As opening day approaches, the San Diego Padres are embracing change.But they are embracing something else too, something just as intangible: a cliché. The one that says “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” With new players and a new manger in tow, the change is evident. It’s the success of the last two seasons that they’d like to see remain untouched. Since 1995, Bruce Bochy has been the skipper in San Diego. Players and fans alike had grown accustomed to seeing No. 15 calling the shots from the dugout. But Bochy’s contract went unrenewed this winter. When the San Francisco Giants came calling, he jumped at the new opportunity. So now it’s a new era. These aren’t your padre’s Padres. Bud Black takes the reins in his first managerial job. Black is a former pitcher and was most recently the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Another new, and unquestionably the biggest, addition for the Padres is future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux, who signed a one-year, $9 million deal. He brings 21 years of experience and 333 career wins to a staff that was already considered one of the best in the major leagues. Also re-signed was pitcher and San Diego native David Wells, who was reacquired before the playoffs last season from Boston. He brings 230 career wins with him.The wealth of experience that Maddux and Wells provide can only benefit young pitchers Jake Peavy and Chris Young, who will be the No. 1 and 2 starters, respectively. Peavy had an admittedly off-year last season, when he won only 11 games last year and saw his ERA balloon to 4.09 after posting consecutive sub-3.00 ERAs in 2004 and 2005. He hopes to bounce back to his All-Star form. Clay Hensley rounds out the rotation.Closer Trevor Hoffman returns to the Padres for his 15th season with the Friars. Now Major League Baseball’s all-time leader in saves, Hoffman is still the undisputed leader on this veteran team.Several changes were made to San Diego’s lineup in the off-season as well. Former players Dave Roberts and Ryan Klesko followed Bochy north to the Bay Area. The team hopes to replace the hole in left field left by Roberts’ departure with a platoon of veterans, Terrmel Sledge and Jose Cruz, Jr. Sledge has had a good spring, leading the team with six home runs while hitting .333.Catcher Mike Piazza did not re-sign with the club, instead leaving for Oakland. That leaves the Friars relatively green behind the plate, with youngsters Josh Bard and Ryan Bowen manning the facemasks. Bard looks to have the edge right now, as he put up good numbers last year (.338, 9 HR and 40 RBIs in only 86 games).In a somewhat surprising move, popular rookie second baseman Josh Barfield was traded to Cleveland for third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and relief pitcher Andrew Brown. Barfield was a fan favorite after hitting .318 (with 13 HR, 58 RBIs and 21 steals) last season. He made a strong case for Rookie of the Year early on and looked to be the Friars, second baseman of the future. But the baseball higher-ups had another plan and seized the chance to land Kouzmanoff, whose as yet-untapped potential made him one of the Indians’ top hitting prospects. Last season, in a September call up, Kouzmanoff made history, as he became only the third player to hit a grand slam in his first Major League at bat. The Padres hope the 25-year-old can bring some of that pop to third base this season.The rest of the veteran squad remained intact, for the most part. Marcus Giles, younger brother of right fielder Brian Giles, was brought in from Atlanta to replace Barfield. Having his big brother around should make the transition more comfortable, as the Padres hope he can return to his 20 homer, 20 SB form of a few years ago.One of the brightest of bright spots last season was the production of 24-year-old Adrian Gonzalez. In his first full big-league season, the sweet-swinging lefty led the team with 24 home runs and was only one off the team lead in RBIs, with 82. As he matures and hones his craft at the plate, predictions of even better seasons to come seem to exist almost everywhere you look.With veteran leadership and budding young talent abounding, the Padres will once again contend for the NL West title with Los Angeles and an up-and-coming Arizona Diamondbacks squad. And with the strength of its pitching and an improved lineup, look for the Friars to come out on top for a third year in a row.The Padres began the regular season on Tuesday, April 3 with a three-game set against Bochy’s Giants in San Francisco. The home opener is Friday, April 6 against the Colorado Rockies.