Padres Fanfest: The Padres and Pints Rapid Fire Poll

On Saturday the San Diego Padres held their annual Fanfest.

We met for a special episode of Padres and Pints with Padres COO and President Tom Garfinkel to discuss Fanfest, 2012 promotions, and San Diego's craft brewing scene at PETCO Park.

Mr. Garfinkel also fielded the ridiculous set of questions that have come to be known as Rapid Fire.

Now have your say with the Rapid Fire Poll . . .

The questions began with the usual content: Breakfast.




Garfinkel is a good sport regarding the Breakfasttown talk and why he shouldn't he be, really? Breakfast is fairly awesome.

Tom made an interesting point regarding breakfast in San Diego. He said that he's never stood in line for dinner in San Diego but he sure has for breakfast. Well I've stood in lines for both but none are more epic than the queues coming out of my favorite breakfast places. Hear, hear, Breakfasttown U.S.A!

I'm going to combine the next two Rapid Fire questions into one since both revolved around breakfast dishes.





Clearly there are many other choices . . . perhaps, a skillet? The above four however, were the first to pop into my head. I apologize if the absence of your breakfast mainstays has left you feeling slighted.

Tom and I began to riff during Rapid Fire and I asked him about Breakfast destinations. I'll go on record as saying, I'm a moron for not originally asking it.




As President of the Padres Tom Garfinkel is required to toe a line of political correctness which made the next question a bit wasteful. But there's no reason you can't sound off. It's not an easy one . . .




And finally a college football question to round it off. Garfinkel is a Michigan guy and I'm a Notre Dame guy but I'll amend it slightly so as not to ruffle your delicate sensibilities.




I need to set the parameters for a Notre Dame/Michigan bet with Garfinkel. Hmmm . . .

Until next time, this was your Rapid Fire!

Over At The Fro: Padres and Pints Episode 3 (Fanfest Edition)

This last weekend The 'Fro and AJM were the recipients of an excellent opportunity: a moment to sit down with Padres COO and President Tom Garfinkel. 

In a short but sweet episode of Padres and Pints we discussed the greatness of Fanfest, the 2012 promotion schedule, Craft beer at PETCO Park and the merits of breakfast. And it all took place in the bowls of PETCO under a painting of Randy Jones in the exclusive* Sony Home Plate Club.

*and dimly lit.

 Head over to RJ's Fro for the latest installment of Padres and Pints.

19 Reasons: I Got A Bat

The introduction to 19 Reasons can be read here. Here's reason One and reason Two. Officially, this is Reason Three.

Just as I had never attended Spring Training prior to 2011, Fanfest had also flown off my radar. After the 2011 Padres Fanfest I'm at a loss for why I had never attended. On a beautiful February afternoon . . .

I was stuck in the shade for the better part of the day!

Rick and Beau of RJ's Fro set up a booth in what can only be described as the rough equivalent of their mother's basement: the shaded concourse down the left field line at PETCO Park. Next to the Friarhood, the new Tucson Padres AAA affiliate, and La Poderosa (Flagship station of the San Diego Padres Spanish broadcast), we spent the day talking to Padres fans who were ready for a long and bitter off-season to finally end.

I met great people for the first time; Jordan and Jerrah from Bring Back The Brown; Geoff Young of Ducksnorts. And I continued to reinforce friendships I began during the 2010 season. In many ways this encapsulates what would become a 71-91 2011 season; being with friends and making new ones.

While we held down the fort at the 'Fro booth, a friend named Matt (@matthewverygood on twitter) was gracious enough to grab me a bat from the Padres Garage Sale. I told him to surprise me . . . and surprise me he did (insert Yoda voice). He returned with a bat autographed by the Duke* of Scrapiness, 2000 Padres stalwart Eric Owens. Ironically the only other autographed bat I own is one by Mark Kotsay . . . the guy for whom he was traded** in 2001.

*The King of Scrapiness is David Eckstein. Like you needed to be reminded.
** Matt Clement was also a part of that trade. Remember him? So long ago.

At the end of the day I got myself over to the Garage Sale where I picked up a Mark Merila jersey and a few other cool things. Because life is about the accumulation of stuff, the Garage sale alone is worth attending.

In the end I didn't fully take advantage of what Fanfest had to offer; sun; the on-field experience; the opportunities to mingle with players. But I will do those things at the 2012 Fanfest.

And I will likely add a Darrel Akerfelds jersey to the wardrobe. . .

