Ender Inciarte - CF
David Narodowski - 3B
Raywilly Gomez - C
Yazy Arbelo - 1B
Matt Helm - DH
Gerson Montilla - 2B
Roberto Ortiz - RF
Marc Bourgeois - LF
Niko Gallego - SS
Tyler Green- P
Tonight's pregame interview is with official scorer Pete Yarbro. First pitch at 6:30 PM Eastern Time. Pregame coverage at 6:10 PM Eastern Time.
Showing posts with label Pete Yarbro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pete Yarbro. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Diamondbacks - Best Team for the Buck
Official scorer Pete Yarbro sent on this link yesterday that shows the Arizona Diamondbacks as the best team per dollar in Major League Baseball.
I find it interesting that they are now breaking down teams by how much it costs per home run that they hit or strike out that they record. I miss the old days where you just paid what the ticket cost, and would root, root, root for the home team no matter what.
Lineups coming up in about an hour or so.
I find it interesting that they are now breaking down teams by how much it costs per home run that they hit or strike out that they record. I miss the old days where you just paid what the ticket cost, and would root, root, root for the home team no matter what.
Lineups coming up in about an hour or so.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
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.
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.
The Official Scorer's Unofficial Spring Training Report (Day Four)
Our series of reports from official scorer Pete Yarbro continues with this latest gem. Sometimes I wonder why I ever asked him to do this in the first place.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Arizona. There's no surer sign that the Cactus League experiment --- which began in 1946 with the arrival of the Cleveland Indians in Tucson --- is catching on than the arrival of the Dodgers. When you though of spring training in Florida, you thought of Dodgertown. The Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1958. They stayed in Vero Beach for fifty-one more years. But as of last year, in March the former Bums put on their legendary white uniforms at the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
Today I watched the Dodgers take on the defending American League champs, the Texas Rangers. I considered waiting until the third inning to show up to get the authentic LA experience, but thought better of it. My punctuality paid off as I got to see Tommy Lasorda holding court in front of the Dodgers' dugout while the players did their pregame stretching. One enthusiastic fan yelled out, "Hey Tommy, who's pitching today?" Lasorda shot back, "You are!" "No, I can't," the fan replied, "I'm playing third base."
It's true what they say about Lasorda, best comedy straight man in the business.
Clayton Kershaw was pitching, by the way. And the Dodgers opted to go with Juan Uribe at third. I guess the guy in the stands forgot his cleats or something.
I rounded out my Dodgers experience by enjoying a pair of footlong Dodger Dogs. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear Vin Scully extol the virtues of Farmer John while partaking in the ballpark classic. And, while I was tempted to leave early, I stayed until the last pitch to hear Randy Newman's "I love LA" after the Dodgers beat the Rangers, 7-6.
In many ways, the Dodgers' move from Florida to Arizona makes a lot of sense. Obviously, they're a lot closer to their home base in California. Now that the Diamondbacks and the Rockies moved here from Tucson, all the Cactus League teams are in the Phoenix metro area. In Florida the teams are spread out all over the state. And if you've ever driven to Miami, you know that it's not a small state.
Single-A players aren't going to have much sympathy --- or Single-A radio guys for that matter --- but I think players definitely appreciate the shorter bus rides in Arizona.
And the final advantage Arizona has over Florida that I'm going to mention: Very few rain delays out here. I've sat through some real downpours in March in Florida.
But it ain't Dodgertown.
Odd note of the day, number one: The same saxophone trio played The Star Spangled Banner at both games I went to today. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow made it to the Silver Hawks' National Anthem try-outs in between.
In tonight's Diamondbacks game the ball was really flying out of the park. The Diamondbacks and the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants combined for five home runs. In the bottom of the first inning Chris Young led off Arizona's offensive efforts with a home run to center field. Two batters later, Justin Upton (SB '06) sent the ball to the right field stands. An opposite field home run, which some in the press box thought might broken his bat in the process. In the bottom of the eighth, Gerardo Parra (SB '07) sent a shot straight into the right field stands, to tie the game. Unfortunately for the home team, the Giants put another run on the board in the top of the eighth, on their way to a 5-4 victory.
Last night my dinner was at Scottsdale's classic steakhouse, the Pink Pony. The Pony is definitely old school. The first course is an iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing. My New York Strip was perfectly pink in the middle and bursting with flavor.
The Pink Pony's reputation as a place to rub elbows with major leaguers really is more myth than fact. It does remain a great place for lively conversations with other baseball fans. The big leaguers stay away because they know the place is packed with crazy baseball fans. Which leads to......
Odd note of the day, number two: I saw my first Brian Wilson tribute beard at the other end of Pink Pony's bar. A Giants fan --- well, I'm guessing he's a Giants fan from his Giants t-shirt and Giants cap --- was sporting a dyed-black full beard in the style of the enigmatic San Francisco closer. The bartender assured me that it was not the pitcher himself, and that this was not his first Brian Wilson beard customer this spring. So far, I have not seen anyone dressed as The Machine. Thankfully.
I had the Seven Dollar Buffet for dinner in the media dinning room. I briefly considered heading out after tonight's game for a second dinner at one of the Mexican places I've heard a lot of good things about. However, I've got a flight tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. Which means I should get to the airport between 5:30 and 6 a.m. And it's a 45 minute drive from the hotel to the airport. Just writing that makes me sleepy! I'm headed back to the hotel to hastily pack my bag and then right to bed.
Odd note of the day, number three: Here's a tweet that you might find amusing, from one of the working media a couple of spots down from me in the press box: http://twitter.com/#!/Kyndra620/status/47844487153717248. The picture definitely shows my good side. That's the back of my head. And, for the record, the ball that came into the press box, and then bounced back into the stadium after those guys failed to field it, was no where near me. I never had a chance at it, despite what you may read on the internet.
I was grabbing my laptop and moving out of the way as fast as I could. If Owen's not buying my $7 lunch, he's definitely not buying me a new computer. (Owen's Note: You got that right!)
The Los Angeles Dodgers are in Arizona. There's no surer sign that the Cactus League experiment --- which began in 1946 with the arrival of the Cleveland Indians in Tucson --- is catching on than the arrival of the Dodgers. When you though of spring training in Florida, you thought of Dodgertown. The Dodgers left Brooklyn in 1958. They stayed in Vero Beach for fifty-one more years. But as of last year, in March the former Bums put on their legendary white uniforms at the Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona.
Today I watched the Dodgers take on the defending American League champs, the Texas Rangers. I considered waiting until the third inning to show up to get the authentic LA experience, but thought better of it. My punctuality paid off as I got to see Tommy Lasorda holding court in front of the Dodgers' dugout while the players did their pregame stretching. One enthusiastic fan yelled out, "Hey Tommy, who's pitching today?" Lasorda shot back, "You are!" "No, I can't," the fan replied, "I'm playing third base."
It's true what they say about Lasorda, best comedy straight man in the business.
I rounded out my Dodgers experience by enjoying a pair of footlong Dodger Dogs. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear Vin Scully extol the virtues of Farmer John while partaking in the ballpark classic. And, while I was tempted to leave early, I stayed until the last pitch to hear Randy Newman's "I love LA" after the Dodgers beat the Rangers, 7-6.
In many ways, the Dodgers' move from Florida to Arizona makes a lot of sense. Obviously, they're a lot closer to their home base in California. Now that the Diamondbacks and the Rockies moved here from Tucson, all the Cactus League teams are in the Phoenix metro area. In Florida the teams are spread out all over the state. And if you've ever driven to Miami, you know that it's not a small state.
The Camelback Ranch facility, which Los Angeles shares with the Chicago White Sox, is in Glendale, on the far west side of Phoenix. The Salt River Fields at Talking Stick complex is on the far east side of the city. It's close to the longest distance between stadiums in the Cactus League. But driving from the day game at Camelback to tonight's D'Backs game took less than an hour in rush hour traffic. In Florida that's about the time it takes to get between the stadiums that are the closest together.
And the final advantage Arizona has over Florida that I'm going to mention: Very few rain delays out here. I've sat through some real downpours in March in Florida.
But it ain't Dodgertown.
Odd note of the day, number one: The same saxophone trio played The Star Spangled Banner at both games I went to today. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow made it to the Silver Hawks' National Anthem try-outs in between.
In tonight's Diamondbacks game the ball was really flying out of the park. The Diamondbacks and the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants combined for five home runs. In the bottom of the first inning Chris Young led off Arizona's offensive efforts with a home run to center field. Two batters later, Justin Upton (SB '06) sent the ball to the right field stands. An opposite field home run, which some in the press box thought might broken his bat in the process. In the bottom of the eighth, Gerardo Parra (SB '07) sent a shot straight into the right field stands, to tie the game. Unfortunately for the home team, the Giants put another run on the board in the top of the eighth, on their way to a 5-4 victory.
Last night my dinner was at Scottsdale's classic steakhouse, the Pink Pony. The Pony is definitely old school. The first course is an iceberg lettuce wedge with blue cheese dressing. My New York Strip was perfectly pink in the middle and bursting with flavor.
Odd note of the day, number two: I saw my first Brian Wilson tribute beard at the other end of Pink Pony's bar. A Giants fan --- well, I'm guessing he's a Giants fan from his Giants t-shirt and Giants cap --- was sporting a dyed-black full beard in the style of the enigmatic San Francisco closer. The bartender assured me that it was not the pitcher himself, and that this was not his first Brian Wilson beard customer this spring. So far, I have not seen anyone dressed as The Machine. Thankfully.
