• Matt was a 1988 Olympian, a two-year member of the Canadian national team and was named the All-Star shortstop at the 1988 World Championships in Rome.

  HOCKEY OR BASEBALL?

• He turned down a scholarship to Michigan State for the hockey team. "We played hockey eight months a year and baseball for two," Matt said. "Hockey was always my number one sport. But then I had two knee operations and by high school, I started leaning toward baseball more."
  
  
  
  
• Growing up in New Brunswick in Canada's Maritimes, Matt played just 24 baseball games per year. "That's the number of games I'd get to play in a year when I was growing up. That's how long the season was—pretty short compared to some of the guys who have grown up down south," Stairs said.

• The son of government workers, he grew up in a city of 68,000 and spent more time in hockey skates than shoes. He matured into a 170-pound center who could "skate like the wind" and played one year of professional hockey after high school.

  Stairs counts several National Hockey League players among his friends and once taped an autographed photo of Mario Lemieux to his locker. He plans to coach high school hockey in Canada after he retires.

• "I met my wife at a hockey game," says Matt. "I was playing high school hockey back in 1983. My best friend was dating her best friend. They came to a game and sat right behind our bench, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her. They hooked me up that night and we went out. We talked and had a few drinks," Matt recalled.

  A few years later, he asked her to marry him.

  "The proposal wasn't anything special or romantic. Shen named the date, and I named the year, and it come, and we got married. We dated for five years."

  They were married October 29, 1989. Matt and wife Lisa have two daughters: Nicole and Alicia and a son, Chandler.

• Because he loves hockey, like any good Canadian, Matt had season tickets to San Jose Sharks games.
• Matt signed with the Chunichi Dragons June 7, 1993. He got about $350,000 for the remainder of the season, compared to the $110,000 from the Expos. Montreal reportedly got $100,000 for lending Stairs to Chunichi with the agreement that Stairs could rejoin the Expo organization if things didn't work out.
• Matt figures the biggest lesson he learned from his half-year stint in Japan was patience. But not at the plate. "On the bench," he explained. "They don't have a lot of patience with their imports over there, even if you join them in the middle of a season. I played my first three games as a cleanup hitter. Then they sat me on the bench for eight games. I can't say too much bad about the way they treated me, because they did take good care of me," Matt said. "Really, I just felt like they should have given me more playing time."
• Matt is a leader on a team, both on and off the field. While he also goofs and clowns around a lot, he is a good example with his work habits and willingness to give tips to his younger teammates.
• Stairs admits that he has not always been focused and willing to work at the game. He said that when he got back from Japan, he had lost his love for baseball. "In Japan, I wasn't having fun," he said. "It was almost like, do I want to play any more?"

• Matt has played baseball in six different coutries since leaving high school.

• After the 1998 season, Matt won his second-straight Mexican Winter League batting title, with a .349 average, a feat not equaled since Mexican League Hall of Famer Hector Espino won titles in 1971 and 1972.

• He once bought a house in the Bay Area because he was so happy playing in Oakland.

  But then, just a few years ago, "I got traded from Oakland to Chicago and I almost bought a home in Kansas City because I had a bunch of friends there -- Macfarlane and Sal Fasano and those guys," he said. "Then I said, 'Let's check on Maine because it's close to my home in Canada,' so I got on the Web site, found a home and flew up the next day and bought it. It's nice and quiet. Nobody knows me and I can do what I want."

  That's in Bangor, a long way from KC but close to New Brunswick, where he was born and raised.

• He is brutally honest in his self-criticism. Matt says he'd probably be driving a Zamboni machine today if he hadn't made it out of Canada.

• Matt spends a lot of time on his laptop computer. He e-mails his family, friends and even the teammates he spends 12 hours a day with. He likes to download jokes and send them along to his buddy list.
• After the 1999 season, Stairs and teammate Jeremy Giambi approached A's GM Billy Beane amid rumors manager Art Howe was going to be fired. "Everybody enjoyed playing for Art. We respected him. So it seemed to be the thing to do," Stairs said. "Art allows us to be ourselves."

