The Padres are sizzling at home, which brings us to a home-grown observer.
Kyle Glaser always had the national scoop as a keen writer for Baseball America and as a frequent broadcast guest when talking baseball.
But there were few teams Glaser, a Torrey Pines High graduate, knew better than the Padres.
And if timing is anything, Glaser’s might be everything.
“I had a connection with everyone up-and-down the organization,’’ said Glaser, who once covered the Padres for the Riverside Press-Enterprise and wrote for the North County Times.
Glaser recently launched the “Friar Territory” podcast, which coincided with the Padres’ best start in ages. They won their first 11 games at Petco Park, which provided content, and sent viewers toward Glaser’s production.
“We’re enjoying the moment,’’ Glaser said. “Obviously we want it to keep growing and to get better.’’
He was referring to “Friar Territory,” although the Padres fit snugly with that description, too. Their recipe of being resilient and aggressive with an all-gas (or electric), no-brakes approach is refreshing and rewarding.
Much like the Padres, Glaser, 36, has his knees bent and is riding a winning wave that is baseball driven.
“It’s only been a couple of months, but we’ve seen consistent growth since the show started, which is cool and a promising trend,’’ Glaser said. “We try to put the best show out there for people to enjoy.’’
Friar Territory is part of the Foul Territory Network, which has vast reach across the Major League Baseball landscape.
When Glaser left Baseball America last year to start earning his MBA from USC, his writing took a relative breather.
With his studies behind him, Glaser found a present that included baseball. He’s seamless in transitioning from scribbling about it to yapping about the game with a grip on us.
While still at USC, Glaser was often a guest on Foul Territory Network shows, where he caught the ear of its CEO, Marc Weiner.
“Kyle is a great writer and he has an incredibly smooth podcast voice,’’ Weiner said.
The pair kicked the tires on a show centered on the Padres. They were fortunate that the team produced compelling content and victories in the season’s early stages.
“There’s never a shortage of story lines,’’ Glaser said.
They pushed “Friar Territory” from the harbor about 40 shows ago. It’s a blend of Glaser’s deep understanding of the Padres and the input from two former players, reliever Heath Bell and outfielder Mike Cameron.
“Having the players’ perspective is so, so key,’’ said Glaser, who attended countless Padres games while growing up in Rancho Santa Fe. “Both of them are really insightful.
”Mike played the game forever and he knows the game inside-and-out. And Heath isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.’’
Bell, a three-time All-Star with the Padres, agreed.
“I was never a politically correct guy, but I feel like I was correct,’’ Bell said. “Kyle is pretty good with us throwing ideas back-and-forth at each other. Although I interrupt him more than he interrupts me.”
Nothing, it appears, can slow the Padres.
Glaser has seen enough Padres baseball to be realistic, but impressed, with the club’s presence. It’s rallied for five victories in the initial 17 games despite being tied or trailing entering the seventh inning.
This stretch is special, with the Padres breaking from the gate at 14-3.
“Their identity is something that their manager Mike Shildt says often,” Glaser said, “It’s that they don’t feel pressure, but that they apply it.”
Their season, and Glaser’s show, embark with hopes that it’s a memorable summer.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
