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.

Arizona Fall League Baseball

Tomorrow is the championship game for the Arizona Fall League. Sadly, we can't be there, but we certainly enjoyed the game we saw at Surprise Stadium earlier this year. The Surprise Rafters players were some of the best prospects from the Cardinals, Mets, Rangers, Royals, and the Yankees. They were hosting the Scottsdale Scorpions--Diamondbacks, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, and Rockies prospects.

We chose this game to attend because Joe Martinez (of hit-in-the-head-with-a-line-drive fame) of the Giants was the starting pitcher, and Buster Posey the starting catcher. It only cost a total of $6.00 for both of us to get in because some nice lady gave me a free ticket. Heck, the beer cost that!

We sat behind the plate--there are no assigned seats--about four rows up. The only people in front of us were in the front row. The only section off-limits was directly behind the plate, where the scouts were sitting with their speed guns. It was a fairly quiet crowd, execpt for one woman who had designated herself a cheerleader to everyone on the Scorpions. The only stir during the game was when it was announced that the Phillies had beaten the Dodgers. Naturally, we whooped it up a little, and a guy nearly two sections over heard us and introduced himself as a Giants fan from Berkeley.

I got lots of autographs on the very nice $2.00 full color Fan Guide. I didn't really know who the players were other than the Giants guys, but all the other autograph seekers were guys loaded with multiple copies of each players baseball cards. The players (other than Buster) happily signed everything put in front of them.

It was a grand night and perfect weather for the game. I wouldn't mind having season tickets to this league!

Arizona Rookie League - Goodyear

We headed over to Goodyear to check out the progress of the new Cincinnati Reds facility, co-located within the Cleveland Indians new park. It was going along pretty well, despite the fact that the Reds logo sign was taped onto the building over the entrance. We didn't look really closely, due to the "No Admittance" signs, but there was a Rookie League game that night between the players from the Indians and the Kansas City Royals.

There weren't many spectators. The metal grandstand held the official MLB scorekeeper, a few players, and a scout for the Oakland A's. We could hear the scorekeeper calling in the starting lineup and the game details after every inning. The scout was unfamiliar with just about everything, including how to get to the following night's game at Scottsdale. He didn't even know if the game was to be played at their stadium or at Indian School Park. We offered him advice on the best routing to Indian School.

Just before gametime, one of the Indians players brought us folding chairs and as you can see in the photo, we had great seats--and they were free! We adopted Trent Baker as our player to root for--sharing the same surname, after all!

Shortly after the game began a lovely young lady with long blonde hair was offered a chair near us. She asked various questions about the game, and at some point, we asked if she was either related to a player, or knew a player. She said that she was Trent Baker's girlfriend--how cosmic! He is from Australia, and according to her, used to be a pitcher (now a centerfielder), but they want his bat in the lineup. She is from South Africa originally, living in Orlando now.

The only odd things were that there was no scoreboard--this was the only field in the complex with lights--and the lights for the warmup pitchers was being produced by a noisy gas generator behind us. We think the final score was 4-3 in favor of the Indians. We know that Baker hit the game-winning RBI on a sacrifice fly. However, his girlfriend was perturbed that he made the out, and had made an error in the previous half inning.

One of the pitchers was someone that we apparently should have known (had we been Indians fans) who was making his first appearance after surgery. His fans seemed pleased, and we may have been ignorant, but we had fun anyway.

Goodyear? Great day!

Friday was our last day in the Phoenix area. We wanted to get a good look at the Cleveland Indians new home at the Goodyear ballpark (The Cincinnati Reds will be moving from Sarasota next spring to join them.) Luckily it was half price day and we got in for $6! A nice lady at the side entrance gave me a special ticket for autographs—two rookies, Wes Hodges and Trevor Crowe, would be giving autographs outside the team store at noon.

It was nearly 12:30 until the visiting team, the Oakland A’s, appeared through the center field area. Kurt Suzuki was the first one to approach the fan throng near their dugout. He made sure all were accommodated, even asking “Anybody else?”

More players were soon to follow, including Mark Ellis, Jack Cust, Bobby Crosby (whose #7 had been left behind, and he was wearing #82 until game time), Sean Dolittle, Chris Denorfia. And they posed for pictures. Look at Bobby Crosby, how cute is that?

We moved from our outfield foul-ball territory seats down the left field line to something a little shadier. Hall of Famer Bob Feller had a table set up directly behind us where he was giving autographs and chatting with fans with a “Welcome to the Wigwam!” He would autograph his book for free; if you wanted a signature on anything else, it was $10, which went to the Bob Feller Museum. He had an array of photos available. One showed a Navy vessel, and he and my husband got into a lively, extended conversation about the Navy and all things related. He also posed for photos. He spent hours doing this. We left at 2pm to get on the road for home, and there was still quite a sizable line. The announcer said that he does this at all the Indians’ games here at the park. It was a great day and a great trip this year. See you in Arizona next spring!

Scottsdale Stadium & Indian School Park

Today, just a couple of thoughts for Giants fans hoping to see their guys. Since the Giants had the day off last Thursday, we went to Indian School Park to see if anyone was working out. We spotted Nate Schierholtz and Clay Timpner taking some batting practice, but saw no one else that we recognized. We hadn’t been to the park in several years and the changes were quite remarkable. I’m sure the Giants are proud of them, but they just serve to further distance their fans and erode their fan base. We had to park on the street and follow the signs for “Field Access”. There is a new building between the field and the batting cages, and a new façade on the clubhouse. The batting cages are not approachable, and there is a double green tarp that is impossible to see through on the parking lot side. We had to be satisfied with the sound of the bat on the ball.