• Stairs was somewhat of a folk hero in Oakland. His shaggy hair and down-to-earth personality meshed with the blue-collar "other side of the Bay."

  LOSING WEIGHT

• Stairs shed about 25 pounds of fat on an all-protein diet before 1999 Spring Training. His goal was 20 homers and 20 steals for 1999. (He didn't get the stolen bases, but he almost doubled his home run goal).

  A's team strength coach Bob Alejo worked him out hard all winter. He would drink protein shakes and eat 12 to 14 eggs a day and about five or six chicken breasts or steaks. He quit smoking and, for the most part, gave up beer. Matt followed almost the same routine before 2000 spring camp.

• Matt dropped over 15 pounds during the offseason before 2001 spring training. He worked out every day at the University of Maine and his body fat dipped to 13 percent.

• Stairs dropped a lot of weight during the offseason before 2003 spring training. He was on a low-carb diet.

  By Spring Training in 2003, Stairs had lost about 20 pounds from the season before. "It's what I weighed in Oakland," said Stairs, who pared off the pounds by working out four times a week with a trainer and playing a lot of indoor soccer. "If it doesn't work, I'll go back to being a fat guy."

• Matt's favorite food? "I am not a big fish lover. I'm more of a chicken and steak kind of guy. My weakness is BBQ potato chips. I hate chocolate. I don't eat sweets."
• Stairs is a big pro wrestling fan, especially of  "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. He used to be into Goldberg. He attends several WWF shows every year. (1993)

• In 1994, tragedy changed Stairs. His best friend from childhood, Rob Kelly, died in a helicopter crash. He put Kelly's initial on the underside of the bill of his cap, and on his bats and shirts.

  "I dedicated my career to him," Matt said. "I think after that, I've tried to live my life more day-to-day. You learn not to let life pass by you."

  Major League rules don't allow him to put his friend's initials on his uniform now. But he does wear a gold chain around his neck with the word "Dad" in front. It was a Father's Day present from his three daughters: Nicole, Alicia and Chandler. 

• Stairs plays the game with joy and passion. He gets a kick out of bantering with fans, and might hold the single-season record for balls tossed into the stands.

  "You'll always see me smiling on the field," he said. "I don't snap. I don't break things. I always have a smile on my face."

• For his spare time, Stairs said, "I love being with my kids. We love sitting down and playing Monopoly and going out on the water. My oldest is in gymnastics. We have an indoor pool at home, so we swim quite a bit."
• Stairs is a good teammate. When he was with the Cubs in 2001, he said, "I hang out with everybody. I play cards with E.Y. (Eric Young) and Ricky Gutierrez. I've known 'Rock' (Rondell White) for quite awhile. Todd Hundley and I have become pretty good friends. Kerry Wood and I sit together on the bench all the time and talk and laugh. Same with 'Farnsie' (Kyle Farnsworth). In Oakland, I was pretty close with Jason Giambi, and we used to eat together every day. We'd go out and have some beers or whatever."

• Since leaving Oakland, Stairs' allegiance to the NHL's San Jose Sharks has faded and when they dealt former captain Owen Nolan to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Stairs was through with them. Over the last few years, he has reverted back to cheering for the Maple Leafs and Montreal. Canadiens. 

  "I'm not a Sharks fan anymore after they let got of Nolan," said the former Sharks season-tickets holder. "I'm a diehard Toronto and Montreal fan. "I've been a Toronto fan the last three years. I'm a big Tie Domi fan, that's one guy I'd like to meet before my career ends."

• When he was with the Cubs in 2001, he loosened up teammates by walking around the clubhouse in an athletic supporter and a Santa Claus cap.

• Here's an example of Matt's leadership: Before the Pirates took the field on April 16, 2003, he had an inspired pep talk for his teammates—and himself.

  "I was basically yelling at everybody—including myself," Stairs said, "and the team responded." The gist of Stairs' message? "That we had to get it going," Stairs said. "That we had to get our heads out of [an unusual place] and play better baseball. That getting two hits a night as a team was not fun to watch, was not fun to be part of."

  Stairs' motivation? "Four or five cups of coffee kicking in," he said. "It was just one of those things where guys start laughing and loosen up and go out and play ball. You're just trying to break the ice. It was all in good fun."

