The Padres Hire Craig Stammen as Manager

The Padres Hire Craig Stammen as Manager

Uh this is a great occasion for us on this very special day. A warm welcome to all of our viewers who are joining us right now on MLB Network as well as padres.com and listening at 973 the fan. We are thrilled today to officially introduce our new manager Craig Stamon. Joining Craig on the stage is Padres’s president of baseball operations and general manager AJ Prowller. We’ll begin today’s program with opening remarks from AJ before Craig puts on the Padres’s Brown and Gold yet again. This time as our new manager. Craig will also have a statement and then we will open it up for questions at that point. AJ, please take it away. Thanks, Don. U obviously excited here today to announce Craig as our next manager. Uh Craig’s joined by his wife Audrey. uh his children Chase, Summit, Ty, and Cece, his parents, Jeff and Connie, and his brother Brent. Uh they’ve been been a big part of the Padre family, and I know over the course of the last last couple weeks, big part of this decision. So excited to see everybody again. Um you know, uh how do we get here? I think, uh you know, it’s obviously it’s been uh kind of a decade in the making in terms of, you know, minor league free agency. Uh Craig was was a target guy for us. Um you know, kind of leaving leaving the Nats and uh we actually lost a heated recruiting battle with the with the Cleveland Guardians at the time. Um Andy Green self-proclaimed was our closer and never lost a battle except on trying to sign Craig at that time. He signed with Cleveland, chose Ruben over over the pods at that time. And uh but the next year we’re able to line up on Craig. He was coming back from an arm injury. Um, and it was pretty clear in spring training that uh, you know, that he was he was you know what what what’s made him a quality big league pitcher you could see pretty quickly in terms of the ability to throw strikes, change speeds, field disposition. Um, and that that was pretty obvious from minute one. I think the the the part that was that was fun to watch over the course of that first season and and the years to come were the reasons why he’s in this chair here today. um you know, an elite competitor, uh incredibly hard worker, very prepared, and a natural leader and somebody that, you know, as a pitcher was able to touch different elements of our clubhouse, um and be able to bond and and and connect with different players in that clubhouse over the course of a seven, eight year period here with San Diego. Um you know, I think he’s, you know, Craig has a unique seat and a unique lens. You know, he’s he was part of those building teams. Um, and then he’s been able to see it through to the playoff teams and the teams that uh that have that have have won 90 plus games here the last two years. So, um, you know, he’s been part of some really really high highs, you know, no hitters and, you know, teams that uh, again, like Craig starting a playoff game, I think, which is a definitely a career highlight. Um, starting game three for us against the Cardinals. Um, then also been, you know, had a front row seat to some of the disappointments of the last few years. And I think he’s going to carry those experiences uh with him here in this in this chair. Um you know, one thing specific that stood out for me that COVID season, it was kind of a weird time, you know, that 2020 year and all of us kind of figuring out what to do, life, baseball, um but as an organization, you know, there were a lot of decisions that came up that year where was a true partnership between players, staff, Eric, myself, Ron, Peter, and just a lot of lot of conversations about, you know, how do we go about this? How do we go about practicing getting ready for the year? How do we go about keeping people, you know, healthy and safe? And, you know, seeing Craig at that time, I was able to see him from a different lens, you know, as not just as a pitcher, not just as a leader in the clubhouse, but somebody that can make good decisions for the organization. And there were a lot of conversations week to week, dayto day about how do we do this? U what’s best for the Padres’s, what’s best for a group of people, what’s best for families. Um and and I think when we came out of that process, Josh and myself, I think we we knew at that point in time that hey, hopefully Craig is pitching here for a long time, but you know, when he does decide to hang him up, we want him here in the organization, you know, as part of as part of a leadership team and and maybe one day sitting in a chair like this. Um I remember too there’s there’s a day we were sitting in a boardroom with Ron and Peter and I think we’ve all seen seen employees when they’re around their boss and maybe say what the boss wants to hear. Um, and Craig was, you know, looking at looking at, you know, at the owners of the Padres’s and explaining to them in a very wellthoughtout, you know, detailed manner why maybe a different path was better for us in that season at that point in time. And it was just very impressive to see somebody that had taken in a lot of opinions, could take in different information, maybe not uh go down the path that uh that would have been the easiest path at that time in terms of a decision. And um, you know, so when you see that, it’s it’s uh, you know, again, it’s pretty special. And that stuck with me and with Josh as we’ve kind of got gun gone about this process for sure. You know, over the last couple weeks, uh, wide range of candidates, you know, and we go through this process, you get a chance to talk to some very bright minds in the