Happy Birthday Dale Thayer!

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

First things first, is this picture awesome or what? Man, those uniforms are great. OK, moving on.

Happy Birthday Dale Thayer! Thayer is 33 today, exactly nine days before I turn 33. Today is Dale’s day, though. Today we celebrate a man who has persevered and become a very important part of the Padres bullpen. Thayer was originally drafted out of High School in 1999 by the Cubs but did not sign. He then attended Cal-State Chico and went undrafted upon graduation.  It’s not too often that someone falls off the radar by going to college but, that is exactly what happened. It wasn’t the end of Dale though.

Thayer was signed by the Padres at the end of the 2002 season. He would make his Major League debut for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2009 after having been traded in 2006. Thayer pitched briefly for the Rays and Mets before coming back to the Padres in 2011 and spending most of the season in the big leagues in 2012. Thayer has worked hard and become the number one guy in the Padres bullpen behind Huston Street. We hope that your birthday is awesome, Dale! On a personal note, you are one of my favorite Padres and not just because we were born nine days apart.

Here’s hoping that Dale’s birthday present from Josh Johnson is a phone call to discuss the jersey number 55. Assuming Thayer doesn’t have any real attachment to it, there is a good chance of securing a decent birthday present from Josh. He has only ever worn number 55. Dale, when you are trying to come to some kind of agreement, remember he has made over $41 million in his career. Make him earn it. Happy Birthday!