Brooks opts to end stint with Padres

Those baseball fans who bought tickets for tonight and Saturday's Big League Weekend games hoping to catch a glimpse of country singing star Garth Brooks playing for the San Diego Padres will go home disappointed.

Brooks decided to end his brief professional baseball stint with the Padres on Thursday in Peoria, Ariz., and did not accompany the team to Las Vegas for its games against the Milwaukee Brewers tonight and against the Chicago White Sox Saturday.

"Everybody associated with the (Las Vegas) Stars was taken by real surprise by the announcement," Stars marketing/public relations director Jon Sandler said. "The timing was unfortunate. It was an issue entirely in the hands of the Padres and Garth Brooks."

Sandler said he didn't learn of Brooks' retirement until about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday night from Padres officials.

According to Stars general manager Don Logan, Brooks told Padres general manager Kevin Towers and manager Bruce Bochy of his decision before San Diego's 9-8 win over Seattle on Thursday.

Brooks went 0-for-3 in the game to drop his spring average to .045 (1-for-22), but he did drive in his only run of the spring with a sixth-inning groundout that scored ex-Star Ruben Rivera.

"(Towers and Bochy) tried to get him to think about (his retirement) and wanted him to come here to play," Logan said. "But he wouldn't change his mind. Kevin said he even asked him what would happen if he gave him Trevor Hoffman money ($32 million for 4 years). And Brooks laughed and said he could make $8 million in one weekend."

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