by Travis Lay
Here are some of my brief thoughts from my visit yesterday to Hohokam in Mesa Arizona to watch the Cubs play the Mariners.
* The weather in Arizona this time of year is absolutely perfect. I have now been to Phoenix three times with this being my first to watch Spring Training. All three times have been in February, March or April and maybe that is why I think the weather is always perfect. I have never been down here in August or July when it is 120 or 195 degrees, however hot it gets down here. Yesterday it was a perfect 80 degrees with a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.
* Fans came from everywhere to watch the Cubs play. I met two guys from Chicago, of course, and I over heard one guy talking and he was from the Virgin Islands. The guy from the Virgin Islands wasn’t too big of a baseball fan because he was tying to keep score. I say trying because in the bottom of the second when Sam Fuld of the Cubs stole second base and the ball got past the second basemen he wasn’t sure how to score that and ended up giving up.
* The one thing I hope to see while I am down here (going to the Rockies game today) is the pitchers running wind sprints on the warning track during the game. I didn’t get to see that yesterday.
* But I did get to see a Cubbie, number “91” as I called him, play second base. He was the only Cubs player on the field without a name on his jersey. It was a split squad game and maybe they pulled him from the stands before the seventh inning when he was inserted to play second.
* Most of the Cubs regulars were there and most of them started – Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot and Reed Johnson all started and of them had three at bats before being pulled for replacements.
* The best part about the game yesterday was this:
- Top of the first inning Alfonso Soriano takes left field. We were sitting on the law in left field.
- A fan yells “Hey Fonzy!” Soriano then turned around to smile at him and wave. This was during the inning, live game action – albeit Spring Training live game action – in between pitches. Not in between batters, but in between pitches.
- A pitch or two later the same guy yells “Hey Fonzy! They Yankees were crazy to let you go!” Soriano turns around with a big grin on his face and start to tug on his Cubs jersey as if to say “I am with the Cubs now” while his grin was saying “Yep the Yankees should have kept me”. The guy made one more comment about the Yankees and Soriano turned around and gave the “thumbs down” motion. It was classic.
- During the next hitter the same guy says “Fonzy, you look bored!” Soriano then turned around with a bigger grin on his face and almost appeared to chuckle.
- Seeing this sort of interaction right in the middle of a game was so cool.
* After “Cubbie 91” was inserted I took out my binoculars and scanned the dug out – Lou was no where to be found. I know he was there at the start of the game because I was watching him interact with everyone during BP. By the seventh he had either retreated to the club house or made his way to Tempe to see the other half of his team playing the Angels.
* I am guessing there were 12,000 or more fans at the game yesterday. Sitting on the lawn in left field definitely had a bleacher bum feel to it. Lots of people with their shirts off drinking Old Style. Lots of people having a really good time.
* I had always heard that in split squad games, such as this one yesterday, the kids travel while the vets stay behind at the home ballpark. That was certainly true yesterday. I was hoping to see Ken Griffey Jr yesterday, didn’t happen. The only player from the Mariners that figures to be in the lineup on Opening Day that was in the lineup yesterday was Yunieksy Betancourt. No Griff. I should be able to see him today, they are playing the Rockies here in Tucson today and it is not a split squad game - I will definitely get pictures.
* I did take a lot of pictures yesterday and will take a bunch today too. When I get back to Denver I will get them on the computer and put up some slide shows for everyone to view.
My first experience at Spring Training was a blast and I am looking forward to getting over to Hi Corbett in the next hour or so to watch some BP and FP for the Rockies. More details to come on that game and how the players did later tonight when I get back to the hotel.
One more thing – I had In-N-Out late last night, finally. I can’t believe I had been in Arizona for two days and had not had In-N-Out yet. It was oh so good. Tonight I am going again for a double double with fries animal style.
* The weather in Arizona this time of year is absolutely perfect. I have now been to Phoenix three times with this being my first to watch Spring Training. All three times have been in February, March or April and maybe that is why I think the weather is always perfect. I have never been down here in August or July when it is 120 or 195 degrees, however hot it gets down here. Yesterday it was a perfect 80 degrees with a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.
* Fans came from everywhere to watch the Cubs play. I met two guys from Chicago, of course, and I over heard one guy talking and he was from the Virgin Islands. The guy from the Virgin Islands wasn’t too big of a baseball fan because he was tying to keep score. I say trying because in the bottom of the second when Sam Fuld of the Cubs stole second base and the ball got past the second basemen he wasn’t sure how to score that and ended up giving up.
* The one thing I hope to see while I am down here (going to the Rockies game today) is the pitchers running wind sprints on the warning track during the game. I didn’t get to see that yesterday.
* But I did get to see a Cubbie, number “91” as I called him, play second base. He was the only Cubs player on the field without a name on his jersey. It was a split squad game and maybe they pulled him from the stands before the seventh inning when he was inserted to play second.
* Most of the Cubs regulars were there and most of them started – Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Alfonso Soriano, Mike Fontenot and Reed Johnson all started and of them had three at bats before being pulled for replacements.
* The best part about the game yesterday was this:
- Top of the first inning Alfonso Soriano takes left field. We were sitting on the law in left field.
- A fan yells “Hey Fonzy!” Soriano then turned around to smile at him and wave. This was during the inning, live game action – albeit Spring Training live game action – in between pitches. Not in between batters, but in between pitches.
- A pitch or two later the same guy yells “Hey Fonzy! They Yankees were crazy to let you go!” Soriano turns around with a big grin on his face and start to tug on his Cubs jersey as if to say “I am with the Cubs now” while his grin was saying “Yep the Yankees should have kept me”. The guy made one more comment about the Yankees and Soriano turned around and gave the “thumbs down” motion. It was classic.
- During the next hitter the same guy says “Fonzy, you look bored!” Soriano then turned around with a bigger grin on his face and almost appeared to chuckle.
- Seeing this sort of interaction right in the middle of a game was so cool.
* After “Cubbie 91” was inserted I took out my binoculars and scanned the dug out – Lou was no where to be found. I know he was there at the start of the game because I was watching him interact with everyone during BP. By the seventh he had either retreated to the club house or made his way to Tempe to see the other half of his team playing the Angels.
* I am guessing there were 12,000 or more fans at the game yesterday. Sitting on the lawn in left field definitely had a bleacher bum feel to it. Lots of people with their shirts off drinking Old Style. Lots of people having a really good time.
* I had always heard that in split squad games, such as this one yesterday, the kids travel while the vets stay behind at the home ballpark. That was certainly true yesterday. I was hoping to see Ken Griffey Jr yesterday, didn’t happen. The only player from the Mariners that figures to be in the lineup on Opening Day that was in the lineup yesterday was Yunieksy Betancourt. No Griff. I should be able to see him today, they are playing the Rockies here in Tucson today and it is not a split squad game - I will definitely get pictures.
* I did take a lot of pictures yesterday and will take a bunch today too. When I get back to Denver I will get them on the computer and put up some slide shows for everyone to view.
My first experience at Spring Training was a blast and I am looking forward to getting over to Hi Corbett in the next hour or so to watch some BP and FP for the Rockies. More details to come on that game and how the players did later tonight when I get back to the hotel.
One more thing – I had In-N-Out late last night, finally. I can’t believe I had been in Arizona for two days and had not had In-N-Out yet. It was oh so good. Tonight I am going again for a double double with fries animal style.
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