Return Of The Old Timers Game

As a kid growing up, I would read books about baseball players.  From Hank Aaron to Willie Mays to Mickey Mantle to Sandy Koufax, I would read about their lives and how hard they worked to get to the major leagues.  By the time I started watching baseball, most of these players were retired or at the end of their careers.  There was still a ray of hope of seeing some of these great players on the diamond, and that was the yearly Old Timers Game.  The Padres would get retired players to come out and play 3-5 innings of baseball.  It was my chance to see the players who I only knew via books and newspaper clippings. I had the opportunity to see Sandy Koufax pitch, see Willie Mays hit a home run over the left field wall in San Diego Stadium and many other players show flashes of their greatness.  It’s been years since the Padres have hosted an Old Timers Game and I would love to see them bring it back.  

“We Are The Brooklyn Brawler”

Back in the 1980’s, professional wrestling came back into the mainstream of America.  Wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, Andre The Giant and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair would strut into the ring, theme music playing as they entered the square circle, to face their opponents in a one on one match.  On the other side of the ring was the guy whose sole purpose for being there was to lose and make the star look good.  Many nameless faces would come and go over the years, but one would rise to the top of this lowly heap and his name was The Brooklyn Brawler.  He would occasionally wrestle a faceless guy and get the win, but his job was to make the main event wrestlers look good, all the while losing big matches to the stars.

I was reminded of all of the above today as I listened to Padres GM Josh Byrnes on the Mighty 1090 talking about the Padres.  The Padres off-season has been a major disappointment.  While the Dodgers, Angels and Giants have spent money to acquire talent, the Padres have sat on the sidelines and have done nothing to improve the team.  After listening to Josh Byrnes, I had to draw the conclusion that the Padres ownership knows it can’t compete with the above teams and has decided to spend little and hope for the best.  As a Padres fan, I felt sick to my stomach and at the same time, felt bad for Josh Byrnes.  I know he’s doing his best, but the reality is the Padres will have to overachieve this season to be in the hunt to win the west.  Sadly, the reality is we’ll win maybe 65-75 games, see some young players develop, watch Chase Headley and see if he’s a rising star or a mediocre player who had a fluke year in 2012, and Petco Park will be filled with fans of other teams.

I will continue to be a Padres fan.  I will cheer for my team, realize what the situation is with the team and accept the sad fact that we are the Brooklyn Brawler, with all the perks and props that goes with that.

The Casual Fan

Many Thanks for 2012

As the season winds down for the Padres and our last home game has come and gone, I wanted to write a review and a thank you to so many people. First of all, I want to thank my many friends at Petco Park who make me feel like I am home. I want to thank Mike Hardin, the owner of Hodads who always greets us with a welcome home and a hug when we come in the restaurant. Rafael Torres (aka Jay), who always does such a wonderful job serving us at Hodads and who always greets us with a warm smile and a hug as well.  Our usher Yolie Sanchez, who is friendly, kind and a pleasure to see (I hope you get your IPhone 5 in the off-season.)  Rebecca Herman's season ticket rep Hayley Hallum, who is a nice, attentive and looks out for us (she'll be my rep as well in 2013.)  The Dancing Friars out in the Mission; Corey, Ishmael, Kai, Tony and the rest of the gang out there who dress up and cheer the Padres on.  Luigi Novello, who did my first video blog on my page and is Clayton Richards #1 fan (John Baker's as well.)  To the many players and announcers from Mark Grant to Tim Flanney, who listened to a nervous blogger try to ask them who their favorite player was and why.  To Andrew Werner, who was the first player who did a video for my blog.  To Jerry Coleman, who took the time to sign his book for me.  The Coach John Kentera and Randy Jones, who always made us laugh at Lolita's.  Last, but not least, to Rebecca and Trevor Herman for inviting my son and myself to so many games, and dealing with me (and that's a lot to deal with.)  You all made Padres season 2012 enjoyable.  God Bless each of you.

Wayne McBrayer aka The Casual Fan

Tim Flannery-2B-3B San Diego Padres-Current 3B coach for the San Francisco Giants

Growing up as a Padres fan, one of my favorite players to watch was Tim Flannery.  He was drafted in the 6th round in 1978 by the San Diego Padres out of Chapman University in California.  After only a year in the minors, Tim was called up to the Padres on September 3rd, 1979 and got a hit in his first game.  He struggled for the first few years in the majors, going back and forth from AAA to the big club, but came up to stay in 1982.  He became a favorite of then manager Dick Williams, who loved his all out aggressive play. In 1985, he became the starter at 2B and had his best season.  In 1989, he decided to hang it up for good and was greeted in his last at bat to a standing ovation, which caused the game to be delayed.  After his career was over, he moved on to managing in the Padres minor league system for 3 seasons before being hired by Bruce Bochy to be his 3rd base coach.  He remained with the Padres until 2002 and when Bruce Bochy was hired to manage the Giants in 2007, he was hired once again to coach 3B, which is the position he currently holds.

