Bud Black-Former pitcher and current manager of The San Diego Padres 2/10/2012

I had decided before going to the event that my #1 priority was to meet Bud Black and ask him who and why.  I have talked to him only one time at spring training for a grand total of 5 seconds!  I had hoped that this time, it would be a longer conversation.  He walked toward where I was sitting and I stood up and introduced myself and asked him who his favorite player was and why.  He said, “Sandy Koufax and Willie Mays.”  “Sandy because he was a pitcher like he was” (Bud pitched for over 10 years with several clubs), but he didn’t give a reason for Willie Mays. 

I was very happy to have accomplished my goal for the night.  

Mark Grant-Former pitcher and current Padres Radio and TV Announcer 2/10/2012

I had the opportunity to attend the San Diego Padres Foundation Dinner on February 10, 2012.  It was an early present from my friend Rebecca Herman.  We arrived early, and were assigned table #31 then proceeded to walked out to the infield area to check out items up for bid in a silent auction.  At 7:30, it was time to head to our table and start the dinner and awards ceremony.  Up to our table walked Mark Grant, former Padres pitcher and current announcer for the team!  He introduced himself and sat down and started to chat with us.  After a few minutes, I finally decided I was going to ask him the question. I looked at Mark and asked, “who is your favorite baseball player and why?”  Without hesitation, Mark said, “Ernie Banks SS-1B for the Chicago Cubs, because he loved his passion for the game and his attitude as a player." I thanked him for answering and was happy to have my first question answered.  

I will never forget Mark Grant and the kindness he showed that night.  He is a class act.

When it's time to change....

Greeting to baseball fans one and all,

It's been a while since I touched my blog.  Since my last post, I took a trip to San Francisco, Oakland and Seattle to catch ballgames and had a blast.  Loved the fan base in Oakland and had the most fun there.  Fans were friendly, staff was great and I felt welcome.  San Francisco is a beautiful ballpark, but the fans were less than friendly and the seat I bought was a restricted view seat (behind the right field foul poll) and I was charged full price and not told it was a restricted view.  Seattle was ok at best.  Sat in the outfield there and saw Red Sox fans get drunk and fight with Mariner fans.  Spent the last 2 months suffering through Padre baseball and lost a desire to write about what I saw from the players.

With the start of the new baseball season, I decided to change the focus of the blog to a more positive one.  While I didn't plan on the other being negative, it sometimes sounded like it.  I understand players want their privacy and that it's a hard life.  Sometimes, they just want to come to work and not be bothered.  So instead of writing about players attitudes, I wanted to pick a subject that was simple and a little fun.  With that said, my idea and theme for 2012 will be.....Who and Why?

Who and why you say?  What does that mean?  Well, I've decided to undertake the task of asking players, managers, coaches, and even the front office who their favorite all time player is and why.  I think this will be a fun project to undertake and I hope to get lots of answers. I hope you will enjoy this too.

The Casual Fan