Halo Honks

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Day three of the Cactus League has come to a close. It was a long, hot and tiring day, but the experiences were very rewarding and we leave Arizona with lots of happy memories. The final day of our Baseball Road Trip has been a perfect wrap-up to what has been an exhilarating last two days.

The original plan was to wake up early and get some hiking in at South Mountain Park. After the long hot day in the sun yesterday, we were just too plum worn out to go on an adventure in the desert. The two of us just decided to eat a hearty breakfast and get to the ballpark early in the hopes of seeing practice. After stopping by the YMCA one more time for a clean up, we got some food and made our way to Tempe Diablo Stadium. 

Along the way, I was worried. What if the teams weren't practicing? This was one of the most seminal moments in Spring Training, and would have been damned if I came all this way and not see some sort of practice. Luckily for us, as we made the turn towards the park, we saw a bunch of red jerseys playing catch. 

The Angels practice complex is located next to Tempe Diablo Stadium. It consists of four practice fields for the big league squad tiered above six more for the Minor League prospects. It is a sprawling complex.

After we got parked, we made our way down to the fields. I was not surprised to see many people lining up alongside banisters to get autographs from the big league players. However, the farther down into the complex you went, the more interesting things got as the Minor Leaguers were deep into work.

Just like my last experience, people were allowed to mill about the complex and wander between fields where workouts were held. I was amazed at how respectful everybody was. There weren't any drunken idiots, bratty kids or pretentious parents. Like a breath of fresh air, we finally saw some real baseball fans. Fans who were content to watch the development of players. Fans who were content to talk with the prospects about the intricacies of the game. Fans who were content to listen to the coaches give tips and advice to young ballplayers.

We first started by watching some pitching work in the covered bullpen area. We then made our way to another field where it looked like the Angels Rookie and low-A clubs were taking batting practice. Our third stop, however, was the Holy Grail. The Inland Empire 66ers field featured all the prospects who were competing for the spot to play on my hometown team. While it may have only been batting practice, this inside glimpse to a team that I have adopted as my own was fantastic. I can't tell you just how fun it was to sit back and watch the players who will make up the 66ers roster get ready to, hopefully, defend a California League title.

As the Major League game is going on in the big parks, the surrounding fields host the Minor League teams. Just a thought, but I think it would be fun to do a Spring Training Minor League junket. Do nothing but watch the Minor League teams instead. It's an idea...

After watching the prospects, we decided to head up to watch the big boys. While waiting in line to see the players, I enjoyed speaking with the other fans and game day staff around Us. You get to know a lot about people and how the excitement for the game really is infectious. While it was to a lesser degree, I was pleased to see that there were still a lot of "true" baseball fans around. While I didn't get any autographs, it was neat to see the big leaguers up close and personal.

When that excitement ended, we made our way up to Tempe Diablo. We had lawn seating again, so we both wanted to get in early and stake out a good spot to lay down our blanket. However, we had to fight a mad rush getting in because the gate opening was delayed by almost 15 minutes. According to the ushers, a swarm of bees had taken up residence under one of the awnings. They had moved in during the overnight hours and the fire department had to be called.  Chalk up another unique thing on a Baseball Road Trip.

Tempe Diablo Stadium is an older facility than many of the other Cactus League parks. The concourses are narrower, the bathrooms are smaller, and the concession area is not well-designed. With a sell out crowd of over 9,000, navigating around to tour the park was tough. Along the concourse were neat-looking displays of Cactus League history that I would have loved to have seen. But with the flow of the massive crowd funelled into a confined space, there was no way I could just stand and read. 

The best aspect of the stadium is the surroundings. It looks like the park was tucked in between the I-10 freeway, a couple city streets, and a massive butte that dominates over the left-field corner. The stadium fits in very well with these landmarks, and it gives the atmosphere a more intimate view than other parks in the league.

I can liken lawn seating to staying in the hostel. It's a roll of the dice. Sometimes you get lucky and it's a relaxing experience. Other times is stressful. Unfortunately, ours was the latter. We were seated behind a bunch of young children who seemed to have no respect for anybody. They were constantly running into other fans while running about the lawn, causing mischief, etc. All the while, the parents just drank beer. Lots and lots of beer. It was really annoying to always have to contort your body to look around a person standing right in front of you. It was frustrating and, at times, my blood began to boil. In this case, the hot sun wasn't doing me any favors. 

The Mariners got some solid starting pitching and outlasted a worthy Angels comeback in the ninth to beat the Halos 5-3. 

After the game, my friend wanted to go and get some Spring Training merchandise at this shop in Downtown Tempe. I had never been to Tempe before, so driving around, it looked like a neat place to hang out. There were a bunch of restaurants and bars, eclectic shopping options, and a ton of people walking and hiking around. For a Sunday, I was impressed. 

The only place I could park was at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University. I took the opportunity to he out of the car, take a few pictures of the stadium, and look for any unlocked doors to get on to the field.

While I wasn't successful in that endeavor, I did find the entrance for the Sun Devil Hall of Fame. The museum had the team's only Rose Bowl trophy and a touching memorial to Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman was the former ASU Sun Devil who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. While I am a true Oregon Duck fan at heart, I did find it interesting.

After my friend finished her shopping, we got some coffees to-go, jumped back on the 10 freeway, and drove back to Highland. We're both really tired and exhausted, but I'm happy to he home safe and sound. 

The final day is in the books. I'll write up a Final Thoughts section during the week when I get some down time. The March Madness tournament starts this week, so my attention will be other places, obviously. However, I'll find time to sum up my thoughts from the past three days. 

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)