  Then-Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon's summation of Stairs' effort? "His words were not printable," McClendon said, "but his words were effective." McClendon also said. "It paid dividends as far as bringing the intensity level up a notch or two. It makes a difference when a veteran player take over and do that."

• Stairs is a real jokester. But he also has a great, big heart. Many times during a season you may find him raising money for somebody in need, be it a groundskeeper or a secretary in the front office.

• During the offseason before 2005 spring training, Stairs adjusted his diet (lots of chicken and pork) and took up soccer alongside his daughter. His weight ticked down just 6 pounds, from 222 to 216, but his new flat stomach turned heads when he arrived for spring training.

  “Everyone came over and said something,” Stairs said. “No, I didn't have liposuction. No, I didn't have a tummy tuck. I just worked hard, played a lot of soccer and watched what I ate.”

  He completed the makeover by getting his curls sheared just before camp.

  “For the first few days,” he said, “I'd be sitting at my locker, and people would come in, look at me and ask, ‘Stairsy?'

  “I like it. For 17 years of playing pro ball, I've always had curls or a mullet or whatever you want to call it. I had a big boof back there until Christmas, but then I decided I was going to shave my head for spring training. I figured, ‘What the heck? I'm going to change it up.' ”

• Matt is a winning-type player with an excellent approach. He is all business, but understands this game is about having a good time when you're playing it.

• Matt spent time during the winter before 2007 spring training playing in a recreational hockey league and coaching John Baptist Memorial High School's hockey team in Bangor, Maine, his offseason home.

• During the offseason before 2008 spring training, Stairs served as an assistant hockey coach again for John Bapst High School in Bangor, Maine. This time around, while instructing the offense, Stairs helped lead the team to its first state semifinal appearance in school history.

• On July 28, 2003, Stairs became the 11th Canadian to have played in over 1,000 Major League games.

  He joins Larry Walker (1,761), Terry Puhl (1,531), Jack Graney (1,402), Jeff Heath (1,383), George Gibson (1,213), Frank O'Rourke (1,131), Charles "Pop" Smith (1,093), James "Tip" O'Neill (1,054), Bill Phillips (1,038), and Arthur Irwin (1,010). 

• On August 5, 2007, Stairs became only the third Canadian-born player to reach 1,500 games played in a big league career. Stairs—a native of New Brunswick—joined Larry Walker (1,988 games) and Terry Puhl (1,531) as the only Canadians to accomplish the feat.

• Stairs set a Major League record on April 5, 2010 by appearing with his 12th team.

• Early in June, 2012: Stairs had his home in Maine burglarized. He told CBC News many prized baseball possessions were stolen, but not his 2008 World Series championship ring. He had that with him while he was out of town.

  Matt moved back to Canada not long after that.

  TRANSACTION REPORT

• 1989: The Expos signed him as a free agent.

• December 1993: Stairs re-signed with the Expo organization.
• February 1994: The Red Sox acquired Matt and P Pete Young, by sending cash and a player to be named.
• December 1995: Stairs signed a Triple-A contract with the A's.
• July 1998: Stairs signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year, worth $9 million.
• 2001: The A's didn't exercise their option on Stairs for the 2001 season. Instead, they traded him to the Cubs, who sent P Eric Ireland to Oakland.
• January 2002: Stairs signed with the Brewers.

• December 2002: Matt signed with the Pirates.

  Stairs chose the Bucs over the Blue Jays and Devil Rays, in part so that he could play right field more often.

• December 7, 2002: The Brewers declined to offer Matt salary arbitration for the 2003 season, making him a free agent.

• October 31, 2003: Matt turned down the Pirates offer of just under $900,000 to sign for 2004 and became a free agent.

• December 9, 2003: Stairs signed a one-year contract with the Royals.

• September 9, 2005: Stairs signed a contract for 2006 with the Royals. He got a $150,000 raise, and the pact calls for a $50,000 incentive bonus that kicks in after 400 plate appearances.

• July 31, 2006: The Rangers sent P Joselo Diaz to the Royals, acquiring Stairs.