game. Talked to tremendous ex players. We’ve talked to upand cominging, uh, you know, coaches in the minor leagues, talked to coaches internally in in in our building that are that are tremendous coaches and tremendous leaders. I think a common theme you get some feedback from from people throughout the industry. A common theme is you know a lot of the you just just a lot of the excellence in the Padre organization right now and a team that um you know that has done a lot of good things over the last five or six years. And I think for Craig, um, you know, the familiarity that he has with with that process with our people, um, that kept coming through for me and for Josh. I mean, he’s a guy that has played and and and, you know, been in a locker room with some of our core players and understands what makes them tick. Uh, the last couple years with Shilty and the staff, he saw some really good processes that, you know, he understands things that that that lead to winning and that he can help continue and help continue to grow. Um, sitting in bi-weekly meetings with our R&D team. um you know every few weeks and getting a a different view from from the game in terms of you know um some information that that helped us be successful sitting in trade discussions and conversations with our front office. Um you know and I think he has a a very clear understanding that what’s been what’s been very good there’s still another step and what we need to do to be great. So I know nationally it may be a little bit of a surprise in terms of the choice and the selection. Um, but I think anybody I think for anybody that’s been around Craig here in San Diego, um, you know, familiar with him and, you know, definitely for everybody in this in this room, I think it was, uh, I think it was a pretty easy fit. We’re super excited to name Craig as the next manager. The Padres. Thanks, A. [Applause] 14. All right. Good. All right, AJ, thanks for those kind words. Make me sound way better than what even my wife would probably say about me. Um, you know, obviously a special day for me, special day for my family. I’d like to thank John and Eric and AJ and Josh uh you know part of the decision-making crew in this process of believing in me and allowed me this opportunity to be in a leadership role with the Padres’s. Uh the Padres’s have been a big part of my family. They feel like family to me. They’ve treated me like family uh since back in 2017, I guess maybe even 2016 when you were trying to recruit me. And I said no the first time, but uh it’s been a yes ever since. And uh you know obviously family is a big part of of who I am and what I believe in. Got a lot of my family here today. Uh Audrey, my wife, is was a big part of this decision and uh without her there this would not have been a yes and she was all in excited. Um couldn’t have been more on my side. So I’m very thankful for her. I’m blessed to have an amazing wife. Uh and then we have four beautiful kids that um you know you guys are going to be right by my side in this whole thing. Uh, I can’t wait to hug you guys after the games, win or lose. That’s probably the the most favorite thing I had as a player and now I get to experience it as a manager also. And then my mom, dad, and brother, you know, big part of my family growing up. You guys raised me. You did a good job. Uh, I think, but I’m proud of you guys being my mom and dad and and what you guys stand for and hope to bring those values to the Padres’s and make you proud through this entire process. Uh, and I think that’s what it’s about. It’s about this organization and about making the fan base, the Frier Faithful proud of of the product that we put on the field and the way that we treat people and the way that we take care of our families. And so, uh, I’m excited to start that process, be a leader in that process within the coaching staff and within the clubhouse. And, uh, hopefully that leads to us taking this organization to a place that we haven’t been yet, but we’ve set as goals that Peter set as a goal a long time ago. And, uh, I’m excited to start that process and get it going. With that, we’ll open it up for questions and we’ll start with Kevin AC from San Diego Tribune. Craig, can you take us through just the process of not being a candidate, being a candidate, and then also a second part of the question is when did you first start to think about being a manager and you know all that entails including talking to us 200 times a year? Yeah, the process was uh was AJ was very koi about it in the beginning and I think he’s been very understanding of my family situation, how important they are into this process. And even that was a big part of being a special assistant the last couple years u him understanding that situation. And so he was always like probing a little bit like would you like to do more? Would you like to be in part of the front office a little bit more? Would you like to be, you know, have a little bit more? Would you be like to be a part of the coaching staff? And so I always knew and he’s articulated that to me, you know, several times of of what he thinks of me and how he thought I could be successful in some of the leadership roles within the team. Um, so he was very koi about at the beginning and we kind of got through the interview process a little bit at the beginning of it and then he put the the sales kibos on me and said, you know, I really want you to be a part of this process. I want you to think about being the manager of the Padres’s. And you know, my immediate thoughts are to my family and like we can’t make that happen. we can’t move them out of school and move them from