Brewers Spring Training 2014

I walked all the way from the parking lot to the front gate and went to buy my ticket only to realize that I left my wallet in the car. When I got back there was this huge line. Thankfully there was a cash only table for lawn seats and another entrance to the ballpark. This guy in the Marcus Hanel (bullpen catcher) jersey told me about it. So not only did he have a sweet random jersey, but he also saved me from waiting in line.

I was a real mess when I woke up this morning. It's easy to see it in my hair and face but believe me when I say that my entire body was feeling the rage. It's actually quite cold in Arizona in the morning as the sun does so much to heat this joint up. Since there are plenty of hard surfaces including rocks, cement and buildings the sun reflects off of them. So it's not until the sun is overhead that it really starts to heat up around here.

Why was it so important do the sun to come out and heat this place up? Because it was Friday morning and all I wanted to do was go swimming. If you're a frequent visitor to this site then you know that nothing will stop me from going swimming. But at the end of the day I'm still human and would prefer for the weather no be nice because 60 degrees (although it sounds nice after the horrible Wisconsin winter we had) is still 60 degrees. Hardly swimming weather. I held out as long as I could waiting for it to warm up and finally decided to take the plunge. In the pool I recorded another video for "25 Brewers in 25 Days" featuring Weeks and Gennett at 2nd base.

In normal traffic it is a 30 minute drive from my Aunt's place in Scottsdale to Maryvale Ballpark (Brewers Spring Training Home) in West Phoenix. Today's game was at 1pm and I wanted to be there by 11:30am so I could start tailgaiting. What's the point in going to a Brewers game if you aren't going to have a few in the parking lot? It was a smooth and beautiful ride thanks to my Dodge Avenger and the picturesque Arizona desert. Now would be a good time to send me my check Dodge and the Arizona Department of Tourism.

Today could not be any better. I suppose it would be nice to have someone along with me for the ride, but that's how it goes when you're a loner. The skies were beautiful, the sun was out and the temperature was a warm 80 degrees. Sounds like a perfect day to Wear a Sombrero. Of course that is every day, but on a day like this, it is just that much better.

Tailgaiting means different things to different people. Some people bring awnings, lawn chairs, grills and a delicious food spread. I don't have time for that nonsense. All I need is a couple of beers or a few mixed drinks. Why waste time with all that nonsense? Might as well get straight to the point. Besides, I was debuting my new jersey today, and if the Hombre de Hielo was going to be out in a social setting, he needs some liquid courage.

I have been talking about going back down to Arizona for Spring Training since I left here in 2009. But my talking intensified after my Aunt moved down here in the Fall. I talked about it so much that I convinced my friend Tom at work to come down here to visit his brother. It just so happened that this weekend worked out for him, so we met up for a minute before the game today. It's a treat to see some of these folks outside of the office.