Spring Sunshine

Day Two has come to an end here in Phoenix and it was a busy day. We're tired and sore, but all in all, it was a very successful day. With our final day fast approaching, here's what transpired.

To save a few bucks, we decided to stay in a hostel. On my last Baseball Road Trip, the hostel I stayed in was really nice, so I decided to roll the dice once again and book a stay in a different one here in Phoenix. While it's certainly better than some of the places I've stayed, it's not very comfortable and we're generally displeased with it. There's only bathroom for the entire venue, and it's located in the middle of the kitchen. In order for one to take a shower in the morning, you essentially have to walk through everyone getting breakfast. It was really awkward, and I decided to go somewhere else. It is just another example of the hit-or-miss nature of hostels. 

About a mile from the hostel is the Phoenix YMCA. Invoking my connections as an employee of another YMCA, I was able to garner us free usage to the facility to get cleaned up. The nice facility was a definite step up from the conditions we were in. It was a good judgement call when we were kind of disillusioned.

After stopping for a much-needed cup of coffee, we began our journey to Salt River Fields. Along the way, my impulsiveness got to me. As we were driving, we saw this massive railroad park with a bunch of old rail cars, steam locomotives and live steamers. I couldn't take it, and I had to turn in.

This park is essentially all trains. It houses a massive permanent model railroad layout that I was very interested. For a few, kids could ride this live steamer that wove through the park. To top it off, they had a neat consist of an old steam locomotive and some old Pullman cars. As a train buff who commonly combines trains and Baseball Road Trips, it was a very worthwhile stop.

We got to Salt River Fields just as the Rockies were finishing practice. Luckily, we were able to catch the tail end of it. After yesterday's unique experience at Goodyear, it was awesome to finally see what Spring Training really is all about. All the practice facilities were open, the team was taking batting practice and some pitchers were going through drills and workouts. The people taking an active interest in these proceedings were baseball fans through and through, respecting the game and the awesomeness of the situations. While we only caught maybe ten or fifteen minutes of it, but it was like a cool refreshing breeze.

The first time I went to Salt River Fields, I declared that it was one of the best ballparks, Major or Minor League, that I have ever been to. After seeing it for a second time, I firmly stand by that statement. We had tickets on the lawn, which I was initially a little leery of. It turned out to be a fantastic experience. We put out a blanket stretched out under the sun, ate sunflower seeds and soaked it in. Who would've thought that watching a professional baseball game could be so comfortable? I was able to lie down, keep score, and relax.

The people around us were mainly families, but they were much better-behaved than at Goodyear. I think that had a lot to do with the parents were of the same breed as us, dedicated baseball fans.

The game itself had some firsts that I've never seen before. To start with, replay was used to uphold a caught stealing call. Second, Mike Trout crushed a 420-foot homer to dead center. Probably one of the farthest hits I've seen. Lastly, the game ended in a 4-4 tie. Yes, after the tenth inning, the Angels and Rockies called it a day. I didn't think that was possible, but you see something new every Baseball Road Trip. 

Fighting crosstown traffic, it took us over an hour to get to Glendale for the second game of our doubleheader.

Located a few miles from the University of Phoenix football stadium, Camelback Ranch is the shared home of the Dodgers and White Sox. It is a fairly new facility that is the largest in the Cactus League. If you're the Dodgers, who are the primary tenant, you need to make a splash when you move from your longtime Spring Training home. The Dodgers had been in Vero Beach, FL since the days of Branch Rickey, so when they announced they would move to the Phoenix suburbs, it caused a stir amongst baseball purists.

If you go to Camelback Ranch, be prepared to wait in line. From the one ingress/egress driveway to the parking lot to simply getting in, Camelback Ranch is one big long queue. From the time we parked, it took us an hour just to get to the lawn. We barely made it in time for first pitch.

After you do park, the walk to the gate takes you along a man-made water feature that apparently separates the White Sox and Dodger training facilities. Had we gotten there a decent hour, I would have liked to have checked it out. The facility incorporates natural elements better than most of the other parks in the Cactus League, except maybe Salt River Fields.

What immediately strikes you as astounding about Camelback Ranch is the size. After seeing Goodyear the night before, Camelback Ranch is a gargantuan. Because of this, the element of intimacy felt missing. This was a little awkward for me because I am so used to having that familiarity during Spring Training games.

The White Sox touched up Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw in the early innings starting on the first pitch. Adam Eaton for the White Sox hit an inside-the-park home run to get the scoring started for the White Sox as they beat the Dodgers 5-4.

After a quick bite to eat, we made our way back to the hostel for another night of restlessness.

Tomorrow's schedule is as follows: we'll wake up and, depending on how we feel, will go hiking in South Mountain Park. I hope that we get done at a decent hour and that the Angels are practicing because I'd love to go to Tempe Diablo Stadium early and see some practice before the game. After the Mariners-Angels tilt, we're jumping on the freeway back to Highland.

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)