Padre Stories

On this page you will see stories that the padres tell or stories that padres fans tell. i hope you enjoy.

My Special Memories.

As i mentioned earlyer i have met Mike Darr 3 times, and i would like to share my fond memories of him. The very 1st time i met Michael Curtis Darr i attended a baseball game in San Diego and i had gone down to the field level seats to try to get autographs like most fans did, and i saw Mike talking to a fan and then i saw him give this guy an autographed bat. Mike stepped away from this guy and i'm sorry if he is reading this but i forgot his name, and i asked him how he knew Mike Darr and he started telling me that he had known him for a while and they were really good friends. then mike came back to talk to him and this man was very very nice and introduced me to Mike i introduced myself to him and he started to laugh and he looked at me with a big smile and said thats my wifes name. he had to leave and he glanced up at me and said it was nice to meet you Natalie he winked at me and walked away. The 2nd time i ran into Mike was on player photo day 2001. The players were walking around letting fans take pictures with them and of them. Mike walked up to me with Ben Davis and he smiled and said hi i was saprised he had remembered me then i asked if i could take a picture and he smiled put his arms behind his back and i took the picture after that he walked away. The 3rd and final time i ran into Mike was after a home game it was the last game against AZ for the 2001 season i was standing by the player parking lot because i was waiting for Steve Finley to come out and Steve left with his wife Amy and kids he got on the bus to take him to the airport to go back to AZ his kid were crying awwww it was soooooo sad. Then it was getting dark and finally i figured i should go home but then Mike drove off in a red F150 i believe it wasand i stoped and looked at him and he waved and said hi and drove off then Ben Davis stopped to sign autographs for the people that were there and about three secerity guards were there after Ben left Phil Nevin stopped to sign, and i had seen Mike drive by about 2 times i ignored it it was just about sunset and the security guards told us to go home beacuse everyone had left already so everyone started to pack thier thing and the guards turned and walked away from us about 2 min after the guards left Mike pulles up and he started to sign autographs when one of the guards saw him and they started to run back i was talking to Mike when one of the gurads grabbed my arm and pulled me aways from his car. Mike got sooo mad and started to yell at them he told them that they had no right to do that and he told them to pact their stuff and go home he told them that if they ever did that in front of him again he would get them fired. I turned and looked at him and i handed him my ball and asked for an autograph he laughed and said yes. as he was handing my ball back to me i asked if i could take a picture and he said yes, so i took it and he gave me a hug and said he had to go and he took off. That was the last time i saw Mike i was so excited for the next season to start because i think i could of gotten to know Mike very well. i will never forget the day i heard the news of his death i was baby sitting and i turned the news on when my brother called me and said hay i got some bad news and i was scared i thought it was in the family and i asked him what had happened he told me your fave player died in a car crash today at the time i had three fave players and he said yeah Mike Darr died in a car accident today and i said oh..i was shocked after i hung up the phone i turned the news on every tv in the house to get more info i saw his wife on tv talking about the accident and i couldnt help but cry i cried sooooo much that day. To me Mike Darr was a friend and a lot of people thing that he was stupid and irreasponsible for what happened they say he was the one resonsible for the death of his good friend Duane Johnson to me i don't think he was responsible for anything all three of them Mike, Duane, & Ben are responsible for what happened they did not help each other out and they were all drunk or they had been drinking. Even though Mike was driveing all 3 of them are responsible for themselves it wasnt just Mike's fault. I think the padres should have a Mike Darr day or at least something in his remembrance. Thats what would make me happy and if we went to the world series this year ha ha ha. GO PADRES.

Just one of my favorite Mike Darr Memories:

Television broadcast at Pac Bell. June 2001. Mike's in center. Wind blowing out to left, with gusts.

Ball hit to left-center. Mike runs to where he thinks it's going-then-whoosh-he had to really stre-ee-tch and leaps up to get it.

