This 2018 spring is all about baseball. The Brewers' prospects from the last year or 2 have made their way up in the farm system and some are hitting the majors, so it's a very exciting time in Milwaukee. We have the luxury of living close enough to the Brewers' Spring Training location of Phoenix to make a weekend out of it and this year is the first that we've gone to see spring training games on multiple weekends. Just like our first trip, we left on Thursday night, and came back home Saturday, enough time to catch 2 games.
The first game on Friday was an "away" game at Goodyear Ballbark, the Spring Training home of the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians. The Brewers were matching up against the Reds in this game. We knew that the Brewers facilities are being used by the minor leaguers each morning, so before the away game, we went to Maryvale to mill around the facility to see if we could score any autographs. What we didn't know is that before each away game, the Big League Brewers hold a practice of their own, and it is open to the public, free of charge! The Brewers were practicing at their field and the public was free to roam around the stadium at their leisure! When we settled in, the Brewers were working on some base-running drills, then they took batting practice. It was the coolest, most chill environment. There weren't a lot of people there, so it felt pretty intimate. When the Brewers were taking batting practice, we sat right behind home-plate, so close that we could hear the conversations the players were having! It was an awesome way to start the day!
Whoever this lady is, I want her job!
We then made our way over to Goodyear Ballpark, in Goodyear, AZ, but not before another great lunch fix from Culver's. The thing I love about the Cactus League is that all ballparks are in a 40 miles radius from one another, so it's very easy to get from ballpark to ballpark no matter where in the Phoenix area you are staying. Being the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians share a Spring Training facility, Goodyear Ballpark and its grounds were very big! When we turned into the park, there was a big stadium and we thought that was it, so we parked, in awe of how close we got without having to pay for parking, but the weird thing was is that not a lot of people were milling about with only about 30 minutes until first pitch. We finally figured out that we were in the wrong spot, so we drove about another half mile to the actual stadium. We were surprised that there wasn't any type of signage. Oh well, we were there and that's all that mattered.
When we got into the stadium, we made our way right down to the first row in hopes of autographs. We got there with only 15 minutes left before the game, so I snuck down amongst the other signature-seekers, and came away with Jonathan Villar's autograph. Not bad!
I liked Goodyear Ballpark. It had a Southern California feel with palm trees lining the outfield, and just outside the stadium was a few cool statues. The Reds quickly took a 7-2 lead by the 3rd inning and I thought we were done.But then the Brewers had a 7 run inning in the 6th, and then scored in each of the last 3 innings. The Reds made it interesting in the bottom of the 9th by scoring 3, but we held on to win, with a score of 16-14! It was definitely my type of game with tons of offense! It was a fun win!
The starters' day was done, right after their big 7-run inning. They got a huge round of applause!
After the game, we went back to our hotel and just took it easy. That night, there was an historic NCAA Tournament win when a 16-seed beat a 1-seed for the very first time! Things like that are really cool to see, even if it busted everyone's brackets!
Our hotels trippy atrium and floors of rooms!
The next morning, we went back to Maryvale to see if we could get into the Brewers practice like we did the day before. Unfortunately we couldn't being the Brewers had a home game this day, so they weren't allowing anyone in. But, the minor league players were practicing on the other fields at Maryvale, so we split our time watching practices on 4 different fields. We met a really cool guy around the practice fields who gave us a lot of good insight about Spring Training, all the different ballparks in Phoenix and where the best place in those ballparks is to get autographs, baseball in general, and his beloved Montreal Expos (that will show his age). We could've talked to him for hours. I want to be like him when I'm older! We also ran into a St. Louis Cardinals fan who was at the practices. He had a whole book filled with baseball cards that he was trying to get signed. We talked to him for a while and his goal is to get an autograph set for each player (every level of A-ball, plus the majors)! I thought we were doing good in getting 1 autograph per ball, but this guy is dedicated!
When minor league practice wrapped up, we stayed right at Maryvale for the Brewers vs. Rockies game. As soon as the gates opened, we again made our way to the front row (I'm now starting to call it "autograph alley). A little while after we got situated, 2 gals set up camp next to us, and one of them pulled out a Braun Jersey that she really wanted signed. Now, the day before at the Reds game, I was standing next to someone with a Villar jersey, and he came right over and signed that jersey first. So, if that was their M.O., we were pretty sure we were also going to get Braun's autograph! The players started trickling onto the field not long after, and everyone was pleading for autographs, but the players had to warm up first. After the National Anthem and before the players headed into the dugout, a few players came over and signed. Sure enough, Braun came right over to the 2 gals to our left, signed their jersey, and then Ryan Braun took the ball right out of my hands to sign! I couldn't get 2 words to come out of my mouth during that time; it was pretty much a blur to me. I remember Robbie right behind me saying things like, "Braun, you're the best, Braun Forever", etc! Then after that, it was a free-for-all. Being Braun is a huge autograph-get, people were flooding all around me, reaching their hands over me, outstretched with balls and baseball cards. Even with the pandemonium, it was one of the coolest autograph moments ever. I really wanted a picture with me and him, but there was no way I was going to get that with all the attention on him. The hardest Brewers autograph to get is now ours! And we have the "jersey girl" to thank for it! We told her we were going to buy her a beer, but she was gone by the time the crowds dispersed.
The Ryan Braun pandemonium!
Hot off the hand of Ryan Braun!
This game was a fun one, and not because all the crazies were out for St. Ptrick's Day! I even saw the Brewers turn a very rare triple play! It was so cool to see in person. I just knew it was going to happen. It was the 2nd inning, there were runners on 1st and 2nd. The batter hit a bouncer right to the 3rd baseman. The 3rd baseman stepped on 3rd, threw it to 2nd, then to 1st. Bam, triple play, and the crowd went WILD! It must've been the St. Patrick's Day Luck o' The Irish! And, our starting pitcher Zach Davies has been on the mound for 3 of them! The Brewers then scored 4 in the bottom of that inning, and it was enough to just edge out the Rockies with a final score of 4-3! GREAT game!
The Brewers celebrating just moments after their triple play!
This particular Spring Training weekend was one of the best! Lots of scoring, and I saw a lot of potential in a lot of the players! I could tell a few players especially worked hard this off-season on their hitting mechanics.
Brewers General Manager and hero David Stearns (who is younger than me, fyi), and Brewers owner Mark Attanasio
Our autograph haul for the weekend!
We are heading back to Phoenix next week for the last few Spring Training games, and then right over to San Diego for Opening Day! The season is fast-approaching and I cannot be more excited! Time to dust off and watch our annual baseball movies!
"Baseball is more than a game. It's like life played out on a field." - Juliana Hatfield
