Major Leaguers Inspire Local Students
By Tracy Rolling

Padres pitcher Trevor Hoffman smiles as he praises the community for its spirit.Photos By Tracy Rolling

San Diego Padres scored a home run with fire survivors and students at a meet-and-greet held at Ramona High School last month.

Organized by Principal Tony Newman and San Diego Padres Vice President, Community Relations, Michele Anderson, the event began with a warm round of applause as Newman introduced six players from the Padres baseball team.

Justin Germano, Drew Macias, Brian Myrow, Michael Barrett, Paul McAnulty and Trevor Hoffman personally carved out time to visit Ramona as part of the Padres Winter Warm-up Promotional Tour.

The tour is a week long affair where various players visit schools, hospitals and charities all over San Diego and Riverside County.

"It is 10 years on-going," says Anderson, who shares they have already visited Temecula, East Lake and Escondido this week.

Even the Friar joined in as cameras flashed and Newman thanked the Padres Organization and high school staff members for helping organize the cherished experience.

The Friar poses with Ramona High School staff member Joe Edwards.

Instead of baseballs, players fielded questions from members of the audience, which consisted of fire survivors and high school Softball and Baseball programs.

"Four secondary schools in Ramona were invited to participate," said Newman, who was excited to give kids the opportunity to meet some professional ballplayers.

Notecards were available for spectators to write a question that could either be directed at a specific player or the entire panel.

Padres Catcher #4, Michael Barrett, communicated a powerful message when asked

a two-part question, "What happens when you make a mistake? And what can you do to refocus?"

Barrett answered, "Failure can be a mark for success. It's not about how hard you get knocked down - it's about how fast you can get back up." He also said he never takes being a professional ballplayer for granted and always counts his blessings.

Ramona High School Principal Tony Newman welcomes Padres Vice President, Community Relations, Michele Anderson as she disembarks from the Padres bus.

That was certainly the theme of the day as Padres star pitcher Trevor Hoffeman spoke on behalf of the team, expressing praise to the fire survivors for showing courage and dedication.

"The spirit of your community says a lot," says Hoffman, who humbly answered a question about one day being added to the National Baseball's Hall of Fame.

"Cooperstown is flattering and composed of a special paternity of people. Whether or not I make it to that level," said Hoffman, "only time will tell."

Hoffman echoed the importance of making the right decisions and living a quality life.

Each teammate shared brief stories about their favorite subjects in school, favorite all-time ballplayer, and recollected the first time on the field as a Padre.

At one point the entire panel nodded their heads as Barrett said, "I couldn't ask for a better job."

Ramona High Varsity Softball player Kristina Wright poses in-between Brian Myrow and Michael Barrett.

Another question poised was, "What is your biggest challenge?"

Center Fielder Drew Macias replied, "After one week in the big leagues I knew how hard it was to earn a spot. I think the biggest challenge is not earning it, but keeping it."

Pitcher Justin Germano added, "Baseball is a game of adjustments. You have to know when to adjust."

"Health," said Barrett "Is the biggest challenge. If we could overcome that hurdle alone, we'll be where we need to be."

All of the players were well spoken and inspirational to the nearly 220 people in attendance.

As if an intimate visit with the legendary players wasn't enough, the entire auditorium was invited to visit center stage where the players would autograph memorabilia and pose for snapshots.

Padres autograph memorabilia for Ramona enthusiasts.

Before the event concluded with complimentary pizza donated by Oggi's Pizza, Newman gave one last thanks to Padres, staff members and students for participating in a priceless event.

To learn more about your favorite Padre ballplayers or for a complete 2008 schedule visit http://padres.mlb.com.

Six professional ballplayers from the San Diego Padres Organization answer questions from a fan-filled auditorium. Welcome banners created by students greet the Padres' bus at the Ramona High School entrance.