On the final home game for the Padres on September 30th 2012, we went to the ballpark early to have breakfast on the field.  The previous day, I had tried to get Tim's attention but had no luck getting to him.  While sitting at breakfast, I looked over and saw someone standing on the grass near where people were eating and was shocked to see it was Tim Flannery!  I walked over and got his autograph and asked him who his favorite player was growing up.  He said, it's very difficult question, but I would have to pick Pete Rose, because he taught me so much about how to play the game."  I got a quick picture with him (thank you Rebecca Herman for taking the picture) and told him he really missed him here.  My friend Rebecca told Tim how Mike Hardin, the owner of Hodads restaurant said Tim was his favorite all-time player.  Tim said he was going to stop by in the off-season to say hi to Mike.

Andrew Werner-SP San Diego Padres September 7th, 2012

Andrew Werner never gave up on a big league dream.  After pitching for The University of Indianapolis, he was signed in 2009 as an undrafted free agent by an Independent team called the Evansville Otters.  He pitched with them for 2 seasons and then took a chance on a big league career.  He borrowed some money and went to a camp put on by the San Diego Padres.  He impressed the Padres, who immediately signed him and sent Andrew to Fort Wayne, their Low-A Ball team.  From there, Andrew climbed the minor league ladder and on August 22nd, 2012, the Padres called him up from Tucson to pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Pitching more like a veteran than a rookie, he only allowed 2 runs in 6 innings and got the win.  He has pitched well in each of his starts, and it looks like the Padres have found a keeper in Andrew.

Before the game, I sat down in my usual spot near the visitors bullpen.  I brought with me an Evansville Otters shirt, hoping Andrew would sign it.  He walked by me and I yelled out to him and held the shirt up.  He walked over and signed the shirt and talked to me and my friend Rebecca for a few minutes (she is friends with a lady whose son roomed with Andrew in college.)  I asked Andrew if he would do a video of me asking who his favorite player is, and he graciously said yes.  I want to thank you Andrew for your time and may God Bless you and your family.

Luigi Novello-Padres Fan, August 21st, 2012

Over the last couple of years, I have had to opportunity to meet lots of Padre fans.  Some come to a few games, some come to a lot of games, but all come to cheer on the club.  When you arrive early, you see the die hard fans out and about, waiting to talk and get autographs from players they love.  If you look down toward the Padres dugout, you'll catch Luigi there saying hi to the guys coming in and getting an occasional autograph.  During the game, you'll see Luigi out in the right-center area with The Dancing Friars, leading Padre fans in cheers and just having a great time.  I asked him to videotape an interview and he said yes.  If you ever see Luigi at the park, take the time to say hi.  He's a great guy.

Clint Hurdle-C, 1B, 3B-Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals-Current manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, August 20th, 2012

As a first round pick by Kansas City in 1975, there was a lot expected from Clint Hurdle.  He spent about 2 years in the minors before arriving in 1977 to a lot of fanfare, but he sadly never lived up to the hype.  He spent several years in the majors finishing his career with the New York Mets, which is where his career took off.  Clint was hired in 1988 by the Mets to manage the St. Lucie Mets.  He also managed both the Mets AA and Triple AAA teams.  He was hired in 1994 by the Colorado Rockies to be their minor league hitting instructor, and was promoted in 1997 to be the hitting coach for the big league club.  In 2002, he was hired to manage the club after the firing of Buddy Bell.  During his 7 plus years with the Rockies, he led them to their first and only World Series appearance in 2007 against the Boston Red Sox, where they were swept in 4 straight games.  In 2009, he was fired as manager of the Rockies and quickly landed a job as a studio analyst for the newly formed MLB Network.  The Rangers hired Clint to be their hitting instructor and helped develop their young hitters.  At the conclusion of the 2010 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates hired Clint to manage their club.  He has done a terrific job working with a young club as well as changing the culture of the team.  He has them believing they can win, and it shows on the field.

I was able to talk to Clint briefly before the game and he told me how his favorite player growing up was Al Kaline.  He spent about 5 minutes signing autographs, talking to fans and friends at the game.  He came off as a very nice person who loved baseball.