It's time to Play Ball!!

Well Friars,

It's that time again. The season is now upon us, whether we are ready or
not. For some of you it's still football season. For others, football sucks. But whether you will be watching the last few football games or not, its time for Padres baseball.

This past year brought us many rewards. We improved from a 1-17 team that
couldn't find water in the ocean, to a 7-11 team that just missed the playoffs. But no matter how much we improved, let's not be content with another losing season. Let's not be satisfied that we almost made the playoffs.

Be proud of your efforts last season, but be hungry for more. Your appetite for success was left unfulfilled. Be hungry for more. This year we are going to eat up the competition. We are going to be hungry all season, every game, every inning, and every play.

Its time to start the feast!

As with all feast, there is much preparation. The first step in preparing for a successful meal is setting the.......menu. That's right, the menu. So, what's on the menu?

Appetizer - Practices. Practice makes perfect they say, so let's test the theory. As we did last year, we are going to have many practices. I have a practice schedule that I will be sharing in a follow up email to this one. Practices will be fun and hard. We lacked some basic baseball fundamentals last season that we will work on. Bring your appetite.

Main Course - The Season. Time to really dig into that meal now. The appetizers only teased us, now its time to feed that hunger with some good, well-rounded, fundamental baseball. We are not happy finishing under .500. Our season will be full of tough, gritty games; smooth and quick games; and some that just flat out hit the spot. This season is gonna taste
good!

Dessert - The Playoffs. Truly a special part of any meal. But dessert is not had every time. Just like the Playoffs. something everyone wants when they sit down and look at the menu, but only few actually get to taste the spoils. We are looking at dessert, and this time we are gonna get it!

So no we have our menu set. I would say the menu looks good. Sounds like a lot to be had at the restaurant between the foul lines. Start with something light, move on to the meat, and finish with something sweet.

So, what's next? What else do you need for a fantastic feast? Well, next you need a crew to make it all happen. The crew will turn the menu into reality. They set the table. They prepare the food. They serve the food. They clean up. They make everything happen. So let's meet our crew.

Obviously I am still here. I am still gonna push, get irritated, get frustrated, be an ass, be a nice guy, and I'm still
going to Manage this team. I will coach when necessary too. It's possible as I look at our roster that I will not play as
much as I'd like. We have a strong roster and I may be able to manage during the game better if I am not in the game.

First, let's meet our newest player, Louie Bruno. He came over in a trade with the 35+ Giants. Louie is a seasoned vet with a lot of big game experience. He has been on winning teams, and has been an All-Star. He also brings a lot to the dugout. He is a very solid catcher and he knows baseball.

This leads me into our crew members lost. Both Pete and Alex were traded to the Giants for Bruno. The Giants needed
players, specifically a catcher. They also needed experience and consistency which they will get with Pete. Next is Simon.
The Padres have outright released him. There simply wasn't room for a third catcher or a third second baseman. He has been offered to try out with the Giants, though I do not know if he has been in contact. Lastly, Matt Baldwin has left. He would have been invited back, he just simply chose not to return. I was not given a specific reason, but I don't need one. His contributions to the team will be missed. Still here are the rest of you. Though there are some minor changes
within our returning crew. Jack and Jason are the returning pitchers. Yes Mike B pitches, Ju Mash pitches, I can pitch, as
well as a couple others. But like I said, some changes are taking place. Myself and Bruno are catching. Giugni and Ford
are at first. Ju Mash and myself at second. Walls and Wilson at third. Hal at short. Fisher in left. Wagoner in center. Mike B and Bob in right. Right now the crew stands at fourteen. We are looking to get one more cook. We really could use someone that can add some spice to the recipe. We have a line on someone, but only time will tell.

So that's the crew. Meet em, know em, love em. The crew is your team.

What's next? Oh yes, location. Well, we all know where. Just a matter of when. As with last year, the Padres expect all members to do their best to be at the site on time. If there is going to be an issue, just call. We had a great track record as far as attendance goes, and with fewer players, we need to keep that trend happening.

What else? Anyone? Ah yes, guests. We are gonna need some guests to enjoy the feast with. Let's all do our thing and get our families and friends involved again. We all know the more the merrier. And with the support of our families and friends, we will strive to deliver the best possible feast.

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