Dunstan, Schierholtz, Aurilia, Zito + a Brian Wilson sighting!

Tough decision today. The Brewers were playing the Rockies at Maryvale (a stadium that we really like) and the Giants were nearby in Goodyear playing the Reds. Which to choose? Neither--we decided to go back to Scottsdale Stadium, the best free entertainment in town.

The gates were already open at 10am. We found out that the players get there at 7am--yikes!There was a cameraman from CSN filming the action.

I spoke to Shawon Dunstan several times as he schmoozed with fans along the railing. When he signed our bats, he asked if we knew why baseball players signed bats in particular spots. He claimed that they are a superstitious lot and want to sign the ball where the ball should hit. And pitchers want to sign near the handle. He didn't really explain the theory behind that--they want the opposing player to hit the ball on the handle? Or to break the bat? I mentioned as part of a conversation with another fan that Shawon had tossed me a ball during the World Series in 2002. He claimed that it was good luck and the reason that he hit the home run in game six. I concurred, and as he disappeared into the dugout, I told him, "Tell that to everybody else".

I have often held that theory--give me an autograph and you have a great day at the plate. I do have a team photo signed by the 1980 Phillies team during that year's spring training, a spring training program signed by nearly everyone on the 1984 Kansas City Royals, and of course, the Giants and Athletics from each time they were in the World Series 1989 to present. (Hey at least it helps get you there guys; you have the win the Series yourself.)

We weren't at the stadium long before the general practice was over and the bus was getting ready to go.

Meanwhile Matt Cain and Ryan Verdugo were working with Dave Righetti and a select group of hitters, Aaron Rowand, Nate Schierholtz, and some that I didn't recognize. Bruce Bochy was watching closely (though he gave a few autographs to those who tossed him a ball. Tossing my bat didn't seem like such a good idea though). Schierholtz did come over afterward, no doubt to placate the rowdy Danville fans who let him know they were there.

When that was over, we stood out by the bus until it left. We intended to leave too, but there were still a lot of cars in the parking lot, so we figured that there might still be quite a few players remaining inside. Since we saw many of the players leaving the other day, we recognized a few cars and knew that at least Brian Wilson, Matt Cain and Aaron Rowand were still there. Those guys all left without giving any autographs. Once again though, Rich Aurilia (he even gave us photo ops--thanks for posing with my shy friend!) and Barry Zito were gracious. This time Barry did stay in his car while signing and posing for photos. (We still love you Barry and were really glad that you pitched so well in yesterday's game!!)

We saw a number of other random players leave, and there was a sighting of Brian Wilson. He had left at one point (zoom zoom again today) but returned not long afterward. I was pretty crispy from the sunny 80+ degree weather by then though, so my photo from when he was a Norwich NaviGATOR will remain unsigned until another day.

Photoshow recap + Manny's info

Today was a restful day--no baseball at all. But I did have time to make a Photoshow recap of the past few days. It is about 10 minutes long with 180 photos. The link is here:

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/at9cx9PX

And here is the info for Manny's www.mannysmexicanfood.com. Today's paper has the weekly specials--Mondays are 99 cent margaritas, Tuesdays are Dollar Tuesdays, Wednesdays are $6.99 combos, and various specials on Happy Hour Thursdays. They have coupons in the "Midweek" section of the Arizona Republic on Wednesdays for free stuff too. We originally went here because we had a restaurant.com gift certificate; we keep coming back cause we like the food and love the margaritas.

Spring Training Home of the Champs--Scottsdale Stadium

Today we arrived at Scottsdale Stadium at 9:40 and there was already a line to get in. Both the Dugout store and the stadium gates were scheduled to open at 10am. We enjoyed watching the team get ready for the game at Peoria against Seattle. I nearly got hit by a foul ball--I knew I had no shot at catching it, but I called it and with little competition, came up with the practice ball (it is stamped PRACTICE on the sweet spot).

