SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The San Diego Padres
Friday announced that country music megastar Garth Brooks will
attend spring training as a 
non-roster
player.
Brooks, 37, a lifelong baseball fan, worked out with the Padres last spring, entering a March 15 preseason game against the Chicago Cubs as a pinch-runner.
``My first and foremost goal is to not embarrass Major League Baseball or the Padres,'' he said. ``I'm excited for what this can do for the children, and I feel like I'm living the dream of every guy who has ever wanted to play Major League Baseball. I am so lucky.''
Brooks is the highest-selling solo artist in American music history and the quickest with sales of more than 95 million albums since 1989. He has won two Grammy Awards, 13 American Music Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 16 Academy of Country Music Awards, five World Music Awards, 10 People's Choice Awards and a record 24 Billboard Music Awards.
``This is a man who has achieved more than anybody I can think of in the music industry,'' said Padres general manager Kevin Towers. ``He's gotten to this point through hard work and perseverance, the same qualities he has demonstrated in developing his baseball skills over the past few years. I think it will be fun for our fans, our players and for Garth, too.''
Instead of a salary, the Padres Foundation will make a contribution to The Touch 'Em All Foundation, a charitable collaboration among major-league players, entertainers and corporate partners. Brooks announced the formation of the foundation at a news conference last month.
``Garth has a lot of fans in the Padres family, but beyond that, he earned a great deal of respect from all of us with the way he carried himself in Peoria (Arizona) last spring,'' Towers said.
Since their World Series sweep at the hands of the New York Yankees, the Padres have lost ace righthander Kevin Brown, outfielder Steve Finley and third baseman Ken Caminiti. San Diego also has traded away outfielder Greg Vaughn and righthander Joey Hamilton.
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