I had the Seven Dollar Buffet for dinner in the media dinning room. I briefly considered heading out after tonight's game for a second dinner at one of the Mexican places I've heard a lot of good things about. However, I've got a flight tomorrow morning at 7:30 a.m. Which means I should get to the airport between 5:30 and 6 a.m. And it's a 45 minute drive from the hotel to the airport. Just writing that makes me sleepy! I'm headed back to the hotel to hastily pack my bag and then right to bed.
Odd note of the day, number three: Here's a tweet that you might find amusing, from one of the working media a couple of spots down from me in the press box: http://twitter.com/#!/Kyndra620/status/47844487153717248. The picture definitely shows my good side. That's the back of my head. And, for the record, the ball that came into the press box, and then bounced back into the stadium after those guys failed to field it, was no where near me. I never had a chance at it, despite what you may read on the internet.
I was grabbing my laptop and moving out of the way as fast as I could. If Owen's not buying my $7 lunch, he's definitely not buying me a new computer. (Owen's Note: You got that right!)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Official Scorer's Unofficial Spring Training Report (Day Three)
Another zany report from official scorer Pete Yarbro on his annual trip to spring training. This time, we add pictures!
"Pete Yarbro!" was the first thing I heard as I strolled toward one of the fields where Diamondbacks minor leaguers were getting ready to take batting practice. Occasionally, over on the minor league side someone will recognize me and say hello. Very rarely will I be greeted with such enthusiasm, however. Standing by the fence was Cal Tech Sports Information Director, Stephen Hinkle. Regulars at Coveleski Stadium will remember that before he was SID to tomorrow's leaders in science and technology, Stephen was the Silver Hawks' box office manager.
In town for several days of spring training games all over Phoenix, Stephen was quick to remind me that while all of us suffered through the winter in South Bend, he's quite happy in Pasadena, thank you very much. And while directing sports information for one of the most academically intense colleges in the world may seem daunting, every now and then your basketball team breaks a 310 game in-conference losing streak, and all of a sudden you've got some national media attention on your hands. Next thing you know, Rick Reilly's calling.
We had a chance to talk to Silver Hawks Manager Mark Haley when he got a break in the action, and Stephen wasn't chasing foul balls to make sure he had presents for family and friends when he got home. Mr. Hinkle was kind enough to present me with one of the balls he picked up. When he handed it to me, I noticed it was marked "Practice Ball --- Minor League". The minor league practice ball is the lowliest of souvenirs.
One of the more interesting things about watching minor league spring training practice is the detail to which ever part of the game is broken down. Today, during batting practice, players who weren't hitting were working with Joel Youngblood, the D'Backs baserunning and outfield coordinator. Youngblood was working with the players on their posture when getting ready to steal second base. He was showing them exactly what angle he wanted their feet. And exactly where to hold their arms to get the fastest jump toward second. One player held his arms a few inches lower than where Joel wanted them, so they worked on getting everything just exactly right. I had never really thought about that kind of detail before, but on a close play at second, a couple of inches of saved movement will mean the difference between me writing down a stolen base instead of a caught stealing in my scorebook some night in July.
On my way to my seat for this afternoon's major league game between the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds I noticed someone hanging around the back of the press box wearing a credential from MLB Network who bore a striking resemblance to Peter Gammons. He was busy talking baseball with someone so I didn't bother him to see if he needed any tips on Midwest League prospects to keep an eye on.
The Rockies share Salt River Fields with the Diamondbacks. So on days when Arizona is playing away games, Colorado is usually here. Unfortunately, I have to report to Owen that while the Reds tied the score in the top of the ninth, they fell to a Rockies rally in the bottom of the inning, losing to the home team 3-2. The Reds' Cuban phenom, Aroldis Chapman, did have an impressive outing, pitching two innings, giving up no runs, no hits, with one strikeout and two walks. Chapman also made a couple of good defensive plays in support of his own effort.
Yesterday I mentioned that I didn't know what Modern Latin Cuisine was. Today I can tell you that what it is is delicious. What they serve at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale isn't exactly Mexican food. There is definitely a Mexican influence, but this is far from what you would find at a traditional Mexican restaurant. I had the Chorizo Porchetta. Here's what the menu says I had: Grilled pork shoulder with chorizo, rosemary and cotija, complimented by white bean puree and sweet garlic crema. If that sounds fancy, it's because it is. And so, so good. If you're in Scottsdale, this is definitely a place you need to check out.
Tonight I'm going a little more traditional. I'm planning on making my way back to Old Town to visit the Pink Pony Steakhouse. One of my favorite places in the East Valley, and traditionally a place to see a lot of baseball people. You know, like minor league official scorers.
If you were dubious about my reporting yesterday of a pita bread vendor at Salt River Fields, well you had a right to be. After a closer look it appears that vendor is selling huge cookies. That seems much more reasonable. Today it looks like he has giant rice crispy treats instead of the iced coffee. Owen's Baseball Blog regrets the error.
Tomorrow the Diamondbacks have a night game, so in the afternoon I'm going to go to Camelback Ranch in Glendale to see the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Texas Rangers. I have a seat in the stands right behind home plate. I hope the glare from my white legs doesn't bother the pitchers too much.
"Pete Yarbro!" was the first thing I heard as I strolled toward one of the fields where Diamondbacks minor leaguers were getting ready to take batting practice. Occasionally, over on the minor league side someone will recognize me and say hello. Very rarely will I be greeted with such enthusiasm, however. Standing by the fence was Cal Tech Sports Information Director, Stephen Hinkle. Regulars at Coveleski Stadium will remember that before he was SID to tomorrow's leaders in science and technology, Stephen was the Silver Hawks' box office manager.
In town for several days of spring training games all over Phoenix, Stephen was quick to remind me that while all of us suffered through the winter in South Bend, he's quite happy in Pasadena, thank you very much. And while directing sports information for one of the most academically intense colleges in the world may seem daunting, every now and then your basketball team breaks a 310 game in-conference losing streak, and all of a sudden you've got some national media attention on your hands. Next thing you know, Rick Reilly's calling.
One of the more interesting things about watching minor league spring training practice is the detail to which ever part of the game is broken down. Today, during batting practice, players who weren't hitting were working with Joel Youngblood, the D'Backs baserunning and outfield coordinator. Youngblood was working with the players on their posture when getting ready to steal second base. He was showing them exactly what angle he wanted their feet. And exactly where to hold their arms to get the fastest jump toward second. One player held his arms a few inches lower than where Joel wanted them, so they worked on getting everything just exactly right. I had never really thought about that kind of detail before, but on a close play at second, a couple of inches of saved movement will mean the difference between me writing down a stolen base instead of a caught stealing in my scorebook some night in July.
On my way to my seat for this afternoon's major league game between the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds I noticed someone hanging around the back of the press box wearing a credential from MLB Network who bore a striking resemblance to Peter Gammons. He was busy talking baseball with someone so I didn't bother him to see if he needed any tips on Midwest League prospects to keep an eye on.
The Rockies share Salt River Fields with the Diamondbacks. So on days when Arizona is playing away games, Colorado is usually here. Unfortunately, I have to report to Owen that while the Reds tied the score in the top of the ninth, they fell to a Rockies rally in the bottom of the inning, losing to the home team 3-2. The Reds' Cuban phenom, Aroldis Chapman, did have an impressive outing, pitching two innings, giving up no runs, no hits, with one strikeout and two walks. Chapman also made a couple of good defensive plays in support of his own effort.
Yesterday I mentioned that I didn't know what Modern Latin Cuisine was. Today I can tell you that what it is is delicious. What they serve at The Mission in Old Town Scottsdale isn't exactly Mexican food. There is definitely a Mexican influence, but this is far from what you would find at a traditional Mexican restaurant. I had the Chorizo Porchetta. Here's what the menu says I had: Grilled pork shoulder with chorizo, rosemary and cotija, complimented by white bean puree and sweet garlic crema. If that sounds fancy, it's because it is. And so, so good. If you're in Scottsdale, this is definitely a place you need to check out.
Tonight I'm going a little more traditional. I'm planning on making my way back to Old Town to visit the Pink Pony Steakhouse. One of my favorite places in the East Valley, and traditionally a place to see a lot of baseball people. You know, like minor league official scorers.
If you were dubious about my reporting yesterday of a pita bread vendor at Salt River Fields, well you had a right to be. After a closer look it appears that vendor is selling huge cookies. That seems much more reasonable. Today it looks like he has giant rice crispy treats instead of the iced coffee. Owen's Baseball Blog regrets the error.
Tomorrow the Diamondbacks have a night game, so in the afternoon I'm going to go to Camelback Ranch in Glendale to see the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Texas Rangers. I have a seat in the stands right behind home plate. I hope the glare from my white legs doesn't bother the pitchers too much.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Official Scorer's Unofficial Spring Training Report (Day Two)
Silver Hawks' official scorer Pete Yarbro checks in from Spring Training this week. Scroll down to see his earlier posts.
Sunday was a beautiful day for baseball in the Valley of the Sun. For today's spring training match-up, between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs, the game time temperature was 81 degrees. With only a few wispy clouds overhead, by the end it warmed up to a very pleasant 89. A sellout crowd of 12,346 capped off a weekend over which more than 45,000 fans saw the games here at Talking Stick. The Cubs held off a ninth inning D'Backs rally --- a rally rich with former South Bend Silver Hawks --- to win 7-5.
Before today's major league game I made a brief visit to minor league camp and took in the new practice facilities here at Salt River Field. Back in Tucson it was a couple minute drive from the stadium, Tucson Electric Park, to the minor league fields. Here they, along with the major league practice fields, are just past the left field wall. And, like everything else here, they are beautiful. Each of the many fields is perfectly manicured, with bright green grass. There are several infield-only fields that seem to be mostly used for pitcher's fielding practice. There's even one small field just for bunting practice. The major league batting cages are next to one of the entrances to the stadium, allowing fans a good view of players taking their practice cuts.
