The Padres would not be celebrating their 50th anniversary in San Diego this year had it not been for one man.
Ray Kroc.
In December of 1973, National League owners unanimously approved the sale of the Padres from original owner C. Arnholt Smith to businessman Joseph Danzansky, who planned to move the team to Washington, D.C.
So done was the deal that when the Topps Company starting rolling the presses on its 1974 card set, Padres cards were printed with “WASHINGTON” in the upper left corner and “NAT’L LEA” in the bottom right corner instead of the team’s nickname.