Cheyenne businessman and developer. Both Branch and Henry uncover clues that point to Nighthorse's being involved in their cases, with Ridges as a key figure. Walt believes Nighthorse might have had a part in his wife's murder. He begins to believe that Branch is obsessed by his ideas about Ridges and suspends him temporarily, putting him in the care of his father Barlow. Walt and Henry learn that Ridges killed Miller Beck. Walt learns of Ridges' hideout location and kills him in a confrontation, in self-defense. Fales drops all charges against Henry, but the investigations continue. Branch questions his father, who admits to having paid Nighthorse to hire Ridges to kill Walt's wife in hopes of helping Branch become sheriff. The season ends with the sound of a gunshot.

text: In the fourth season, Walt, Vic, and Ferg set out to search for Branch, after finding a disturbing typewritten note on his home computer. Walt finds him dead in a river from what appears to be a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Walt refuses to rule Branch's death a suicide after he finds soil in the shotgun shell. This shows that the shell had been ejected from firing and put back into the gun. Walt thinks that Nighthorse is behind the murder, until a drunken Barlow Connally confesses to the sheriff about killing his own son. The murder had followed Branch's finding out that his father had ordered the murder of Walt's wife. After his confession, Barlow provokes Walt to shoot and kill him, increasing official suspicion of the sheriff's behavior. Meanwhile, Walt and his department join forces with Mathias (Zahn McClarnon), chief of the Cheyenne tribal police, to investigate the rape of a Cheyenne woman, Gabriella (Julia Jones), by several oil field workers. The men escape prosecution because of conflicting authority and the reluctance of federal officials to prosecute. Walker (Callum Keith Rennie), the oil foreman, buys off Gabriella's family, who urge dropping the case. Henry takes up Hector's role of avenger and plans to exact justice on the rapists.  One is found dead, and Gabriella shoots the other as Henry is threatening him. Shot in the dark by Walt, Henry takes Gabriella into the Crow Nation territory to protect her. Both Walt and Walker seek to find her, ending up in a stand-off. Later, Mathias catches up with Henry and takes him into custody. Walt relaxes at home with his new love interest, Dr. Donna Sue Monaghan (Ally Walker), but an unknown intruder invades and shoots them.

text: In the fifth season, Walt conducts an intense search for the person who kidnapped Donna after the home invasion and seriously wounded him. Walt and Donna continue their relationship. Nighthorse becomes increasingly suspicious of Malachi's activities, and suspects he is skimming at the casino or otherwise earning illegal money. Mathias figures out that Henry has taken over Hector's duties as vigilante and uses that to his advantage. A heroin operation by the Irish mob is discovered in Walt's jurisdiction. Walt defends a wrongful death suit; if he loses, he will lose everything he owns and, probably, his job. Vic learns she is pregnant and suffers an assault. Walt ends his relationship with Donna. A future possibility of a relationship with Vic is suggested as they acknowledge their feelings toward each other.[13] As Henry gives a ride home to a presumably drunk woman, Malachi and his men kidnap him. He is taken to a remote area of the neighboring Crow reservation, staked to the ground, and left for dead.[14]

text: In the first episode of the sixth season, "The Eagle and the Osprey", Henry is still being held by kidnappers and might die if not found.[11] Walt investigates a bank robbery with some unusual aspects.[15] In the final season several other aspects are explored, including the civil lawsuit against Longmire and his plans for the future.[16][17]

text: Episodes[edit]

text: SeasonEpisodesOriginally airedFirst airedLast airedNetwork110June 3, 2012 (2012-06-03)August 12, 2012 (2012-08-12)A&E213May 27, 2013 (2013-05-27)August 26, 2013 (2013-08-26)310June 2, 2014 (2014-06-02)August 4, 2014 (2014-08-04)410September 10, 2015 (2015-09-10)Netflix510September 23, 2016 (2016-09-23)610November 17, 2017 (2017-11-17)

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire, the long-time sheriff of Absaroka County. His character is a throwback to the iconic heroes of classical Westerns, laconic and introspective with a strong sense of duty and justice. As the stories build, Walt is shown to have a knack for finding the truth behind the various crimes that have been committed. His wife died a year before the series started, and he has told his daughter and friends that she died of cancer. However, Henry knows that she was murdered in Denver. Walt's grief leads to isolation and guilt.
Katee Sackhoff as Victoria "Vic" Moretti, a sheriff's deputy and a former Philadelphia Police Department homicide detective. She moved to Wyoming with her husband Sean following an incident with her superior officer in Philadelphia. Vic and Sean later divorce, and Vic has sexual encounters with Eamonn and Travis before she and Walt finally get together. She has four brothers, and at least one sister.[18]
Lou Diamond Phillips as Henry Standing Bear, a Cheyenne who is Walt's boyhood friend and confidant. Their friendship goes back to elementary school, when they met in 5th grade. Henry owns and operates the Red Pony, a local tavern and restaurant. An expert tracker, his name is described as meaning "a bear who protects those whom he loves".[19] Henry is initially treated as a minor character, but as the series goes on, his position as a well-respected member of his community becomes a prominent storyline, and he actively helps Walt and Cady on numerous occasions. Henry does not speak in contractions.[20]
Bailey Chase as Branch Connally, an ambitious deputy who comes from a wealthy local family. His uncle, Lucian Connally, was Walt's predecessor as sheriff, and Branch hopes to be sheriff one day, as well. He was romantically involved with Cady Longmire. After being shot by David Ridges in season 2, he is shown during the next season recovering and investigating the attack. He was suspended from the force at the end of season 3, and is later shot and killed by his father, Barlow Connally.
Cassidy Freeman as Cady Longmire, Walt's daughter, an attorney who initially works for a local law firm. Later, she works for Jacob Nighthorse, to provide representation to residents on the reservation. She was romantically involved with Branch Connally for a time. Later on, she becomes romantically involved with "Zach" Heflin.
Adam Bartley as Archie "The Ferg" Ferguson, an awkward but hard-working young deputy, who felt unappreciated next to his more senior deputies, the handsome Branch Connally and the former Philadelphia Detective Vic Morretti. His eclectic knowledge and skills have helped solve cases, justifying Walt's hiring him, despite the fact that one reason Walt hired him was as a favor to his father. He continues to feel overlooked, even after he is promoted to a more senior deputy status following Branch's death. In the early seasons, he has an unrequited crush on Cady. In season 5 he meets Meg, a local nurse.