Giants' broadcast shows Mike's vocal and body reaction immediately after the play. Up-close.

Giant's announcers version of lip-reading Mike: "Wow! I barely got to that one!"

My lip-reading: "F---! I barely got to that one!" He used his entire body to show his surprise. Then broke into a huge grin while looking at another outfielder.

I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair. It was sooo obviously not "Wow".

A friend and I met Mike last year outside of Pac Bell Park after a Giants-Padres game. He was standing near the curb. We started talking to him about his arm hurting (it was injured at the time). He chatted for quite awhile. He was very nice, very approachable. He took pictures with us, signed things. No problem.

Rest In Peace, Michael Curtis Darr. I miss you.

Denise Stafford
Pleasanton, California

Wrigley fan throws cellphone at Padres' Burroughs

CHICAGO, April 24 (AFP) For the second time in a week, a cellphone was thrown at a major league baseball player.

San Diego Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs said the cellphone grazed off his right foot shortly after Mark Grudzielanek grounded out in the eighth inning of the Padres' 2-1 win at Wrigley Field.

"I turned around and something hit my foot. I looked down and I saw the cellphone sitting there," Burroughs said. "I was stunned at first. It's dangerous, and it could hit you in the head, especially if it comes from on top with some velocity."

Burroughs handed the cellphone to third base umpire Gary Darling. A Cubs spokeswoman said it has been handed over to Chicago police, but that no arrest has been made.

"I guess it's just immature fans," Burroughs said. "I don't know if they were mad or what."
"I've been here for many years and I don't see fans at Wrigley Field attacking anyone, so I'm kind of shocked," Cubs outfielder Sammy Sosa said.

Texas Rangers outfielder Carl Everett was beaned in the back of the head with a cellphone last Saturday in a game at Oakland.

It is the third incident of rowdy behavior in Chicago in the past year. On 15 April, a fan ran out onto the field at US Cellular Field and tackled an umpire in a game between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox. Last September, Royals coach Tom Gamboa was attacked by two fans at the same stadium.

Steve Finley BIGGEST fan!!

It was the final game against AZ in 2003 as i mentioned before i am a huge Steve Finley fan i LOVE Steve Finley and i made a sign that said "Steve Finleys BIGGEST fan!" and i remember Mark Grace, Steve Finley, Luise Gonzalez, and some other guy were sitting there stretching and Mark Grace started to say "STEVE FINLEY'S BIGGEST FAN THAT SHOULD SAY MARK GRACE'S BIGGEST FAN!!" Finley laughed and Gonzo and the other unknown guy stared making fun of Mark cuz i was too young. Myself and some AZ fans were talking baseball when Mark kept blerting out stuff to me and on the other side of my poster i had "Mark Kotsay's Biggest fan" and the AZ fans i was talking to started to tell Grace that i had Mark's biggest fan on the other side but not Grace and he started to make fun of Mark Kotsay but he was just joking around. Then Gonzo & the Unknown guys were making fun of Steve and Steve rolled his eyes and got up came over to me and signed a 1998 shirt that i had and he signed my sign as well then he said it's nice to know that i still have fans here in San Diego and i said i will always be a Padres fan and as long as your still around i will be a fan of yours. I introduced myself and he shook my hand and he said nice to meet you and he signed for others and he took off. that is my favorite memory of Steve FInley. STEVE EVEN THOUGH I HATE LA I AM STILL YOUR FAN!! KEEP THAT IN MIND!

So my best buddy gets traded...

So i hear one of my best buddy's Jeff Cirillo gets traded and i wanted to know more so i go online and start reading the article its starts "Jeff Cirillo gets traded to padres along with Brian Sweeney" wiat...Sweeney?? thats me! so i start yelling CONNIE CONNIE! is that me is that my name!... connie: "looks like it" next day i get the call Brian we traded you.... Brian: "i know i read it online"

-Brian Sweeney at Madres Lunch July 15th 2006

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