Visit San Diego, California, and watch a Padres baseball game through the eyes of a little girl. She learns how baseball is played, but more importantly, that spending time with her daddy is fun. Meet the jolly Swinging Friar and root for the Padres from your home.

The San Diego Padres became a National League expansion team in 1969. Through 37 seasons of play, the Padres have never won a World Series, never had a pitcher throw a no-hitter, and never had a player hit for the cycle. They have, however, made it to the World Series twice, had three different pitchers win the Cy Young Award, and had a player tie Honus Wagner for most National League batting titles (eight). They almost lost the franchise to Washington, D.C., had an owner take the public address microphone on opening day to blast his own players, and created national headlines when a nationally-known comedienne performed her version of the national anthem before a game.Longtime Padres announcer Bob Chandler knows the details behind all of these stories and shares his memories with San Diego baseball historian Bill Swank in an easy-to-read recap of the team's colorful past. They also look at many other stories: sick and severely dehydrated on the trainer's table, Ken Caminiti had an IV removed from his arm, ate a Snickers bar, then hit two home runs against the New York Mets in Mexico; the comic relief provided by the San Diego Chicken during the Padres lean years; and how popular Padre Tim Flannery became the mascot - a cross between a dinosaur and an anteater.Chandler and Swank utilize their numerous contacts to bring fans many inside stories and humorous anecdotes dating back to the team's actual birth on May 27, 1968. Eight-time batting champion Tony Gwynn and Cy Young Award-winner Randy Jones are among the former players providing insight and inside stories. Chandler's longtime broadcast partner Jerry Coleman, elected to the broadcasters' wing of the baseball Hall of Fame in 2005, has written the foreword. A colorful collection of owners, managers, coaches, and players over the years lends themselves to many interesting tales from the dugout, which all adds up to an informative, insider's look at the behind-the-scenes events that have shaped the history of the San Diego Padres.

This book completes the series of histories of the clubs and players responsible for making baseball the national pastime that began with Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (McFarland 2011). Forty clubs and hundreds of pioneer players from the first hotbeds of New York City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts are profiled by leading experts on baseball's early years. The subjects include legendary clubs such as the Knickerbockers of New York, the Eckfords and Atlantics of Brooklyn, the Athletics of Philadelphia, and Harvard's first baseball clubs, and fabled players like Jim Creighton, Dickey Pearce, and Daniel Adams, but space is also given to less well remembered clubs such as the Champion Club of Jersey City and the Cummaquids of Barnstable, Massachusetts. What united all of these founders of the game was that their love of baseball during its earliest years helped to make it the national pastime.

The New York Times bestseller from the author of The Bullpen Gospels. “A humorous, candid and insightful memoir . . . Grade: Home Run.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer After six years in the minors, pitcher Dirk Hayhurst hopes 2008 is the year he breaks into the big leagues. But every time Dirk looks up, the bases are loaded with challenges—a wedding balancing on a blind hope, a family in chaos, and paychecks that beg Dirk to ask, “How long can I afford to keep doing this?” Then it finally happens—Dirk gets called up to the Majors, to play for the San Diego Padres. A dream comes true when he takes the mound against the San Francisco Giants, kicking off forty insane days and nights in the Bigs. Like the classic games of baseball’s history, Out of My League entertains from the first pitch to the last out, capturing the gritty realities of playing on the big stage, the comedy and camaraderie in the dugouts and locker rooms, and the hard-fought, personal journeys that drive our love of America’s favorite pastime. “A rare gem of a baseball book.”—Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated “Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious.”—Bob Costas “A fun read . . . This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life.”—Keith Olbermann “Entertaining and engaging . . . reminiscent of Jim Bouton’s Ball Four.”—Booklist “The book is a terrific read. If you loved Bullpen Gospels (I’d have a hard time believing you are a baseball fan if you didn’t) you will love Out of My League too.”—Bluebird Banter

