My favorite baseball tradition is a very simple one, but one that I love nonetheless. I love day games where the teams are wearing their home whites and road grays. I love sitting in the stands on those days with friends and family, enjoying a hot dog and a cold beverage, and having some friendly banter with the folks sitting around us. Simple, basic, beautiful.

My favorite tradition as it relates to the Padres involve our statues at Petco. I nearly always enter the park through the East Village Gate, and the first thing I do is shake The Colonel's hand. I then climb the hill, kiss the index and middle fingers on my right hand, and touch those fingers to Mr. Gwynn's right foot. My dad, son, niece, and nephews join me in this tradition as well. We didn't invent it, but we love doing it.

Other traditions I enjoy are getting to the park early for batting practice, the 7th inning stretch, homemade K counters, spring training, listening to the game on the radio, and my favorite new tradition; the Mission Bell.