"I don't want to take away from the excitement that's in front of me but there's no doubt than when you spend 16 years in one place and watch your career grow and call it home, it's going to be a difficult transition at the start," Hoffman said when reached by telephone Thursday night.

Earlier in the day, Hoffman put an end to his storied career in San Diego by agreeing to a one-year free-agent deal with the Milwaukee Brewers . Baseball's all-time saves leader never envisioned donning another uniform but that's the way it played out after the Padres went into cost-cutting mode.

The Padres, in the midst of an ownership transition, offered Hoffman a $4 million deal for '09 then removed it from the table to use the money on outfielder Brian Giles' option.

It was a painful episode for the 41-year-old veteran, so it was understandable that he preferred to look ahead to his new adventure in Milwaukee.

"It's a great opportunity to play with a great core of guys," Hoffman said. "Some people might not think so but chemistry is important and they've put together a group there that's tight-knit."

Hoffman said he was given the opportunity to be the closer in Los Angeles as well but liked the vibe from Milwaukee better.

"I feel like if you're going to drive 1? or two hours from home, you might be better off completely out of the area," he said. "To me, (the proximity) didn't make a difference.

"It just seemed like the right fit to go to Milwaukee. The way they came after me really made a difference."

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