I was able to talk briefly to South Bend Manager Mark Haley. Hales is really looking great these days. He tells me he lost forty pounds over the winter. I expect to put on ten pounds this week, so I have to find out who his trainer is and schedule a few sessions. Mark expects to have a few players back from last year's squad to start the season. He says to expect experienced infielders to balance out young pitchers. On the way back to the stadium I said hello to Arizona Manager Kirk Gibson, as we walked past each other. There's a chance it was more exciting for me than it was for him.
I have to report the first scandal of spring training. I did find the media dining room for lunch today, but was greeted by a stadium staffer who requested the exorbitant sum of $7 from me. Given the number of free meals I've eaten at the expense of the Diamondbacks, their minor league affiliates and competitors in the Midwest League, I was happy to pay today. But I can't imagine this move is popular with the real working media. Lunch is served buffet style, so I suspect the reporters manage to take their revenge. Today was Sunday brunch and I did have an extra sausage to get my money's worth. And an extra cookie. And another cookie for the road.
The new charges did give rise to a conversation among the scouts at the table next to mine, trading stories of the (perceived) mistreatment they receive around the minor leagues. I will note, however, that South Bend was specifically mentioned as one of the places they like to go. And they complimented General Manager Lynn Kachmarik for welcoming and taking good care of the scouts when they are in town. All this without knowing that I was from South Bend.
Today was the first game where I've kept score since the end of the Silver Hawks' season last September. Between two National League teams there is no DH, so plenty of opportunity for double switches and other odd lineup changes Then, compound that with the mass substitutions typical of a spring game, and it's quite a first workout. The Diamondbacks used 23 players, including 6 pitchers. The Cubs sent a split squad today, so they only used 15 position players and 5 pitchers. I'm proud to say that at the end of the game I had everybody in the right spot, and every play recorded on my scorecard. If you can make it all the way through a National League Spring Training game with no question marks or blank spaces in your score book, I think you can say that you've accomplished something.
Former Silver Hawks Jordan Norberto (SB '07-08) and Leyson Septimo (SB '06) pitched in today's game. If you remember Septimo's season in South Bend, you'll remember he was an outfielder with a cannon for an arm. Since 2008 he's been converted to a pitcher, and seems to be showing some real promise. Cubs fans will be happy to hear that Kerry Wood pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
The most exciting moments of today's game came in the bottom of the ninth. Down 7-2, several former Hawks pitched in to the Diamondbacks effort to mount a last-chance comeback. Collin Cowgill (SB '08) lead off with a line drive single to center. Gerardo Parra (SB '07) followed up with a single to center of his own, moving Cowgill to second. Chis Owings (SB '10) then grounded into fielder's choice which erased Parra, but moved Cowgill to third. Paul Goldschmidt (who somehow managed to avoid us, skipping from Missoula to Visalia) reached on a fielding error by the Cubs' third baseman, which scored Cowgill and advanced Owings to second. Up next, Ryan Roberts --- for whom I can't come up with a Silver Hawks, or even a Midwest League connection --- walked to load the bases. Miguel Montero (SB '04), singled up the middle, scoring Owings and Goldschmidt. With the score now 7-3, the heroics fell short when Wily Mo Pena, who played in Dayton in 2001, grounded into a game ending double play.
Had Arizona been able to bring two more batters to the plate, Notre Dame and South Bend star A.J. Pollock (SB '09) would have had a chance at the win.
One of the stranger things I noticed today was a stadium vendor selling pita bread and iced coffee. An odd combination that I hope does not catch on.
For a couple weeks now I've been denying myself Mexican food in anticipation of this trip. That ends tonight. On the recommendation of a friend who grew up here, I'm planning on having dinner at a place in Old Town Scottsdale called The Mission. Their specialty is Modern Latin Cuisine. I don't know what that means, but I looked at their website a few days ago and I've been hungry ever since.
Tomorrow I'm planning on spending more time at minor league camp. Then I'll be sending Owen an expense report for $7. (Owen's comment: Good luck with getting that money back Pete).
Sunday was a beautiful day for baseball in the Valley of the Sun. For today's spring training match-up, between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Chicago Cubs, the game time temperature was 81 degrees. With only a few wispy clouds overhead, by the end it warmed up to a very pleasant 89. A sellout crowd of 12,346 capped off a weekend over which more than 45,000 fans saw the games here at Talking Stick. The Cubs held off a ninth inning D'Backs rally --- a rally rich with former South Bend Silver Hawks --- to win 7-5.
Before today's major league game I made a brief visit to minor league camp and took in the new practice facilities here at Salt River Field. Back in Tucson it was a couple minute drive from the stadium, Tucson Electric Park, to the minor league fields. Here they, along with the major league practice fields, are just past the left field wall. And, like everything else here, they are beautiful. Each of the many fields is perfectly manicured, with bright green grass. There are several infield-only fields that seem to be mostly used for pitcher's fielding practice. There's even one small field just for bunting practice. The major league batting cages are next to one of the entrances to the stadium, allowing fans a good view of players taking their practice cuts.
I was able to talk briefly to South Bend Manager Mark Haley. Hales is really looking great these days. He tells me he lost forty pounds over the winter. I expect to put on ten pounds this week, so I have to find out who his trainer is and schedule a few sessions. Mark expects to have a few players back from last year's squad to start the season. He says to expect experienced infielders to balance out young pitchers. On the way back to the stadium I said hello to Arizona Manager Kirk Gibson, as we walked past each other. There's a chance it was more exciting for me than it was for him.
I have to report the first scandal of spring training. I did find the media dining room for lunch today, but was greeted by a stadium staffer who requested the exorbitant sum of $7 from me. Given the number of free meals I've eaten at the expense of the Diamondbacks, their minor league affiliates and competitors in the Midwest League, I was happy to pay today. But I can't imagine this move is popular with the real working media. Lunch is served buffet style, so I suspect the reporters manage to take their revenge. Today was Sunday brunch and I did have an extra sausage to get my money's worth. And an extra cookie. And another cookie for the road.
The new charges did give rise to a conversation among the scouts at the table next to mine, trading stories of the (perceived) mistreatment they receive around the minor leagues. I will note, however, that South Bend was specifically mentioned as one of the places they like to go. And they complimented General Manager Lynn Kachmarik for welcoming and taking good care of the scouts when they are in town. All this without knowing that I was from South Bend.
Today was the first game where I've kept score since the end of the Silver Hawks' season last September. Between two National League teams there is no DH, so plenty of opportunity for double switches and other odd lineup changes Then, compound that with the mass substitutions typical of a spring game, and it's quite a first workout. The Diamondbacks used 23 players, including 6 pitchers. The Cubs sent a split squad today, so they only used 15 position players and 5 pitchers. I'm proud to say that at the end of the game I had everybody in the right spot, and every play recorded on my scorecard. If you can make it all the way through a National League Spring Training game with no question marks or blank spaces in your score book, I think you can say that you've accomplished something.
Former Silver Hawks Jordan Norberto (SB '07-08) and Leyson Septimo (SB '06) pitched in today's game. If you remember Septimo's season in South Bend, you'll remember he was an outfielder with a cannon for an arm. Since 2008 he's been converted to a pitcher, and seems to be showing some real promise. Cubs fans will be happy to hear that Kerry Wood pitched a scoreless inning in relief.
The most exciting moments of today's game came in the bottom of the ninth. Down 7-2, several former Hawks pitched in to the Diamondbacks effort to mount a last-chance comeback. Collin Cowgill (SB '08) lead off with a line drive single to center. Gerardo Parra (SB '07) followed up with a single to center of his own, moving Cowgill to second. Chis Owings (SB '10) then grounded into fielder's choice which erased Parra, but moved Cowgill to third. Paul Goldschmidt (who somehow managed to avoid us, skipping from Missoula to Visalia) reached on a fielding error by the Cubs' third baseman, which scored Cowgill and advanced Owings to second. Up next, Ryan Roberts --- for whom I can't come up with a Silver Hawks, or even a Midwest League connection --- walked to load the bases. Miguel Montero (SB '04), singled up the middle, scoring Owings and Goldschmidt. With the score now 7-3, the heroics fell short when Wily Mo Pena, who played in Dayton in 2001, grounded into a game ending double play.
Had Arizona been able to bring two more batters to the plate, Notre Dame and South Bend star A.J. Pollock (SB '09) would have had a chance at the win.
One of the stranger things I noticed today was a stadium vendor selling pita bread and iced coffee. An odd combination that I hope does not catch on.
For a couple weeks now I've been denying myself Mexican food in anticipation of this trip. That ends tonight. On the recommendation of a friend who grew up here, I'm planning on having dinner at a place in Old Town Scottsdale called The Mission. Their specialty is Modern Latin Cuisine. I don't know what that means, but I looked at their website a few days ago and I've been hungry ever since.
Tomorrow I'm planning on spending more time at minor league camp. Then I'll be sending Owen an expense report for $7. (Owen's comment: Good luck with getting that money back Pete).
The Official Scorer's Unofficial Spring Training Report (Day One)
Many of you remember this from last year, but our esteemed official scorer Pete Yarbro takes a trip to Spring Training every year. He's currently down in the desert, and filing reports for this blog. His reports discuss baseball and whatever else is going on in that crazy lawyer mind of his. Below is his report from Saturday, and later today I'll post his report from Sunday.
If everything was on time I was supposed to get to the ballpark about an hour and a half before the game started. Between a delayed flight and two tries at getting a rental car, I sat down in the press box as the bottom of the third inning was starting in Saturday night's spring training game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.
I would complain in more detail about how much trouble I had getting here, but I suspect I would garner very little sympathy from the readers back in South Bend. The weather button at the top of my computer is still set to home, and it says it's 35 degrees with a windchill of 28. As I write this, it's almost 8pm here, the sun is all the way down, but it's still 73.
