Happy Super Bowl Day everyone!!! I’m sure many of you would rather be getting ready to watch the Chargers in the big game but a Pittsburgh v. Green Bay matchup has the potential to be an entertaining game. To honor the memory of my dad, I will be cheering hard for the Packers.
 
Anyway, we’ve reached the end of the road for my posts on my Friars All Time team. Today …

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today released details surrounding 2011 FanFest, including a complete schedule of clinics, forums and autograph signings. FanFest returns to PETCO Park on Saturday, February 12, and is open to the public.

Entry to Padres FanFest is free.  Gates open to the general public at 10:00 a.m., while Padres Season Ticket Holders get early access at 9:00 a.m.  The event will run until 5:00 …

The 2010 Padres did an amazing job winning 90 games.  They were able to catch the interest of the city and for the first time since the 2006 season they made baseball relevant in San Diego.  As the casual fans transition from football back to baseball they will notice that some familiar faces from 2010 are no longer with the Padres.

Traded:

- Adrian Gonzalez – Boston Red …

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Diego Padres today announced that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Samuel Deduno off waivers from the Colorado Rockies and designated infielder/outfielder Oscar Salazar for assignment.  Executive Vice President/General Manager Jed Hoyer made the announcement.

Deduno, 27, made his Major League debut in 2010 with the Rockies, allowing one run over four relief appearances (2.2 IP).  Originally signed by the Rockies as a non-drafted free …

Since there are so many changes to the Padres roster from last year to now it seems appropriate to address the issue of who will be on the bench for the team this year. Had it not been for the depth of the 2010 Padres bench they would not have gotten as far as they did during the season. Since the type of team that the front office has to …

With all 8 position players named, it’s time to move on to my All-Time pitching staff. For this I will select 2 starting pitchers (1 righty and 1 lefty) and 2 relievers (also 1 righty and 1 lefty). Starters must have made a minimum of 100 starts or roughly 3 full seasons worth, to be eligible. Relievers need to have appeared in at least 150 games to qualify. Today it’s …

The Padres held their annual awards dinner on Wednesday night and I was invited, along with a handful of local bloggers (gaslampball, ducksnorts, and rjsfro) to attend the festivities.  For those of you that follow on Twitter you were able to follow along with me throughout the event.

Prior to the start of the event, guests had an opportunity to take pictures with Padres’ greats such as Dave Winfeld and …

QUICK STATS:
San Diego Padres #21
Height: 6-3 Weight: 250
Bats/Throws: R / R
Seasons: 7
DOB: 9/29/1977
AGE:  33
 
Some relief pitchers like to stroll out of the bullpen on their way to the mound.  In the old days, they were even driven out in a cart.  But when Padres Manager Buddy Black barks out, “Gimme Bell,” and that bullpen door opens, Heath Bell puts it into high gear and full-out runs to the mound.  And …

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Diego Padres announced today that they have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with infielder Jorge Cantu and have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with right-handed pitcher Greg Burke with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.  Executive Vice President/General Manager Jed Hoyer made the announcements.

Cantu, 28, spent the 2010 season between the Florida Marlins and Texas …

At long last the Tucson Padres have unveiled their team logo. Tucson is the Pacific Coast League’s newest team and top minor league club of the San Diego Padres. The new logo was designed by the San Diego Padres Creative Services Department and incorporates the old style Padres lettering from 1978 – 1984 with the current Padres colors. The logo has a Tucson feel with the artistic addition of the …

I had an opportunity to meet with some Future Padres while they were in town for the Padres new Winter Development Program.  You can hear the interviews below.  The interviews will also be on Friarhood Radio, which is available FREE on iTunes. 
James Darnell
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Just when I thought this was going to get easy it got hard. Today is OF day for my Padres All Time team and with 2 guys wearing Padres caps on their Hall-of-Fame plaques, I figured finding a 3rd to accompany them would be relatively simple. Then I started looking at the candidates.

Have you seen the new Friarhood Shop? (A big thanks goes out to Turnkeywebtools.com)
We have a variety of shirts for men and ladies and we are excited to announce the newest addition…The “Penitentiary” shirts.
 
As we creep up on the 2011 season it is time dust off your baseball gear and represent.  Purchasing a shirt from the Friarhood Shop shows that you are not only a Padres fan, but you are …

The Mexican, Dominican, Puerto Rican and Venezuelan winter leagues are in the playoffs for their respective leagues during January.  Their regular season finished at the end of December with the playoffs finishing later this week to beginning of next week and the Caribbean Series beginning Feb. 2. The Australian league season ends Jan 22 with playoffs beginning Jan 27.
Some notable stats for the Padres players involved in winter league play …

TUCSON, AZ – The Tucson Padres, Triple-A Affiliate of the San Diego Padres, have announced season tickets are now available for the 2011 season. The Padres are playing this spring and summer at Kino Stadium (formerly Tucson Electric Park). The home schedule consists of 68 home games, featuring top dates like Opening Night on Friday, April 15th vs. Salt Lake, and the Fourth of July game against Reno. Ticket packages …

Below is a letter I’ve sent to the Padres stating my displeasure with Petco Park’s dimensions.  I strongly urge everyone to write the Padres and voice their opinion on any and all topics.  
 You can E-mail the Padres here. 
 You can send a letter to:
 San Diego Padres
P. O. Box 122000
San Diego, CA 92112-2000

 You can even call the Padres at (619) 795-5000 or (619) 795-5555
 

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The San Diego Padres today announced that they have agreed to terms on one-year contracts with right-handed pitchers Mike Adams, Heath Bell and Tim Stauffer, infielder Chase Headley and outfielder Ryan Ludwick.  Executive Vice President/General Manager Jed Hoyer made the announcements.

Adams, 32, went 4-1 with a 1.76 ERA (13 ER/66.2 IP) and 73 strikeouts against 23 walks in a career-high 70 relief appearances for …

The Padres finished 2nd in all of baseball with a 2.91 team ERA in 2010 (second only to the 2.90 ERA posted by the World Series champion Giants). While the Padres will be hard-pressed to post a second consecutive sub-3.00 accumulative team ERA they should again be among the leaders (usually in low-mid 3’s).
The rotation boasts one legitimate ace, Mat Latos, and several guys who profile as #3 starters (or …

Welcome to the 3rd edition of my Friars all-time team. Today we round out our starting infield after selecting; 1B Adrian Gonzalez, 2B Mark Loretta and SS Ozzie Smith previously. In addition to picking the guy we want manning the hot corner, we are going to look at a few of the catchers who have donned the gear for the Padres in their history and select the best fit for …

Padre Profile:  Manager Harry (“Buddy”) Ralston Black
 
Quick Stats:
* 15 Seasons in MLB as pitcher
* 121 winning games in career
* Won World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 1985 as a player
* Won World Series in 2002 with Anaheim Angels as a pitching coach
* 1992 inductee into the SDSU Hall of Fame
* 2010 NL Manager of the Year Award
 
Buddy Black is a California native born in San Mateo, CA and …