Ohio to California and yeah, I would love to do this. In my core, it’s like yes, I’m 100% in, but there’s a lot that goes into to making that decision. And so that started the process. Audrey and I had a lot of conversations. We prayed a lot. We fasted about it. Um, we kept having conversations with people that we care about and know that can give us good advice. And then AJ’s part of that, too. He’s pumping me up and telling me, you know, continuing to believe in me and show that belief. him and Josh, a belief that like honestly if they didn’t have that strong of a belief, I probably would have not gone down the path as strongly as we did. And and eventually it got to the point where it was a yes for us. We made some family decisions to make that happen. And then once we made that decision, it was like there was a peace and a joy that came with it and an opportunity that no there’s no way that I could say no to. And that’s, you know, where we said yes. and luckily enough and thankful enough that I was offered the job and and here we are today ready to you know make something happen. Have you did you think about it when you were a player? Had you thought about being a manager? I thought about it a little bit, but obviously, you know, you have the stigma of being a pitcher and then being a relief pitcher and, you know, you sit on the plane with Manny and Hos and Will Myers and Ian Kinsler and we talk about those things together and, you know, maybe they mention like, “Tam, you’d be all right at that.” And I’m like, “Really? You think like I can manage you guys?” You know? Um but yeah, they were, you know, having support of past teammates, past coaches, being able to like push me in that direction has made me feel like this is possible. And then the belief of the organization also kind of trumps all that and and makes you believe that, you know, crazy things are attainable for relief pitchers. And uh we’re going to lead this lead this team in the same way that hopefully I led the bullpen the few years that I played here. Okay, we have Devin on one side of the room and we have Tiffany on the other side of the room. If you’d like to ask a question, please put your hand, raise your hand, and we’ll get you a microphone right away. It looks like Annie Halbrurn will be next. Craig, some of these coaches that may be on your coaching staff were your coaches when you played and some of these guys that you’re going to be managing were your teammates. How do you view that going forward in terms of now being their manager? Yeah, I kind of view this as just an extension of my time with the Padres’s. And I’ve been in a lot of different roles throughout that time of of being kind of a mop-up guy and then being pitching in leverage and then being the old guy on the team and not being very good. Um, sorry Ruben for not being very good that last year. I’ve been so Ruben’s been a coach of mine 2016 when I was with the uh Guardians and then the my last year playing uh with the Padres’s and I’ve been hurt and injured both years. So, this is my opportunity to show Reuben that I’m not hurt and I’m not injured. Uh, but like to me, that’s the most exciting part about the job is I have real relationships with all these guys and we’ve done some things together like we’ve had a lot of shared experiences of good things and bad things. Um, and I’m going to lean on those guys and those experiences to make this this uh, you know, this Padres’s team great and and the Frier Faith will be proud of us. And then after retirement when you worked in the front office, how did that change the way that you maybe view baseball a little bit and did it impact your decision to want to manage one day? Yeah, I think being in the front office the last two years gave me a bird’s eye view of what it is behind the curtain and how things are operated. And as a player, you always think how things are going, but you don’t really know and you just make a lot of assumptions and we talk about it a lot, gossip about it, but uh being a part of it and knowing how it goes. And then also being a part of Mike Schultz staff the last two years and seeing how uh he went about his business running the ball club and creating processes that allowed us to win 93 games and 90 games. So, you know, we’re going to build off what Mike built. uh you know, he’s a great manager, had a lot of success in his career, and there’s a lot of things that he did that are really well, and we’re going to keep doing a lot of those things and and honestly carry on his legacy here in San Diego. Jake from CBS 8. Uh Craig, how much of a challenge do you think it will be to have zero managerial experience going into this? Yeah, it’ll be a challenge for sure. I got a big learning curve ahead of me. Um, you know, that’ll be something that I’m going to really put a lot of work in this off season. Uh, a lot of conversation with AJ, Josh, a lot of the other coaching staff. Uh, but also a part of that, I’ve got some guys in my corner already that are on staff like Ruben that have tons of coaching experience. Uh, been in the dugout for playoff games, been in the dugout for long seasons. And so, I’m going to rely on a lot of people in the organization. You know, the best part about this Padres’s organization is the people that we have and how great they are at all of their jobs. And I’m going to rely on all those people. This isn’t a oneman Craig Stamon show. I’m part of the, you know, hopefully the part of the process of putting a winning ball club on the field, but I’m going to rely on a lot of people to, you know, have my back and and create processes that um, you know, lead us to a