tag: ul

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Louanne Stephens as Ruby: the dispatcher and manager of the sheriff's office (seasons 1–6)
Zahn McClarnon as Chief Mathias: chief of the Cheyenne reservation's tribal police (seasons 1–6)
A Martinez as Jacob Nighthorse: a local Cheyenne businessman representing the interests of his people (seasons 1–6)
Gerald McRaney as Barlow Connally: a wealthy, powerful, local real estate developer and Branch's father (seasons 1–4)
Peter Weller as Lucian Connally: Branch's uncle and Walt's predecessor as sheriff, now retired (seasons 1–4, 6)
John Bishop as Bob Barnes: the town drunk who has worked a variety of odd jobs (seasons 1–6)
Tom Wopat as Sheriff Jim Wilkins of neighboring Cumberland County (seasons 1, 4-6)
Louis Herthum as Omar: a local hunting guide with expertise in firearms (seasons 1–3, 5)
Katherine LaNasa as Lizzie Ambrose: a wealthy local woman with whom Walt has a tentative romantic relationship (seasons 1–2)
Charles S. Dutton as Detective Fales: a detective from Denver investigating the suspicious death of the murderer of Walt's wife (seasons 1–3)
Derek Phillips as Travis Murphy: a boyhood friend of Branch Connally's who wants to be a sheriff's deputy (seasons 2–6)
Michael Mosley as Sean Keegan: Vic's husband, who works as a natural gas company executive (seasons 1–3)
Jeffrey De Serrano as Hector: a Cheyenne ex-boxer who lives on the reservation and is a mercenary-for-hire and vigilante for Cheyenne seeking justice (seasons 1–3, 6)
Irene Bedard as May Still Water: A Cheyenne woman who respects Walt and Henry (seasons 1, 3-4)
Lee Tergesen as Ed Gorski: an ex-cop from Philadelphia who used to work with Vic (seasons 1–3)
Noam Jenkins as FBI Agent Towson: a by-the-book agent who is seen by the sheriff's department as a negative force (seasons 2, 5)
Graham Greene as Malachi Strand: former chief of the tribal police and Nighthorse's chief of security at the casino (seasons 3–6)
Hank Cheyne as Sam Poteet: a Cheyenne White Warrior and sage, whom Branch kidnaps and tortures (seasons 3–6)
David Midthunder as David Ridges: a Cheyenne man who shoots Branch and becomes a fugitive (seasons 2-3)
Scott Michael Campbell as Dr. Weston: a doctor at the regional hospital who occasionally assists in Longmire's investigations (seasons 3–6)
Josh Cooke as Eamonn O'Neill: a deputy from Cumberland County who fills in briefly after Branch's death (seasons 4–5)
Barry Sloane as Zachary "Zach" Heflin: a new deputy hired by Walt (seasons 4, 6)
Julia Jones as Gabriella Langton: a Cheyenne girl who is raped (season 4)
Joseph Daniel Havenstar as Darius Burns: Malachi Strand's right-hand man (seasons 3-6)
Ally Walker as Dr. Donna Monaghan: a therapist treating local veterans (seasons 4–5)
Tantoo Cardinal as Marilyn Yarlott, a Crow hunter and medicine woman who lives alone in the vast wilderness of the Crow territory on the reservation (seasons 4-6)
Callum Keith Rennie as Walker Browning: a manager for a regional energy company; Walt suspects him of criminal activity (seasons 4–5)
Tamara Duarte as Mandy: a young Cheyenne woman hired by Cady Longmire to assist her in the legal-aid office on the Cheyenne reservation (seasons 4–6)
Mary Wiseman as Meg: a nurse at the local hospital who begins dating Ferg (seasons 5–6)
Eric Ladin as Mayor Sawyer Crane: the ambitious mayor of Durant (seasons 5–6)
Brett Rice as Tucker Baggett: close friend of Barlow Connally's, who organizes a wrongful death lawsuit against Walt for the shooting of Barlow (seasons 5–6)
Dylan Walsh as Shane Muldoon: the leader of the Irish Mafia (seasons 5–6)
Patch Darragh as David Milgrom: Walt's lawyer, representing him in the wrongful death lawsuit for the shooting of Barlow (seasons 5-6)

text: Development and production[edit]

text: Longmire received a pilot order on December 14, 2010. The pilot was written by John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin, and directed by Christopher Chulack.[citation needed] Coveny, Baldwin, and Chulack serve as executive producers alongside Greer Shephard, Michael M. Robin, and the production companies Warner Horizon Television and the Shephard/Robin Company. The series is an adaptation of the Longmire mystery novels written by best-selling author Craig Johnson.[21]

text: The story is set in northern Wyoming, but the series has been filmed in several locations in New Mexico, including Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Eagle Nest, Espanola, and Red River.[22]

text: Casting announcements began in February 2011, with Robert Taylor cast first in the lead role of Sheriff Walt Longmire.[23] Katee Sackhoff, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman, and Lou Diamond Phillips followed, with Sackhoff cast in the role of Victoria "Vic" Moretti, Chase cast as Branch Connally, Freeman cast as Cady Longmire, and Phillips cast as Henry Standing Bear.[24]

text: On August 26, 2011, A&E picked up the series for a 10-episode first season.[25] A&E renewed it for a second season on June 29, 2012, following early success as the highest-rated summer scripted drama debut, and as A&E's highest-rated scripted drama.[26] The network renewed it for a third season on November 25, 2013.[27]

text: In 2013, massive wildfires scorched the Valles Caldera National Preserve, which disrupted the series production. Three fires started over a three-week period, two at the same time. The Prescott Fire Department's Granite Mountain Hotshots assisted in preventing the destruction of the area around where Walt's house is filmed.[28] Nineteen of the Hotshots' 20 members were later killed battling the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona.[29] The second season's finale honored them in the closing credits.[28][citation needed]

text: Production for the third season began in early 2014. Filming of the interiors took place in New Mexico at Garson Studios, on the campus of Santa Fe University of Art and Design. According to the New Mexico State Film Office, exteriors were filmed in and around Santa Fe and at Garson Studios.[30]

text: On August 28, 2014, A&E announced that Longmire was cancelled after completing its third season, despite consistently strong viewership that made it "the most watched original series in A&E history, packing almost 6 million viewers" per episode,[31] "reportedly because it appealed to an older demographic that was unappealing to advertisers"[32] and was produced by an external studio.[31]

text: Three months later, Netflix confirmed that it had picked up the series (based, in contrast to A&E, on its strong appeal to a specific segment of the audience[31]) and would film additional episodes.[33] The 10-episode fourth season filmed on location in New Mexico,[34] and was made available for viewing in North America and Oceania on September 10, 2015.[citation needed]

text:
On October 30, 2015, Netflix announced that Longmire would return for a fifth season.[35]
Season-five location filming was scheduled for late March to late June, 2016. It took place primarily in Las Vegas, New Mexico, the town that is shown in the series. Other locations included towns in the surrounding area.[36] The studio work was completed at Garson Studios at Santa Fe University of Art and Design.[citation needed][37] The 10-episode fifth season was made available for viewing on September 23, 2016.[citation needed]

text: According to Eric Witt, director of the Santa Fe Film Office, season 6 filming was scheduled to begin in March 2017.[38] By June, the interior scenes had been filmed at Garson Studios; location photography was underway in various New Mexico locations including Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Valles Caldera, Pecos and other sites in the northern part of the state. The director was by T.J. Scott and the producers included Hunt Baldwin, John Coveny, Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin.[39] Filming concluded the last week of June.[40]

text: Release[edit]

text: U.S. television ratings[edit]

text: Longmire debuted as A&E's number-one original-series premiere with 4.1 million total viewers.[41]

text:
Season
Timeslot (ET)