Both Tracy and I took a lot of photos, and I kept running between the stadium, the bus departure area, and the fence near the back field to see who was where. Initially, I met nothing but failure. Pat Burrell signed a few in the stadium; Madison Bumgarner signed through the fence of the back field for two people. Lincecum and Cain wouldn't sign. There was a report that a few players signed as they got on the bus. So I decided to go back into the stadium to just enjoy the practice for the few players that remained and forget about autographs. Andres Torres and Pablo Sandoval were having a home run hitting contest. Pablo hit a long shot, put his arms up in victory--but the ball hit the top of the wall! However he was the winner of the next round when he hit one over the fence.

My husband saw Bill Neukom being interviewed in the walkway and approached him to shake his hand and say "Thank you!" during a pause in the interviewer's questions. Neukom replied, "No--thank YOU for being here!" and asked how long we had be coming down to spring training. He signed my mini-bat, and that started a parade of fans in his direction, now that the ice had been broken!

I started printing out a few photos and fortuitously, practice was over and first Brandon Belt (the hot rookie prospect), Pablo Sandoval, and Andres Torres started signing in the area behind home plate. I was not among the chosen (for the second year in a row) with Pablo, but I told Andres that I had a photo of him and he signed that.

Just about then, J.T. Snow appeared at the other end of the dugout and accommodated everyone--nice! We exited the stadium and joined the throng outside near the player parking lot. Some players ignored us (or worse, used the far exit so they could just zoom out). There were sightings of Pablo (in his shower shoes?), Jonathan Sanchez (on his cell phone) and Brian Wilson (who zoomed out of the lot loudly and at a rather high rate of speed).

But among those who did accommoodate us were Sergio Romo (he upgraded his car since last year, but his music is just as loud!), Felix Romero, Barry Zito (who tried to catch a cab--but somebody else's cab apparently--and thank goodness. It was the only way I was able to catch up with him!), Rich Aurilia (for some reason no one else along the fence recognized him but me--you're welcome guys!), and Jeremy Affeldt.

Once again, I was the only one who called out to him. The conversation went something like this:

Me:"Jeremy!"

Jeremy:"What?"

Me:"Please?"

Jeremy:"Please what?"

Me:"Please will you sign my bat?"

Jeremy:"All right, I'll be back."

Me:"I trust you."

People around me were saying "Yeah, right...", but I knew he would return! He cleaned the cans out of his car and came back over. Me:"You're probably pretty sick of all of us by now" and then he said something about trying to get whatever I could for his signature on eBay. I said "Never!"

So all in all, a very enjoyable day indeed. And thank you all, Giants!

Salt River - Rockies vs. the Dodgers

Today was warm but windy--gusts to 30mph! We had behind-the-plate tickets (section 213 row 3) for the Dodgers at the new facility that the Diamondbacks and the Rockies share at Salt River. We got there waaay too early. The gates were open at 10:30 but neither team took batting practice on the field. The Rockies were in their batting cages, so we went to both Team Stores to shop for a good Spring Training shirt for Tracy. After much debate, here is the winner.

Then I waited in section 101 until nearly 12:30 and not a single Rockies player in sight--not that I would know any of them anyway! Finally someone pointed to some Dodger players arriving and I switched sides. There were a few players signing including Trent Oeltgen, Jamie Hoffman, John Lindsey, and J.D. Closser. Andre Ethier was signing at a different spot, but was burned out by the time he got to the dugout area where I was. Neither Eugenio Velez or Juan Uribe would come over despite our pleas--but Juan did wave. I was able to get the new third base coach Tim Wallach and the new manager Don Mattingly to sign my program. Mattingly will make his managerial debut against --the Giants!

As for the game, it was OK. It was more fun talking baseball to the folks around us (we had switched seats to get into the shade for a while). One was a Padres fan who knew "Sarge" (Gary Matthews); one was a Dodgers fan--but he was pretty OK. In fact, all the Dodger fans I met were nice; some even helped me obtain a couple of the autographs.

