San Diego Padres: The First Half Century

San Diego Padres: The First Half Century captures some of the great players to wear a Padres uniform and takes baseball fans through some of the more memorable dates in Padres history. Not just dates that we always read about but the ones that truly tell the story of the franchise. If you’re a longtime Padres fan or baseball fan, you’ll enjoy the wonderful stories put together by SABR on the first 50 years of the Padres franchise. Includes a foreword by Randy Jones and an Afterword by Major Garrett.San Diego Padres: The First Half Century is the collaborative work of 51 members of the Society for American Baseball Research. It tells the stories of 25 Padres players—from Ashby to Winfield—several team executives and media members, the ballparks, and even a biography of The San Diego Chicken. You'll There are more than 25 accounts of standout games in franchise history and a few other features as well."I’m proud to be in the Padres Hall of Fame and have my number, 35, retired but more proud of the friends I’ve made and people I’ve met with my association with the Padres. Reading these stories has certainly brought many of those memories and I can’t thank SABR enough for writing them."—from the Foreword by Randy JonesPLAYERSAndy Ashby Steve FerenchickHeath Bell by Geoff YoungAndy Benes by Alan CohenKen Caminiti by Paul DoutrichNate Colbert by Gregory H. WolfDave Dravecky by Wayne StrumpferSteve Finley by Bill ParkerTim Flannery by Bob WebsterCito Gaston by Alfonso L TusaBrian Giles by Mark HodermarskyTony Gwynn by Dan D’AddonaTrevor Hoffman by Max MannisRandy Jones by Alan CohenTerry Kennedy by David E. SkeltonClay Kirby Charles F. FaberRyan Klesko by Joel RippelCraig Lefferts by Steve WestPhil Nevin by Joel Rippel Jake Peavy by Gerard KwileckiGene Richards by Michael SeeBenito Santiago by Thomas J. Brown Jr.Eric Show by John StahlGarry Templeton by Nick WaddellWill Venable by Jay HurdDave Winfield by Doug SkipperMANAGERS, EXECUTIVES, MEDIABud Black by Nick WaddellBruce Bochy by Thomas J. Brown Jr.Bob Chandler by Tom LarwinJerry Coleman by C. Paul Rogers IIIRay & Joan Kroc by Bob LeMoineJack McKeon by Thomas J. Brown Jr.Eduardo Ortega by Jorge IberElten Schiller by Tom LarwinKevin Towers by Mark SouderDick Williams by Eric AronSPRING TRAINING, STADIA, AND THE CHICKENSpring Training in Yuma by Jim PatrickSan Diego Stadium / Jack Murphy Stadium/ Qualcomm Stadium by Curt SmithPetco Park by Mike Madigan and Dave NielsenTed Giannoulas / The San Diego Chicken by Fred O. RodgersNOTABLE GAMESApril 8, 1969: Padres Win Inaugural Game by Gregory FunkJuly 21, 1970: Clay Kirby’s Near No-HitterJune 18, 1972: Arlin One Strike Away from No-hitterAugust 1, 1972: Colbert’s Record-Setting DayJune 10, 1974: Padres Overcome Eighth-inning 8-0 Deficit to WinOctober 1, 1978: Gaylord Perry Gets 3,000th Career Strikeout and Ozzie Smith Performs his First Pregame BackflipJuly 19, 1982: Tony Gwynn’s First HitAugust 12, 1984: A Day at the Brawl Park October 6, 1984: Another Clutch Moment for Steve GarveyOctober 7, 1984: Padres Come from Behind Again to Claim 1984 NLCS October 10, 1984: Win One for the FriarsOctober 1, 1989: Gwynn Edges Clark on Last Day for Batting CrownAugust 16, 1996: A Mexican Baseball FiestaAugust 18, 1996: The End of La Primera Serie: Padres and MetsSeptember 29, 1996: Padres Sweep Dodgers for NL West TitleOctober 14, 1998: Hitchcock Leads Padres to the Fall Classicand more! Read more