MADRES 2013 LUNCH CALENDAR
DATE THEME GUEST(S)
February 2, 2013 Mardi Gras! Mark Grant
April 27, 2013 The Boys are Back in Town! (70's Theme) Ted Leitner; Scott Marshall, Padre VP Concessions
May 18, 2013 God Bless America (Salute to the Military) Bob Chandler, Padres Announcer
June 22, 2013 Endless Summer
July 13, 2013 Christmas in July
August 17, 2013 Luau
September 7, 2013 Give Peace a Chance (Hippie)
Fall lunch TBA
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MADRE 2013 LUNCHEON REPORTS
FEBRUARY 2, 2013
Our February Luncheon was celebrated in Grand Style as we enjoyed a Mardi Gras theme and ushered in Spring!
The special guest was one of our best buddies, Mark Grant, and his son Aiden. What a treat to have Mark
regale us with his myriad baseball and life stories.
After thanking the Madres for all their support at the Golf Tournament for Rady’s Children’s Hospital, Mark started us with a few words of wisdom and his sincere belief that BASEBALL OFFICIALLY STARTS WHEN THE LOMBARDY TROPHY IS GIVEN OUT! That’s right, life begins immediately after the Superbowl is finished!
Mark shared his optimism about our team this season and the fact that we will have an interesting season with the fences brought in a bit. It makes Petco more fair, neither a hitters’ nor pitchers’ park. And the Padres still have to get that cycle and no-hitter. Maybe this season! Mark related a few stories about Earl Weaver, Eddie Mathews , and our own Dick Enberg.
Mark said that the Padre players will need to score more runs but that they are young and improving.The bullpen looks good and we can look forward to some of our more seasoned players coming back in good shape (Luebke, Blanks, Hundley, Street, to name a few). And when asked about the television coverage controversy, he said it was out of his league. Mark told us this season would be his 18th year in the booth. What a blessing for us!
Mark also gave a shout-out to Loren Nancarrow and wished him the best...as we all do.
Our wonderful time with Mark was topped off by his Harry Cary imitation, still loved and appreciated (the imitation...and Harry). Thank you Mark Grant! Come back to see us ANY TIME!!!
APRIL LUNCHEON REPORT
The Boys Are Back In Town AND So Are The Madres
By Roving Reporter, Marcia Mengel
Our President Summer Serrano opened the meeting with great news. “The Padres beat the Giants last night! So, with that uplifting news, I want everyone to say good morning to their table mates.” Well, my table mates and I did just that and had a great time sharing fun stories. This put us all in a great mood for a fun luncheon.
We all signed a large card to be sent to the Padres, reminding them we are still here, who we are, and what we do for San Diego youth baseball. We raised over $40,000 last year that went to support 105 teams in 52 leagues, including 3 Challenger teams. You can go to our website www.sandiegomadres.org to see a list of them.
Ted Leitner
Our Program Director Bob Yonemitsu introduced our first guest, Ted Leitner, who needed no introduction. Ted immediately apologized for being late. Turns out, there was some “miscommunication from a guy in the communication industry.” He wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be our guest or not. So, he called the Hall of Champions and asked if the Madres were there and who was going to be their speaker. The response was “Yes” and “You”. He was at a hospital with his son, who had just gotten injured when he totaled Ted’s car. But, Ted was only a few minutes late, and totally entertained us, as usual.
Ted told us several very fun stories about his speaking experiences. One time, he was provided a limo to the event, but not one to take him home. He had no way home, so he won’t speak at that organization’s events again. But, he told us, “Any time you need me or the colonel, please call. We are always there for the Madres.”
One theme Ted kept coming back to was “Why weren’t we told the truth about aging? It impacts so many things: our memory, our sight, our hearing, even our pains.” “They tell me to lose weight, so I do. Then, they give me medicine that, because of my age, makes me gain it all back. Why weren’t we warned?”
When asked if thought Trevor would be inducted into the Hall of Fame, he said he was sure he would be. But, there are crazy people deciding who to induct and there is prejudice against relieve pitchers, especially closers. He then told us how positive Trevor always was as a pitcher. If he blew a save, he would put it out of his mind and concentrate on the next game. He’d even respond to questions about the blown save from the press, “I’m not sure what you are talking about.”
When asked about Padre pitcher Andrew Cashner, Ted told us, “He throws the ball harder and faster than just about any Padre ever. He is amazing. His curve ball, slider, and change up are the most improved since last year.” A Madre commented on how Andrew shows no body language when he gets a bad call from the umpire. Ted responded, “Yeah. You don’t want to let batter or anyone know they are getting to you.”
Summer returned to the podium and gave Ted honorary membership to the Madres. Welcome aboard, Ted.
Scott Marshall
Then Bob introduced our second guest, Padres Vice President for Concessions and Retails, Scott Marshall. Scott has been with the Padres for 2 months. Prior to that he spent 25 years with Centerplate, one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, with over 250 North American sports, entertainment, and convention venues, including Qualcomm Stadium. He told us the goal for the Padres now is hospitality-in-house, rather than using a 3rd party. He told us, “The Padres are making a significant, I repeat, significant, investment during the next 2 years to ensure greater hospitality. In fact, the Padres are partnering with amazing local businesses to help achieve this goal.”
Things were then opened to the floor. Below are just a few of the many topics brought up.
Randy Jones BBQ. “I’ve talked to Randy to discuss how we can re-create the former environment. Randy Jones will again be a meeting place as part of the ballpark hospitality.”
Jerseys. There were several comments about the jerseys, especially related to sizes and woman’s styles. “We know we need to be more trendy and have a touchy-feely environment for our products. We need a woman’s store and a children’s store. We agree; we need more variety.”
Coffee and Tea. “We are partnering with Bird Rock Coffee of La Jolla. We will have a coffee stand that will serve wonderful coffee, including decaf. There will also be tea.”
“Seems like everything I’m working on you guys are asking about. You are amazing. I hope to work with you in the future.” He then passed around contact information, so Madres could contact him with questions and/or suggestions.