championship. And AJ, you mentioned in your opening statement, you talked to a lot of candidates. Some big names were talked about. Albert Puhol, obviously Ruben. What made Craig the choice over those guys? Yeah, I mean I think there were there were a lot of different directions we could have gone in and I think uh you know in in talking there’s you know there’s only you know he’s only one one manager and one decision. So it was a strong candidate pool you know John Eric myself Josh felt really good about the the group that we’re that we were talking to. I think for Craig again like I think in terms of him having the ability, the fit with you know that he mentioned that with with our players and the belief that he has and the knowledge that he has you know of our specific group having played with them having you know coached around them having you know seen them from different lens point of view that was definitely something that we talked a lot about. You know we think we have a competitive team that can win and you know we want to hit the ground running. So I think the fact that he’s he’s you know been in been in some different chairs in this organization some different seats I think was was important. and he has real knowledge of our, you know, of our of our players and our system and our process. Um, and it’s it comes down to the individual. I mean, I think what we what we just talked about in terms of the leadership c, you know, the leadership qualities that Craig has, fact, he’s very intelligent, he’s smart, he’s super prepared. Uh, he’s going to go about that and in this job, you know, uh, the same way he went about it as a player and for for John, myself, Eric, we had a lot of confidence in that because we’ve seen that every day for the last, you know, the last decade basically that Craig’s been part of the Padres’s. Jeff Sanders, Union Tribune. Hey, Craig. Um, you mentioned Ruben. Ruben is here. how um and he was a finalist. How do you view that working relationship going forward? I think it’s going to be great. Uh I have so much respect for Ruben. Uh I had the privilege of being a player under him and and being able to see how he can coach players and get the best out of them. Uh and then the last few years I’ve seen uh his processes kind of behind the scenes on, you know, how he’s able to get the best out of all of our players. Honestly, he’s the guy I’m going to rely on the most. Uh his experience, I think he’s the one of the best coaches in our entire sport. not just pitching coaches, but coaches overall. And we’re going to put a lot on his plate. I’m going to put a lot on his plate, but uh I’m excited to work with Ruben. It’s going to be an extension of our relationship that started uh with me as a player and now we get to work hand inand as manager, pitching coach. Uh I’m excited about it’s going to be a lot of fun. And then the last one is you’ve watched the game from the bullpin. How do you bridge the gap from the experience out there to coming into the dugout and managing all the different things you have to do in game? Yeah, one of the, you know, advantages of being a relief pitcher and viewing the game from that lens is you’re always monitoring when the pitching changes are coming. And especially in the role that I had of of I had to be ready from pitch one to the end of the game and you know, look at my career all the seasons I probably pitched in every inning of the game in all of those seasons. And so viewing it from that lens, constantly watching the game, constantly watching the starting pitcher, having an idea of how the manager manages the game, how he likes to deploy his bullpen, uh have an advantage of in that realm. And I also have Ruben, too, like he’s been doing that the last few years. So, I think we’re going to be a lethal combo, you know, when we’re talking about pitching decisions and who to bring in and and when to bring them in and how often to bring them in. Uh, as far as the in-game, you know, decisions, I’m going to build a coaching staff around me that’s going to have my back. I’m going to rely on them a lot. Um, you know, and I’m going to learn the game along the way. There will be some hiccups. Like, I’m not going to be perfect. I am not a perfect person, nor am I a perfect manager, and that’s okay. But we’re going to figure it out as we go. I’m going to learn, going to gain some experience, and I’m going to put all I’ve got into it, you know, to be the best that we can be. John Howard, CBSC. Uh, Craig, a couple of quick questions. One of the stresses of the managerial position is getting uh to spend a lot of time with us fine folks in the media uh before nearly every game and after every game. What will be the highlights and lowlights of dealing with that aspect of the job? Highlights. You guys are great people and it’s great to be around great people. And the other part of it is I kind of know all of you guys too. Not not many of you have changed. You’ve all been around uh yours as the player. Um, you know, I can remember when Jeff uh asked me what it’s like to give up four home runs in a row. You know, we have that that shared experience. And I also, you know, uh I also remember the great like some of the great articles that you guys, you know, wrote about some of the successes I had as a player. You know, the the wild card game in 2020. I still have some of those things saved. Uh articles that were written. You Bryce Miller, you know, not with us today, but like wrote some pretty nice things about me that I’ll remember forever. And so, uh, this is a good start to that relationship. Uh, you guys will probably get on me a few times, be critiquing what