The park is beautiful and is touting itself as "fan friendly". The people at all the concessions and in all the other jobs within the park were indeed awesomely friendly. However, from a "schmooze with the players" perspective, it didn't have much to recommend it. There was very little opportunity for interaction, and all the practice fields keep fans well away from their idols. Hello Maryvale! Even Phoenix Muni was more fun on Saturday. No reason to come here more than once. Well, maybe if the Giants are here I could be persuaded...

Post-game we got together with friends who are A's fans (and are seeing a game every day they are here this week). The margaritas at Manny's were 99 cents and a good time was had by all.

Krukow-and all those other baseball players

We got into town very late last night--way later than expected (long story), and got a later start to the ballpark than we usually do. Today it was the Giants at the A's Phoenix Municipal Stadium. As we pulled into our space in their parking lot, following the directions of the parking lot attendants, I said to my husband, "There's Kruk!" parked right next to us. He of course responded with something along the lines of "Yeah, right..."

Krukow walked unmolested through the lot, across the pedestrian bridge and into the park. After we got settled in our seats, I approached him in the press box and he signed my Giants mini bat.

The visitors parking lot/bus arrival area was packing with autograph seekers hours befor game time. I decided to go the path of least resistance and hang out with the A's fans. Just some of the autographs: Ryan Sweeney, Landon Powell, Kurt Suzuki, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Max Stassi (a friend of Giants' Brandon Belt), Gio Gonzalez, and Daric Barton.

The Giants arrived around noon. It has been a long time since I saw that many people seeking autographs and taking photos at a spring training game. I didn't have a chance!! And then, some nice official looking photographer handed my mini bat down to Aaron Rowand. After that, I joined some youngsters who were next to the tunnel leading to the Giants locker room. My bat fit perfectly through the mesh. The only trick was getting them to stop and sign. Most of the guys in today's lineup did not stop to sign, or just signed a for a few and moved on quickly. But Emmanuel Burriss, Darren Ford, Thomas Neal and a few other minor league prospects came over. I desperately wanted Brandon Belt's autograph and he signed for nearly everyone else--he just wouldn't backtrack to where I was, even when a very cute little boy offered to get him to sign a second time by telling him that it was his birthday! The game was fun even though the Giants lost 6-0. It was 78 degrees and there was a sellout crowd of 8,330--the A's had even sold Standing Room tickets! Oh, and the National Anthemn was done by a guitarist a la Jimi Hendrix!

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick taking shape for Diamondbacks-Rockies

We took a road trip to the complex under construction on the reservation east of Scottsdale. Both the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks will be moving there from Tucson this spring. We were able to see the Salt River Fields from Route 202, so we took the next exit to see how close we could get. We were turned away (gently) at the construction/delivery entrance, but got a big hint that there was a good view from the back parking lot of the nearby Home Depot. In the same shopping center was a ticket outlet--tickets had just gone on sale this morning! We chose shaded behind-the-plate seats to a game against the Dodgers. We look forward to seeing Juan Uribe with his new team. I have always been a fan of his (as described in my previous post from his first year with the Giants), but we are mighty disappointed that he chose to go to the arch-rivals. I figure that we will cheer him in his first at bat, and then revise our cheer to a "Boo-ribe!" :(

Not a Road Trip--but a Trip Down Memory Lane...

Our September road trip to Arizona was just the beginning of the Giants road to the World Series! Now that they are Champs (and there is no more baseball for another three months), we have had time to remember when...

July 2005 Brian Wilson was playing with the Norwich Navigators (Gators) at an away game in New Britain Connecticut against the Rock Cats.

Tim Lincecum played his first game for the San Jose Giants wearing number 49 in 2008.

And Buster Posey in a Fall League game at Surprise Stadium in October 2009.

Three Days of Arrid-zona--Giants vs Dbacks--Tracy's Pix!

Drewwwwww-Ribe!

