We left at 3:30PM for Lake Elsinore with snacks, water and some yummy Jell-O shooters provided by Summer Serrano, our Madres President. After a quick stop in Escondido to pick up a few more people, we were on our way with a total of about 35 people. There was a raffle held for several prizes which included gift cards for some local restaurants, a gift pack of Lake Elsinore souvenirs and an opportunity to throw out the first pitch. I spent the trip sitting next to Jennifer Cairns who has been a “Madre for 6 or 7 years,” she told me on our ride to The Diamond. During her time with the Madres she had gotten to know a lot of the Padres, but her favorite is Ernesto Frieri. She was even texting him on the ride up to let him know she was coming to Pittsburgh and hoping to see him pitch with his new team, the Pirates. She loves the passion that the ladies have for baseball, “we don’t talk about whether our hair looks cute, we actually talk about baseball”, something I would find out as the night rolled along.
Before arriving at the stadium, the raffle numbers were called out and I was lucky enough to win the first pitch representing the Madres! “Last year, I won it and bounced the threw”, said Summer, which added a little pressure to make it a good pitch. We arrived and allowed the Madres choir to get off the bus first so they could practice the National Anthem before they performed it on the field. I walked in and met up with Rebecca Herman, the other and better half of Padres360, and had a drink before heading to the field for the first pitch. There would be 4 of us throwing out the first pitch and I was the last person doing it. Jeremy Rodriguez would be catching each of the first pitches, which thrilled me because we interviewed him last year. I walked up and it was announced that I was representing the San Diego Madres. I looked in at Jeremy and threw a fastball a little high but over the plate. The Madres choir sang the National Anthem, and then it was time to watch the game.
We sat down to a yummy dinner of ribs, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs and chatted Padres baseball. Summer joined us and chatted with us about her years with the Padres. Her mom was a Madre, and now she was the President. She has gotten to know almost every major Padres player that has been here and had lots of wonderful stories to tell. We were joined by Teri Carlson, Christina Duarte and Jennifer Cairns. We talked, laughed (and Rebecca really laughed) and enjoyed each other’s company. All in all, it was a great day and Rebecca and I enjoyed meeting new friends.
So why join and be a San Diego Madre? Jennifer summed it up very well “It means I am supporting children all around San Diego county that play baseball and softball”. It means giving back to the community of San Diego, for being a part of something bigger than yourself. I am proud to be a San Diego Madre.
Wayne McBrayer
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