From the first third-generation player in Major League history, a sometimes moving, always candid inside look at his family’s seventy years in baseball A five-foot-ten fireball questioned by scouts because of his small stature, supposed lack of power, and cocky attitude, Bret Boone didn’t care about family legacy as he fought his way to the Major Leagues in 1992; he wanted to make his own way. He did just that, building a career that featured three All-Star appearances, four Gold Gloves, a bout with alcohol­ism, and the mixed blessing of being traded three times. But now that he’s coaching minor leaguers half his age—and his fifteen-year-old son has the potential to be the first fourth-generation Major Leaguer—Bret has a new perspective on his remarkable family, with its ten All-Star appearances, 634 home runs, 3,139 RBIs, and countless kitchen-table debates about the game’s great­est players. For the first time, he’s ready to share his adventures as part of the sport’s First Family. Infused with Bret’s candor and deep love of the game, Home Game traces baseball’s evolution—on the field and behind the scenes—from his grandfa­ther Ray’s era in the 1950s to his father Bob’s in the ’70s and ’80s to the one he shared with his brother Aaron in the ’90s and 2000s—sometimes called the PED era—when players made millions, dined on lobster in the clubhouse, and, in some cases, indulged in performance-enhancing drugs. Along the way, his book also touches on Boone family lore, from Ray playing with his hero Ted Williams and Bob winning a World Series with the 1980 Phillies to Bret’s flop in a nationally televised home-run derby and Aaron’s historic home run in the 2003 playoffs. Blending nostalgia, close analysis of the game, insight into baseball’s un­written codes, and controversial thoughts on its future as a sport and a busi­ness, Bret Boone offers a one-of-a-kind look at the national pastime—from the colorful, quotable scion of a family whose business is baseball.

Most Padres fans have taken in a game or two at PETCO Park, have seen highlights of Steve Garvey, and remember the 1984 and 1998 World Series runs. But only real fans know the significance of .394, the original team colors, or how long Benito Santiago's hitting streak lasted. 100 Things Padres Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die is the ultimate resource for true fans of the San Diego Padres. Whether you're a die-hard booster from the days of Ollie Brown or a recent supporter of the team, these are the 100 things every fan needs to know and do in their lifetime. Padres writer Kirk Kenney has collected every essential piece of Padres knowledge and trivia, as well as must-do activities, and ranks them all from 1 to 100, providing an entertaining and easy-to-follow checklist as you progress on your way to fan superstardom.

"The best writer in a baseball uniform." --Tyler Kepner, The New York Times After nearly a decade in the minors, Dirk Hayhurst defied the odds to climb onto the pitcher's mound for the Toronto Blue Jays. Newly married, with a big league paycheck and a brand new house, Hayhurst was ready for a great season in the Bigs. Then fate delivered a crushing hit. Hayhurst blew out his pitching shoulder in an insane off-season workout program. After surgery, rehab, and more rehab, his major-league dreams seemed more distant than ever. From there things got worse, weirder, and funnier. In a crazy world of injured athletes, autograph-seeking nuns, angry wrestlers, and trainers with a taste for torture, Hayhurst learned lessons about the game--and himself--that were not in any rulebook. Honest, soul'searching, insightful, hilarious, and moving, Dirk Hayhurst's latest memoir is an indisputable baseball classic. Praise for The Bullpen Gospels and Out of My League "Dirk Hayhurst writes about baseball in a unique way. Observant, insightful, human, and hilarious." --Bob Costas "A fun read. . .This book shows why baseball is so often used as a metaphor for life." --Keith Olbermann "Entertaining and engaging. . .reminiscent of Jim Bouton's Ball Four." --Booklist "A rare gem of a baseball book." --Tom Verducci, Sports Illustrated "A humorous, candid, and insightful memoir of Hayhurst's rookie season in the majors. . .Grade: Home Run." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

Workers' compensation is an all-too-often abused, misunderstood, complex, and sometimes poorly managed process that is very costly to an organization. This book is designed to aid HR administrators to effectively manage this process to lower recordable claims, reduce the number of litigated claims, and garner employee support. All with the intent to lower experience modification rate and premiums.

No sport provides a better opportunity to document the fan experience than baseball. Fantography: San Diego Baseball features amateur photographs taken by real fans--ballpark memories that often reach beyond the game-winning hit or strikeout pitch. Within these pages is an assortment of images that peers into the Padres' Pacific Coast League days, the early years of struggling in the National League, the 1984 World Series season, and its recent years. Featured are household names like Tony Gwynn, Jerry Coleman, and Trevor Hoffman, as well as more forgotten players, managers, broadcasters, and ballparks. These are your snapshots, and they are from your personal albums. These images are accompanied by many Padres stories--your stories--that have never before seen print.

Gladie is getting married! Everyone is consumed with last-minute plans for the town’s most anticipated wedding. It looks like Gladie and Spencer are finally going to get their happy ending. But a new friend is in trouble, and Gladie is determined to help her. Soon, love has to take a backseat to murder. With a murderer on the loose, will Gladie’s wedding get derailed, or will Gladie and Spencer finally say their vows? It’s a Wonderful Knife is the 10th installment of the hilarious Matchmaker Mysteries Series. Matchmaker Mysteries…Sometimes love comes with a few dead ends.