Garth Brooks [ tickets ] bid farewell to teammates in Peoria, AZ on Thursday, ending his brief career as a San Diego Padre. Brooks chose to pull out of the roster rather than embark on a road trip with the team to Las Vegas, NV and Monterrey, Mexico.

According to a Sign On San Diego report, Brooks told reporters, ''I thought about going to Vegas. I was supposed to go on to Mexico, but I thought it would take away from these guys....We just thought it would be better if we ended it right where we started it, right here.''

Brooks' fling with baseball was celebrated by many who saw it as a boost for the sport in general and specifically a profile-raiser for the sport's Cactus League and AAA teams. Brooks' San Diego Padres squad was part of the Cactus League.

In lieu of paying Brooks a salary, the Padres made a donation to the Touch 'Em All Foundation on Brooks' behalf. The organization works with underpriveledged children. Brooks said that about 70 major league players have since signed up to support the foundation.

Brooks' next recording project, Garth Brooks In The Life Of Chris Gaines, will be released on June 29th. The album serves as an advance soundtrack to the Brooks-produced movie The Lamb. Brooks performs on the pop /rock/country album as the central character in the movie.