Episodes

First aired

Last aired
TV season
Avg. viewers(millions)

Date

Viewers(millions)

Date

Viewers(millions)

1
Sunday 10:00pm

10

June 3, 2012

4.15[42]

August 12, 2012

4.34[43]
2011–12
TBD

2
Monday 10:00pm

13

May 27, 2013

4.31[44]

August 26, 2013

4.42[45]
2012–13
TBD

3

10

June 2, 2014

3.86[46]

August 4, 2014

3.68[47]
2013–14
TBD

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: Longmire began airing in the United Kingdom on TCM, on March 17, 2013, at 9:00 pm,[48] in Australia on GEM on May 15, 2013, at 9:30 pm. Season two began airing in Australia on July 31, 2013,[49] and in Italy on Rete 4 on July 4, 2013, at 9:00 pm.[50]

text: The sixth and final season began airing on TCM in the UK, on January 7, 2018.[51]

text: The series is shown in Ireland on RTÉ One and in Germany on RTL Nitro, as of January 10, 2014, at 10:05 pm. It made its Canadian debut in English, in January 2014 on APTN,[52] and in French on May 26, 2014, on Séries+.[53] International broadcasters retain the rights to new Netflix-commissioned seasons of the show until their licenses expire.

text: Home media[edit]

text: The first season of Longmire was released on May 28, 2013. It featured a documentary about filming in New Mexico, when the setting is in Wyoming, a gallery of photographic stills, and some unaired scenes.[54] The second season was released on May 13, 2014. The three-disc set included an extended directors' cut version of the seventh episode, "Sound and Fury", as well as the season finale, "Bad Medicine". A bonus featurette, "Testing Courage: The Storm Defines the Man", was also included.[55] The third season, including a bonus featurette, "The Ghost in the Storm", was released on March 3, 2015.[56] The first three seasons were added to Netflix in the United States in June 2015. The fourth season was released on September 16, 2016, in a three-disc, 10-episode set.[57] The Blu-ray releases of the series were handled by the Warner Archive Collection.[57]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: Reception has generally been positive. During season 1, Nancy DeWolf Smith of The Wall Street Journal called the series "the best of two worlds: a modern crime drama with dry wit and sometimes heart-wrenching emotion that's also got a glorious setting under the big sky of Wyoming." She added: "If it weren't for a few modern conveniences, like cellphones and trucks, it might as well be 1875, so rugged and unspoiled does the scenery look."[58] Newsday's Verne Gay stated: "Longmire arrives as silently as a dust devil kicked up by a high wind on the Wyoming plains. With little in the way of fanfare and a lead actor unacquainted with household name status, it must instead rely on a quiet fortitude, much like its namesake." He added: "Unassuming Longmire doesn't shout 'Love Me!' but instead works its charms subtly, quietly. There's promise here."[59] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix said of Season 1, "there's a sense of place to the show that makes it feel unlike every other cop show on television", and he would "like to see the mysteries grow more engaging as the series moves along, but Longmire at least starts with a good foundation in Walt, his sidekicks, and the wide, open spaces they travel."[60]

text: The San Francisco Chronicle's David Wiegand was critical, writing that the series "has the look and feel of a show cooked up by a bunch of bored TV industry types while they were waiting for the valet to bring their car to them at the Beverly Hills Chuck E. Cheese." He added: "There's very little drama, and the pilot episode lumbers along like an overfed elk."[61]

text: Three years later, after viewing the first three episodes of Season 4, a top critic on the Roger Ebert site wrote, "It sometimes sounds like faint praise to describe a series like you would a reliable car but Longmire is just a sturdy show. It is well-constructed all around—confidently made, well-acted, and the writing is much smarter than many shows like it. It hums, each episode these three feeling more well-paced than the one before."[62] At the same point in the series, Mike Hale of The New York Times also filed a favorable review, with particular praise for actor Robert Taylor, described as a "modern day Gary Cooper or Joel McCrea".[63]

text: In the aggregate, Longmire received favorable reviews on Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. For example, Season 4 received an average rating of 8.5/10 based on 7 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[64] By season 5, and especially season 6, however, there have been no reviews by critics and few comments in the Audience Ratings section.[65]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: In 2013, the pilot episode of Longmire, whose teleplay was written by Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny, was nominated for an Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America.[66] The season 2 episode, "Party's Over", was nominated by the Entertainment Industries Council for a PRISM Award for Best Drama Series Episode – Substance Use.[67] Also in 2013, the series won the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Bronze Wrangler for Fictional Television Drama.[68] The series won a Bronze Key Art Award for its season two television advertisement, titled "The Oath".[69]

text: In 2014, Steve La Porte was nominated for a Makeup Artists and Hairstylist Guild Award for Best Special Makeup Effects.[70]

text: Over the years, the series has also received two Key Art Awards and two Red Nation Film of Excellence Awards, the latter for Supporting Actor A. Martinez[71] and Graham Greene.[72]


document_title: History of the San Diego Padres

question_text: when did the padres come to san diego

question_tokens: when did the padres come to san diego

text: History of the San Diego Padres

text: Pre 1970s: Beginnings[edit]

text: The Padres adopted their name from the Pacific Coast League team which arrived in San Diego in 1936. That minor league franchise won the PCL title in 1937, led by then-18-year-old San Diegan Ted Williams. The team's name, Spanish for "fathers", refers to the Spanish Franciscan friars who founded San Diego in 1769.

text: In 1969, the San Diego Padres joined the ranks of Major League Baseball as one of four new expansion teams, along with the Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals), the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots (now the Milwaukee Brewers). Their original owner was C. Arnholt Smith, a prominent San Diego businessman and former owner of the PCL Padres whose interests included banking, tuna fishing, hotels, real estate and an airline. Despite initial excitement, the guidance of longtime baseball executives, Eddie Leishman and Buzzie Bavasi as well as a new playing field, the team struggled; the Padres finished in last place in each of its first six seasons in the NL West, losing 100 games or more four times. One of the few bright spots on the team during the early years was first baseman and slugger Nate Colbert, an expansion draftee from the Houston Astros and still (as of 2015) the Padres' career leader in home runs.

text: Washington Stars[edit]

text: Before the 1974 season began, the Padres were on the verge of being sold to Joseph Danzansky, who was planning to move the franchise to Washington, D.C. in time for the upcoming season. New uniforms were designed for the team, which was planning to be renamed to the Washington Stars.[1] Given the uncertain status of the Padres, Topps printed two sets of baseball cards for the team, splitting production between one set with "San Diego" and "Padres" as banners, and another with "Washington" and "Nat'l Lea" (National League).[2][3] However, the sale to Danzansky became tied up in lawsuits, and Smith instead sold the team to McDonald's co-founder Ray Kroc for $12 million, saving baseball in San Diego.[4][5]

text: 1970s: Winfield, Jones, Fingers and Ozzie[edit]

text: In his first home game as the Padres' new owner in 1974, Ray Kroc grabbed the public address system microphone and apologized to fans for the poor performance of the team, saying, "I have never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life."[6] At the same time, a streaker raced across the field, eluding security personnel. Kroc shouted, "Throw him in jail!" The following season, 1975, would be the first season that the Padres would not finish in the National League West cellar (finishing fourth), and brought the promise of an owner who would make the necessary changes to the organization.

