Winfrey to start Oxygen, a 24-hour cable channel which catered to the lifestyle and entertainment interests of the "millennial woman". In 2007, NBC Universal purchased the network for $925 million, and in 2017 it was rebranded as a multiplatform site with a focus on true-crime programming for women. Sports San Diego Padres Werner's entry into sports team ownership came when he and 14 other Southern California-based investors purchased the San Diego Padres from McDonald's heiress Joan Kroc for US $75 million on June 14, 1990. As holder of the largest financial stake in the ballclub, he served as the team's general managing partner. It was a difficult period economically in Major League Baseball, which was riven by the financial disparity between small- and large-market franchises and ultimately cancelled the 1994 World Series because of a work stoppage that carried into the following season. Werner was appointed to Major League Baseball's Executive Council and was chairman of MLB's television negotiating committee, where he was an early proponent of the wild-card format that was first implemented in 1995. Just under six weeks into his new ownership role, he attempted to cross-promote the team with one of his television series in between games of a twi-night doubleheader versus the Cincinnati Reds at Jack Murphy Stadium on July 25, 1990. He had invited Roseanne Barr, the eponymous star of one of his sitcoms, to perform The Star-Spangled Banner on an evening billed as Working Women's Night at the ballpark. She comically sang the national anthem with a loud, screechy voice. After finishing her rendition, she grabbed her crotch and spat at the ground in an attempt to parody baseball players. The publicity stunt was met with condemnation from baseball fans and sportswriters, some of whom called it either the "Barr-Mangled Banner" or the "Barr-Strangled Banner." The Padres missed capturing the National League (NL) West title by three games in 1989, a year prior to the start of Werner's tenure. Its 89–73 record was then the second best in franchise history. After a pair of winning seasons with third-place finishes in 1991 and 1992, the team fell precipitously into the NL West cellar at 61–101 in 1993, six games behind the expansion Colorado Rockies. It was on its way to a second consecutive last-place finish at 47–70, but a players strike prematurely ended the 1994 campaign. Critics at the time attributed this sudden free fall