SAN DIEGO -- He has tasted World Series bubbly as a player with the Royals in 1985 and as a coach with the Angels in 2002, but Bud Black is not making any bold forecasts of completing the trifecta as manager of the Padres.

"I hope so, obviously," Black said Thursday night after he officially was introduced to the media as the club's new field boss, replacing Bruce Bochy. "Winning a championship, that moment is awesome.

"But it's how you get there, everything you go through, that is what makes you happy. From the first day of Spring Training, all the ups and downs of the season, that is what is really rewarding. It's the journey."

Reaching the final destination, and all that wild celebrating, also has its rewards, of course.

"Nothing beats being a player and winning a championship," Black, 49, said, the large ring gracing his left hand a reminder of that magical journey in '85 with George Brett, Bret Saberhagen and friends.

"Anybody who has won a championship as a player and as a coach will tell you the same thing. There's no feeling like going through the fire together as a team."

Black's track record -- general manager Kevin Towers calls him "a winner" -- is part of what made him so appealing when the club went about the task of replacing Bochy, who left San Diego for a three-year deal with the Giants after spending 24 years with the organization, half as manager.

Black handled manager Mike Scioscia's pitching staff in Anaheim for seven seasons, and he quite naturally will draw from Scioscia's "sturdy" manner and "unwavering" approach.

Black said he also will incorporate characteristics gleaned from the late Dick Howser -- his manager when the Royals ruled the game in '85 -- and from the likes of Roger Craig and Dusty Baker, his managers in San Francisco.

"Leadership comes in different styles," Black said. "I'm going to be who I am."

Traits he values and tries to embrace, he added, are consistency and patience.

All these qualities, all the accumulated experiences in a professional career spanning 26 years, will come into play as he manages for the first time at any level.

"I'm starting at the top," he said, grinning, referring to taking the reins of a club that has won back-to-back National League West titles. "It's going to be a baptism under fire, getting to know the league. Hopefully, I'll be a quick study."

Club CEO Sandy Alderson is convinced his new manager will adapt to his new league and new club seamlessly. The environment is no adjustment, given Black calls Rancho Sante Fe, north of San Diego, home with wife Nanette and daughters Jamie and Jessie.

"Bud, believe me, has all the strengths to offset any weaknesses [related to his managerial inexperience]," Alderson said. "Bud has the emotional qualities -- the leadership and ability to motivate players. Will he be a better manager in two years than on opening day of Spring Training? Probably. But those are things we aren't concerned about."

Given his background -- he won 121 games in 15 seasons -- Black's emphasis on the field hardly is surprising.

"My philosophy is you have to pitch," Black said. "Pitching and defense win games -- and, obviously, you have to score runs.

"Looking at this pitching staff, we have pitchers who obviously can pitch."

Black later met the ace of the staff, Jake Peavy, who was on hand to attend the annual awards dinner. Black earlier spent a few minutes with Adrian Gonzalez, the team's invaluable first baseman.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know the guys," Black said. "I really can't wait for Spring Training to get here."

A graduate of San Diego State, where he played with Tony Gwynn in the late 1970s, Black understands he has a tough act to follow. Bochy commands respect throughout the game and cut an impressive figure in his clubhouse and community.

"Boch was a very popular manager with the guys, very productive in the community," Black said. "The only way I can answer that is I'm going to be myself. I realize what the situation is. I think the players realize things have changed.

"I'm going to be myself, and hopefully the guys will continue doing what they've done."

Black said he will "empower" his coaching staff, having discussed that and other matters with pitching coach Darren Balsley on Wednesday. Balsley is unsigned for 2007, with hitting coach Merv Rettenmund, third-base coach Glenn Hoffman and bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds under contract.

Black has been in demand for managerial openings in the past, turning down an opportunity to interview with the Dodgers last winter and in Boston after the 2003 season. The Red Sox job went to Terry Francona, who celebrated a monumental World Series triumph the following October.

Black was reluctant to move to the East Coast, he said, because his daughters are in school. The time felt right this winter, he said, with one daughter in college, the other in high school. He interviewed with the A's and Giants for their managerial openings as well as with the Padres.

"It happened really quick," Black said, having been chosen over five others -- including Baker -- after an interview with Towers and a meeting with Alderson and owner John Moores. "We've been talking about players the last few days. That really gets the blood flowing."

A native of San Mateo, Calif., who graduated from Mark Morris High School in Longview, Wash., and attended Lower Columbia Junior College before San Diego State, Black has a clear preference for life in the Pacific Time zone.

"I'm from the West Coast," he said. "I feel good out here. This is where I do my best work." The Padres are banking on that, hoping they're in the black with their new man Bud.