  Stairs was born in St. John, New Brunswick, making him the eighth Canadian to play for the Rangers. The others were pitchers Ferguson Jenkins, Steve Wilson, Jeff Zimmerman, Reggie Cleveland and Aaron Myette and outfielders Rob Ducey and Rick Lisi.

• September 15, 2006: The Tigers claimed Stairs off waivers from the Rangers.

• December 8, 2006: Stairs signed with the Blue Jays organization. The contract calls for $850,000 if added to the Major League roster, of which $400,000 would be a signing bonus and $450,000 salary.

• November 2, 2007: Stairs signed a two-year, $3.25 million pact with the Blue Jays.

• August 29, 2008: The Phillies aquired Stairs from the Blue Jays by sending LHP Fabio Castro to the Toronto.

• January 23, 2010: Stairs signed with the Padres.

• December 14, 2010: Matt and the Nationals agreed to a non-guaranteed contract.

• July 27, 2011: The Nationals designated Stairs for assignment, then released him.

  August 3, 2011: Matt announced he was retiring from the game. He was age 43 and had played 19 season with a major league-record 13 teams.

  Stairs has 265 career homers, a .262 batting average and 899 RBIs, as well as the record for pinch-hit home runs with 23. 

• Stairs more closely resembles a beer league softball player than a Major League home run hitter. His best position is probably "batting."
• Matt uses the whole field, but mostly bashes the ball up the middle. He does have power to the opposite field against righthanded pitchers, and he can turn on the ball. He is a fine natural hitter with a lot of God-given hitting talent.
  
  He has a good eye at the plate, always putting up a high on-base percentage.
  
  UNORTHODOX SWING

• His batting stance is unorthodox. He starts wide open and keeps the bat on his shoulder as the pitcher delivers the ball. At the last second, everything whirls into action: He closes up, lifts his front leg into the air and generates bat speed. He swings from the heels, seemingly corkscrewing himself into the ground.
  
  Though he's certainly not a textbook hitter, he has incredible hand-eye coordination and great wrists. Matt hits balls other guys can't even get to. He will look awful, but will foul off the ball and stay alive. He absolutely kills the low fastball.

• Matt really got his home run swing after partying all night long. He was struggling at Triple-A, so when his team had a day off, "I went out to a big party. I drank all day, drank all night." And when he showed up at the ballpark the next day, he tried to get in his normal stance with hands raised way over his head, but couldn't because of that nauseous-hangover queasiness. So he held the bat lower, hit a grand slam home run, kept the low hands and the home runs kept coming.

• Matt adjusts his swing to the situation he is in. But most of the time, he swings from the heels, concentrating on pulling the ball.

• The ball jumps off his bat. He has great hands and wrists. Matt can get beat on a pitch and still push a single into left field.

• Stairs has a lot of quality at-bats against lefthanded pitchers, too. So he doesn't have to be platooned.

• He is far more selective than he was early in his career.

• When Stairs is in a bit of a batting slump, he hits the ball to left-center field. When he is in a groove, he hits well to all fields.
  
  QUIRKY RECORD

• On June 30, 1995, in the third inning, he had two hits, both singles, in an eight-run inning. Then, the very next night, the Red Sox scored seven in the fourth inning and Stairs again had two hits, a double and two-run single.
  
  Statisticians believe that is probably the first time anyone had ever gotten two hits in an inning in back-to-back Major League games.

• In July 1996, in his first game after being called back up to the A's, Matt made a bit of history by hitting a grand slam and two-run single in the first inning—the six RBI equalling the one-inning Big League record (at the time).
  

• His poor 2000 season, in which he looked utterly lost at the plate at times, was blamed on his trying to pull the ball too much after his 38-homer 1999 season.

• Though he refuses to use it as an excuse for a poor offensive season in 2000, Stairs tried six different pairs of contact lenses and several pairs of glasses during the campaign.
  
  "The optometrist said I'm the blindest baseball player he's ever seen," the far-sighted Matt said. He can see well enough to tell he has trouble picking up the rotation on pitches.
  
