Padres' employee vies for Miss USA crown

[GaryMrMets]

I hope no one gets mad that I poisted this here and not in the San Diego Padres forum.

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/NASApp/m...ws&team_id=mlb

News

2/27/2002 12:45 pm ET

Padres' employee vies for Miss USA crown
Reigning Miss California USA works on community relations staff
By Chris Franchino
MLB.com

Who do you think said the following: "It really mandates your personal life. You can't always be with your family and there are things you can't be a part of because you're on the road. It's a hard life but the benefits are huge."

You probably think a Major League baseball player uttered those words, but what if we added this line: "The last six months, I've been traveling a bunch, shopping and developing hair and gown designs."

No, it's not Dennis Rodman (good guess, though). It's Tarah Peters (left), Miss California USA and member of the San Diego Padres community relations staff.

Ms. Peters, crowned Miss California USA in early September, has spent most of her 21 years in the pageant business. "The Alpine pageant system focused a great deal on working with the community so it went from there," she said. At age 8, Peters came in second in the Junior Miss Alpine pageant; four years later, she won Miss Teen Alpine and has been on a run ever since. And she's always been a baseball fan.

Last year at the Miss Greater San Diego pageant, one of her fellow competitors was a member of the San Diego Padres' "Pad Squad" and recommended it to Peters. "I thought, 'What an awesome job!'Â*" Peters recalled. "I'm a lifelong baseball fan and I love the Padres, so I sent in my résumé and had an interview. The rest is history."

Since taking a hiatus from her Pad Squad duties in late September, Peters has been traveling throughout California on behalf of the Miss USA Pageant's major charity interest, Breast Cancer Alliance. On Feb. 13, she left for Gary, Ind., the site of this year's Miss USA Pageant, which airs live Friday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

"I met a handful of girls but I don't know who my roommate will be," Peters said. "She just better not be a Yankee fan. If she's Miss New York or Miss New Jersey, she'd better be a Mets fan!"

This year, Peters explained that the Miss USA Pageant has made one sports-minded change. They have gone from Priceline to Prime Time in ditching former Priceline.com spokesman William Shatner as emcee in favor of multisport star Deion Sanders. Aside from having a former Major Leaguer at the helm, Peters points out a few similarities between the ballpark business and the pageant business.

"With all of the travel, it's really the closest a girl can get to being a Major League ballplayer," she said. And just like in the big leagues, these contestants have their superstitions.

"Some girls cut the nails on their left hand shorter than on their right," she revealed. "I know some ballplayers won't change their underwear during a streak or they will wear the same socks. I'll wear something that has meaning to me, but if I win, it won't be because of my socks.

"In her junior year at San Diego State University studying Russian and English, Peters will be no stranger to SDSU's baseball coach, Tony Gwynn, when he takes over next season. "Sure, I'll see him a bunch, but this town is going to miss No. 19 forever."

Even with her busy schedule, Peters still keeps tabs on her favorite sport.

"I think the Padres are going to make a run at the NL West this year," she predicted. "The D-Backs are too cocky. We beat them all of the time anyway and the Dodgers aren't anything. [Second baseman] D'Angelo Jimenez had a great season in the Dominican Republic and has improved defensively as well as having a lot of pop in his bat. He's just 23. The Yankees are going to be sorry they traded him."

As far as those Yankees and the rest of the league go, Peters thinks Oakland will survive losing slugger Jason Giambi. "[He] will fit right in with the Yankees and will bring new air, but Oakland will still take the American League. I think they made a lot of managerial mistakes last year during the playoffs, but taking two in Yankee Stadium was huge. Plus, they have a better closer this year."

When it comes to a prediction for herself at the Miss USA Pageant, however, Peters quickly steers clear of any controversy. The baseball fanatic she is, one only wonders if she uses such hardball staples such as pine tar in competition.

"I can use it to make the bottom of my bathing suit stick but [pageant officials] discourage the use of adhesives," she said with a laugh. "But maybe I'll stick some in Miss Idaho's shoes."

Chris Franchino is a regular contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.


San Diego Padres employee Tarah Peters was crowned Miss California USA last September.