Since my last spring training dispatch in 2010, the Diamondbacks have moved their spring home from Tucson to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, which is just outside of Scottsdale, on the east side of Phoenix. The stadium is called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. There's a lot of room out here in the desert to spread out, so I guess that's why everything gets a long name. I'm sure I'll catch on to the shorthand soon enough.
From my seat in the press box, the stadium is beautiful. It's not as large as a major league ballpark, but it has the look and feel of a big league facility. The park seats 11,000, and can accommodate 4,000 on the outfield lawn. The largest high-definition scoreboard in the Cactus League, at 1,150 square feet is behind the left field wall. I no longer have the trigonometry skills to figure out what that makes the diagonal measurement in inches, but I am confident that it beats my 52-inch widescreen at home.
I was greeted by some familiar faces when I got to the park tonight. Although he didn't wave at me, when I took my seat, Jarrod Parker (SB '08) was warming up to start his second inning of the game. He convincingly struck out the first two batters I saw him face. Parker looks to be back in peak form after having been out since the end of July 2009, recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. He finished his night with 2 innings, no hits, no runs, 3 strikeouts and no walks.
Also in the starting lineup tonight are former Silver Hawks Justin Upton (SB '06), Gerardo Parra (SB '07), and Chris Owings (SB '10).
I'm expecting a busy day tomorrow. I have plans to visit the minor league fields in the morning, where I'll check in with Mark Haley and see if I can get a look at some more past, and future, Silver Hawks. Then I'll be exploring this new stadium. At some point I have to track down the media dinning room. I might do that first.
In my rush to get to the game tonight I never got around to having dinner. So I'm going to go down to the concourse and check out the food offered by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community here at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
There's got to be a shorter way to say that.
If everything was on time I was supposed to get to the ballpark about an hour and a half before the game started. Between a delayed flight and two tries at getting a rental car, I sat down in the press box as the bottom of the third inning was starting in Saturday night's spring training game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies.
I would complain in more detail about how much trouble I had getting here, but I suspect I would garner very little sympathy from the readers back in South Bend. The weather button at the top of my computer is still set to home, and it says it's 35 degrees with a windchill of 28. As I write this, it's almost 8pm here, the sun is all the way down, but it's still 73.
Since my last spring training dispatch in 2010, the Diamondbacks have moved their spring home from Tucson to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, which is just outside of Scottsdale, on the east side of Phoenix. The stadium is called Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. There's a lot of room out here in the desert to spread out, so I guess that's why everything gets a long name. I'm sure I'll catch on to the shorthand soon enough.
From my seat in the press box, the stadium is beautiful. It's not as large as a major league ballpark, but it has the look and feel of a big league facility. The park seats 11,000, and can accommodate 4,000 on the outfield lawn. The largest high-definition scoreboard in the Cactus League, at 1,150 square feet is behind the left field wall. I no longer have the trigonometry skills to figure out what that makes the diagonal measurement in inches, but I am confident that it beats my 52-inch widescreen at home.
I was greeted by some familiar faces when I got to the park tonight. Although he didn't wave at me, when I took my seat, Jarrod Parker (SB '08) was warming up to start his second inning of the game. He convincingly struck out the first two batters I saw him face. Parker looks to be back in peak form after having been out since the end of July 2009, recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. He finished his night with 2 innings, no hits, no runs, 3 strikeouts and no walks.
Also in the starting lineup tonight are former Silver Hawks Justin Upton (SB '06), Gerardo Parra (SB '07), and Chris Owings (SB '10).
I'm expecting a busy day tomorrow. I have plans to visit the minor league fields in the morning, where I'll check in with Mark Haley and see if I can get a look at some more past, and future, Silver Hawks. Then I'll be exploring this new stadium. At some point I have to track down the media dinning room. I might do that first.
In my rush to get to the game tonight I never got around to having dinner. So I'm going to go down to the concourse and check out the food offered by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community here at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
There's got to be a shorter way to say that.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Pay Attention to the Count
Official scorer Pete Yarbro sent me this link, and it's an interesting read for diehard baseball fans. It talks about the importance of the count, in particular, how batters struggle with two strikes.
Why this article can bury you in numbers, it explains why I often talk about getting ahead of hitters and not falling behind 2-0 and 3-1 (counts that I refer to as "hitters' counts").
Why this article can bury you in numbers, it explains why I often talk about getting ahead of hitters and not falling behind 2-0 and 3-1 (counts that I refer to as "hitters' counts").
Monday, March 29, 2010
Pete's Final Report from Spring Training
Once again, I want to thank Pete Yarbro for sending in these reports. Since I didn't make it to Spring Training, it was nice to have someone file a bunch of stories about what goes on in the desert.
"They say no one wants to go down to Tucson in the summer.
It seems like no one wants to go in the springtime either. Today I'm leaving Tucson. Next week the Diamondbacks will too. Arizona's home team plays two more games in its second largest city before leaving, not just for spring, but for good. Starting next year the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies will play their spring training games at a brand new state-of-the-art complex at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, adjacent to Scottsdale. Its the first professional sports stadium on Indian land.
The Diamondbacks Class-AAA team left Tucson Electric Park before last season to move to Reno. The Tucson Toros, an independent Golden Baseball League team will still play at Hi Corbett Field. But unless another AAA team decides to move, or a couple of Japanese teams can be convinced to train here, there won't be much professional baseball in the Old Pueblo after next week.
They'll leave behind a history of spring training baseball that goes back to 1947. The advantages for the players, coaches and executives --- especially for the Diamondbacks --- of playing their spring games in the Phoenix area are undeniable. Even the farthest stadiums is only a 45 minute drive. Some are ten minutes apart. For the D'Backs major leaguers, every game will be a like a home game. They'll trade a month of hotel rooms for their own beds every night.
For the fans, with 15 teams in the Valley of the Sun, most days there will be up to seven games to choose between. Half of the major leagues will be less than an hour's drive away. Unless the Cubs are playing the White Sox, or the Dodgers are playing the Giants, good seats should be available just walking up to the gate on the afternoon of the game.
Even still, there will be a lot of things I'll miss about Tucson. The city is easy to get around. Even when traffic is bad, its not that bad. The view of the mountains surrounding the city is beautiful. Even in the middle of the city, you never feel like the desert is very far away. Everyone I've met has been friendly and helpful. It's a city of a million people, but it has a small town feel.
But at the same time, I know --- from experience --- that the food's just as good up the highway. I'm guessing there's a Sonoran hot dog to be found if you look hard enough.
This morning I paid one last visit to the minor league complex. I don't know what they call it, but I watched one of the most entertaining drills I have ever seen. A catcher, in all his gear, gets in his crouch. Two coaches pick up five baseballs each. They take turns firing balls in quick succession from about five yards away to different locations. The catcher does his best to snatch and quickly release each of the ten baseballs while whipping his glove from side-to-side up and down. The catchers seemed to be genuinely having fun. I certainly enjoyed watching, knowing I wasn't going to have ten baseballs thrown at me all at once any time soon.
I did my best to find out which players we could expect to see in South Bend this summer. The most consistent answer I got was "we don't know yet." AJ Pollock injured his arm a couple of days ago when he slipped while fielding a fly ball. Pollock had surgery today. While they won't know his timetable for coming back for a while, Coach Haley told me that the type of surgery he had has a very high success rate. A Diamondbacks executive told me that AJ's injury has thrown a lot of their plans for assigning players into disarray.
Haley did give me a few names of guys he is confident will start in South Bend.
Chris Owings is a shortstop from South Carolina who was drafted out of high school. He was the 41st pick in the first round of last summer's draft. He batted .306 in 24 games last summer in Missoula.
David Nick was drafted in the 4th round last summer, also out of high school. He's a second baseman from California. In 66 games in Missoula last summer he had 78 hits 6 homeruns and 35 RBI, batting .286.
The guy everyone said to watch was Bobby Borchering. Borchering was drafted in the first round, 14th overall, one pick ahead of AJ Pollock. Also a high school selection, out of Florida, he plays third base. D'Backs Executive VP and Special Assistant to the General Manager Bob Gebhardt told me that everyone's been very excited to watch Borchering progress. Gebhardt tells me he's a switch hitter, who hits with power from both sides, and plays a pretty good third base.
Haley said that the pitching staff is still completely up in the air.
If I had to skip Mexican food for one day, the Silver Saddle Steak House was the way to go. They brought me a huge slab of prime rib that was perfectly medium rare. The side of cowboy beans was the perfect compliment. I don't know how they make plain old beans in to cowboy beans, but I'm glad they do it. Across from the salad bar --- yes I finally had a salad --- is an open mesquite pit where they cook the steaks over a roaring wood fire. The location is ever so slightly out of the way, but the prices are thoroughly reasonable and the service is excellent.
Unfortunately, the dream has ended. I just finished a double cheeseburger at the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Only two more hours until I board the redeye flight to Chicago. Then a nice long nap at O'Hare before my early morning connection back to South Bend.
Just before I left the minor league complex this morning, I checked the South Bend weather on my Blackberry. I quickly asked Hales if he really needed me to join the team at the beginning of the year, or if he didn't think I could benefit from a little extended spring training. His exact words were: "You're ready to go. The only tune up you need is the Silver vs. Gold game between the Silver Hawks and Notre Dame on April 5th at 5:30pm. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (574) 235-9988 or visiting www.silverhawks.com . And a portion of the proceeds going to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation to fight Niemann-Pick Type C." Ok, maybe those weren't his exact words, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant."
"They say no one wants to go down to Tucson in the summer.