  Despite Matt's terrible year at the plate in 2000, A's manager Art Howe stuck with him.

• Stairs admits he is a "grip and rip" hitter, going for the home run many times. From the left side, he has a big uppercut swing. He says run production is far more important than batting average. "People say I'm not a professional hitter or I swing so hard. But that's the way I'm gonna swing and I'm not going to change anything. That's my approach. I play the game hard and swing hard."

• On August 21, 2010, Stairs set the Major League record for career pinch-hit home runs with his 21st, breaking Cliff Johnson's record of 20 dingers off the bench.
  
  BREAKDOWN VS. LEFTIES AND RIGHTIES

• Because the lefty hitting Stairs just doesn't hit lefthanded pitching well at all, he rarely sees southpaws.

• In 2004, Matt only hit .223 with 4 home runs in 94 at-bats against lefthanded pitchers, but hit .278 with 14 home runs in 345 at-bats vs. righthanders.

• In 2005, Stairs hit .259 with one homer in just 54 at-bats vs. lefthanders, and .278 with 12 home runs in 342 at-bats against righthanded pitching.

• In 2007, Matt hit .289 in 45 at-bats vs. lefthanded pitchers, and .288 with all 21 of his home runs in 312 at-bats vs. righthanders.

• In 2009, Stairs was 0-for-3 vs. lefthanders. He hit .200 with all 5 of his home runs in 100 at-bats against righthanded pitchers.
  

• Entering the 2011 season, Stairs career batting average was .264 with 265 home runs and 897 RBI.

• Interestingly, early in his career, Stairs was mainly a skinny third baseman, and even spent some time at shortstop, too. And midway through the 1991 season, he moved to second base.
  
  Now, he has turned out to be a fairly good Big League first baseman/outfielder. He has a good enough arm for right field. And he doesn't make very many mistakes out there.
• Matt lacks range, but his arm is accurate and strong. And he positions himself well.

• In 1991, he played at second base for the first time in the Majors. Stairs really is willing to play anywhere at any time.

• He does a serviceable job at first base. He is close to average. He won't make any super plays, but he has good hands and will catch everything sent his way.

POST-PLAYING CAREER POSITIONS

• February 12, 2014: Comcast SportsNet announced that Matt is joining its Phillies broadcast team as an analyst alongside play-by-play voice Tom McCarthy and in-game reporter Gregg Murphy.

• November 2016: The Phillies named Stairs as Hitting Coach. Matt has some Charlie Manuel qualities about him.

  Stairs has a passion for hitting. He loves talking about it, and he loves making players believe they can hit. Stairs enthusiastically discussed and analyzed the Phillies' hitters over the past three years as an analyst with Comcast SportsNet, but in 2017, he will talk and teach hitting full time, as the team announced on Wednesday afternoon that he will be its new hitting coach.

  "My brain has been going 100 mph thinking about it," Stairs said in a telephone interview. "I'm pumped." (T Zolecki - MLB.com - Nov 2, 2016)

• October 27, 2017: Stairs moved to the Padres as Hitting Coach.

• Nov 1, 2017: New Padres hitting coach Matt Stairs once preached, somewhat famously, to "Swing like you live: hard." It's a witty one-liner, no doubt. But it tells only half the story. See, Stairs' mindset at the plate is, indeed, to swing hard. Not necessarily "often." In San Diego, Stairs inherits the most free-swinging lineup in the Majors. Entering the 2018 season, the Padres' biggest challenge is to turn around their on-base woes, after ranking last in the Majors in OBP in each of the past two seasons.

  "It's a very athletic group that I'm joining with the Padres," Stairs said. "The area where they need to improve on is the area I'm a firm believer in: on-base percentage. That begins by working with the younger guys, getting them to know the strike zone right away and understand their strengths right away. I've always been a guy that always preaches -- even when I wasn't coaching -- about not giving at-bats away, being a stubborn hitter." Stubborn hitters -- that's something of a mantra for Stairs, a phrase he used repeatedly in a phone interview with MLB.com. What exactly does that entail?

