Padres New Control Person Reveals When He Finally Switched From Being Dodgers Fan

Gabe Smallson | Mar 15, 2025

Mar 30, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; A general view of Petco Park during the national anthem on the opening day baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images / Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have been at the midst of an ownership lawsuit this offseason.

Among more pressing, on the field issues to address, the lawsuit hanging over the franchise certainly wasn't helping morale from fans.

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The great Peter Seidler's untimely death at the end of 2023 left a giant hole in the hearts of fans everywhere. The grandson of Walter O'Malley — owner of the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers — the business of baseball was in his blood.

When Seidler's ownership group took over the Padres in 2012, there was a clear vision for greatness and one that was willing to invest heavily in the team.

Another team that has been spending as much and contending as much in the last decade is the Dodgers. Naturally, this has created quite the divisional rivalry as the franchises have met in the NLDS for the first time in 2020, and another two meetings since.

The new control person of the Friars, Peter's brother John Seidler, revealed to the San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee that there is some unfortunate history because of the family's great-grandfather regarding this renewed rivalry.

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“For 50-something years, I was a Dodgers fan,” John said. “Peter was a Dodgers fan for just as long, minus one year, because I’m 15 months older than Peter was. We all bled Dodger blue back in the day. Everything changed when we became involved in the Padres. For Peter and Tom, who were working with the Padres out of the chute, their change was 100% and absolute. It was like a switch flipped. It was off, and then it was on. Mine was slightly more gradual.”

The new control person for the Friars further ensured that his recent affiliations are nothing to be concerned with moving forward as he has been committed to San Diego for over a decade now.

“So I’ve been a ‘Beat L.A.’ Padres fan since early in 2012,” John said. “… I just needed a bit of a nudge. And now I can say I’ve completed the 12-step program, and I’m never going back.”

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.