It Wasn’t a Banner Day for Padre Fans

In what outraged fans and the American Civil Liberties Union denounced as a violation of free speech, San Diego Padre security guards forcibly ejected at least two fans from Thursday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds for holding up banners critical of the Gary Sheffield trade.

Padre executives acknowledged throwing out two paying customers and confiscating four banners, one of which contained profanity. Other fans in attendance said as many as seven spectators were ejected for displaying hand-held banners.

Edward Lucero, 20, of El Cajon said he was grabbed by the neck and thrown out for displaying a banner criticizing team management for trading Sheffield, last year’s National League batting champion, and pitcher Rich Rodriguez to the Florida Marlins for rookie Trevor Hoffman and two minor leaguers.

“Padre fans wish to thank (team owner) Tom Werner for making Padre fans and the Padre team the laughingstock of baseball,” read one side of Lucero’s sign.

“Bye, Sheff,” read the other.

Said Frank Jauregui, 28, who with other fans came to Lucero’s aid: “It’s an opinion he feels, and he should be able to express it.”

Doug Duennes, the Padres’ director of stadium operations, said team policy requires approval of all banners.

City Atty. John Witt said the team and the National League set the rules of rejection. “You enter the premises and you agree to abide by the rules,” Witt said. “It’s on the ticket.”

But Linda Hills, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial counties, said Witt and the Padres are “simply wrong” and that forcible ejections of paying customers--due solely to critical signs--could be subject to a lawsuit.

Two season ticket-holders filed a class-action lawsuit against the team late Thursday, alleging it had reneged on a promise to keep Sheffield made in a letter to ticket-holders, lawyer Gregory Goonan said.