The Official Scorer's Unofficial Spring Training Report (Day Five)

And so it ends...Pete's final report.

I'm not sure what's more painful, setting the alarm to go off at 4 a.m., or actually hearing it buzz at 4 a.m. And --- to be fair --- again at 4:09 a.m. One of the drawbacks of making the trip to spring training is that at some point you have to come home. Having made it through checking out of the hotel, getting to the airport, returning the rental car, standing in a bafflingly long line to check into the flight, and reassuring the Transportation Safety Administration that I am not a particularly serious threat to national security, I've made it to the gate with a little time to do some typing before they start boarding the plane. Depending on how many times I nod off at the keyboard, I may have to finish this last dispatch on the McDonnell Douglas MD-83 they are getting ready to take me home.

I've had a wonderful time at Cactus League spring training again this year. I didn't eat nearly as much Mexican food as I had intended. Though I did manage to work in my share of margaritas. I got to see some familiar faces, and meet a few new ones. Altogether, I took in five major league games in four days. And I saw seven different teams play. I got a look at some former South Bend Silver Hawks who are progressing nicely toward careers in Major League Baseball, and a few who are already established big leaguers.

And probably most importantly, I got to have a little bit of summer for a few days.

There's plenty of people I'd like to thank. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Owen Serey for letting me ramble on his blog for a few days. Owen gives me wide latitude to write whatever nonsense I happen to come up with that day, and doesn't seem to mind me abusing that privilege.

I'd also like to that the Arizona Diamondbacks for hosting me the last few days, and the South Bend Silver Hawks for talking them into it. The Diamondbacks are always graceful enough to provide me with a free space to park my rental car close to the stadium. And a seat in their often crowded press box. If you're a member of the media covering the D'Backs and I took your regular seat this week, sorry about that. You can have it back now.

Thanks to South Bend Manager Mark Haley for making me feel especially welcome at the minor league camp.

Special thanks to the waiters and waitresses, chefs and bartenders of Scottsdale, Arizona. Especially Tony at the Scottsdale Resort, a native of Lagrange, Indiana, who shared his secret margarita recipe with me. Something I plan to put to good use this summer.

Finally, if anyone is reading these reports and getting some small measure of enjoyment from them, thanks for reading and I hope my warbling convinced you to make your own trip to spring training. If you're out at The Cove this summer yell up to my press box window to say hello. Though if I miss a call on a hit or an error, I won't be above blaming you for distracting me.

I've got the first season of "The Wire" on my laptop, so as soon as we reach our cruising altitude, I'll be reminiscing about my college years on the crime ridden streets of Baltimore.

I might also work in a nap.

Owen's Comment:  You weren't kidding when you say that you abuse the latitude I give you.  In all seriousness, Pete and I have a love-hate relationship.  And by that, I mean that Pete loves being the official scorer, and I hate the calls that he makes.  That being said, I would argue that he's the best official scorer in the league, and is always fair.  Thanks for the reports Pete and we'll see you at the ballpark in about 3 weeks.