Choosing the Right Friends and the Procurement of Stuff

A love of taco shops and Padres history has brought together the artists known as AJM and RJ's Fro. The ancillary benefits of this union have allowed AJM to tag along to cool functions like Beers with Bob, Fro on Fro with Jane Mitchell, and last but certainly not least, early entrance into events like last Saturday's Fanfest.

Fanfest was a fantastic time. Let's explore what this means...


Human Interaction Opportunities

It's cool to meet people from Twitter and the other Padre bloggers who were previously clever but faceless humans. I got to meet Geoff... errr, Bip... from Ducksnorts. This was cool because I'm a big fan of Ducksnorts. And Bip Roberts.

There were many others I met for the first time, as well. People starting a brown revolution, the guys from Lob Shots, the Tucson Padres, and a host of others. It's nice to put faces to witty comments and phony avatars.

The Garage Sale: bats

Sometimes I cannot resist purchasing memorabilia and assorted knick-knacks. When I saw people emerging from the Fanfest Garage Sale with baseball bats I could not resist. Of course the line to the sale extended to Imperial Beach so I was left to lament my losses over Twitter. As it turns out, being a crybaby to a large audience can serve as a valuable tool. I was quickly contacted by a Twitter friend who acted on my behalf in procuring an autographed Eric Owens bat.

I now own two bats which have been autographed by the previous owners. One is by the aforementioned Owens and the other is from Mark Kotsay during his time as a Padre. Quick... why is that odd? Discuss amongst yourselves...

The Garage Sale: game worn jerseys

Beautown and I were leaving Fanfest for Lolita's at day's end we passed by the Garage Sale. We could not pass up the opportunity to see what the fuss was about. I thought there was a small chance of a Joe Randa jersey having survived from the autumn of 2005 so in we entered, searching for my Holy Grail.

As I flipped through the alphabetized jerseys (the Holy Grail was not there) I sought a player that would be synonymous with the San Diego Padres. Those who have been in the Garage Sale know that this is no easy task as many of the surviving jerseys tend to be game worn from Spring Training or from those served brief cups of coffee with the Padres. As fans we often have very slim recollections of these players and their time spent in San Diego. But then I found the one... something that would fit my criteria.... it was a #71 Mark Merila game worn jersey.

For those who may have forgotten, Mark Merila was the Padres bullpen catcher up until a brain tumor left him unable to perform his duties. With the recent diagnosis of Darrel Akerfelds having cancer I thought that a tribute to one of these guys would be apropos entering 2011. The Merila #71 jersey in sand won out*.

It's nice to have a jersey with some greater significance... and in a color that the Padres front office has rejected. I'm such an iconoclast with my proclivities for brown and sand.

The Garage Sale: jersey restoration project

I have an awesome brown '84 jersey. But while awesome it is highly problematic. The jersey has the #44 and the name Peavy stitched on the back. I don't like wearing jerseys of guys who get traded. So at the time of Peavy getting dealt I had a moment of, what I shall define as, brilliance**.

I could stand to live with the #44 on the back of the jersey, a nod to Peavy's productive tenure, but I had to remove his name, lest I celebrate a player plying his trade in Chicago. I decided that risking another name in this era of Free agency was a foolhardy plan so I decided to put the following letters on the jersey... PTBNL.

The infamous Player To Be Named Later tag seemed like the perfect idea for my retro '84 jersey. Never again would I have to worry about the comings-and-goings of Padre stars and as a bonus it may be an idea built to elicit a chuckle from fans in the know. But where would I get the gold lettering that wouldn't make it look like a cheap knock off jersey?

The answer to all questions is the Padres Fanfest Garage Sale! The Padres were pedaling all kinds of randomness not the least of which were the gold letters I needed to spell out, P-T-B-N-L.

I feel good. Now I just need to find a seamstress.

The Garage Sale: patches

Another cool thing I bought was the 2003 Commemorative patch celebrating the Padres leaving Jack Murphy Stadium (The Q) for Petco Park. I bought two. No, I don't know what I'll do with them.

I can't believe that was the first Fanfest I've ever attended. That statement makes me feel like a fool. It was a great time and I didn't even get to walk around and experience everything.

Next year*** I'll be sure to shirk my duties with The Fro so I can get Mat Latos' autograph, unearth the elusive Holy Grail and simply lay down in the grass of shallow center field.

