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Playing Catchup – ATrip to Spring Training
Once again, it’s been far too long without a blog from me.
The good news – the great news – is because I’ve been just too dang busy. March almost killed me with fun.
You already know about the night with the K-W Knitter’s Guild. A-maze-ing. I had so much fun both preparing to speak and actually speaking that I surprised the pants off of me.
So let’s move on to the next event in my amazingly fun March 2011: I spent four quick days in Florida at the Blue Jays Spring Training.
It was a last minute trip. I’d been looking at the schedules with longing for a few weeks. See, the promise of baseball is one of the things that got me through my winter. I’d had such an amazing time watching Jays games in 2010, and I’d followed all the news pretty closely in the off season. I’d even picked up a little gig writing about the Blue Jays for a new women’s sports network, Aerys Sports.
So when I found a sub-$300 plane ticket, I scrambled to get the days off and flew to Tampa.
March 9 was all about travel. I had 3 flights to get to Tampa; with stops in New York and Miami and a couple of lengthy delays. I was exhausted by the time I picked up the rental car and found the hotel – blissfully close to the airport.
Up early on March 10 to drive to Fort Myers for my first Jays game of 2011! They were meeting the Twins (another beloved team of mine), and I had one ticket for the lawn section in the outfield. It was raining just a bit, and I wasn’t really prepared for damp ground, but I couldn’t say that I cared at all.
It was baseball time.
Hammond Stadium was easily the loveliest of the parks I visited during the weekend. With an approach lined with palms, and a design loosely modeled after Churchill Downs, the stadium is celebrating it’s 20th year.
Having never had the opportunity to watch professional baseball from the lawn, I went for it with gusto, plopping myself on a patch of grass, surrounded by families and happy kids. Eventually the drizzle tapered off and the day warmed up just enough.
One of the really neat parts of Spring Training was the chance to get a first look at some of the newest Jays. We’d made several trades in the off season, and had a lot of buzz about some of the young prospects.
I learned pretty quickly that Spring Training games aren’t like regular season ones. Players rotate in and out of the games more quickly; it’s not uncommon for the entire starting lineup to be substituted out by the 5th inning. Positions switch around too; giving the management a chance to see what different players can do at different spots on the field. And the teams focus more on specific skills than just trying to win games.
In addition, it’s just plain fun. Everyone wants to play well, show their best sides, but the stats don’t count. As one of the catching prospects explain to me, it’s just fun – no brawls, no fights – just baseball.
That night after my first game, I drove to McKechnie Field, about half way back to Tampa, to see the Orioles take on the Pirates for a night game. I don’t follow either team, but our first baseman from 2010 is now with the Pirates, and the Jays regularly play the Orioles in the AL East, and it was a chance to see more baseball.
It was COLD that night. I was still kind of damp from the rain all day, and even in my more sheltered seat behind home plate, the wind was brutal.
The other thing that was brutal? The game play! Compared to the afternoon game, it felt like I was watching a little league game, except with maybe a bit less heart.
I’m not ashamed to admit I only made it until the 6th inning. I have limits, you know.
Finally, it was Friday morning, and I was off to Dunedin, Florida, the spring home of the Blue Jays at the very romantically named “Florida Auto Exchange Stadium”. (Kidding about the romance. It’s a terrible name.)
Although the Blue Jays have been in Dunedin since their first season – 1977 – they’ve only been playing at this stadium since it was built in 1990. With a capacity of just over 5,000, it’s a great place to watch a game; not a bad seat in the house.
I didn’t know that it was ok to come early and watch practice, so I showed up at game time, grabbed a pulled pork sandwich, and enjoyed the finally sunny day.
Saturday, however, I was prepared. Fans line up along the side of right field, and players stop by to chat, sign autographs, and take pictures. This is one of the huge bonuses of the more relaxed atmosphere; players have time to socialize a bit, without the pre-game pressures of the regular season.
Players? I met them. I chatted with all but one or two of our regulars. JP Arencibia – shown over on the left – is our rookie catcher this year, and he’s an absolute darling. And since I have a thing for catchers, I was also pretty darn thrilled to talk a little with José Molina.
And then the other cool thing… because it’s so relaxed, no one cares if you wander down to the first row of seats to take photographs during the game. I was prepared with my 300mm lens, and got a bunch of shots I can use over on my Jays blog at wayofthejay.com.
I managed to fit in five games in four full days and returned to Toronto with a sun burn and a smile on my face.
It’s hard to explain exactly why I’ve gotten this into baseball after just being a casual spectator for most of my life. In part, I have dad to thank. When he was in the hospital last year around this time, we had the Cubs games on every day. So I started watching more. And paying attention more. And when I got home, watching reminded me of him.
And I have Cooper to thank too. Last summer, when he was attacked at the dog park and spent 6 weeks recovering from the partial tail amputation, we had to cancel most of our camping plans. So we stayed in Toronto. And went to Blue Jays games.
At the time, José Bautista was making his run to break all Jays records for home runs. It was a great time to be a Jays fan. No, we weren’t going to make it to the playoffs, but we had something great to cheer for. And so, I began to love this scrappy home town team.
Going to Florida for a few days by myself was crazy. But it was also the best thing I could have done at the time. It helped me just enjoy myself for a few days, just feel like really, things were getting better for me, little by little.
No, my team’s probably not going to win this year. But I got a nice little preview of the kind of plays I can see all year long. And a nice little preview of the kind of heart these guys show on the field.
Full set of photos on Flickr >
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April 25th, 2011 at 10:48 am
I was a huge Jays fan in high school, when they won back-to-back World Series titles. Back then, I had a thing for John Olerud and he was batting for 500, and it was an exciting time to be a Jays fan as well! Reading your post brought me back. Maybe it’s time to dust off my Jays paraphernalia and start watching again!
April 25th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
Amy there is nothing like some time away, some sunshine, some baseball and a pulled pork sandwich to help a person on the road to healing.
Take care of yourself, but enjoy the ball game at the same time.
April 25th, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Spring Training is the best! My team is the Atlanta Braves, and the Pirates for old time sake, so we go down to Orlando to Disney World of Sports and, just like you sit in the outfield lawn! There is nothing like it and if you’re a fan of baseball, this the ultimate trip!
Happy Spring…Happy Baseball again!
April 26th, 2011 at 12:40 am
Glad to hear from you! Just so you know – I miss your posts. ANd this is in no way meant to create guilt, pressure, etc. Just to let you know you’re missed. Glad you had a good time. I’ve taken up watching hockey this year (and I”m 50+) there’s no explaining these things sometimes.
April 27th, 2011 at 2:43 am
So glad you are back. I have been a bit concerned. I enjoy your voice on the internet.
April 29th, 2011 at 11:18 pm
just wondered if you were heading off to the knitter’s frolic this weekend to start off another month of too much fun!
http://www.downtownknitcollective.ca/dkc_frolic.html
May 1st, 2011 at 9:26 pm
I’m not a baseball fan yet, but there were 2 Cincinnati Reds renting the house next door to me February and March down here in Arizona. I’ll have to check out some spring training next year.
Do your journalistic duties prevent you from “Stitching and Pitching” when you’re at the game?