text: Nate Colbert is one of two major-league baseball players (Stan Musial is the other) to have hit five home runs in a doubleheader, a feat he accomplished as a Padre. He collected 13 RBIs in that doubleheader, still a major league record. Although the Padres continued to struggle after Colbert's departure via trade to the Detroit Tigers in 1974, they did feature star outfielder Dave Winfield, who came to the Padres in 1973 from the University of Minnesota without having played a single game in the minor leagues. Winfield was also drafted by the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League, the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association and the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association.

text: Winfield took over where Colbert left off, starring in the Padres outfield from 1973 until 1980, when he joined the New York Yankees. In seven seasons, Winfield played in 1,117 games for San Diego and collected 1,134 hits, 154 home runs and drove in 626 runs. But most importantly, he helped the team out of the National League West basement for the first time in 1975, under the guidance of manager John McNamara, who took over the club at the start of the 1974 season.

text: Winfield's emergence as a legitimate star coincided with the turnaround of a promising young left-handed pitcher named Randy Jones, who had suffered through 22 losses in 1974. Jones became the first San Diego pitcher to win 20 games in 1975, going 20–12 in 37 outings as the Padres finished in fourth place with a 71–91 record, 37 games behind the Cincinnati Reds.

text: Jones won 22 games in 1976, winning the Cy Young Award in the process, another franchise first. The club set a new high with 73 wins, but fell to fifth place.

text: Jones slipped to 6–12 in 1977, and not even the acquisition of Rollie Fingers could help the Padres escape the bottom half of the division. Only Winfield and fellow outfielder George Hendrick cracked the 20-homer barrier, and the pitching staff was filled with a group of unknowns and youngsters, few of whom would enjoy much success at the major league level.

text: The 1978 season brought hope to baseball fans in San Diego, thanks to the arrival a young shortstop named Ozzie Smith, who arrived on the scene and turned the baseball world on its ears with an acrobatic style that redefined how the position should be played in the field. The Padres hosted the All-Star Game that summer. The National League won the contest 7–3 thanks to an MVP performance by Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Steve Garvey, who would play a crucial role for San Diego in the not-too-distant future.

text: Winfield and Fingers represented the team at the game, but conspicuously absent was starting pitcher Gaylord Perry, who joined the Padres after spending three years with the Texas Rangers. At 39 years of age and coming off a 15–14 season with Texas, little was expected of him. All Perry did that summer was post a 21–6 record and a 2.73 earned run average, edging Montreal's Ross Grimsley to earn the Padres' second Cy Young Award in three seasons. San Diego also picked up another first that summer, compiling an 84–78 mark for manager Roger Craig, the only time in 10 seasons the team finished a season with a winning percentage above .500.

text: The good times did not last, as the Padres closed out the decade with another losing season in 1979, a 68–93 record that cost Craig his job. Winfield was the lone bright spot, leading the National League with 118 RBIs. The good times continued to fade out as Winfield signed a 10-year contract with the New York Yankees after the 1980 season.

text: 1984: The first pennant[edit]

text: The 1984 season began with a shock: Ray Kroc died of heart disease on January 14. Ownership of the team passed to his third wife, Joan Kroc. The team would wear Ray's initials, "RAK" on their jersey's left sleeve during the entire season, as well as the 1985 and 1986 seasons.

text: Fortunately, happier times were ahead for the team. The Padres finished at 92–70 in 1984 and won the National League West championship, despite having no players with 100-RBI and only two batters with 20-HR. They were managed by Dick Williams and had an offense that featured veterans Steve Garvey, Garry Templeton, Graig Nettles, Alan Wiggins as well as Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn, who captured his first of what would be eight National League batting championships that year (he would also win in 1987–89 and from 1994–97; Gwynn shares the National League record with Honus Wagner). Gwynn, who also would win five National League Gold Gloves during his career, joined the Padres in 1982 following starring roles in both baseball and basketball at San Diego State University (he still holds the school record for career basketball assists), and after having been selected in the previous year by both the Padres in the baseball draft and by the then San Diego Clippers in the National Basketball Association draft. The Padres pitching staff in 1984 featured Eric Show (15–9), Ed Whitson (14–8), Mark Thurmond (14–8), Tim Lollar (11–13), and Rich "Goose" Gossage as their closer (10–6, 2.90 ERA and 25 saves).[7]

text: In the 1984 NLCS, the Padres faced the NL East champion Chicago Cubs, who were making their first post-season appearance since 1945 and featured NL Most Valuable Player Ryne Sandberg and Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe. The Cubs would win the first two games at Wrigley Field, and were less than two innings away from a series sweep when their luck changed. The Padres swept the final three games at then San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium (the highlight arguably being Steve Garvey's dramatic, game-winning home run off of Lee Smith in Game 4) to win the 1984 National League pennant.[8] Gossage, a former New York Yankee, said the San Diego crowd at Game 3 was "the loudest crowd I've ever heard anywhere."[9] Gwynn agreed as well.[10] Jack Murphy Stadium played "Cub-Busters", a parody of the theme song from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters.[9][10] Cub-Busters T-shirts inspired from the movie were popular attire for Padres fans.[11][12]

text: In the 1984 World Series, the Padres faced the powerful Detroit Tigers, who steamrolled through the regular season with 104 victories (and had started out with a 35–5 record, the best ever through the first 40 games). The Tigers were managed by Sparky Anderson and featured shortstop and native San Diegan Alan Trammell and outfielder Kirk Gibson, along with Lance Parrish and DH Darrell Evans. The pitching staff was bolstered by ace Jack Morris (19–11, 3.60 ERA), Dan Petry (18–8), Milt Wilcox (17–8), and closer Willie Hernández (9–3, 1.92 ERA with 32 saves).[13] Jack Morris would win games 1 and 4 and the Tigers would go on to win the Series 4-games-to-1.[14]

text: Reporter Barry Bloom of MLB.com wrote in 2011 that "the postseason in ’84 is still the most exciting week of Major League Baseball ever played in San Diego."[15]

text: 1985–95: Tough times following a pennant[edit]

text: After the Padres won the pennant in 1984, they had some tough times. Tony Gwynn continued to win batting titles (including batting .394 in 1994). The Padres would come close in 1985. They would field eight All-Stars (manager Dick Williams, Tony Gwynn, Graig Nettles, Rich Gossage, Terry Kennedy, Garry Templeton, Steve Garvey, and LaMarr Hoyt) at the 1985 All-Star Game in Minnesota. However, they collapsed at the end of the season, finishing tied for third with the Houston Astros behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