I’m doing, but in the end, it’s baseball game. We all love baseball, and we’re going to have some fun together. Cool. And one other question. This photo that’s up on the monitors here. I don’t know if you remember that picture being taken, but it looks like the photog said, “Give us your best glamour shot of Matt Damon looking off in the distance.” Do do you remember what you were thinking when this picture was taken? probably W’s lunch. Um, you know, that that that photo is photoshopped. There’s no doubt that that’s been photoshopped. Audrey may be the only one that really believes that I’m good-looking guy. Darn Trip, NBC. Hey, Craig. Uh, congratulations. What was it like to give up four home runs? Just kidding. Just kidding. Um, you guys can reference my quotes back then. AJ mentioned you being around for some of the disappointments and that kind of informing you through the years. Any main takeaways from those seasons and those experiences that could inform you now going forward, especially when you know the inevitable tough times come around. Yeah, baseball’s tough. Uh you’re going to win some games, you’re going to lose some games. Hopefully we win more than we lose. But even last year, like ending the playoffs in Chicago and Wrigley Field, that was a sour feeling. felt like we had a really good team and you know we’re one one win away from making it to the next round and you realize like how fast the season ends. You have such a great season, win 90 games, make it to the playoffs uh and then the season’s over in three days. And so there’s a you know that’s part of baseball. Only one team wins at the end of the season. But, you know, I think the the greatest challenge of this position and the most fun part about baseball is putting in the work and the effort to be that last team standing. And that’s like what gets me excited, gives me some goosebumps to to see like how can we create something that we hit the, you know, we have that opportunity in the playoffs and then we play in the playoffs that um, you know, take us to that to that time to the World Series and to have a chance to win a championship. So, that’s like the most exciting. That’s why you take this job. you know, that’s why you want to be a part of the Padres’s because you’ve been given the resources of a great team and and ownership has backed you in that way. So, um excited for this opportunity to to make that, you know, real life and happen. And AJ Craig said you used to refer to him as a winning 45. What did you see from him in that standpoint and how could that serve him now in this role? Yeah, it’s John Syler too is still still asking about that 20 to 80 scale and and and why we do it that way. But uh yeah, the wi the winning 45 is a compliment actually. But and hey, winning 45 is up here on stage as the manager. Means I’m not a very good pitcher. But again, I think just, you know, it’s it’s it’s the major leagues. It’s really hard to be, you know, a productive competitive like, you know, player that contributes to major league wins and and Craig was that was that way as a player for sure. And again, I think it’s the attributes, you know, to me that that uh, you know, that we talk about a lot that aren’t seen as much, you know, on the field that Craig possesses. And that’s kind of that winning 45 comment. So hopefully I outperform uh my talent in this job the same as I did when I played. Yeah, he’s Craig was I mean, again, like you talk about being an overachiever, I don’t he achieved, you know, which is which is, you know, that’s what you want from everybody in the organization, you know, top to bottom and that’s what we’re going to be asking for for our players. And it’s exciting to about you know what’s what what are the like you know like Craig mentioned it’s you know again it’s you know hopefully a lot of the heavy lifting is done and now you’re looking for what are the little advantages what are the small things that we can do what what can we learn from you know from from from some of the playoff losses and some of the seasons of the past couple years where there’s been a lot of good that’s been done. Now, I think the the question is, you know, what how do we uh how do how do we go and take another step or two? And, you know, having having having Craig next to next to next to the staff is and and myself is going to be uh going to be a lot of fun doing it. Julian Delgatoio, Fox 5. Craig, congratulations first and foremost. AJ mentioned that, you know, you had kind of a philosophy that may have uh differed that you told upper management and everything else. just in your perspective, you know, what do you think needs to change and the biggest thing you’d like to implement in the early weeks that as you, you know, go on this path? Yeah, I mentioned family a lot at the beginning in my opening statement and I hope to bring that type of culture to the team. Uh, I want our staff to bond in a way that’s creates relationships that last that are lifelong lasting. And I think that’s um, you know, goal number one for me is just to create those relationships. um if we go straight into strategy and forget about the relationships, I think we’ve lost lost the uh lost the opportunity to create something special. And so the relationship creation and and building culture and building team chemistry is going to be number one. And then we’ll dive into the strategy after that. And on the note of those relationships, you know, a lot of your former teammates just curious their reaction, how they reached out and you know, wished you well for this journey ahead. Yeah, there was a lot of good reactions. So that was probably the coolest