The fans are restricted to the upper level just outside the new building and clubhouse. All stairs near the backstop are labeled for Giants personnel only. We may have been able to go down one unmarked stairway that led to the farthest field and park, but it didn't seem worth the effort. See my photo--that's as close as you will get!

Friday morning, we went to Scottsdale Stadium, since the team was playing in Tucson. We got there at 8:45, but were informed that the bus already had left. We saw Randy Johnson as a passenger in a Ford SUV, on the way for “treatment” somewhere east of the stadium. The newspapers later reported that he had thrown a game against the minor leaguers we had seen at Indian School the day before! Could it be that the Stadium personnel were misinformed? Or do they not want fans at Indian School Park at all?

About 9:10, we saw the Stadium gates being opened, but were informed by a Giants representative that only a few guys were going to be practicing and the public was not allowed inside the park.

My recommendation is to see your Giants on the road in one of the fan-friendly parks. We had almost no access to them here in Scottsdale. Save money and stay, eat, and play elsewhere!

A's Player at PF Chang's identified!

In my post on Monday, March 9th, I mentioned that we had had dinner at PF Chang's and we were seated next to an A's player who was with a gentleman who was having him sign some papers. At the time, we couldn't figure out who he was. We just overheard snippets of their conversation--"small market team", "1999", per diem, "Are you staying at the team hotel?", but couldn't quite figure out who it was. As I was watching the A's-Giants game on CSN Bay Area this afternoon, this same player was being interviewed in the dugout. It was Matt Holliday!!! And here I thought that being in the same restaurant as Kyle Farnsworth was exciting. We are home now, and still unpacking, but already missing the 80 degree temperatures! My next post will be about the game on Friday between the Cleveland Indians and the A's at the new park in Goodyear.

Will is still a thrill--and the Nuschler face lives!

We went to Surprise to see the Giants play the Texas Rangers today. The parking is free--the only park in the Cactus League that doesn't charge! The Kansas City Royals minor leaguers were practicing on their back fields with some interesting equipment.

We needed tickets and were approached in the parking lot by an older gentlemen who wanted to sell us tickets. He said that they were front row behind the dugout and that he was a season ticket holder. We were skeptical (the tickets said "Row D"), but he seemed sincere, so we sprang for the tickets at face value. They were right behind the giants dugout, right where the players go down the steps--the prime place for autographs! Will Clark emerged from the player tunnel and signed my mini-bat. I have pursued that autograph for 20 years!! He also threw me a ball that had been fouled off by Fred Lewis at the end of the fifth inning.

There were only about 4,500 people in the stadium, so nearly all of the Giants willingly signed. Aaron Rowand, Buster Posey, Bruce Bochy, Fred Lewis, John Bowker, Eugenio Velez, and more. We saw Omar Vizquel chatting with some of the Giants prior to the game. Seeing him in blue was a little disconcerting, but he seemed to be the same smiling Omar...

SpringTraining 2009--the first three days!

We spent Saturday getting settled in--just checked out the new ballpark in Goodyear. We expect to see a game between the Indians and A's there on Friday.

On Sunday, we stopped at Scottsdale Stadium to buy a Giants spring training shirt for Tracy. Along the way, we noticed a number of Giants players practicing on the field behind the stadium under the watchful eye of Carney Lansford--Steve Holm, Kevin Frandsen, Guzman, and Juan Uribe who in turn noticed us and called out, "Hey, baby! How's it going?" Then we moseyed over to the players' parking lot, where a Jaguar pulled up. Gino Espinelli and another player autographed my mini-bat.

Then we hit the road, since we had tickets to the game between the two new resident teams at the Camelback Ranch ballpark in Glendale, the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. The park has a 50's western style with lots of stone and with metal painted brown to look like wood. There is a large pond just outside the ticket area, and legend has it that a Giants fan has already fallen into it. Sunday featured a steel band on the plaza outside the park, and it was Kids' Autograph Day. They had dozens of players from each team along the railing on both side of the park allowing kids to step up for autographs. I managed to get autographs from Manny Ramirez and Matt Kemp on my Louisville Slugger Museum mini-bat before the "event" started. Then, since only a few of the players had a line of kids, I just tagged along and when all the kids had gone through, I asked the usher, "Do I look young today?" Most of them winked and said, "Go ahead, kid!"--only one lady gave me a little grief--"I could get in trouble...", but the Dodger player said, "It's OK--it's all good!"

Tracy had gone off to find our seats which were in section 117, row 1, right behind the plate close to the Dodgers' dugout. Until I joined him, he chatted with a gentleman one seat over who introduced him to his son. Tracy said he was certain that the man we were sitting with was the actor who played the father (Red) on That 70's Show, Kurtwood Smith. I had worn my "Beat L.A." shirt given to me by Matt Johanson (who wrote San Francisco Giants:Where have They Gone?). Wearing it got me a lot of attention by the partisan crowd, but in a joking way--I think! After a number of innings of dozens of people asking "Red" to pose for a photo with them, I finally asked if he would object to posing with me. He did make a point of covering a portion of the shirt with his hat!

Monday was a low-key day in which we did a lot of shopping for collectibles and found a few Snoopy items for our collection. We stopped at P.F. Chang's in Scottsdale for an early dinner and managed to sit in a booth next to an A's player who was with someone who was having him sign some contracts. (Maybe someday we will know who he is!) Also right outside on the patio sat Kyle Farnsworth with his family. Why he was eating here and not at the one in Peoria--much closer for Royals players--we never figured out.