It seems like no one wants to go in the springtime either. Today I'm leaving Tucson. Next week the Diamondbacks will too. Arizona's home team plays two more games in its second largest city before leaving, not just for spring, but for good. Starting next year the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies will play their spring training games at a brand new state-of-the-art complex at the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, adjacent to Scottsdale. Its the first professional sports stadium on Indian land.
The Diamondbacks Class-AAA team left Tucson Electric Park before last season to move to Reno. The Tucson Toros, an independent Golden Baseball League team will still play at Hi Corbett Field. But unless another AAA team decides to move, or a couple of Japanese teams can be convinced to train here, there won't be much professional baseball in the Old Pueblo after next week.
They'll leave behind a history of spring training baseball that goes back to 1947. The advantages for the players, coaches and executives --- especially for the Diamondbacks --- of playing their spring games in the Phoenix area are undeniable. Even the farthest stadiums is only a 45 minute drive. Some are ten minutes apart. For the D'Backs major leaguers, every game will be a like a home game. They'll trade a month of hotel rooms for their own beds every night.
For the fans, with 15 teams in the Valley of the Sun, most days there will be up to seven games to choose between. Half of the major leagues will be less than an hour's drive away. Unless the Cubs are playing the White Sox, or the Dodgers are playing the Giants, good seats should be available just walking up to the gate on the afternoon of the game.
Even still, there will be a lot of things I'll miss about Tucson. The city is easy to get around. Even when traffic is bad, its not that bad. The view of the mountains surrounding the city is beautiful. Even in the middle of the city, you never feel like the desert is very far away. Everyone I've met has been friendly and helpful. It's a city of a million people, but it has a small town feel.
But at the same time, I know --- from experience --- that the food's just as good up the highway. I'm guessing there's a Sonoran hot dog to be found if you look hard enough.
This morning I paid one last visit to the minor league complex. I don't know what they call it, but I watched one of the most entertaining drills I have ever seen. A catcher, in all his gear, gets in his crouch. Two coaches pick up five baseballs each. They take turns firing balls in quick succession from about five yards away to different locations. The catcher does his best to snatch and quickly release each of the ten baseballs while whipping his glove from side-to-side up and down. The catchers seemed to be genuinely having fun. I certainly enjoyed watching, knowing I wasn't going to have ten baseballs thrown at me all at once any time soon.
I did my best to find out which players we could expect to see in South Bend this summer. The most consistent answer I got was "we don't know yet." AJ Pollock injured his arm a couple of days ago when he slipped while fielding a fly ball. Pollock had surgery today. While they won't know his timetable for coming back for a while, Coach Haley told me that the type of surgery he had has a very high success rate. A Diamondbacks executive told me that AJ's injury has thrown a lot of their plans for assigning players into disarray.
Haley did give me a few names of guys he is confident will start in South Bend.
Chris Owings is a shortstop from South Carolina who was drafted out of high school. He was the 41st pick in the first round of last summer's draft. He batted .306 in 24 games last summer in Missoula.
David Nick was drafted in the 4th round last summer, also out of high school. He's a second baseman from California. In 66 games in Missoula last summer he had 78 hits 6 homeruns and 35 RBI, batting .286.
The guy everyone said to watch was Bobby Borchering. Borchering was drafted in the first round, 14th overall, one pick ahead of AJ Pollock. Also a high school selection, out of Florida, he plays third base. D'Backs Executive VP and Special Assistant to the General Manager Bob Gebhardt told me that everyone's been very excited to watch Borchering progress. Gebhardt tells me he's a switch hitter, who hits with power from both sides, and plays a pretty good third base.
Haley said that the pitching staff is still completely up in the air.
If I had to skip Mexican food for one day, the Silver Saddle Steak House was the way to go. They brought me a huge slab of prime rib that was perfectly medium rare. The side of cowboy beans was the perfect compliment. I don't know how they make plain old beans in to cowboy beans, but I'm glad they do it. Across from the salad bar --- yes I finally had a salad --- is an open mesquite pit where they cook the steaks over a roaring wood fire. The location is ever so slightly out of the way, but the prices are thoroughly reasonable and the service is excellent.
Unfortunately, the dream has ended. I just finished a double cheeseburger at the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Only two more hours until I board the redeye flight to Chicago. Then a nice long nap at O'Hare before my early morning connection back to South Bend.
Just before I left the minor league complex this morning, I checked the South Bend weather on my Blackberry. I quickly asked Hales if he really needed me to join the team at the beginning of the year, or if he didn't think I could benefit from a little extended spring training. His exact words were: "You're ready to go. The only tune up you need is the Silver vs. Gold game between the Silver Hawks and Notre Dame on April 5th at 5:30pm. Tickets are available by calling the box office at (574) 235-9988 or visiting www.silverhawks.com . And a portion of the proceeds going to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation to fight Niemann-Pick Type C." Ok, maybe those weren't his exact words, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant."
Friday, March 26, 2010
Pete's Report - Day Whatever It Is
Its spring training for everyone. Even the official scorer.
Today was a work day for me. Well make that a work afternoon. While I do enjoying coming to spring training for the (mostly) beautiful weather and the food, like everybody else I'm here to get ready for the season.
The Silver Hawks season ends in early September. The next game isn't until the second week of April. So for just under seven months I don't see a live baseball game. Unless I come down to spring training, my only opportunity to see baseball is either on tv, or sitting in the stands at Notre Dame. And I'll tell you that in March those metal benches are awfully cold!
So I make the sacrifice to take time away from my regular job to come down to the desert and endure the 70-80 degree temperatures to get ready for the season. The Diamondbacks are generous enough to allow me to sit in their press box and get in my practice.
The Midwest League uses the designated hitter. But there's none of that down here. The Diamondbacks are, of course, in the National League. When you add the normal NL lineup juggling to the mass substitutions of spring training, keeping score becomes a real challenge.
If you can keep an accurate scorebook in a National League spring training game, you're ready for anything. Now, I do get some help in these games. The Diamondbacks regular scorer, announcer and staff members in the dugouts all work together to keep track of the changes, and do an excellent job of keeping the press box up to date.
In today's game the Cubs didn't bring their full squad down, so they only used 18 players. Though, in the 9th inning they brought in a couple players who weren't on their regular roster. When you see number 94, with no name on his jersey come in to pinch hit you know its spring training. The Diamondbacks used 23 players. I'm proud to say all 41 players are in the right place on my score sheet.
Over the winter I designed my own computerized score sheet to better keep track of the action, and hopefully save a little paper. The system that the minor leagues use to keep track of the action requires the official scorer to call in after each half-inning and read a play-by-play of the action to a MLB.com staffer who then puts it on the computer. You have to be precise and efficient to get everything in before the next inning starts. A traditional scorebook doesn't work very well for me on this system. So I've been developing my own way of keeping track of things that works best with making the calls. We've been doing it this way for five or six years now. In five or six more I think I'll have it perfected.
The Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 7-2.
If you're wondering about the difference between southern and northern Mexican food, at least according to the menu of the restaurant I went to last night, in southern Mexico most of the meat is cooked on a charcoal grill. That makes for a particularly tasty beef taco. I also had one dish that was just chorizo smothered in melted cheese. In any part of North America spicy sausage covered in cheese is a delicious dinner.
I think I'm going to change things up tonight. There's an Arizona steakhouse not too far from the stadium called the Silver Saddle. A review online says the decor looks like John Wayne used to live there.
A few years ago, in the pressbox I heard Tracey Ringolsby raving about the place. Ringolsby is a columnist for Baseball America and was with the Rocky Mountain News for years before they folded. He's also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame as a writer. And you'll know him by his trademark cowboy hat. Seems like the kind of guy who knows a good steak.
I think I better go back to the hotel and get on the treadmill first.
Writing this report has me wondering how Owen gets ready for the season. Do you think he watches games on television with the sound down and does his own play-by-play while sitting by himself in his living room? Do you think he'll let us watch?
Today was a work day for me. Well make that a work afternoon. While I do enjoying coming to spring training for the (mostly) beautiful weather and the food, like everybody else I'm here to get ready for the season.
The Silver Hawks season ends in early September. The next game isn't until the second week of April. So for just under seven months I don't see a live baseball game. Unless I come down to spring training, my only opportunity to see baseball is either on tv, or sitting in the stands at Notre Dame. And I'll tell you that in March those metal benches are awfully cold!
So I make the sacrifice to take time away from my regular job to come down to the desert and endure the 70-80 degree temperatures to get ready for the season. The Diamondbacks are generous enough to allow me to sit in their press box and get in my practice.
The Midwest League uses the designated hitter. But there's none of that down here. The Diamondbacks are, of course, in the National League. When you add the normal NL lineup juggling to the mass substitutions of spring training, keeping score becomes a real challenge.
If you can keep an accurate scorebook in a National League spring training game, you're ready for anything. Now, I do get some help in these games. The Diamondbacks regular scorer, announcer and staff members in the dugouts all work together to keep track of the changes, and do an excellent job of keeping the press box up to date.
In today's game the Cubs didn't bring their full squad down, so they only used 18 players. Though, in the 9th inning they brought in a couple players who weren't on their regular roster. When you see number 94, with no name on his jersey come in to pinch hit you know its spring training. The Diamondbacks used 23 players. I'm proud to say all 41 players are in the right place on my score sheet.
Over the winter I designed my own computerized score sheet to better keep track of the action, and hopefully save a little paper. The system that the minor leagues use to keep track of the action requires the official scorer to call in after each half-inning and read a play-by-play of the action to a MLB.com staffer who then puts it on the computer. You have to be precise and efficient to get everything in before the next inning starts. A traditional scorebook doesn't work very well for me on this system. So I've been developing my own way of keeping track of things that works best with making the calls. We've been doing it this way for five or six years now. In five or six more I think I'll have it perfected.
