Ryan Klesko was kind enough to take time to answer a few questions for Friarhood.  The questions are listed in bold with his answers below them.

(Brian Koke) Do you live in San Diego?

(Ryan Klesko) I live in Georgia right now.

(BK) How has life been after baseball?

(RK) It’s been great.  I started a family.  I have an 18 month old son, I have a couple businesses and we still do the Blue Ryno Foundation which works with sick children and we do a lot of charity work.  I stay busy, but it’s been fun.

(BK) What kind of business do you have?

(RK) We have a text mobile company called Grand Slam Mobile, we have some real estate investments, and the Blue Ryno Foundation.

(BK) Have you done any work related to baseball?

(RK) Not really.  I’ve done some hitting clinics with some kids, but really not too much.  I kind of just disappeared and I’ve probably seen a couple games since I retired, but man…  Twenty years of traveling…  I took about a year off and didn’t really do anything.  Then, last year I took a couple games in and I got to see the guys again.  It was really cool.

(BK) Do you still follow baseball?

(RK) Oh yeah, oh yeah.

(BK) How about the Padres?

(RK) They’re doing really good man.  They won their 8^th game in a row today.  They’re doing really well and I wish them the best.  There’s only a few guys left that I know, but those few guys are still good friends.

(BK) Are you a big Braves fan too?

(RK) Oh yeah, I spent a lot of time with both teams and being that I’m from Atlanta.  We spent a lot of time in San Diego and a lot of time in Atlanta so I really root for both teams.

(BK) Is there a specific young Padre that has caught your eye?

(RK) Obviously T. Gwynn Jr. and I love Heath Bell.  He’s always been a tough AB for me.  I’m glad he’s the closer there obviously because Trevor had to leave.  T. Gwynn’s got a chance to be a hero in this town.  He’s probably not doing as well as he’d like, but I think he hit a home run yesterday or today and it’s early in the season.

(BK) Did you spend a lot of time with Gwynn Jr. as he was growing up?

(RK) I’ve seen him a lot.  He was around a lot and always working in the cages.  He’s got a lot of talent.

(BK) Do you still communicate with Gwynn Sr.?

(RK) When I’m in town I see him every once in a while.  I disappeared for a little while, but now I’m starting to show up and do some things.  Bruce Bochy’s a real good friend of mine.  I have a ranch in Northern California so I see those guys a lot too.

(BK) Jed Hoyer’s philosophy is to build a lineup that makes Petco Park an advantage.  Do you think Hoyer can be successful with that approach?

(RK) I definitely think he can.  It’s really not that hard.  You have to do the little things.  Boch was saying that from day one.  Unless you build your minor league system up and you have the money to spend you can’t.  It’s a long process.  You have to start drafting towards that.  There’s not going to be a whole lot of home runs there so you have to play speed, defense, and pitching.  Just like San Francisco.  You can’t go and buy a bunch of power hitters and expect them to hit 40 or 50 home runs.  You have to get hitters that get on base and play defense.  Honestly, it’s not hard.

(BK) What is your favorite moment as a Padre?

(RK) I guess just knowing that I was traded here.  I had some great moments in the park, but that phone call that I was coming back to San Diego because I’ve always loved San Diego and I knew Bruce Bochy was a great manager to play for.

(BK) Who was your favorite or most interesting teammate?

(RK) That’s a good question.  Most interesting would be Brian Giles for sure and favorite would probably be Nevin.

(BK) That leads me into my next question.  Did you ever get caught alone with Brian Giles in the shower?

(RK) No, we always tried to make sure there was someone in there with you.  He’s a character.  He’d be in there shaving his whole body with a razor.  That guy does not have a hair on his body and his tanning…  He spends half his life tanning or shaving. 

(BK) My last question is how bad ass is Boot Barn?

(RK) Ha ha ha… ah the old Boot Barn commercials.  I’ll tell you what, for a store that size they carry a lot of stuff, but I could go in there and do some damage and I did.  Trust me.

Ryan Klesko was in town to participate in the Cuervo Games, here are some great shots of the event.  To find out more about the Cuervo Games click here