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ANDREW AND DON’S 2005
SPRING TRAINING ADVENTURE
Posted March 2005
Since 1993, we have
traveled each March to either Florida or Arizona to visit as many Major League Baseball
training camps as possible during a four-day weekend. During the good old
days, before Spring Training became a more refined tourism draw (read:
expensive) and our two travelers were a tad younger, we would take in seven
or eight games (day and night) during a trip. These days, it’s down to
four (only day games) -- but our spirit remains as strong as ever.
(For those of you
wondering who Don is,
he’s Elise’s sister’s son, formerly known as Nephew Boy
when we all lived in Houston. It was Elise’s idea for Andrew and Don to make the first
Spring Training trip in 1993 for Andrew’s 30th birthday. The
trip has endured as an annual tradition – and, when the bills come due,
we both say it was all Elise’s idea for uncle-nephew bonding).
This year, the 13th
season, we return to Arizona, and we’ve declared the City of Phoenix as our home base. In past years, we’ve
lamented that we didn’t keep a journal of our travels. We’re
addressing that goal in 2005 with this Web page.
Sometime soon
(we’ll say before the end of the summer if current trends continue),
we’ll replace this site with some observations and rankings of the
parks below. Andrew and Don will be doing a magazine article on their annual
trek and park ratings for an upcoming edition of a magazine by Gannett Wisconsin.
WHERE WE’RE GOING IN 2005
We’ve selected four
Spring Training sites in the Cactus League for this year’s adventure.
Park No. 1: Phoenix
Municipal Stadium
Home of the Oakland
Athletics
PHOTO FROM OAKLAND ATHLETICS WEB
SITE:
This park has been one
of our favorites ever since our first trip to Arizona in 1995 (yes, we went there during the odd
strike season, which was like watching a company softball tournament, but
with really good uniforms). In our four or five previous visits to Arizona (we’ve lost count), we’ve always
scheduled things so that we visit this park. Superb views of the desert
landscape beyond the centerfield wall. Nice sightlines. Mass-produced beer.
Read more about this park:
Park No. 2: Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ
Home of the Kansas
City Royals and the Texas
Rangers
PHOTO FROM KANSAS CITY ROYALS WEB
SITE
We were lucky in 2003
to be among those who attended a game during the inaugural season of this
fine park, which opened to the public on Dec. 7, 2002. We actually planned the trip that year so we
could go to two games there: One on St. Patrick’s Day (with the Royals
as the home team), one the day after. We ended up only seeing half of the
first game and none of the second game because it rained. And it was cold.
And, yes, this is the desert. However, this is a wonderful facility: Modern,
but not built retro, with attention to sightlines, fan comfort and
first-class concessions (great micro and major beer selection).
Read more about this park:
Park No. 3: Peoria
Sports Complex, Peoria, AZ
Home of the Seattle
Mariners and the San Diego
Padres
PHOTO FROM SEATTLE MARINERS WEB
SITE
We’ve been here
before, too (in fact, as we write this, we wonder: Is there any park we
haven’t visited in 11 years?), and found it to be a good place to take
in a game. It’s got a special connection for Andrew, as it is the
Spring Training site not only for the Mariners, but also the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, the
Mariners’ Class-A affiliate based near Appleton. During our last trip to the desert, in 2003,
we were set to see the Mariners play (we got front-row seats, right behind
the screen, dead center of Home Plate), then hit the town with some Rattlers
coaches and staffers. Then, of course, we experienced a second straight
rainout, with the Phoenix area recording four inches of water (they only
get about seven in a normal year). Needless to say, no Mariners game and we
didn’t catch up with our crew with the Rattlers (they didn’t even
come to the park). We’re hoping for another chance this year. Andrew
ranks the park as solid (of course, or we wouldn’t go), but it’s No. 4 of the four facilities we will be
visiting this year because of its beer offering (high prices and a selection
limited to mass-produced malted products). It was the first two-team camp
built in the country (built in 1994) and is holding up well. One advantage:
Fans sit close to the field. And, hey, sitting in the stands, the view beyond
the fence is great.
Read more about the park:
Park No. 4: Maryvale Sports Park, Phoenix, AZ
Home of the Milwaukee
Brewers
PHOTO FROM MILWAUKEE BREWERS WEB
SITE
Andrew lives in Wisconsin now, so it’s something of a kick to
visit this park, which is usually populated by snowbirds from the America’s Dairyland.
Last time we visited, Andrew saw several folks wearing Timber Rattlers hat
and fielded at least two circulation questions about The Post-Crescent. Plus, they have
several varieties of Leinenkugel’s
beer, a Wisconsin favorite (owned by Miller, but intentionally left alone
so not to mess up its unique family heritage and independent nature), served
cold in large cups at a fair price. Oh, yeah, the park’s nice, too.
Read more about the park:
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