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Andy Green Arrives in Padres Camp, Mistaken as Player

By Daryll Dorman

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The problem with being a youthful manager is that it might lead to an embarassing moment or two to those who aren’t familiar with you. New Padres manager Andy Green related a story to Buster Olney that yes, he was briefly mistaken as a player by the teams phlebotomist’s on his arrival to Spring Training. It was quickly straightened out though and he was very eager to start working with the Padres.

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“Its not a bad thing to look youthful…” he laughed off the incident but at 38 years old is the majors second youngest manager and could easily be mistaken as a player. After all, the Padres have Skip Schumaker in camp who is only about 2 and a half years younger than Green.

Olney talked about how well spoken Green is and asked him how he developed that. Green responded saying “early on in life I was told to take every opportunity to be a better speaker…I keep it up speaking, and over time I hope you get a little bit better…I’ll probably fumble an interview along the way and you’ll have a different opinion of me.”

Green mentioned he has a lot of high character guys in Padres camp and is ready to empower players to take leadership of the team.

When asked when he started wanting to be a manager, he pointed to 2007. After being released, he got another chance to play with the Mets and found satisfaction helping other players find their potential. He started over in Rookie ball and here we are today at 38. Green said Chip Hale was a big influence on his life. He was his first manager and he also worked under him last season in Arizona as the third base coach. Green appreciated how Bob Melvin communicated with his players, always letting him know his role and when it changed in a way he hopes to emulate. He also spent time with Tony LaRussa the last couple of years.

When asked about advice he got heading into his Padres interview, he talked about getting to go through the interview process with Arizona the year before and with Washington which helped ease his nerves. “You have to be authentic”, he said.

"“You can’t be Bruce Bochy or Joe Maddon. True leadership is serving them and letting them stand on your back to reach heights they couldn’t reach without you. You have to be your authentic self”"

“What do you see for the Padres?” Olney asked. “Everything we need for success exists inside this clubhouse. It’s our job to get better every single day..our expectation is growth…we are going to teach, we have some great coaches on staff, and to impact those coaches really impact those players.”

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Finally, he was asked how he has been treated so far in San Diego and what he thought about the city.

“People in San Diego have been great…my family and I are excited about being excited in America’s Finest City…very proud to be a San Diegan.”

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