The Cubs beat the Diamondbacks 7-2.
If you're wondering about the difference between southern and northern Mexican food, at least according to the menu of the restaurant I went to last night, in southern Mexico most of the meat is cooked on a charcoal grill. That makes for a particularly tasty beef taco. I also had one dish that was just chorizo smothered in melted cheese. In any part of North America spicy sausage covered in cheese is a delicious dinner.
I think I'm going to change things up tonight. There's an Arizona steakhouse not too far from the stadium called the Silver Saddle. A review online says the decor looks like John Wayne used to live there.
A few years ago, in the pressbox I heard Tracey Ringolsby raving about the place. Ringolsby is a columnist for Baseball America and was with the Rocky Mountain News for years before they folded. He's also a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame as a writer. And you'll know him by his trademark cowboy hat. Seems like the kind of guy who knows a good steak.
I think I better go back to the hotel and get on the treadmill first.
Writing this report has me wondering how Owen gets ready for the season. Do you think he watches games on television with the sound down and does his own play-by-play while sitting by himself in his living room? Do you think he'll let us watch?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Pete's Report -- Day Four
I'm starting to think our official scorer Pete Yarbro is crazy, and he really likes food. Read his latest entry below.
Tucson, Arizona is about sixty miles from the Mexican border. When people think about traffic across the border the first things that come to mind are often negative. Illegal immigration. Drugs and the violence that accompanies them. But the vast majority of the north and south flow is cultural. Mexican, American and Native American culture influence each other spawning new ideas that none would have conceived on their own.
I write, of course, about the Sonoran hot dog. The Sonoran Desert straddles southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Sonora is also the name of the Mexican state immediately south of Arizona. Born from these two states and the desert they share, the Sonoran hot dog is Tucson's version of a Chicago style hot dog.
The bun is a soft Mexican bolillo roll. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and grilled. That's right, a hot dog wrapped in bacon! The dog is topped with pinto beans, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, jalapeno sauce, shredded cheese, ketchup and mustard, with a drizzle of mayonnaise on top. Mine were garnished with a roasted green chili pepper on the side. The result is amazing! If you find yourself in southern Arizona or northern Mexico don't leave until you've had a couple of Sonoran hot dogs. If you find yourself in the hot dog selling business, consider adding this cross-cultural delicacy to your menu.
Before my lunch I worked in a little sight-seeing. The Tucson area boasts plenty to do, even when the Diamondbacks and Rockies are playing their Cactus League games up in Phoenix. At Old Tucson Studios you can tour the sets where several western movies were filmed. Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood all stared in movies filmed here. The Titan Missile Museum is located in the silo of a decommissioned strategic nuclear missile. During the tour a few years ago, I sat in the command seat and flipped the switches to arm the missile. The tour guide counted down, and we turned the keys to launch. Fortunately for the rest of you, when we came to the end of the tour the Titan II missile was still in the silo. Stepping several years back, the Fort Lowell Museum is on the site of the key US Cavalry base during the wars with the Apache. The town of Tombstone, featuring the real life OK Corral, is a short drive away. Going back even further than that, as I mentioned yesterday, the San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O'odham reservation south of Tucson is an active Catholic Church, but is open to public for tours.
The star attraction of the area is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. A natural history museum, zoo, botanical garden, and art museum rolled into one beautiful facility in the desert west of the city. Walking among hundreds of cacti and desert plants, you can see all kinds of animals, including birds, butterflies, snakes, pumas, coyotes, and my favorite, the javalinas.
Today I checked out one of the few attractions I haven't made it to before, the Pima County Air & Space Museum. As Homer Simpson said when he was told "There's no air in space", "There's an Air 'n Space Museum!" The tour begins with the Wright Brothers' flyer. Now, I'm not saying that its not the real Wright Flyer, but I've seen the same airplane at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC, and at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton. Once you get past that, its a pretty good aviation museum. With both indoor and outdoor exhibits, the highlights of the collection are an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and the Air Force One jet used by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the 1960s. The most fun for me was seeing three huge B-52 bombers sitting wing-to-wing.
The Pima Air Museum also runs tours of the Air Force's "boneyard." The boneyard is rows and rows of the Air Force's decommissioned aircraft. I was hoping to make it there, but when I got to the museum the next tour wasn't until 1:30, and I had Sonoran hot dogs on my mind.
Tucson also has plenty of great golf courses too. Though my advice to the spring training traveler is when in Florida see a few games and play a lot of golf. In Arizona see a lot of baseball and play a little golf. In Florida the baseball is spread out all over the state, and a result tickets are harder to get and prices are higher. In Florida golf courses occur naturally and are around every corner. In Arizona, especially in Phoenix, the Cactus League stadiums are close together and there are plenty of choices for games every day. Tickets are easy to get (unless you want to see the Cubs), and the prices are generally lower. In Arizona a golf course is an affront to nature. You'll have trouble paying less than $60 for 18 holes, and can easily pay well over $100.
In the afternoon I watched a baseball game between the Diamondbacks and Rockies minor leaguers. Without a scoreboard or announcer its hard to keep track of what's going on in the game. Coach Haley told me his team lost on one bad inning. But, who needs to know what's going on when you can spend an afternoon sitting in the sun watching a ballgame? The parking is free, the game is free, and in the last row of the bleachers, I was four rows back.
Christian Beltre and Yonata Ortega recognized me from South Bend and came over to say hello. I think for the ballplayers, especially the Latin guys, during the tedium of spring training its nice to see a familiar face. Especially one who's not telling you what to do or constantly evaluating your performance. Its nice for the official scorer too, to be recognized and have the ballplayers go out of their way to say hello. If you're at spring training and the major league team is on the road, taking in a minor league game is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.
The place with the giant bull outside is Casa Molina. And it is amazing. I ordered a combination dinner and they just kept brining me food. It started with a bowl of chicken and rice soup. Then came chili con carne, which is not a bowl of chili. Its big chunks of steak in a spicy brown sauce. Then a beef tamale with a side of beans. By the time the sopapillas and honey came, I told the waiter to put them right in a takeout box. The food was amazing, the service was quick and attentive, and the margaritas were perfect. I might be back there once more time before I go home.
On the way to Casa Molina last night I passed a restaurant that features the cuisine of Mexico City. I'm interested to see how it differs from the northern Mexican food that I've been eating. I wonder how they make hot dogs down there.
Sonoran Hot Dog.
Tucson, Arizona is about sixty miles from the Mexican border. When people think about traffic across the border the first things that come to mind are often negative. Illegal immigration. Drugs and the violence that accompanies them. But the vast majority of the north and south flow is cultural. Mexican, American and Native American culture influence each other spawning new ideas that none would have conceived on their own.
I write, of course, about the Sonoran hot dog. The Sonoran Desert straddles southern Arizona and northern Mexico. Sonora is also the name of the Mexican state immediately south of Arizona. Born from these two states and the desert they share, the Sonoran hot dog is Tucson's version of a Chicago style hot dog.
The bun is a soft Mexican bolillo roll. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and grilled. That's right, a hot dog wrapped in bacon! The dog is topped with pinto beans, chopped onions, diced tomatoes, jalapeno sauce, shredded cheese, ketchup and mustard, with a drizzle of mayonnaise on top. Mine were garnished with a roasted green chili pepper on the side. The result is amazing! If you find yourself in southern Arizona or northern Mexico don't leave until you've had a couple of Sonoran hot dogs. If you find yourself in the hot dog selling business, consider adding this cross-cultural delicacy to your menu.
Before my lunch I worked in a little sight-seeing. The Tucson area boasts plenty to do, even when the Diamondbacks and Rockies are playing their Cactus League games up in Phoenix. At Old Tucson Studios you can tour the sets where several western movies were filmed. Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood all stared in movies filmed here. The Titan Missile Museum is located in the silo of a decommissioned strategic nuclear missile. During the tour a few years ago, I sat in the command seat and flipped the switches to arm the missile. The tour guide counted down, and we turned the keys to launch. Fortunately for the rest of you, when we came to the end of the tour the Titan II missile was still in the silo. Stepping several years back, the Fort Lowell Museum is on the site of the key US Cavalry base during the wars with the Apache. The town of Tombstone, featuring the real life OK Corral, is a short drive away. Going back even further than that, as I mentioned yesterday, the San Xavier del Bac Mission on the Tohono O'odham reservation south of Tucson is an active Catholic Church, but is open to public for tours.
The star attraction of the area is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. A natural history museum, zoo, botanical garden, and art museum rolled into one beautiful facility in the desert west of the city. Walking among hundreds of cacti and desert plants, you can see all kinds of animals, including birds, butterflies, snakes, pumas, coyotes, and my favorite, the javalinas.
Today I checked out one of the few attractions I haven't made it to before, the Pima County Air & Space Museum. As Homer Simpson said when he was told "There's no air in space", "There's an Air 'n Space Museum!" The tour begins with the Wright Brothers' flyer. Now, I'm not saying that its not the real Wright Flyer, but I've seen the same airplane at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC, and at the National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton. Once you get past that, its a pretty good aviation museum. With both indoor and outdoor exhibits, the highlights of the collection are an SR-71 Blackbird spy plane and the Air Force One jet used by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the 1960s. The most fun for me was seeing three huge B-52 bombers sitting wing-to-wing.
The Pima Air Museum also runs tours of the Air Force's "boneyard." The boneyard is rows and rows of the Air Force's decommissioned aircraft. I was hoping to make it there, but when I got to the museum the next tour wasn't until 1:30, and I had Sonoran hot dogs on my mind.