text: Williams was let go as manager just before 1986 spring training. His record with the Padres was 337–311 over four seasons. As of 2011, he was the only manager in the team's history without a losing season.[16] His difficulties with the Padres stemmed from a power struggle with team president Ballard Smith and general manager Jack McKeon.[16] Late in the 1986 season, Gossage was suspended and then reinstated with a $25,000 fine for behavior not in the best interest of the team. Gossage said that Smith "wants choirboys and not winning players" and that Smith "just listens to what Mom says", a reference to Padres owner Kroc, Smith's mother-in-law. Gossage also said Kroc was "poisoning the world with her cheeseburgers." He later apologized to McDonald's, which Gossage said his family would continue to frequent.[17]

text: In 1987, rookie catcher Benito Santiago hit in 34 straight games, earning him the NL Rookie of the Year Award. However, the Padres finished dead last in 1987, thanks to the managing of the tempestuous Larry Bowa. The next season, rookie second baseman Roberto Alomar would make his debut, forming a double play combination with veteran shortstop Garry Templeton. During the 1988 season, Bowa was replaced by Jack McKeon and the Padres won 83 games, finishing in third place. Team president Chub Feeney resigned after giving the finger to fans carrying a sign reading "SCRUB CHUB" on Fan Appreciation Night.[18] In 1989, the Padres finished 89–73 thanks to Cy Young Award-winning closer Mark Davis. Between 1989 and 1990, friction dominated the Padres' clubhouse as Tony Gwynn had constant shouting matches with slugger Jack Clark. But as the franchise player, Gwynn prevailed as Clark finished his career with the Red Sox.

text: Midway through the 1990 season, Joan Kroc wanted to sell the team. But she wanted a commitment to San Diego. So Kroc sold it to television producer Tom Werner. Just under six weeks into his new ownership role, Werner attempted to cross-promote the team with one of his television series in between games of a twi-night doubleheader versus the Cincinnati Reds at Jack Murphy Stadium on July 25, 1990. On an evening billed as Working Women's Night at the ballpark, he had invited Roseanne Barr, the eponymous star of one of his sitcoms, to perform The Star-Spangled Banner. She comically sang the national anthem with a loud, screechy voice. After finishing her rendition, she grabbed her crotch and spat at the ground in an attempt to parody baseball players. The publicity stunt was met with condemnation from baseball fans, sportswriters, and even the President, some of whom called it either the "Barr-Mangled Banner" or the "Barr-Strangled Banner."[6][19][20]

text: Under Werner, the old brown that remained in Padres uniforms since their inception were supplanted by navy blue, a nod to the vintage 1940s PCL franchise colors. A trade was also made with the Toronto Blue Jays where Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar were traded for Fred McGriff and Tony Fernández. In 1992, the Padres lineup featured the "Four Tops": Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Tony Fernández, and Tony Gwynn. However, Fernandez would go to the New York Mets, McGriff went to the division-winning Atlanta Braves, and Sheffield would go to the expansion Florida Marlins. Although extremely unpopular at the time, it was the Sheffield trade that brought in pitcher Trevor Hoffman, who was virtually unknown to Padres fans. While Sheffield led Florida to a World Championship in 1997, Hoffman would be the next franchise player behind Dave Winfield and Tony Gwynn. The Padres would finish dead last in the strike-shortened 1994 season, but Gwynn hit .394 that year (the most since Ted Williams hit over .400 in 1941). After that season, the Padres made a mega-trade with Houston reeling in Ken Caminiti, Steve Finley, and others. In November 1995, Kevin Towers was promoted from scouting director to general manager.

text: 1996–97: Building a winner[edit]

text: In 1996, under new owner John Moores (a software tycoon who purchased controlling ownership in the team in 1994 from Tom Werner, who subsequently formed a syndicate that purchased the Boston Red Sox) and team president Larry Lucchino, and with a team managed by former Padres catcher Bruce Bochy (a member of the 1984 NL championship squad), the team won the NL West in an exciting race, sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in the final series of the regular season. The '96 team featured Gwynn, who won his seventh National League batting championship, National League MVP Ken Caminiti, premier leadoff hitter Rickey Henderson, pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, first baseman Wally Joyner and outfielder Steve Finley. The Padres had led the NL West early in the season only to falter in June, but came back in July and battled the Dodgers the rest of the way. However, they were defeated in the National League Division Series by the Tony La Russa-led St. Louis Cardinals, 3 games to 0.

text: The Padres suffered an off-year in 1997, plagued by a pitching slump. The one silver lining was Tony Gwynn's eighth and final National League batting title, won in the final days of the season after a down-to-the wire duel with the Colorado Rockies' Larry Walker. Walker barely missed becoming the first Triple Crown winner in baseball since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.

text: 1998: The second pennant[edit]

text: In 1998, Henderson and Valenzuela were gone, but newly acquired (from the 1997 World Series champion Florida Marlins) pitcher Kevin Brown had a sensational year (his only one with the Padres) and outfielder/slugger Greg Vaughn hit 50 home runs (overlooked in that season of the Mark McGwire–Sammy Sosa race). Managed by Bruce Bochy and aided by the talents of players such as Tony Gwynn, Ken Caminiti, Wally Joyner, Steve Finley, pitcher Andy Ashby and premier closer Trevor Hoffman (4–2, 1.48 ERA and 53 saves), the Padres had their best year in history, finishing 98–64 and winning the NL West division crown.[21]

text: In the next year, the team owners would make a bid to have the city of San Diego construct a new stadium for the Padres. To guarantee that the city fathers would vote in the affirmative, the Padres recruited a record number of players for the 1998 season, most of whom would become free agents in 1999. Therefore, they would have the best incentive to have a successful season, to get the best contracts possible (potentially with other teams), in 1999. This gambit was completely successful : The Padres had a record season, the new Ball Park was approved, most of the stars of 1998 left, and the team would have a lackluster year in 1999.

text: The Padres defeated the Houston Astros in the 1998 NLDS, 3 games to 1, behind solid pitching by Brown and Hoffman, and home runs by Greg Vaughn, Wally Joyner and Jim Leyritz (who homered in 3 of the 4 games).[22]

text: In the 1998 NLCS, the Padres faced the Atlanta Braves, who had won the National League East with an astonishing 106–56 record. The offense was paced by talent such as Andrés Galarraga, Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones and Javy López. Their pitching staff had the perennial big-3 of Greg Maddux (18–9, 2.22 ERA), Tom Glavine (20–6, 2.47 ERA), and John Smoltz (17–3, 2.90 ERA), as well as Kevin Millwood (17–8, 4.08 ERA) and Denny Neagle (16–11, 3.55 ERA). However, it was the Padres that would prevail, 4 games to 2, with ace Kevin Brown pitching a shutout in game 2 (winning 3–0).[23] Steve Finley caught a pop fly for the final out, as the Padres clinched the series.