The Giants came to Phoenix for three games against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field, and we attended all of them. Monday was Labor Day and it was a day game, so we got to the park plenty early. Still, we only managed to see a little bit of batting practice and just Shawon Dunstan was signing autographs. (The DBacks Brandon Webb was signing and smiling pretty for fans though, and he autographed my free program.) We bought tickets at the park, where they add $1.00 to the price of a ticket on the day of the game. We were in section 315--nice and high behind home plate where the tickets cost $16 each. Madison Bumgarner pitched. His DiamondVision photo looked as if he had just flunked a math test. All the Giants were showcased in front of Photoshopped scenes of San Francisco, including one of AT&T Park that had a picture of Barry Bonds as the current hitter!

It was a pitchers' duel and we got bonus baseball. Nate Schierholtz won it in 11th inning with a triple!

Tuesday, it was Timmy's turn to pitch. We went to the local library and searched StubHub for some lower deck seats and snagged tickets in section 112, row 3 (yes, actual row 3!) for $17 each! Most of the section consisted of Giants fans, with signs even! So maybe you saw us on TV. Lincecum pitched four perfect innings before a clean single came down the right field line. The Giants scored three in the first inning and Brian Wilson got his 41st save.

Wednesday, Tracy found seats behind home plate--section 122, row 24--on StubHub for $19 each. There was a Roberto Clemente tribute and Miss Arizona sang the national anthem. Every time that leadoff hitter Stephen Drew was announced and the hometown fans did their "Drewwwwww" thing, we added "--Ribe!" We just couldn't help ourselves. There was a genuine "Uuu-Ribe" chant going on in the ninth inning, but the magic wasn't inside Chase Field. Barry Zito only gave up two runs, but the Giants could only score one on Freddy Sanchez' home run in the first inning. And so they lost 3-1.

The park itself is very family and fan friendly. The Golden Glovers (like ball dudes and dudettes) were always chatting with people along the sidelines. There were condiment races, and a Legends race with "Randy Johnson", "Matt Williams", "Luis Gonzalez", and "Mark Grace". Mark Grace has never won--how embarrassing for him! The food was good, with lots of choices at affordable price points. Giants fans, have you ever purchased a soda at AT&T for $1.50 or a Subway sandwich for $4.00? Even the waffle cone sundae from Cold Stone Creamery was only $6.00. While in section 122, we could have gotten margaritas at our seat from the strolling margarita vendor--sure beats coffee and hot chocolate!

The roof was open for the night games, and even though it was 95 degrees at game time, inside the park it was a cool 75! The only thing we didn't like about the seats in 315 was that it was quite dark up there--hard to see what we were writing in our scorebook.

Autographs obtained: Darren Ford and Mike Fontenot. Most players were not signing. Jonathan Sanchez was, but I was too far away. We saw Jon Miller, Dave Fleming, Krukow, and Amy G in the area near the dugout. Pat Burrell and Aaron Rowand came over to talk to two guys standing next to us behind the dugout. They were trying to find out who was going to some tournament in Vegas…hmmm...

In a Movie! Moneyball with Brad Pitt

My husband and I were extras in the Moneyball movie Friday night. We signed up at http://www.beinamovie.com/ about four weeks ago to be one of the hundreds used in the stadium scenes being filmed at the Oakland Coliseum. We had to report at 10:30pm (yes, you read that right--PM) and were scheduled to go until 5am.

We had to sign release papers and release of liability forms when we got there, and received a ticket for a chance to one one of their raffle prizes--if we stayed until the very end!! Two concession stands were open (you needed a specially colored ticket for the one with the better food). We got a hot dog if we had our entry ticket; otherwise we got snack type foods such as granola bars, chex mix and the like. We found prime seats in the third row near the end of the Oakland dugout. My intern Annabelle and her friends were there and we took turns using my binoculars. Annabelle spotted Brad first. He was in gray sweatpants and matching hoodie. Very soon he came over to the extras who had massed behind home plan and was giving autographs! I told my husband that I thought he would leave before I could get over to him through the mob, but I grabbed my Sharpie and my big yellow Clapper and headed his way. Some woman threw a shoe at him (gently!) and he signed it; a few people later, I tossed the Clapper, and he scribbled something that looked like "BP" in a crucifix form (see photo). I don't have any photos because we were checked at security and told not to bring cameras. Some people brought cameras anyway, and the security guards were threatening to confiscate them if they didn't put them away. Lots of cell phone photos must exist however!