*Maybe I can get a Darrel Akerfelds jersey at next year's Garage Sale. But with all due respect to  Akerfelds... I'll first be searching for the Grail... I know it is there.
**We all have different definitions. Leave me be.
*** Next year I need to get Fro'd ...

Never tell me the odds...of the 2011 Bobblehead Line-up

At tomorrow's Fanfest down at Petco Park the Padres will unveil their give away promotions for 2011.

I'm not HUGE into the SGAs but I do like to accumulate bobbleheads so as to properly clutter my work environment. I make no apologies for this.

Two weeks ago it was revealed by Tom Garfinkel that Manager of the Year, Buddy Black, would have a bobblehead promotion in 2011 so that's one that we don't have to guess.

But what about the other four bobbleheads for the year? Running under the assumption that the Padres will put out a total of five bobbleheads as they did in 2010 then we've got some odds to make.

Han Solo hated to hear the odds. Well, Han ain't here...




Here's how I see it:

Bud Black: Off the board
Because Garfinkel said so! Dude's killer with the odds. Should have seen him with a March Madness bracket last year. I'm talking about Garfinkel not Black. Garfinkel should probably have a bobblehead.


Mat Latos: Even
This is a virtual lock. Based on his breakout season in 2010 and his controlability it would be ridiculous not to sell him as the face of the franchise. Of course, there's the whole "name on the front of the jersey, not the back" mantra expressed by Moorad and company... still a lock.


Heath Bell: 6/5
Another great "face of the franchise" pick. Could this spell a run on a PENitentiary theme for bobbleheads in 2011?


Orlando Hudson: 3/1
They've been selling the O-Dog hard since he was signed. Here for two years. I like his chances.


Will Venable: 9/2
He'll get his ABs again this year. It's nice to see a player actually play when he has his bobblehead promotion night. That's what you would get with a Venable promotion.


Cameron Maybin: 5/1
This is a good bet. Make some money here and put it on Maybin. Young, toolsy, controllable, newcomer.... that's a trifecta +1 of adjectives.


Nick Hundley: 8/1
How could I have forgotten Nick Hundley? I'm stooopid! Jump on this one. The odds are in your favor... although with few catchers in the pipeline to San Diego I'm guessing he's slated for 2012 after he establishes himself as the #1 receiver. Remember last year? It was mostly Yorvit's staff.


Ryan Ludwick: 15/1
PR machine in place to build fans' confidence in Luddy? He doesn't deserve one but I could see it happening.

Chris Denorfia: 20/1
It won't happen but I'd love to see Deno get one. He plays hard. He's gritty. He's David Eckstein and Eric Owens rolled into one... except he weighs a lot less than those two combined.


Jason Bartlett: 25/1
Similar to O-Dog. He's a newcomer signed for two years but unlikely.


Dick Enberg: 25/1
The Padres are paying him more than most players. Why not?


Mike Adams: 35/1
Part of a PENitentiary theme? That would be awesome. They could be wearing Department of Corrections uniforms and be guarding a cell full of Dodgers. Or Dodger fans.


Luke Gregerson: 35/1
See Mike Adams.


Tim Stauffer: 50/1
Great story. The one 1st round pick who has contributed a fair amount since 2003. Long shot.


Joe Thatcher: 50/1
Thatcher would be an awesome bobblehead with that funky lefty delivery. He is part of the PENitentiary... even though he pitches an average of 2/3 of an inning.


Ernesto Frieri: 75/1
These odds will plummet if a Bull Pen/ Penitentiary theme is explored... which it should be.

Cory Leubke: 1000/1
Will he even make the rotation? Part un.


Wade Leblanc: 1000/1
Will he even make the rotation? Part deux.


Aaron Harang: 4000/1
Local boy. Patrick Henry HS. SDSU. No chance. Big year places him as a dark horse contender in 2012.


Chase Headley: 5000/1
Bobblehead in 2010. Not likely. But he does deserve the opportunity at getting a left handed hitting bobblehead. The right handed version sunk him last year!

Clayton Richard: 5000/1
Bobblehead in 2010. Not likely. The ladies like Clayton though. Odds should be lower.


Kyle Blanks: 10000/1
Bobblehead in 2010. Starting in Tucson. Elbow de Tomasito Juan.


Everth Cabrera:15000/1
Bobblehead in 2010. There's literally no chance of this happening so the odds might as well be 100,000/1. He'll be in Tucson figuring things out in 2011.


I can't believe I just wrote this post...