After yesterday’s ridiculously long article, we’ll keep it simple today. With spring training upon us, I have three questions for you:
- Are you planning to attend spring training this year?
- Have you ever been in the past?
- If so, do you have any stories to share?
* * *
Linkage…
- The virtual 1951-58 Pittsburgh Pirates (Part 3: 1955-56) (Hardball Times). This has nothing whatsoever to do with the Padres, but Steve Treder’s alternate realities are such fun. See also Part 1 and Part 2.
- Padres sign righty Geary to Minors deal (Padres.com) With Kevin Correia gone, the Padres needed someone from Grossmont High School to represent. Go Foothillers!
- Active Players With Fewer Career Walks Than Barry Bonds Had IBB in 2004 (Beyond the Box Score). Koooooz! [h/t THT]
- Hundley welcomes challenge of everyday role (Padres.com). No leashes for Latos, no hand-holding for Hundley… what’s next, no vacuums for Venable?
- The Projection Rundown: The Basics on Marcels, ZiPS, CAIRO, Oliver, and the Rest (FanGraphs). More forecasting fun.
- Seamheads.com Ballparks Database (Seamheads). Oh, man, is this cool. I’ve linked to the Padres page, which provides information on every ballpark the MLB version has called home — including the four games they played in Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey and the three at Aloha Stadium. Seriously, head over and get your geek on.
- San Diego Padres All-Home Grown Team (Baseball Gauge). Speaking of cool… Would you believe Chase Headley is the third baseman? Hmmm, on second thought, maybe that’s not so cool.
1. No
2. Yes
3. It’s sort of like the 60′s its all a blur.
1. No, My wife is due in late March/early April so I couldn’t talk her into going this year.
2. Yes
3. I was sitting a few rows back from KT when he took a Mike Baxter foul ball to his upper lip!
@Steve C: Congrats! And I remember that game. Several Ducksnorters witnessed the Baxter foul ball.
I used to go to Yuma a lot. Somewhere in my house I have a late 80s picture of Gwynn hitting , with the ball compressed on the bat. That was a seriously sunny day.
1. No. As with Steve C, a baby is due in the next few weeks. Ducksnorters are multiplying!
2. Yes, three times (’05, ’08, ’09). Saw Matt Bush get a hit in an ’05 game (or maybe he came on as a pinch runner – that makes more sense.)
3. Organized my bachelor party around Spring Training in ’08. I highly recommend that.
1. YES!
2. No
3. Bummed that the Coyotes were on a road trip when I’ll be there, but hope to do a tour of Chase Field as well as catch a few games
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Here’s some of my favorites …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teAzDov4o7g … up close with Cory Luebke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2esY_Yx2EE … Myrow in the cage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Noe3ceNy3tI … a Kouz HR
https://picasaweb.google.com/thelegacyhousecorvallis/PadresSpringTraining2008PeoriaAZ#
1. yes, most likely.
2. Yes
3. In 1996 I went to peoria for spring training. Being our senior year in high school, we didn’t have a lot of money for lodging so the 6 of us stayed in a hostel in some gnarly part of phoenix. At around 1:00 in the morning, the house across the street was raided by the DEA. The hostel owner told us that was normal, as the house was a well known crack house. We got some sweet pictures standing in front of the house with the DEA busting in. . .until they yelled at us.
Oh yeah, the baseball was pretty good too.
1. Yes, in three weeks.
2. Used to go to Yuma all the time, but recently my Dad and I have made it an annual tradition to go to Peoria, having been 4 out of the past 5 years.
3. I remember fondly the pre-Jack Clark days (before the superstar demanded fences to separate him from the hoi polloi) in Yuma where a youngster essentially had free reign over the back fields, where you were inches from the batting cages and fields with no fences or rope lines, and the incomparable Tony Gwynn signing every autograph while conversing with the fans on his way back the clubhouse, a trip that commonly took 30 minutes.
1- No
2- Yes
3- Went to Yuma twice in the late 1980′s – early ’90′s. Also have been to some Grapefruit League games (Miami, Lauderdale, Palm Beach) years ago. Never made it to Dodgertown
1. No.
2. Yes.
3. plenty of stories, but you can’t print them.
The stories involved group golf and beer in the morning, barbecue and beer at noon and Padres and beer in the afternoon/evening, with the stuff you can’t print following, mostly, but sometimes concurrent with the barbecue and/or Padres games, and beer.
@Ryan: Congrats to you also!
@LynchMob: Nice; thanks.
@Bigworm: It really isn’t a party until the DEA arrives. Sounds like an excellent time.
@Larry: What happens in Yuma… stays in Yuma?
1. Yes. I’m going next weekend.
2. Sadly I’m lame and have failed at driving to AZ for Spring Trianing.
3. Stories in store…
1. Yes. I am going next weekend as well.
2. Yes. Last year I made about 10 visits out there (not really…just 2) and before that had been once in Yuma years ago.
3. Oh I have stories, but I’d have to kill you if I told you.
Wow…
1. My wife is expecting at the end of March as well, which canceled our anticipated trip to spring training this year.
2. I’ve been a few times. Love it. Can’t wait to make it a family tradition.
3. Running into Ryan Klesko in a doughnut shop. Asked why he wasn’t playing in the game. Said his dog was sick and he had to take it to the vet.
@Geoff: Sounds like Ducksnorts should start a baby product line…
@SDPads1: Cool, sounds like you’re doing it right.
@Paul: Congrats! And yeah, a baby product line may be in order…
@Paul
They do!
http://www.cafepress.com/ducksnorts.95955678