Notes and Pictures From 2010 Spring Training Trip Extravaganza

A few notes I scribbled in the well-traveled “blue notebook” while in Surprise last week:

The biggest improvement: a new sidewalk from the backfields parking lot to the practice fields. For the majority of us who aren’t privileged characters that have parking passes – the walk from the backfields parking lot used to mean a choice between walking on a slope of gravel (that inevitably got in your shoes – and don’t even think about how that felt in sandals) or if you walked on the driveway taking your chances at being run down by some baseball type who was speeding into their parking lot. Thank you to the city of Surprise.

The least improved: if it’s possible the traffic on Bell Road is worse than ever. Thank goodness for the Comfort Inn on Grand Avenue and Greenway Road.

Things I saw:

-- The Hickory team lose 24-0
-- Ruben Sierra Jr batting with his Dad watching
-- Wille Eyre getting lit up by the Seattle High A hitters
-- Engle Beltre running out a very nice bunt hit
-- I didn’t see Jurikson Profar play, but I did see him sitting on the bench yelling encouragement to Cody Podraza
-- More of Jarrod Saltalamacchia than I wanted
-- Nolan Ryan watching all 3 innings pitched by Blake Beavan
-- Major league BP – not that interesting (you can see that about 81 times per year at the Ballpark if you get there early enough)
-- Mike Maddux addressing the pitching staff – now I would have liked to been able to get a little closer to hear what he was saying
-- Fuzzy’s

People I talked to:

-- Kasey Kiker – always makes me laugh
-- Michael Schlact – who says he’s feeling better than he has in three years
-- Blake Beavan – excited to have Nolan Ryan watch him pitch, more excited to get out of Surprise and back to Frisco
-- Spike Owen – one of the best names in baseball and still a cool guy
-- Tanner Scheppers – CJ Wilson had better watch out – this guy is the up and coming “California Cool” in the Rangers organization
-- Lots of old and new friends – which is what makes the trip to Arizona every year a true joy.

Finally:  I went, I saw, I took pictures:

This is the link to the gallery of Minor Leaguers – 76 pictures of guys you’ve never heard of and some you may never hear of again (admittedly I didn’t recognize many of them either)

I did attend one major league game on Monday 3/29 – here’s the link to pictures from the Rockies/Rangers game.

The real fun is about to begin.

Enjoying the sunburn -- Marla Hooch