text: In the 1998 World Series the Padres faced the powerhouse New York Yankees, who had steamrolled through the season with a 114–48 record and drew acclaim as one their greatest teams of all time. There was no offensive player with more than 30 home runs, in contrast to the teams of the 1920s, or 1950s, but they had four players with 24+ and eight with 17+. Yankee pitching had been paced by David Cone (20–7, 3.55), Andy Pettitte (16–11, 4.24), David Wells (18–4, 3.49), Hideki Irabu (13–9, 4.06) and Orlando Hernández (12–4, 3.13). Mariano Rivera, their closer, was excellent once again (3–0, 1.91 ERA with 36 saves).[24]

text: The Yankees swept the Padres in four games. Mariano Rivera closed out 3 of the 4 games. One of the few bright spots of the series for the Padres was a home run by Tony Gwynn, in Game 1 that hit the facing of the right-field upper deck at Yankee Stadium and put the Padres ahead briefly, 5–2. But the Yankees would score 7 runs in the 7th inning en route to a 9–6 victory.[25]

text: This World Series loss by the Padres was the only time during the Yankees' dynasty of the 1990s that did not revive the rivalry between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.[26] Three of the four Yankees championships during their dynasty came against either team (1996 and 1999 against Atlanta, 2000 against New York).[26]

text: 1999–2003: Tough times following a pennant, again[edit]

text: Entering the 1999 season, some instrumental players to the 1998 World Series team were gone.[27] Brown, a free agent, signed the biggest contract in baseball history with the Dodgers. Finley, a free agent, signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Caminiti, a free agent went to the Houston Astros. Vaughn and utilityman Mark Sweeney were traded to the Cincinnati Reds for left fielder Reggie Sanders, infielder Damian Jackson and pitching prospect Josh Harris. Starting pitcher Joey Hamilton was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitchers Woody Williams and Carlos Almanzar.[28] The Padres opened their 1999 season in Monterrey, Mexico versus the Colorado Rockies. On August 6, 1999, Tony Gwynn got his 3,000th hit (a single) against the Montreal Expos at Olympic Stadium.

text: On October 7, 2001, in a post-game ceremony at Qualcomm Stadium, Tony Gwynn made an emotional farewell to the team that had been his only major-league home. In the game played that day, Rickey Henderson, who in the meantime had rejoined the Padres, collected his 3,000th major-league base hit, a double. Gwynn struck his final major-league hit, also a double, in the previous game. He was the head coach of the San Diego State University Aztecs, his alma mater from 2003 to 2014. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29, 2007. Gwynn died on June 16, 2014 of salivary gland cancer.

text: Also in 2001, Dave Winfield became the first player to be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Padre.

text: 2004–present: Petco Park and a new era[edit]

text: 2004: Petco Park opens[edit]

text: After five straight losing seasons in Qualcomm Stadium (1999–2003), the Padres moved into newly built Petco Park. Petco Park is situated in downtown near San Diego's Gaslamp District, the main entrance located just two blocks from the downtown terminal of the San Diego Trolley light-rail system. With new amenities and a revitalization of the downtown neighborhood, fan interest renewed. Modeled after recent successes in downtown ballpark building (such as San Francisco's AT&T Park), and incorporating San Diego history in the form of the preservation of the facade of the historic Western Metals Company building (now the left-field corner, the corner of the building substituting for the left field foul pole), the new Petco Park is a sharp contrast to their previous home at Qualcomm (Jack Murphy) Stadium which was a cookie-cutter type football-baseball facility located in an outer, mostly commercial-industrial, area of the city near an interstate interchange.

text: With the ocean air prevalent and a sharp, clean park to play in, the Padres began to win again. The new stadium also acquired a reputation as a pitchers' park, with notable complaints from some of the Padres batters themselves (deep center field and evenings with dense foggy air). The Padres finished the 2004 season with an 87–75 record, good enough for 3rd in the NL West.

text: The team somewhat rebranded itself going into the 2004 season, with new colors (navy blue and sand brown), new uniforms and a new advertising slogan, "Play Downtown", referring to the near-downtown location of the new ballpark.

text: One of the bricks at the center plaza of Petco Park was secretly purchased by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an animal rights organization that has protested the breeding and purchasing of the animals sold at Petco stores. The brick reads, "Break out your cold ones. Toast the Padres. Enjoy this champion organization." The first letter of each word is really an acrostic urging people to boycott the stores.

text: 2005: The worst division winner ever[edit]

text: In 2005, the Western Division Champion Padres finished with the lowest-ever winning percentage for a division champion (or for that matter, a postseason qualifier) in a non-strike season, 82–80. Three teams in the Eastern Division finished with better records than San Diego but failed to qualify for the playoffs, including second-place Philadelphia, which won 88 games and all six of its contests with the Padres. There had been some speculation that the Padres would be the first team in history to win a division and finish below .500, but their victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 30 gave them their 81st victory. In the 2005 NLDS, the reigning National League champion St. Louis Cardinals, who finished the season with the majors' best record, swept the Padres in three consecutive games. Thus the Padres finished the season with an overall regular-and-post-season record of 82–83, the first post-season qualifier in a normal-length season to lose more games than it won overall.

text: The 2005 Padres featured bright spots, however, including ace pitcher Jake Peavy, the NL strikeout leader, and closer Trevor Hoffman, who claimed his 400th save.

text: 2006: Another division title[edit]

text: The Padres started April 2006 with a 9–15 record and were stuck in the cellar of the NL West.

text: However, after going 19–10 in May, the club moved into first place in the division. Closer Trevor Hoffman was elected to the 2006 MLB All-Star Game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, threw one inning in that game and got the loss. On September 24 (the last home game of the regular season), Hoffman became the all-time saves leader when he recorded his 479th career save, breaking Lee Smith's record of 478 (Hoffman's career total as of the end of the season was 482). Hoffman's 2006 campaign (2.14 ERA, 46 saves in 51 opportunities through 65 games pitched) was one of his best. The 2006 Padres would attribute their success largely to the team's pitching staff. Their ERA was 3.87, first in the NL and trailing only the Detroit Tigers in all of MLB.

text: On September 30, 2006, the Padres clinched a playoff berth with a 3–1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the final game of the season, the Padres defeated the Diamondbacks 7–6 to win back to back division titles for the first time in team history (they were tied with the Dodgers for the division title, but because of winning the season series against them, the division title went to them and the wild card went to the Dodgers). The final out of the final game of the 2006 regular season — confirming the Padres as Division champions — was a highly unusual play. With Trevor Hoffman pitching the 9th, 2 out, Diamondback Chris Young was on first. Alberto Callaspo hit a grounder past first. Second baseman Josh Barfield fielded and threw wildly to first, forcing Gonzalez to come off the bag. However, Gonzalez then threw to Khalil Greene at second, beating but not tagging Young. Second base umpire Larry Poncino initially called safe because of the no-tag, but Padres manager Bruce Bochy successfully argued that the force play at second did not need a tag to be declared out. The game, and the season, ended with a changed call. TV replay, however, clearly showed that Greene was off the bag as well, so the original call may have been correct. This call, understandably, was greeted by a long and loud chorus of boos by the Diamondbacks fans who packed Chase Field to bid farewell to Luis Gonzalez.

text: Only 53 teams in the modern era have posted sub-.500 records in April and survived to make the postseason. The San Diego Padres achieved the feat in both 2005 and 2006.

text: The Padres opened the 2006 National League Division Series at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, October 3, 2006. After losing the first two games at home (5–1 and 2–0 respectively), they won game 3 at Busch Stadium 3–1, but were eliminated with a 6–2 loss in Game 4, when the Cardinals, who trailed 2–0 before their first at-bat, scored six unanswered runs (two in the first, and four in the sixth) for the win.

