Spring Training 2009
Catching 3 games of ball under the Arizona sun
Tuesday 17 March 2009 at 1:33 pm.This past weekend Jeff and I headed to Phoenix Arizona to catch some Spring Training Baseball. Being a huge baseball fan, it was kind of amazing that I’d never been to Spring Training before. I’d gotten two pairs of tickets as a Christmas present from my girlfriend. We planned the weekend out and figured we’d drive and leave around noon on Friday and return Monday night after that day’s game.
I’d been looking forward to going to Spring Training for a few months and I was getting so excited. We rented a car for the 500 mile trek to Phoenix and left around 1:30 on Friday, Jeff was just returning from a business trip. It took around 8 1/2 hours to our hotel. We hit a little bit of traffic near LA, which isn’t unusual, at least I had my Manny wig to keep us going. The first night we just crashed after a long day of driving.
On Saturday we had tickets for the A’s vs Giants at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Game time was set at 1:05, which gave us enough time to wake up, go for a quick run, and eat some breakfast. While on our run we ran to the top of some hill or something and were able to see the Tempe Diablo Stadium, which is where we had tickets to the next days game. Anyways, we get to the stadium early, grab and brew dog and sit down. The seats we’re pretty awesome! We were right behind the dish about 12 rows back. The sun was beating down on us, it was just an amazing day. We watched the A’s beat the Giants, and Giambi hit a huge jack! I even ran into some guy back from high school I hadn’t seen in years. He was there with his girlfriend who had bought him the tickets as a Christmas present, which basically goes to show how awesome my girlfriend is, since she let me go with Jeff. When we got back to the hotel we fired up the x box, played a couple games and then laid out by the pool and read. That night we went to PF Changs because Jeff’s cousin worked there. After dinner we got a couple drinks at a near by bar that was owned by the owner of the Phoenix Suns.
On Sunday, we woke up early again, did a little cross fit work out in the tiny hotel gym. 21-15-9 push ups, sit ups, box jumps, and 40lb dumbbell thrusters. Then showered and got some breakfast. That day we went to the Angels home field to watch them face off against the A’s. We grabbed a couple of tall boys and ‘tailgated’ in the parking lot. On the way in, the line was kinda long so Jeff and I kinda went straight to the front of it. Jeff kinda got some lip from some lady, but our buzz was wearing off and we needed to get to the concession stand. Haha. The Angel’s played most of their starters and it was a good game. The A’s won, but most importantly the weather was amazing. Of course we had to drink a few more brews to keep our bodies from overheating. After the game we laid by the pool, did a little reading, then checked out Mill Avenue. That’s where the downtown and nightlife type stuff is. That’s basically where ASU is. After we ate dinner, we watch a movie, Rock N Rolla on the X Box and called it a night.
Our last day of Spring Training we were back at Phoenix Muni to watch the A’s play the Dodger’s. Today I was going to root for the Dodger’s since they recently signed Manny Ramirez to a $45 million 2 year deal. Unfortunately for me, he injured himself the day before and wouldn’t be playing. Therefore, I left my dreads in the car. We had great seats again and saw Nomar and other ball players up close. The A’s pounded the Dodger’s and we ended up leaving in the 7th inning so we could drive home and make it in at a reasonable hour. It took about 8 hours to make it home and I was exhausted from the drive!
Spring Training was pretty awesome. It’s so laid back, the beers aren’t as expensive as regular games, tickets are cheaper (in my case, Free!). It’s a cool way to see some ball players up close and personal. Giambi is still huge! This definitely wont be my last trip to Spring Training. Hopefully next year we can get a whole group of guys to come! Anyone interested?
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