BROOKS GATHERS FIRST HIT, AND AT THE RIGHT PARK TO BOOT
(AP) - Garth Brooks, the country singer turned baseball player,
had just one plate appearance against the Chicago White Sox in
Peoria, Ariz., and he made the most of it. Brooks collected his
first hit of spring training with a pinch-hit single in the
second inning in an 11-8 loss to the White Sox. It was his 10th
plate appearance of the spring. "It was a nice piece of hitting.
It was a fastball away and he went up the middle," Padres manager
Bruce Bochy said. Added Padres general manager Kevin Towers, "I
bet that base hit hit to him means more than if he sells another
million records." Said Chicago starter Mike Sirotka: "Since I
don't follow country music, I probably don't realize the scope of
what happened. For him, it's awesome, no doubt."
This time, he drove to the correct ballpark. On Saturday, Brooks
mistakenly showed up at Tucson Electric Park, where he had played
previously, and was an hour late to the Padres' 9-4 win over
Colorado at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson.
