Kroc Says Commitment Extends Beyond Season

Speculation that the Padres’ ownership is in a lame duck state was debunked Tuesday by owner Joan Kroc.

Kroc--during her news conference to introduce the team’s new president, Chub Feeney--said her commitment to remain owner extends beyond the end of this year and indefinitely into the future.

“I’m a born-again owner,” she said, “and those people stay pretty fervent.”

This is a more definitive stance than the one she took last month. When she announced then that the proposed sale of the club to George Argyros had been terminated, she also said that she would keep the club until the end of the year and then evaluate the situation. That position was seemingly reinforced last week, when Feeney was hired only for the remainder of 1987.

Kroc made it clear Tuesday that Feeney has the option to stay beyond this year.

“It wouldn’t be inappropriate to say that he can stay as long as he wants,” Kroc said.

Asked if that was his perception, Feeney said: “That’s probably true.”

The only situation that would likely make Feeney’s status uncertain would be a sale of the club, and Kroc said that is not going to happen. She said she is determined to get the Padres back to where they were in the “blessed” 1984 season, when they won the National League pennant.

“I’m going to stick with it,” she said. “It could be forever. They might even bury me here.”