text: After the end of the 2006 season, the Padres had an overall post-season record of 12–22, losing 10 of their last 11 games since winning the National League pennant in 1998.

text: One key offseason trade between the San Diego Padres' General Manager, Kevin Towers, and the Texas Rangers' General Manager, Jon Daniels, would prove to have a dramatic impact on their 2006 season. The Padres dealt starting pitcher Adam Eaton, middle reliever Akinori Otsuka, and minor-league catcher Billy Killian in exchange for starting pitcher Chris Young, left fielder Terrmel Sledge, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Gonzalez would take over the everyday duties at first base, batting .304 with a club-leading 24 home runs and 82 RBI in his first year as a full-time starter. Sledge would hit .229 in limited major league action. Chris Young proved to be the real story, however, as he would go 11–5 with a 3.46 ERA (6th best in the National League) and allowed just 6.72 hits per 9 innings pitched – best in the majors.

text: 2006 also ended up being the last year of Bruce Bochy's tenure as the manager of the Padres, taking the managerial position for their divisional rivals, the San Francisco Giants. He was replaced by Bud Black, a San Diego State University alumni and former pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

text: 2007: Falling short[edit]

text: On Sunday, April 1, 2007, Major League Baseball's 2007 Opening Night, the Padres announced that they had agreed to terms on a four-year contract with 1B Adrian Gonzalez, keeping him in San Diego until 2010 with a club option for 2011. Prior to this contract agreement the Padres had offered to renew Gonzalez's contract during the offseason at $380,500, only $500 over the league minimum for the 2007 season.

text: The Padres' 2007 season began April 3 in an away game against the San Francisco Giants, winning it 7–0 in front of a capacity crowd of 42,773 at AT&T Park, defeating $126 million staff-ace Barry Zito in his Giants debut. The Padres bullpen continued to be the team's strength as in recent years, opening the season with 281⁄3 scoreless innings, a Major League record to start a season. At the start of the season the Padres starting rotation order was as follows: Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Clay Hensley (injured, replaced by Justin Germano), Greg Maddux, David Wells.

text: On June 4, 2007, Jake Peavy was named NL Pitcher of the Month after going 4–0 with a 0.79 ERA in May. The next day, Trevor Hoffman was named the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Month Award" for May 2007. The award recognizes the most outstanding relief pitcher during each month of the regular season.

text: On June 6, 2007, Trevor Hoffman became the first pitcher in major league history to record 500 saves, 498 of them coming as a Padre (the first 2 were as a Florida Marlin).

text: On September 23, 2007, Milton Bradley tore his right ACL while being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black during an altercation with first base umpire Mike Winters. Home plate umpire Brian Runge reportedly told Bradley that Winters said that Bradley had tossed his bat in Runge's direction in a previous at-bat. After Bradley reached first base, he questioned Winters about the alleged bat throwing and subsequent communication with Runge. According to Bradley and Padres first base coach Bobby Meacham, Winters used a profanity towards Bradley. Bradley then moved towards Winters. While restrained by Black, Bradley fell to the ground resulting in the injury. He missed the last week of the regular season in 2007, during which the Padres relinquished their wild card lead, ultimately losing to the eventual N.L. Champion Colorado Rockies in a one-game playoff.[29]

text: The Padres ended the regular season in an 89–73 tie for the NL wild card with the Colorado Rockies. In a cruel piece of irony, on September 29, 2007, the Padres were within one out and one strike of clinching the National League Wild Card berth, but Tony Gwynn, Jr., son of the longtime Padres legend, tripled against Hoffman to tie the game. The Padres went on to lose that game, and the one that followed, even though the Milwaukee Brewers had been eliminated from the pennant race and had nothing left to play for. The Padres then met the Rockies on October 1, 2007 in Denver for a one-game playoff to decide the wild card winner. Despite having Jake Peavy start the game and bringing in Trevor Hoffman in the bottom of the 13th inning to try to hold an 8–6 lead, the Padres' season ended when the Rockies rallied to win 9–8. It ended on a controversial call on a sacrifice fly where many questioned whether Matt Holliday ever touched home plate, leaving Padre fans saying "Holliday never touched home!" The umpire of that game claimed that the catcher, Michael Barrett, was blocking the plate before he had possession of the ball. Therefore, Holiday was ruled safe.

text: On November 15, Jake Peavy won the National League Cy Young Award by unanimous ballot. He was the fourth Padre to capture the pitching award.

text: The Padres entered the 2007–08 offseason with a number of questions, including the ability of Trevor Hoffman to close games past his 40th birthday, the ongoing inability to hold runners on base (the Padres' caught-stealing ratio in 2007 was one of the worst in baseball history), two holes in the back of the starting rotation, and the possible departure of Mike Cameron to free agency. The two holes in the rotation were filled by former Dodger Randy Wolf and Mark Prior and the club dealt for Jim Edmonds to replace Cameron. Additionally, Milton Bradley was signed by the Texas Rangers.

text: The Padres signed Mark Prior to a one-year deal in the off-season. Prior, a University of San Diego HS graduate (now Cathedral HS), joined a team that consisted of players that were also local prep stars, Brian Giles (Granite Hills HS), Adrian Gonzalez (Eastlake HS), and Óscar Robles (Montgomery HS). Recent Padres teams had also included Dave Roberts (Rancho Buena Vista HS), David Wells (Point Loma HS), and Marcus Giles (Granite Hills HS).

text: 2008–2009: Struggles[edit]

text: The Padres started the 2008 campaign March 31, in San Diego against the Houston Astros, and won the series 3–1.

text: 2007 All-Star Chris Young pitched in the second game of the season, a 2–1 win, and Trevor Hoffman, the game's all-time saves leader, wrapped up the ninth for the save. The Los Angeles Dodgers came into town and took two of three. 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy picked up the only win during the Dodgers' series. At the end of the opening homestand, the Padres were 3–3.

text: The Padres traveled to San Francisco, hoping to fatten up on former manager Bruce Bochy's Giants, but the now-Bondsless bay dwellers took two of three. In Los Angeles, the Padres won two of three, pushing their record back to .500.

