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.