part of this whole ordeal of when it got announced is is a lot of my former teammates um you know now current teammates and current people in in the Padres’s organization reaching out and expressing their excitement, expressing their um you know willingness to want to be a part of this and and be a part of this and excited that I’m in that chair that we can create, you know, something that we all desire uh that where we’re excited to show up to work. We have a joy uh and an enthusiasm unknown to mankind where we show up and create that and spread that to our players and then they show the fans on the field how exciting it is to be a Padres’s baseball player. You going to have any uh you know itch to get back out on the mound, maybe do it yourself at some point? The thought of throwing a major league pitch or like multiple major league pitches just like makes me hurt right now. Uh the my brain is willing but the body is not, you know. Thank you. Marty Caswell. Hi Craig. What do you take from the experiences of watching both Andy Green and Jacece Tingler um as first-time managers and what they went through and how will that help you moving forward? Yeah, I didn’t get I wasn’t with Andy his first year as managing, but obviously I I built a good relationship with both of those guys and tried to partner with them as a player and honestly be someone that they could count on in the clubhouse. Um, so like what they did well I thought was was partner with the players and allow them to create some change within the clubhouse and I’m going to be trying to do the same, you know, building off all those relationships I had with guys I played with in the past. Uh, the guys that I’ve been working with here the last two years as a special assistant. Um, and just using that, you know, to create something that’s a special bond, you know, within our clubhouse and within our coaching staff. And I think the other thing too is like my relationship with AJ is a big part of that also. And when we’re connected and we’re able to make great decisions together and it’s collaborative effort, um that’s only going to permeate all the way down through the team. And AJ, was this an easy pitch to both John Sidler and to Eric Guptner? And why do you feel this going with another first-time manager is going to be is going to work this time? Yeah, I mean I think again it is hard decision overall just because you know there were a lot of good candidates and a lot of people that brought different attributes you know to to the job in terms of Craig specific. Yeah, I think you know John and John John, Eric, myself, Josh, we’ve seen it firsthand over you know over over the years in terms of what Craig brings to the job. Um and it really just again when you study like managers and you look around the league there are some great firsttime managers. There are some great managers that have been in their second and third stop, you know, again, like we’ve we’ve been to the playoffs with with Jace, who was a first year manager and finished in the manager of the year running that year, and we’ve been with Bob and and with and with Shely, you know, and um you know, and expect to to to go to the playoffs and win in the playoffs with Craig. So, you know, again, I think it’s more about the individual than, hey, you know, it has to be this this type of profile or this type of, you know, in experience from a former big league manager, you know, pitcher verse position player. You study it. There’s, you know, pitchers that are in the Hall of Fame. There’s first year managers are in the Hall of Fame as managers. There’s, you know, guys are on their second or third stop that went and had like a lot of success elsewhere. So, comes down to just the fit with your team and the individual and and we know we we we pick somebody that’s that’s that brings a lot to the job. Last one, Allison Edmonds. Thank you. So, of course, there’s a lot of positives having a relationship with the team staff and all that kind of stuff. But what do you think the biggest challenge will be going from like friend and cohort to having to boss these guys around and and tell them what to do when things get out of line and all that kind of stuff? Yeah, I think the key word is boss. I’m not bossing them around, you know. Um, I hope that they see, honestly, I hope they see how I treat my family and how I treat my kids and I hope that they feel that I’m treating them in a similar manner, treating them like family. Um, I think in this role, I will have to push them and I want to be able to push them, but I also think I can partner with them and I know what goals that they want. We’ve talked about those types of things like what we wanted to achieve as a group. We tried to achieve those goals as a group and hadn’t quite got there yet. But is there a way for me to get in just a little bit and push them that one% or motivate them that 1% that pushes them over the line to accomplish something that they never thought was possible. And so I think that’s like a really fun challenge like to push some of my best friends to be at their best and to you know create things in their career that they never thought were possible. And like you know what’s better than having your bre best friends succeed, people that you care about succeed. And that that’s what I’m excited about. That will conclude our press conference today. We thank you all for being here. Congratulations Craig and to AJ as well. We’ll see you all again soon. Thank you. [Applause]

The Padres are hosting a press conference at Petco Park to announce Craig Stammen as their new manager.

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