  "Young players, sometimes, try to do too much," he said. "I'm a firm believer in passing the baton and taking the walk. Let the guy behind you pick you up. If he doesn't do the job, the guy behind him picks him up. That's the thing that I'll pound in their heads: patience and being a stubborn hitter." By no means are the Padres short on young hitters. They boasted the youngest offense in the Majors last season. Count Wil Myers, Hunter Renfroe, Austin Hedges and Manuel Margot among the San Diego hitters who could seriously benefit from an uptick in walks.

  Stairs, who spent 2017 serving in the same role in Philadelphia, has already begun diving into film of Padres at-bats. He plans to consume as much as possible over the next few months. The goal is for Stairs to enter camp with an idea of his hitters' strengths. Then he'll look to mold a plan of attack around those strengths. "Look for your zone, know what your strength is," Stairs said. "Guys throw so hard nowadays, you can't look both sides of the plate. You need to look for your strength and make the adjustment from there.

  "In Philly, it worked. We walked a lot more, we got on-base a lot more because the players bought into it from Day 1 and said, 'You know what, why am I swinging at the slider low and away when I'm a good fastball hitter inside?' Put the pressure on the pitcher." Indeed, Philadelphia saw a 14-percent uptick in on-base percentage under Stairs last season. It's also clear that Stairs lived by that mindset as a player. Over 19 big league seasons, Stairs reached base at a remarkable .356 clip.

  "This guy's been in the box in the big leagues, and he's been very successful," Padres manager Andy Green said. "And he's been successful in the areas that we care about: High walk rate, low [strikeout] rate, high damage rate. He clearly, cleanly articulates [that message] for players, and his hitters have taken on some of his characterstics. That was kind of the main draw." 
  
  
  When the Padres came calling earlier this month, Stairs called his decision "a no-brainer." He spent 2010 in San Diego and he raved about his time with the Padres.
  
  
  
  "It's just a class organization, beautiful ballpark," Stairs said. "They need to get a winning team there again. We have the talent, we have the athletes. ... With the talent we have there, I can't wait to get started." (AJ Cassavell - MLB,com - Nov 1, 2017)
  
  

• 2019 : Stairs did not return as hitting coach for the Padres.

• 1989 Season: Stairs had elbow surgery after the season.
• June 1994: He went on the D.L. with tendinitis in his knees. 

• 1994: Matt was diagnosed with a mild heart condition. It was not considered serious.

• June 1998: Stairs was slowed by an Achilles tendon strain through the end of the season.

• 1999: Matt didn't start any of the A's final six games of the season because of back troubles. His sweeping swing puts him at risk for oblique, rib-cage pulls. He gets minor ones rather often, especially in the spring.

• 2000 Spring Training, Matt strained his elbow. So, he said, "Instead of airing it out every time, I'll just have to hit the cutoff man."

• 1998, 1999, and 2000: Stairs played with torn cartilage in his knees. But the tough guy played through it as it got worse and worse.

• April 15, 2002: Matt went ot a heart specialist after experiencing chest pains and an accelerated hearbeat a couple of days before.
  
  Stairs said he'd been getting chest pains since his early 20s, but hadn't had a problem for more than a year. "I just don't like waking up at four or five o'clock in the morning with my chest getting tight, and my heart going 100 mph," said Stairs.
  
  Team doctors said it appeared to be an anxiety attack.

• May 2002: Stairs went on the D.L. with a strained left hamstring. He was reactivated June 3.

• May 19-June 10, 2003: Matt was on the D.L. with a slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right ring finger. He was injured when he struck out in an at-bat vs. the D'Backs.

• August 7-22, 2004: Stairs was on the D.L. with a strained left oblique.

• March 24, 2008: Matt was nursing a sore left hip flexor.

• May 22, 2008: Stairs was sidelined for a few games with a stiff neck.

• June 7-July 1, 2010: Matt was on the D.L. with a strained right knee. It was later noted that Stairs had two bruises in the bone of the knee, as well as two cracks in the cartilage and a Baker's cyst.
  
  "It's nothing major," Stairs said. "I hit a fly ball to right field, and I was going around first and I hit the bag wrong and twisted it. It's sore to walk on, so we figured I would go on the DL and get healthy."