Cla Meredith was a few months removed from arguably the best relief season in Padres history when he saddled up to General Manager Kevin Towers at an Arizona steakhouse in the spring of 2007.
The side-winding right-hander had heard plenty about catcher Doug Mirabelli and the police escort required to get him to Fenway Park in time to catch knuckleballer Tim Wakefield’s start on this date — May 1 — in 2006. The ins and outs of the trade that brought Meredith and catcher Josh Bard to San Diego captivated the young reliever as the two threw back a few beers.