On the flight line with an F-15.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Days 3 and 4
We saw two more games (the Reds lost both) and visited Sean Curtis for a tour of his unit at Luke AFB. Nick got to sit in a F15 ejection seat trainer and fly an A-10 Warthog simulator that is part of the Hypoxia Trainer Sean's unit is building. We also got the opportunity to see the operations center out of which Sean flies and tour the flight line. This was definitely a memorable visit.
George Foster
Quick - who was the last guy to hit 50 home runs for the Reds?
1975 MVP and Big Red Machine member George Foster.
$10 a shot for autographs.
He may be old but he was there for the entire game, every day, signing autographs.
Mr Softee
I thought these guys were only in Cincinnati. I have fond memories of begging for money and chasing a very similar truck around my neighborhood in Cincy in the early '70s. It seems they have now been imported to Goodyear, AZ.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Spring Training, Day 2
This was a long but very nice day. We saw some amazing Arizona desert, the Red's second stringers and future stars lose to the Padres, and spent the evening with an old friend. Two more games to go and a tour of Luke AFB.
Great Steak Dinner
Sean's wife, Tamara, grilled some great steaks for us. The Bonanza table tag is a relic of our high school days long past. (It's a long story.)
Old Friends
Sean Curtis, a good friend from high school, just happens to be stationed at Luke, AFB outside of Phoenix. We had a great visit and enjoyed catching up.
Joe Morgan watches the game
Joe Morgan (white shirt) sat with Dusty Baker for the first couple of innings.
Old West Town?
Well, sort of. This is a tourist (trap?) destination at the foot of the mountains about a mile up the Apache Trail. Nick did not want to stop but I needed to use the restroom :-)
Day 2
We drove about an hour east of Phoenix and took the Apache Trail into the Superstition Mountains in the Tonto National Forest in an attempt to experience some of the Arizona desert.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Star of the Game
Yes, there is Skyline Chili here. Sort of.
The ladies at the concession cart got a little miffed when I insisted they put the mustard on the bottom rather on top of the cheese. But, what can you expect? She was wearing San Diego Padres earrings. Skyline should send someone out here for quality control.
This was the only one left by the time I thought to take a picture so you know they weren't too bad.
The ladies at the concession cart got a little miffed when I insisted they put the mustard on the bottom rather on top of the cheese. But, what can you expect? She was wearing San Diego Padres earrings. Skyline should send someone out here for quality control.
This was the only one left by the time I thought to take a picture so you know they weren't too bad.
Scoreboard
Best scoreboard in AZ spring training if you believe the web site. The park has a pleasant, if fairly antiseptic, atmosphere. Our seats were covered and padded and were located behind third base. We were within yelling distance of Eric "The Red" Davis.
George Foster is sitting at a folding table on the third base side concourse selling autographs for $10 a piece. I have read he is there every day. That strikes me as kind of sad but I realize he played in the days before astronomical salaries. I had to explain to Nick who he was - totally different era. I will try to get a shot of him Thursday or Friday.
Entrance to the Goodyear Ballpark
And what, you may ask, is that monstrosity in the background? Nick claims it is the offspring of a bananna and a baseball. I choose to not ask if it will not tell.
Day 2
First game vs the Oakland A's. The stars of the game included Sklyine cheese coneys, carmel corn, soft pretzels, ice cream and $5 lemonade. Oh, and Gomes hit a monster home run. Joey Votto appeared to be in mid-season form with two doubles and so did Francisco Cordero. He walked the based full with two outs and then struck out the next batter. Aroldis Chapman was throwing some scary sounding fastballs. Random things heard in the stands....."Steve Garvey's forearms"....."Is Joe Nuxhall still around?" Obviously Oakland fans.
The crowd was really small but maybe that was due to the cool weather and the fact that the game the day before had been rained out.
The crowd was really small but maybe that was due to the cool weather and the fact that the game the day before had been rained out.
Day 1
Off to our semi-annual father-son Spring Training trip. We skipped last year because the Reds moved their spring training site from Sarasota, FL to Goodyear, AZ. Fortunately, we have enough frequent flyer miles this year to take out the sting of plane tickets.
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