Sports Update
The familiar refrain "wait 'till next year" now applies to fans in Hawaii who got a taste of major league baseball in April when the San Diego Padres played the St. Louis Cardinals in the first regular season big league games ever played here. Padres' return to isles
might be put on holdPadres vice president of finance Bob Wells and Hawaii state sports coordinator Russ Francis were in discussion about the Padres returning here for another series next month, but "it doesn't look like it's going to happen now," Francis said.
"When (the Padres) worked out the (money) numbers it came out to something where we (the state) were not willing to make up the balance," Francis said.
"Everybody got real excited by the crowds and when the conversation first came up there was talk about doing it this year," Francis added. "Now it's more like 'let's take some time and do it right.'"
Although it won't happen this summer, it appears the Padres will be back, probably next year.
"We're eager to come back and we're looking forward to it," said Charles Steinberg, the Padres vice president of public affairs. "I think there's a genuine desire for us to come back."
Around 77,000 tickets were distributed for a doubleheader and a single game in April at Aloha Stadium.