No shortage of Padres public announcer hopefuls

From bow-ties to jerseys, hundreds of candidates dressed to impress and rehearsed in front of Petco Park as they waited for the chance to become the new public address announcer for the San Diego Padres on Saturday, January 25.

After parting ways with former P.A. Frank Anthony, who worked for the Padres since 2004, the organization created this first-come, first served open casting call to search for a fresh voice to commemorate the park’s ten-year anniversary.

The line stretched from the park’s home plate gate down to Tenth Avenue, filled with hopefuls who showed up as early as 5:30 a.m.

Gabriel Flores, a San Diego first-grade teacher who wore a vintage brown Padres jersey, arrived for a second chance at the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I tried out many years ago,” Flores smiled, “This is another great chance for me to work for the organization.”

Samantha Wynn Greenstone, an actress from San Diego, showed up around 8:45 a.m.

"I love the Padres; I love entertaining and I have a good voice to make it happen.” she said. “Plus, why should there only be one female PA announcer in Major League Baseball? I want to be the next female!”

Although many candidates arrived early, Padres staff announced a cut-off at approximately 10:00 a.m., allowing up to 460 candidates inside. Those who didn’t make it in still had the chance to tryout by submitting an MP3 demo online by 4 p.m. that afternoon.

“I noticed at an early age that I had a skill with impersonations, voices, and speaking in general,” said Evan Walters, a musician who submitted his audition online. “I’ve waited for an opportunity to use these skills for years and it finally came up with this audition.”

Selected semifinalists will be called for an interview, then they will have their top finalists perform at FanFest on February 8 at Petco Park, where fans will vote for the new announcer online. The Padres will announce their pick in March.