Ahh yes, spring is in the air and that means one thing - baseball is here! Pitchers and catchers reported to camp on February 14th, and in our house, we said "Happy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day" instead of "Happy Valentine's Day!" Position players reported not long after, and February 23rd was the very first Spring Training game! We were itching to get to a game or 2, so we made the trek through the desert on March 1st to attend the Brewers vs. Mariners game (our first at their "home" stadium, Maryvale), and the Brewers vs. Rockies game at Salt River Field the next day. My feet were even ready for baseball!
On our way to Phoenix, we had the brightest full moon to guide our way!
We got to our hotel late Thursday night, and on Friday morning, Robbie found out on Twitter that the Brewers were holding an exhibition game at Maryvale vs. the Angels at 9am that morning, before their game vs. the Mariners. If you had a ticket to the Brewers vs. Mariners game, the Angels game was free! So, we got more baseball than expected, which was awesome! We hurried out of our hotel, and made our way to the Brewers facilities. There was hardly anyone there, so we got some great seats right beside the Brewers dugout, and in the middle of the players' path from the parking lot to the field, prime autograph position. The exhibition game vs. the Angels wasn't reported anywhere, so it was more intimate. They scheduled this game for the Angels' new internationally-signed pitcher, Ohtani. It was pretty cool to see him pitch. The Brewers were actually able to get some hits off of him, though!
This game was also the first game we were attending at the Brewers home stadium, Maryvale. Robbie and I had been there last year to watch the Brewers practice at Extended Spring Training, but never inside for a game. I liked the look of it, and I really liked where it was positioned. Fun fact: Maryvale Stadium is the only Spring Training stadium within the Phoenix city limits! There was talk over the off-season about moving the Brewers facilities to Tucson, but they decided against it. Instead, they will be doing a complete overhaul of the current Maryvale Stadium, which will be completed by the start of the 2019 Spring Training. I can't wait to see all the new bells and whistles. The renderings look amazing!
After the Angels exhibition game, we patiently awaited the start of the scheduled game at 1:05pm. As the players made their way into the stadium, we had a list of autographs that we wanted to get, including big names like newly acquired Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain (who is back with the Brewers for a 2nd time), and veterans like Ryan Braun, Eric Thames, Domingo Santana (who we call Bingo), and minor league stars like Keston Hiura and Mauricio Dubon. We also needed a few players to sign the sweet spot as well, like Keon Broxton. We were able to snag Keston Hiura's autograph after the Angels exhibition game. That day, we were able to get Domingo Santana, Kyle Wren, and Mauricio Dubon as well! We were soooo close to getting Ryan Braun's and Lorenzo Cain's, too! Cain was 2 people to our left, and Braun was about 6 people to our right. During Spring Training, the big namers usually come into the stadium late, and leave early when they've been substituted out of the game, so it's hard to get those autographs. We know Braun's will be the hardest to get!
Robbie getting Domingo Santana's autograph while he was wearing Santana's "Showmingo" shirt from the first ever Players Weekend last season. Totally unplanned.
Mauricio Dubon
Lorenzo Cain and his son.
Ryan Braun, the most sought-after Brewers autograph
It was really fun to watch the game. Braun is transitioning to 1st base this year because the Brewers have an influx of outfielders. So at the beginning of the game, Braun was right in front of us playing first base, and he actually made a great catch on a pop-up near the mound! I was able to see glimpses of greatness during this game, and I can tell the Brewers are going to have a stellar season!
The food and entertainment selections were also pretty great at Maryvale. They had Wisconsin-centric foods like brats, cheese curds, and even a Friday Fish Fry! When I was ordering, there was a lady from Washington who ordered cheese curds for the first time. Her mind was blown when she had one! They are sooo gooooood! Also, in the mid-sixth inning, the Brewers Sausage Race took place. The Sausage Race is always something the Brewers do at every home game during the season, so it was a nice touch to include them in Spring Training home games!
After the game, we headed east to our hotel in Scottsdale. In all the times we have been to Phoenix, we have never been to Scottsdale, so we decided to stay a night there this time. Robbie booked a room at a resort, and it was just the perfect way to relax. Our first stop was the hot tub, which was much needed after a day in the sun, then Robbie took a dip in the pool. We also walked around the resort, adorned with beautiful landscapes and even a Cactus Garden!
After this, we went to our favorite Phoenix eatery, Culver's! My brother and his family gave us a Culver's gift card for Christmas, and this trip is what they had in mind to use it! Thanks, Kasper's! It was a perfect way to end a fun-filled baseball day!
The game on Saturday was Brewers vs. the Colorado Rockies, at Salt River Field. It was perfect because this stadium is in Scottsdale, and we happened to book our hotel there as well, unknowingly! Cool! We got there early, and I'm glad we did. I heard a guy on Friday at Maryvale talking about the Rockies Spring Training stadium. He was saying how it pretty much looks like a major league stadium, and he was right! It was beautiful inside and out! The Rockies share Spring Training facilities with the Arizona Diamondbacks, so it makes sense they would have a nice one. Everything in and around their stadium looked so pristine. I hope that's what Maryvale looks like next year! Being we were there so early, we were able to walk around and take it all in. Our favorite part was their pop-up container store filled with Baseballisms merchandise. Baseballisms are baseball euphemisms that depict all things baseball, such as: rub some dirt on it, paint the corners, 3 up/3 down, etc. Pretty much all the baseball lingo teams and fans use! We bought a few shirts and a "Live Life Like a 3-1 Count" poster. I already had a 6+4+3=2 shirt (the most common baseball double play) that Robbie got me for Christmas a few years back!
After this, we made our way to the Brewers dugout to try and get more autographs. It was fun to watch them all walk in from center field. We are getting to be such fans that we know who most of the Brewers are just by how they walk! After the players were done stretching, a few of them came over to sign, and we walked away with Christian Yelich, Eric Thames, and we got Keon Broxton in the sweet spot! I was pretty proud of myself for finding words to say to Broxton. I told him that his game-winning catch last season against the Cardinals was the best I had ever seen! Usually when I get in front of players like this, my brain shuts down and I forget how to speak! It was a good autograph weekend, but we still need more!
I look like an ant compared to Eric Thames! He's a beast!
His arms are as big as my head!
Keon Broxton!
A bunch of power in one picture!
Our autograph haul for the weekend!
We then moved to our seats, which were about 20 rows up from home plate. The name of the game today was to sit in the shade. Both Robbie and I got way too much sun the day before. I like sitting behind home-plate because we can see everything without turning our heads!
The Brewers had some great offense during this game, and the Brewers came out the victors, 6-5! I believe this game is the first Brewers win we have ever seen in Arizona! After the game, we snuck back down to the dugout and got Brewers prospect Jacob Nottingham's (catcher) autograph!
Our plan was to drive straight back to Temecula after this game. It was still early enough in the day, and being it was Saturday, we felt like we could do it. We drove into a beautiful desert sunset that evening, then some rain when we entered the Southern California valley.
All in all it was a great weekend, and we will be back at it soon for Spring Training 2018, 2.0!
"Roll Out The Barrel" - The Andrew Sisters
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