Padres President Garfinkel explains decision to make broadcasting changes

XX Sports Radio: Tom Garfinkel Interview (MP3) with Scott and BR

• Baseball has some intellect and psychological testing. Getting to know a prospect's parents is important when seeing what type of person he is.
  
• Tom has been blown away by the quality of people on the Padres. "From Chris Young, to Adrian, to Heath, to David Eckstein, Everth, Chase Headley, Will Venable, Nick Hundley, these are just really good people!"
• Garfinkel witnessed Jerry Hairston chasing Luis Durango around the clubhouse in Peoria.
• Jerry Hairston Jr.'s cell phone rang during a team meeting and he had to eat a Vegemite sandwich in front everybody.  He was struggling to get it down.
• "Controversy is an interesting word in the context of what we're talking about." Garfinkel wants to clear one thing up about the radio broadcasters.  The day games that Jerry will be announcing all 9 innings, Andy and Ted will accompany Jerry for some of those games.  Last year the broadcasting schedule was confusing.  "People don't know whats going on, they don't know who's doing color and who's doing play by play." 
  
• There was an overwhelming positive response for moving the Thursday day games to 3 o'clock. Not everybody is going to be happy with the changes.
  
• "We want to put Jerry [Coleman] in a situation where Jerry can be on the air for all nine innings and really shine and be at his best.  He likes going to New York and San Fransisco so we're going to send him on those road trips, really for him because he deserves that and that's something we want to do. But to have him getting on a plane and getting into Miami at 3am doesn't make sense anymore."
• Ted Leitner and Jerry Coleman will work together during some home day games.
• The situation was not about separating Ted and Jerry because the Padres didn't like them together. 
  
• Garfinkel has been talking to Ted and Jerry for a long time about the changes, the news wasn't a surprise to them.  He's met with Ted, Andy Masur and Jerry a few times.  They weren't caught off guard.
• "I told Jerry at the end of last season that next year we'd probably be taking him off the road... to be 85 years old and be traveling to 81 away games... it's a hard life for a 25 year old guy."
• "Jerry is a class person, every conversation we have the first thing I want to do is be respectful as I can."  Jerry was very understanding.
  
• Jerry will be more involved and may work with Dick Enberg and some more military programs.
• There will be players at Petco on March 6th when tickets go on sale.