Scottsdale, AZ Spring Training 2008

Spring Training 2008

Kevin and I went to Scottsdale, Arizona for our second-ever trek to watch our beloved San Francisco Giants in their Spring Training home. Many believe that this may be the only time of year that our team won’t be below the 500 mark.

Kevin and I had been there a few years earlier and have perfected the 48 hour vacation with 2 games, an expensive meal, and fun pictures while we enjoy the the 89-degree desert sun. This was a perfect vacation for any baseball fanatic, although some may see the itinerary as painful.

The accommodations were marginal, but this is the motel where the Giants house their Single-A players, so we felt like we were in camp living amidst the land of the strapping male 20-somethings.

Friday morning, after packing in the motel’s free breakfast, we loaded up our backpacks and headed out by 9:30 for the 1pm game. If we had walked straight and with purpose, it would have taken us about 45 minutes to walk to the stadium, but we took our time, taking pictures and doing some souvenir shopping along the way.

Kevin was one of the first people in the stadium when the gates cracked at 11am. He raced into position on the rail next to the duggout hoping for as many autographs as he could muster. Autograph hunting is hard work. Big leaguer after big leaguer would ignore him until they were ready and then they would start working the line, but generally this didn’t happen until moments before the game--two hours later.

Some of the conversations were memorable. Owner Peter Magowan signed one of Kevin’s balls and later when reliever Jack Taschner noted Magowan’s signature he asked Kevin, “Who signed the ball way over here? You would think that all the players would learn how to sign a ball.” When Kevin told him that it was his boss, he nodded recognizing the signature from his checks and told Kevin that if he sees Magowan again he should tell him that reliever Steve Kline had complained about the signature. Kevin apparently agreed to Taschner’s terms.

The game has all the feel of a Little League game with as many visiting fans (we saw the Chicago Whitesox and the Milwaukee Brewers) as home fans. The score was never as important as the game itself and there was a friendly spirit that created a perpetual baseball chatter and commentary in the stands. Sure, there were moments when the crowd got fired up, like the time 20-plus Dodger fans in full blue gear slowly lapped the stadium (probably the loudest the stadium ever got) or the time Eric Gagne (former Dodger) made his way from the bullpen. But for the most part fans on both sides were just happy to honor the game.

After the game we spent at least another hour waiting for the players to exit. Kevin worked his four balls deciding whose signature could be on the same ball and make sure he got signatures for his brother’s collection as well. Kudos to Tyler Walker, another Giant reliever, who must have signed autographs for a full hour and didn’t stop until every last fan who wanted a signature got one. He held babies and posed for pictures hoping, I guess, to buy some good will before the fans start chewing on him during the season.

We returned to the hotel only a little bit wrecked at 5:30 having put in a full day of baseball. We quickly changed and headed to Don & Charlie’s a famous restaurant where every nook and cranny is crammed with sports memorabilia. The steak dinner was good, but one goes there to watch for the baseball elite. There were a few people we recognized but couldn’t quite place. There were many more we could place. We saw our friend Peter Magowan and carefully noted who he had chosen to dine with (Pitcher Noah Lowry and infielder Kevin Frandsen). If we weren't sitting two tables away, Kevin would have been deemed a stalker.

The next day when we repeated our schedule Kevin approached Giants announcer and former second basebman Dwayne Kuiper for a signature. He took one look at Kevin and said, “Haven’t I seen you before…weren’t you wearing a striped shirt at Don and Charlie’s last night?” I guess Kevin’s stalking was noticed after all, and if Kevin wants to be a big league announcer someday he might have to be just as observant.

We bumped into plenty of people we know over the course of our 48 hours in Arizona, we enjoyed two Giant wins and came home with a pile of presents for the family members who didn’t join us. And on we go into the post-Barry Bonds era…play ball!

Click on a photo to enlarge.

Enjoying Scottsdale

At the game

Hunting for autographs

March 22, 2008