Tucson also has plenty of great golf courses too. Though my advice to the spring training traveler is when in Florida see a few games and play a lot of golf. In Arizona see a lot of baseball and play a little golf. In Florida the baseball is spread out all over the state, and a result tickets are harder to get and prices are higher. In Florida golf courses occur naturally and are around every corner. In Arizona, especially in Phoenix, the Cactus League stadiums are close together and there are plenty of choices for games every day. Tickets are easy to get (unless you want to see the Cubs), and the prices are generally lower. In Arizona a golf course is an affront to nature. You'll have trouble paying less than $60 for 18 holes, and can easily pay well over $100.
In the afternoon I watched a baseball game between the Diamondbacks and Rockies minor leaguers. Without a scoreboard or announcer its hard to keep track of what's going on in the game. Coach Haley told me his team lost on one bad inning. But, who needs to know what's going on when you can spend an afternoon sitting in the sun watching a ballgame? The parking is free, the game is free, and in the last row of the bleachers, I was four rows back.
Christian Beltre and Yonata Ortega recognized me from South Bend and came over to say hello. I think for the ballplayers, especially the Latin guys, during the tedium of spring training its nice to see a familiar face. Especially one who's not telling you what to do or constantly evaluating your performance. Its nice for the official scorer too, to be recognized and have the ballplayers go out of their way to say hello. If you're at spring training and the major league team is on the road, taking in a minor league game is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.
The place with the giant bull outside is Casa Molina. And it is amazing. I ordered a combination dinner and they just kept brining me food. It started with a bowl of chicken and rice soup. Then came chili con carne, which is not a bowl of chili. Its big chunks of steak in a spicy brown sauce. Then a beef tamale with a side of beans. By the time the sopapillas and honey came, I told the waiter to put them right in a takeout box. The food was amazing, the service was quick and attentive, and the margaritas were perfect. I might be back there once more time before I go home.
On the way to Casa Molina last night I passed a restaurant that features the cuisine of Mexico City. I'm interested to see how it differs from the northern Mexican food that I've been eating. I wonder how they make hot dogs down there.
Christian Beltre watching the Minor League game.
Sonoran Hot Dog.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Pete's Report - Day Three
Official scorer Pete Yarbro is back with yet another entry from Spring Training. Today, he checks out a former Silver Hawk playing for a team other than the Diamondbacks and gives some love to Dollar Mondays at the Cove...
"It might be a dry heat, but its a cold wet.
It was a beautiful day in the Sonoran Desert until it wasn't. To be honest it wasn't that bad and the time when it was bad wasn't that long. Unfortunately, the bad weather coincided with the 7th, 8th and (I assume) the 9th innings of the Padres and Rockies game at Hi Corbet Field.
The Diamondbacks have an off-day today, so I took in the game across town this afternoon. Named after Hiram Steven Corbet, an Arizona State Senator who worked to convince the Cleveland Indians to move their spring training to Tucson, the stadium was built in 1937. While Hi Corbett's the oldest stadium in the Cactus League, the oldest building in town, the San Xavier del Bac Mission, is 140 years older. The mission was founded in 1700 and the current church was finished in 1797. The mission, however, has never hosted a major league spring training game.
Hi Corbett Field doesn't sport a lot of the amenities you find in newer stadiums. (Of course, when you're talking about Hi Corbett just about all the stadiums are newer.) It doesn't have the lawn area around the outfield, there's not a luxury suite in the place, and there isn't the diversity of concessions available most other places. But it is a very nice place if what you've come to see is baseball. At least while the sun is out.
Lack of a big food selection became unimportant when I realized that Tuesday is dollar day at Hi Corbett Field. Hot dogs, popcorn and sodas were all $1 each. So, laden with an armfull of Dollar Dogs I made my way to my seat. To endear myself to the Silver Hawks promotions staff I will take this opportunity to remind you that in addition to a wide array of delicious choices at the concession stands at Coveleski Stadium, every Monday is Dollar Day featuring $1 bleacher tickets, hot dogs and Pepsi products.
From my seat in the 10th row on the first base side, the advantages of the old stadium were clear. The players and fans are close together. Not only can you easily identify the players, you can read the expressions on their faces. When you hear someone talk about the "intimate" environment at places like Ebbets Field this is what they mean. Behind me someone remarked that the playing field here seemed smaller than the field at Coors Field. Of course, it's the same size, they agreed, but it just seems smaller here.
Game time temperature was 69 degrees and the Arizona sun dominated the sky. Around me people were reapplying sunscreen and I was enjoying the enthusiasm of the one Padres fan sitting next to me in a sea of Rockies fans. He did everything he could to single-handedly negate the Rockies' home field advantage, at least as far as noise was concerned.
For a while it seemed like this game was being played at Coors Field. At least the way the balls were flying around. The teams combined for 27 hits, including seven doubles, a triple and four home runs. For me the highlight of the game was Carlos Gonzalez's homerun in the bottom of the third inning.
How about that. I didn't realize until just now, when I looked up the box score while writing this dispatch, that we're talking about the Carlos Gonzalez: former Silver Hawk and 2005 Midwest League Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year. I was going to recount this story anyway, now Owen will be happy that I've brought it around to something Silver Hawks related!
Anyway, the story starts with the previous batter, Rockies starting pitcher Jason Hammel. In his first year in the National League, Hammel looked thoroughly uncomfortable with a bat in his hands. He took the first three pitches, two strikes and a ball, without lifting the bat off his shoulder. It looked like he had no intention of swinging at anything. But as it turns out, he was just taking a patient approach. He took the fourth pitch back up the middle for a ground ball single to centerfield. Even the Padres fan sitting next to me applauded that.
Up next came the Rockies leadoff hitter, who --- without the benefit of the media notes, or even a lineup, locked away in the Hi Corbett Field Press Box --- I knew at the time only as "Gonzalez". Gonzalez took it to deep centerfield for a two-run homerun. Its several hours later as I write this, but I'm sure the ball he hit is still up there. Hi Corbett has a high wall all around the outfield. As high as the wall at Coveleski, plus billboards on top of the wall. The batter's eye in centerfield is even higher than that. Gonzalez's homerun easily cleared the batter's eye in straightaway center. The distance to the centerfield wall is listed as 392 feet. I can't find anything online that says how tall the wall is, but I did see it described as a "Green Monster". As best I could measure the wall, if you stacked up four centerfielders on top of each other, that's how high the wall is.
Around the seventh inning the rain came. It started out as a few drops here and there, but gradually got harder. Instead of baseballs, fans were now flying out of the park. Then it got colder. The Padres fan, who now lives here, assured me that in Southern Arizona "we love it when it rains." Then it got windier. The Padres fan left.
I stayed as long as I could, but when the Padres made a mid-inning pitching change in the bottom of the 8th that was enough for me. I was smart enough to bring my jacket, but not smart enough not to leave it in the car. It's my understanding that the final score was San Diego 9, Colorado 6.
I made it back to the hotel room and changed into some dry clothes. After a mile and three-quarters on the treadmill I had sweated through those clothes and needed to change into dry clothes again. I swear, I usually go all the way to two miles, it must be the high altitude here that stopped me. Maybe it was the Dollar Dogs.
I'm writing this in the lobby of my hotel, right under a framed Silver Hawks jersey. The Varsity Suites Hotel is owned by the same company that owns the hotel in Mishawaka. The decor is all sports related, mostly from Pac 10 schools. But there are a few things that make a Mishawakan feel like home, including a Notre Dame football jersey signed by Lou Holtz, a shirt signed by the 2001 National Champion ND Women's baskeball team, and the Silver Hawks jersey. The only signature I can easily make out without climbing up there is Miguel Montero, which would make it the 2004 team.
Someone's reading these reports, because when I got to El Charro last night the place was full. The wait for a table was worth it for the carne seca. The chili rellleno was about average, and the margaritas were good, but had about as much tequila in them as this dispatch. With today's report finished I'm headed down the street to a Mexican restaurant I went to last year. I don't know the name of it, but I know there's a giant bull out front."
Hi Corbet Field in Arizona.
The Silver Hawks jersey hanging in Pete's hotel in Arizona.
"It might be a dry heat, but its a cold wet.
It was a beautiful day in the Sonoran Desert until it wasn't. To be honest it wasn't that bad and the time when it was bad wasn't that long. Unfortunately, the bad weather coincided with the 7th, 8th and (I assume) the 9th innings of the Padres and Rockies game at Hi Corbet Field.
The Diamondbacks have an off-day today, so I took in the game across town this afternoon. Named after Hiram Steven Corbet, an Arizona State Senator who worked to convince the Cleveland Indians to move their spring training to Tucson, the stadium was built in 1937. While Hi Corbett's the oldest stadium in the Cactus League, the oldest building in town, the San Xavier del Bac Mission, is 140 years older. The mission was founded in 1700 and the current church was finished in 1797. The mission, however, has never hosted a major league spring training game.
Hi Corbett Field doesn't sport a lot of the amenities you find in newer stadiums. (Of course, when you're talking about Hi Corbett just about all the stadiums are newer.) It doesn't have the lawn area around the outfield, there's not a luxury suite in the place, and there isn't the diversity of concessions available most other places. But it is a very nice place if what you've come to see is baseball. At least while the sun is out.
Lack of a big food selection became unimportant when I realized that Tuesday is dollar day at Hi Corbett Field. Hot dogs, popcorn and sodas were all $1 each. So, laden with an armfull of Dollar Dogs I made my way to my seat. To endear myself to the Silver Hawks promotions staff I will take this opportunity to remind you that in addition to a wide array of delicious choices at the concession stands at Coveleski Stadium, every Monday is Dollar Day featuring $1 bleacher tickets, hot dogs and Pepsi products.
From my seat in the 10th row on the first base side, the advantages of the old stadium were clear. The players and fans are close together. Not only can you easily identify the players, you can read the expressions on their faces. When you hear someone talk about the "intimate" environment at places like Ebbets Field this is what they mean. Behind me someone remarked that the playing field here seemed smaller than the field at Coors Field. Of course, it's the same size, they agreed, but it just seems smaller here.