text: On April 17, 2008, during the series against the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park, the Padres played the longest game in team history, in terms of innings (22), losing 2–1.[30] The game was the second longest in team history, in terms of time, played in 6 hours, 16 minutes;[31] the game was a minute shorter than the longest game, in terms of time, played against the Houston Astros in 1980.[32] Following that game, which sapped the team's bullpen strength, the Padres stumbled, dropping games at home, where they struggled to score runs, and on the road, where they committed uncharacteristic errors and failed to hold leads. Returning home after a humbling[citation needed] three-game sweep in Atlanta in early May, the Padres cut Jim Edmonds, the Cardinals castoff who had been brought in after the Padres failed to sign Mike Cameron to a new deal in the off-season. With former Indian Jody Gerut now in center, the Padres won the three-game weekend home series with the Rockies and motored to Chicago with the hopes of winning three of four to get the season back on track. Instead, the Cubs, with Jim Edmonds in center, won three of four and booted the Padres from the Windy City into an interleague series with the Mariners, their Peoria, Ariz. spring training neighbors. The Mariners used speed—and a late-inning burst of power from Adrián Beltré in one game—to win the series and shove the Padres deeper into their early-season hole. After sweeping the New York Mets in a four-game series that ended on June 8, the Padres climbed to 7 games back of first-place Arizona. The sweep put the Mets 7.5 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies, sending the Padres and the Mets, expansion teams in the 1960s, in different directions. The Padres won two of three games in a series against the Dodgers at Petco Park. There was talk in San Diego that the Padres had a serious chance to get back in the race in a weak NL West.[citation needed] A road trip sent the Padres to play the Indians in Cleveland, where they lost two of the three games. During their final trip to Yankee Stadium, the site of Tony Gwynn's upperdeck World Series blast, the Padres were swept by the Yankees.

text: They returned to Petco and dropped two of three to the Tigers. They were then swept by the Twins and Mariners. Returning to National League competition did not help much, as Padres lost two of three in Colorado to the Rockies. Powered by former Diamondbacks outfielder Scott Hairston, the Padres won two of three in Arizona. The team could not sustain the momentum however and they lost two of three to the Marlins at Petco Park. In the last series before the All-Star break, the Padres lost two of three to the Braves. Adrian Gonzalez represented the Padres at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, going 1–3 with an RBI. Gonzalez made a nice scoop on a throw from catcher Russell Martin during a tense moment late in the game but he struck out with a chance to drive in the go-ahead run late in the game. According to media reports, Gonzalez was asked during an All-Star game media session what it would take for the Padres to make the playoffs. He said 30 wins. When the interviewer asked if he thought that was possible, Gonzalez glared at the interviewer and did not answer the question.[citation needed]

text: On July 17, the Padres traded former San Diego State player Tony Clark to the Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Evan Scribner. Following the All-Star break, the Padres continued to struggle, getting swept in a four-game series in St. Louis and losing two of three in Cincinnati. A trip to Pittsburgh proved to be the tonic the team needed. The Padres won three of four in the Steel City and during the series the Pirates traded former Padre underachiever Xavier Nady to the Yankees for prospects. Back home, the Padres won the first game of the series against the division-leading Diamondbacks. The win gave Greg Maddux 351 career wins and he tipped his hat to the crowd when he left with a lead. Late in August, the team parted ways with Greg Maddux by trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

text: As this disastrous season started to come to a close, questions about the coaching staff started swirling like crazy.[citation needed] In mid-September, Hitting Coach Wally Joyner resigned due to the team's lackluster offense and a difference in philosophy with upper management (most notably, CEO Sandy Alderson). It seems that Joyner beat the Padres to the punch, as he was likely to be replaced at the end of the season.[citation needed] The team finished off a 63–99 season on September 28 with a 10–6 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, finishing 5th in the NL West, 21 games behind the division leader Los Angeles Dodgers.

text: On September 29, the team renewed the contracts of Manager Bud Black, Pitching Coach Darren Balsley, Bullpen Coach Darrell Akerfelds, 3rd Base Coach Glenn Hoffman (brother of closer Trevor Hoffman) and 1st Base Coach Rick Renteria. Only Bench Coach Craig Colbert was not renewed and because of Wally Joyner's earlier resignation the team had no Hitting Coach to bring back. On October 10, the Padres offered Trevor Hoffman a $4 million salary for 2009 plus a $4 million club option in 2010 then on November 11 the Padres withdrew the $4 million offer to the all-time saves leader, making him a free agent.[33]

text: The Padres opened 2009 April 6 versus the rival Dodgers at home, losing 4–1 and splitting the four-game series. They then swept the Giants, also at home in three games. Then they took 2 of 3 from the Mets to ruin the first series at Citi Field. In that series, Jody Gerut became the first player in major league history to open a new ballpark with a leadoff home run.[34]

text: After the first three series, the Padres were tied with the Dodgers for first place at 7–3. After the hot start however, the Padres stumbled and were 25–25 as of May 31. Early in the season, the Padres acquired Tony Gwynn, Jr., son of franchise great Tony Gwynn, from the Milwaukee Brewers. San Diego finished 75–87, fourth in the NL West, only ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

text: 2010–11: The Jed Hoyer era[edit]

text: Many preseason predictions picked the Padres in 2010 to finish the season in last place in the NL West.[35] On August 25, however, the Padres were 76–49 and in first place with a 6  1⁄2 game lead.[36] A 10–game losing streak immediately followed.[37] With a 3–0 loss on October 3, the final game of the season, the Padres were officially eliminated from playoff contention and the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants won the division.[36] The Padres led the NL West for 148 days in 2010.[37]

text: Adrian Gonzalez would have been in the last year of his contract in 2011, but the Padres were not going to meet Gonzalez's open market value especially with Jeff Moorad's purchase of the Padres from John Moores not completing until around 2013.[38][39] On December 6, 2010, Gonzalez was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a package of right-handed pitcher Casey Kelly, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named later, later determined to be Eric Patterson.[40][41]

text: After the 2011 season, general manager Jed Hoyer left the Padres to join the Chicago Cubs. Josh Byrnes was promoted from senior vice president of baseball operations to replace Hoyer.[42][43]

text: Byrnes made two big trades in the offseason. He traded Rizzo to Hoyer's new club, the Cubs, in a four-player trade that brought right-hander Andrew Cashner to the Padres.[44] Byrnes also traded young ace Mat Latos to the Reds for starting pitcher Edinson Vólquez and prospects Yonder Alonso, catcher Yasmani Grandal and pitcher Brad Boxberger.[45] Former Reds general manager Jim Bowden commented that the Padres clearly won the trade with the Reds, saying "In modern times, I can’t remember a trade that was this far lopsided."[46]

text: In March 2012, Moorad withdrew his application to complete the full purchase of the Padres.[47][48] He stepped down as CEO of the Padres later that month, but remained with the team as Vice-Chairman.[49] Media outlets including U-T San Diego, Fox Sports, and Associated Press speculated that Moorad was short of the needed support of 22 MLB team owners to complete the purchase of the Padres.[47][48][49] Moores declared that the entire team was up for sale again in April, citing the good opportunity in the market after the record $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers.[50]

text: In August, MLB approved Moores' $800 million sale of the Padres to a group led by beer distributor Ron Fowler that included four heirs to the O’Malley family, who owned the Dodgers for five decades. The sale completed on or before August 28, 2012.[51][52] As much as $200 million of the sale price includes the team's 20-percent stake in Fox Sports San Diego.[53] Members of the O'Malley family include Kevin and Brian O'Malley, who are the sons of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley and grandsons of Walter O'Malley, the owner who moved the Dodgers west from Brooklyn after the 1957 season. Peter and Tom Seidler are the nephews of Peter O’Malley.[51] Fowler was named the ownership group's executive chairman and was named the Padres representative in all league meetings.[51][54] He was the first locally based control person of the team since founding owner C. Arnholdt Smith.[54]