From the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Bill Center and Tom Krasovic.
The Padres were issuing apologies to offended fans and Khalil Greene was searching his music library for a new introductory song yesterday after two four-letter words boomed through Petco Park’s audio system as Greene approached the plate in the third inning Thursday night.
The words were tucked deep inside a Trick Daddy song titled “I’m a Thug.”
(Trick Daddy)
“The song was never intended to be played that far,” said Greene, who used the song all last year without incident as one of three he has rotated while coming to the plate. “There was never a problem.”
But Greene said he could hear trouble brewing Thursday as he waited for his first at-bat of the season at Petco.
Usually, between five and 12 seconds of a song are played as a Padre approaches the batter’s box.
But almost a minute of “I’m a Thug” aired. Although there are no expletives in the opening chorus “ which Greene selected for its “rhythm and sound” “ there are in the core text.
“It was never my intention for the whole song to be played,” Greene said. “I’d heard the entire song. I knew there were cuss words in the middle. I thought for sure, a short tape or an edited version would be used. As I was waiting to hit, I asked myself, ‘Are they going to let this thing go through?’ ”
Oops.
“The problem is rectified,” Jeff Overton, the Padres’ executive vice president of communications, said last night. “It is our fault for not previewing the entire song.
“It was wrong and we apologize. The players choose their music. We are reviewing all the music we use.”