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Jonah Hill were there as well. Jonah took several opportunities at breaks in the filming to talk to us and thank us. The actor playing Barry Zito was spot-on, and I caught a glimpse of Royce Clayton in his role as Miguel Tejada.

The extras were herded around (invoking a lot of mooing and baa-ing) from the third base side, to behind home plate, to a particular aisle "in a direct line with the man with the blue shirt", and finally to the right field foul pole area at about 3am. My husband and I and about a dozen others were "chosen" to go into Mount Davis section 247. "It would really help us out". Someone seemed to suggest that it was home run ball territory. When we begged to differ, a woman from the production company said that they had a machine that would send balls into the area. Though a machine was rolled onto the field at 4:30 am or so, no balls were ever launched. Moreover, we had been separated from the main group of extras, who spent time yukking it up with stand-up comedian Dante. When they announced "That's a wrap!", we could hear that Dante was calling out raffle numbers without waiting for the rest of us to descend from Mount Davis---auugh! Though we called "Wait for us!", he apparently had given away all the prizes by the time the group arrived. Our production woman said that she would get us something, but even all the tickets to the Monday game against the Royals had been given away--"Sorry"--not even a chance to win Giambi bobbleheads or the Sony flat screen TV. Some people who had been there as extras since 3PM were truly incensed, not just totally disgruntled like we were. I complained to some dude with a clipboard who had been directing us as we entered, but he just kept repeating "I'm not in charge" as his mantra and saying "Sorry". Just the sort of thing people who spent seven hours helping you make your movie want to hear a 5AM. We are guessing that it is way more fun for the people who get paid to do this.

The scenes we were in were of the twentieth game of the Oakland A's winning streak in 2002, specifically the at-bats leading up to Scott Hatteberg's game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning when the A's were tied 11-11 with Kansas City. We watched "Jermaine Dye" pop out to right field--groan! Then we cheered while "Hatteberg" worked the count until the infamous home run. It apparently landed in the stands near the 367 foot mark. I am guessing that this is why we were in the middle of nowhere in section 247 during the final hour and a half. They made us sit in groups of two or three and we were told that we would be digitally reproduced to make it seem like we were either more people, or in more places. I wasn't quite sure of the concept. So when you see the Moneyball movie, look for me in my Snoopy Athletics t-shirt waving a big yellow sign. Or maybe you will see my husband with the huge yellow Clapper!

Extended Spring Training

Today we went to Surprise to experience "extended spring training". It may be 97 degrees outside, but technically it is still spring! The Kansas City Royals team was hosting the Seattle Mariners on their practice fields at 10:30am. There were teams playing on two fields, the George Brett Field and the Frank Field. It is my understanding that the teams consisted mostly of players at all levels who may be in need of rehab. The game was free and we had a great time watching two games at once! We were, I believe, the only "fans" at the field. Nearly everyone else in the stands was wielding a speed gun. The pitching dummies were surreal.

Tracy had a conversation with Victor Soto, a second baseman from the rookie league Burlington Royals of the Applachian League, who was grabbing some shade near a light standard. He was here because he had broken a bone in his left hand; he had taken some ground balls and was supposed to be able to start some hitting in a week. He is from the Dominican Republic.

Tomorrow is "Camp Day" according to the information on the Mariners website. I'm not sure what that means but it will be hot enough that they won't have to have a campfire to roast marshmallows and make S'mores.

