Friday, February 19, 1999. The Arizona Republic
Story by Story by Kent Somers
No fences in singer's second day of workout
The short-cropped gray hair, barely visible at the bottom of his baseball cap, suggested the aging ballplayer had seen brighter, more optimistic springs.
That sentiment seemed confirmed when on just the second day of workouts, a bad hop sent a grounder ricocheting off the emblem of his cap, a batting practice pitch plunked him, and 10 200-yard sprints nearly caused him to join friends in low places.
But don't bury Garth Brooks, 37-year-old country singer turned San Diego Padre, just yet. His body and ego have been bruised by two days of workouts at the team's spring training camp at the Peoria Sports Complex. But he swears he'll be hard to get rid of, like tobacco stains on the front of a jersey.
"Other than playing music for a living, it's the (funnest) thing I ever did," he said Thursday afternoon as he walked off the practice field after a long day's work.
It is also one of the most difficult things Brooks has ever tried. He hadn't played the game seriously since high school, but through a friend who worked in the front office with the Padres, he spent two days in the team's spring camp last year and appeared as a pinch-runner in one game.
He was nearly picked off first base twice, surviving thanks to some gracious calls from umpire Ed Montague, whose generosity earned him a hug from Brooks.
"My want is so much greater than my talent is, and that's the thing that's frustrating right now," Brooks said at a news conference Thursday. "I don't want to embarrass Major League Baseball or the Padres, but the truth is I don't want to embarrass my dad. I don't want these guys saying, 'Man, this guy's dad never worked with him when he was a kid?' Because my dad spent countless hours with me and my brothers."
His brief experience with baseball last year hooked Brooks, who began working out in a batting cage at home and on the road, taking batting practice in several major league parks.
No one expects him to make the Padres team when it breaks camp at the end of the month. It would be an upset if he were deemed good enough to play at the Class A level. But Brooks does feel pressure to succeed partially because of his pride, partly to bring attention to a charitable foundation that he's helping start and partly because he believes he's representing every 37-year-old minivan driver who ever dreamed of getting a shot at the big time.
"I'll be the first guy to tell you, I'm sitting here because I'm Garth Brooks," he said. "I'm getting to live out the dream of my life."
Deciding to play baseball this spring wasn't easy, Brooks said. He had toured for three years and was scheduled to take this year off to spend with his wife, Sandy, and their three daughters.
"This year was supposed to be for me and her. She was nervous," Brooks said of his wife, who will join him in Arizona soon. "Now, she is the excited one. I feel very guilty. I feel very selfish because I'm having the time of my life."
As one of America's most popular and well-paid entertainers, Brooks isn't playing baseball for money or exposure. In lieu of paying Brooks a salary, the Padres are donating $200,000 to the "Touch 'Em All Foundation," a group made up of baseball players, entertainers and corporations that will raise money for children's charities.
Playing baseball this spring is a way to help the charity grow, said Brooks, who will consider playing minor league baseball if the Padres think he can and if it will help the foundation.
Right now, he doesn't see himself as much of a player. He's amazed at the level of talent and conditioning in what he used to regard as a "fat man's game."
Brooks was struggling Thursday while running sprints, until reliever Trevor Hoffman started running with him and encouraging him.
Brooks will stick around as long as the Padres let him, but he plans to resume his music career eventually.
"What I've learned about singing is they give up on you before you give up on them," he said.
As he'll likely find out, the same holds true for baseball players.