No game--just Scottsdale stadium

The Giants were playing in Tucson today. We have made that trip in years past--no thank you! We knew that any player who could wiggle out of going was going to be at Scottsdale stadium instead. We got there around 9:30 after a leisurely breakfast at the Original Pancake House. The security guy said that the bus left for Tucson at 8 am, but the Dugout store had just opened and the stadium was scheduled to open at 1oam. They actually opened at 9:45, which gave me lots of time to take photos of batting practice and print them out.

The first thing that they did was a sort of weird version of the Ministry of Silly Walks while music played over the loudspeaker. Then some players went into the batting cages, while others batted in the stadium and others shagged fly balls in the outfield.

As they finished (or sometimes, as they switched fields) the players would sign some autographs. OMG, I got a lot of autographs on my photos, including Mark de Rosa, Madison Bumgarner, Aubrey Huff, Juan Uribe, Edgar Renteria, and Tim Lincecum in the stadium. I also got Freddy Sanchez to sign my team bat. He was not in uniform--I am not really sure what he was doing, but we were sure glad to see him!

After practice, we waited outside near the parking lot. Sergio Romo, Joe Martinez and Jeremy Affeldt were some of the players who took the time to sign. We saw a few players getting in their cars--Kevin Pucetas in a black sports car, Matt Cain in a white Ford truck, Timmy in a beautiful silver Mercedes. But Sergio had the loudest stereo!

Brewers vs. Athletics at Maryvale

On Thursday, we went to Maryvale to see the Brewers vs Athletics. This ballpark is about 10 miles from our house. We arrived at 11:30, as the Brewers were still taking batting practice. Parking was $6-yikes! But we got good seats in the 3rd row near the A’s dugout (well between home plate and dugout in the area of the on-deck circle, if they had one).

While we waited, we got to witness the team from XM Sirius radio (standing on the field, behind home plate) talking about the upcoming contest for about a half hour. One guy was so animated and impassioned during the discussion, we thought he was on the floor of Congress. It was kind of scary really. Just before Oakland arrived, they interviewed catcher Greg Zaun, who had lots of good things to say about the Brewers pitching staff. I think that he is new to the team. Randy Wolf was starting that day. He was really good--if rather short! The press guide says he is 5" 10" but I don't know.

Oakland arrived on a bus around 12:15--we could see the bus driver trying to park it in the area just above right field. Anyway, as for autographs, LOTS of A's players signed, and even posed for pictures. Some of the players got confused about which camera to look at, but they were very accommodating with great smiles!

Oh, and the Italian won the sausage race--my favorite!

The A's won the game 7-4.

Indians and the Padres at Goodyear Ballpark

The ballpark is only seven miles from the house that we own here. We arrived at the park around 11:15; the side gate near the parking lot was open and we bought the best available tickets—behind the plate in 5th row, which turned out to be scout territory. At least 10 speed guns were aimed at the pitcher with each throw.

As we went through security, we received a ticket for an autograph, which was to take place outside the team store at noon. They do this on Wednesday and Thursdays for first 200 people who are here allegedly before the gates open. But since yesterday was so cold and windy, I guess that there weren’t anywhere near that many people at the gate prior to opening. Andrew Marte and Chris Gimenez were appearing. I got one autograph from each on a nice postcard purchased at the team store. Tracy found a great all-team spring training 2010 shirt there too. Bob Feller was in his usual spot in the concourse behind section 107 or so. It was announced that he would not be at the next two home games.

I got lots of Cleveland autographs before the Padres even arrived. I have no idea who most of them are—sorry Tribe fans—I will have to look at the photos that Tracy took. Sandy Alomar was the only name I was really familiar with. We just don’t see the American League that often.

Cleveland beat the Padres handily—not only did they bat around in one inning, everyone on the team managed to score in the inning! I didn’t really recognize many players names on the Padres either—it was a split squad—but Chris Denorfia looked familiar, as he played for Oakland last year.

We stayed the whole game. Oh, the waffle cone ice cream ($6) was amazing, and Tracy liked the chili cheese dog.