Game time temperature was 69 degrees and the Arizona sun dominated the sky. Around me people were reapplying sunscreen and I was enjoying the enthusiasm of the one Padres fan sitting next to me in a sea of Rockies fans. He did everything he could to single-handedly negate the Rockies' home field advantage, at least as far as noise was concerned.
For a while it seemed like this game was being played at Coors Field. At least the way the balls were flying around. The teams combined for 27 hits, including seven doubles, a triple and four home runs. For me the highlight of the game was Carlos Gonzalez's homerun in the bottom of the third inning.
How about that. I didn't realize until just now, when I looked up the box score while writing this dispatch, that we're talking about the Carlos Gonzalez: former Silver Hawk and 2005 Midwest League Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year. I was going to recount this story anyway, now Owen will be happy that I've brought it around to something Silver Hawks related!
Anyway, the story starts with the previous batter, Rockies starting pitcher Jason Hammel. In his first year in the National League, Hammel looked thoroughly uncomfortable with a bat in his hands. He took the first three pitches, two strikes and a ball, without lifting the bat off his shoulder. It looked like he had no intention of swinging at anything. But as it turns out, he was just taking a patient approach. He took the fourth pitch back up the middle for a ground ball single to centerfield. Even the Padres fan sitting next to me applauded that.
Up next came the Rockies leadoff hitter, who --- without the benefit of the media notes, or even a lineup, locked away in the Hi Corbett Field Press Box --- I knew at the time only as "Gonzalez". Gonzalez took it to deep centerfield for a two-run homerun. Its several hours later as I write this, but I'm sure the ball he hit is still up there. Hi Corbett has a high wall all around the outfield. As high as the wall at Coveleski, plus billboards on top of the wall. The batter's eye in centerfield is even higher than that. Gonzalez's homerun easily cleared the batter's eye in straightaway center. The distance to the centerfield wall is listed as 392 feet. I can't find anything online that says how tall the wall is, but I did see it described as a "Green Monster". As best I could measure the wall, if you stacked up four centerfielders on top of each other, that's how high the wall is.
Around the seventh inning the rain came. It started out as a few drops here and there, but gradually got harder. Instead of baseballs, fans were now flying out of the park. Then it got colder. The Padres fan, who now lives here, assured me that in Southern Arizona "we love it when it rains." Then it got windier. The Padres fan left.
I stayed as long as I could, but when the Padres made a mid-inning pitching change in the bottom of the 8th that was enough for me. I was smart enough to bring my jacket, but not smart enough not to leave it in the car. It's my understanding that the final score was San Diego 9, Colorado 6.
I made it back to the hotel room and changed into some dry clothes. After a mile and three-quarters on the treadmill I had sweated through those clothes and needed to change into dry clothes again. I swear, I usually go all the way to two miles, it must be the high altitude here that stopped me. Maybe it was the Dollar Dogs.
I'm writing this in the lobby of my hotel, right under a framed Silver Hawks jersey. The Varsity Suites Hotel is owned by the same company that owns the hotel in Mishawaka. The decor is all sports related, mostly from Pac 10 schools. But there are a few things that make a Mishawakan feel like home, including a Notre Dame football jersey signed by Lou Holtz, a shirt signed by the 2001 National Champion ND Women's baskeball team, and the Silver Hawks jersey. The only signature I can easily make out without climbing up there is Miguel Montero, which would make it the 2004 team.
Someone's reading these reports, because when I got to El Charro last night the place was full. The wait for a table was worth it for the carne seca. The chili rellleno was about average, and the margaritas were good, but had about as much tequila in them as this dispatch. With today's report finished I'm headed down the street to a Mexican restaurant I went to last year. I don't know the name of it, but I know there's a giant bull out front."
Hi Corbet Field in Arizona.
The Silver Hawks jersey hanging in Pete's hotel in Arizona.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Pete's Report -- Day Two
Another update from Pete Yarbro at the Diamondbacks spring training camp...this time, with pictures (at the end).
This will be my seventh season as official scorer for the Silver Hawks. I've been coming to spring training since my second year. I think I've only missed the trip once. So, even though I usually come down here on my own, I always see a lot of people I know.
There's a couple sportswriters around the press box I see every year. Of, course I always see Mark Haley. And the coaches who have come through South Bend, like 2004 Silver Hawks manager Tony Perezchica. Diamondbacks VP and special assistant to the General Manager, Bob Gebhart --- a regular in South Bend the last few years --- was hard at work at the minor league complex, despite a minor heart attack at the beginning of spring training. Though I noticed he was without his trademark cigar.
When I saw Hawks hitting coach Francisco Morales, the first thing he asked me about was the weather back home. When I told him that it had been in the 60s last week, he seemed encouraged, but I promised him that it would be plenty cold by the time he got to town.
The first thing Haley asked me when I saw him was whether I was reading his blog in the South Bend Tribune. I assured him that I was, but warned him that he had competition now in the local spring training blog market. He tells me he has a good one on the way. I'm sure he'll step up his game now that we're going head to head.
And there's always a few people you don't expect to see. When I wandered into the media dinning room for lunch at Tucson Electric Park I saw someone I knew I recognized from somewhere. I figured he must be a scout or someone like that. I quickly realized I didn't recognize him from the Coveleski press box, but from every documentary about the golden age Yankees I have seen on ESPN Classic and HBO. It was Jerry Coleman. On top of playing second base and shortstop for the Yankees from 1949-1957 --- after flying combat missions in the Pacific as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II --- Coleman is the radio broadcaster for the San Diego Padres, today's opponent. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in 2005. The chicken parmigiana was pretty good too.
Before lunch, I spent some time at the minor league complex watching the players run drills. For the entire month of spring training, the minor league players spend every morning running drills. They'll spend half and hour or so practicing the same play again and again. Every type of play you can imagine, everything you see in a game all summer, these guys have spent several mornings during spring training doing it over and over.
One of the things I watched this morning was catchers handling pop-ups. Using a modified pitching machine, a coach will shoot balls straight up in the air. As you can imagine they go way up there. And in Tucson you're fighting the sun. A few guys were having trouble pulling the balls in, and I don't blame them. Just watching the balls go up into the sun from my seat on the bleachers, I was starting to get sunscreen running in my eyes. And I wasn't moving around or wearing all that catcher's gear.
In the major league game today there were a couple of odd situations. In the bottom of the sixth inning Mark Reynolds (SB '04-05) came up to bat with men on second and third, two outs, and the score tied 0-0. The Padres intentionally walked him. Now maybe its the right strategic move, but in a spring training game? The Padres and Diamondbacks are going to face each other plenty this season. If you're the manager, don't you want to see how your guys respond against a power hitter with runners in scoring position? Well, maybe it was the right call. The next guy grounded out to the first baseman to end the inning.
I thought that was strange. But I hadn't seen nothing yet. In the bottom of the ninth the D'Backs were down 4-2, but tied the game with two home runs. In the bottom of the tenth --- which would have been the last inning no matter what happened --- Arizona managed to get runners on first and third. When Ollie Linton (SB '08) came to bat San Diego moved their right fielder into the infield. They tried to put him on the line, but that would have put the first baseman at the second base position. And you can't play second base with a first baseman's mitt. So they put the right fielder just to the left side of second base, and moved the shortstop over to the right side of second base.
Perhaps distracted by the view of five infielders, Linton struck out. Linton's a left handed batter. The next batter, Jake Wald is right handed. So the right fielder switched places with the shortstop. Right on cue, Wald hit a looping fly ball into right field. The center fielder made a good effort getting to the ball and diving, but it was just off his glove, and the runner scored from third. The Diamondbacks beat the Padres 5-4 in 10 innings.
Most importantly, the game time temperature was 78 degrees with just a few clouds in the sky.
In other news, my quest for Mexican food and margaritas was stymied yesterday. Los Betos, the carryout by the stadium, closes early on Sunday. And the bar in the hotel was out of limes, a key margarita ingredient. Too tired to go anywhere else, I settled for a rum & coke and the hotel's enchilada. It was good, but a lot like the enchilada you could get at a hotel in Mishawaka. There was talk around the pressbox today that one of the best places for Mexican food in Tucson is a place called El Charro. If baseball writers know anything --- other than baseball and writing, of course --- its food. So if you need me tonight, that's where I'll be.
Marc Krauss waiting for his turn in the cage.
Mark Haley doing what he does best -- standing around while looking pretty (HA!).
A.J. Pollock taking his cuts in the cage.
Look at that view!
This will be my seventh season as official scorer for the Silver Hawks. I've been coming to spring training since my second year. I think I've only missed the trip once. So, even though I usually come down here on my own, I always see a lot of people I know.
There's a couple sportswriters around the press box I see every year. Of, course I always see Mark Haley. And the coaches who have come through South Bend, like 2004 Silver Hawks manager Tony Perezchica. Diamondbacks VP and special assistant to the General Manager, Bob Gebhart --- a regular in South Bend the last few years --- was hard at work at the minor league complex, despite a minor heart attack at the beginning of spring training. Though I noticed he was without his trademark cigar.
When I saw Hawks hitting coach Francisco Morales, the first thing he asked me about was the weather back home. When I told him that it had been in the 60s last week, he seemed encouraged, but I promised him that it would be plenty cold by the time he got to town.
The first thing Haley asked me when I saw him was whether I was reading his blog in the South Bend Tribune. I assured him that I was, but warned him that he had competition now in the local spring training blog market. He tells me he has a good one on the way. I'm sure he'll step up his game now that we're going head to head.
And there's always a few people you don't expect to see. When I wandered into the media dinning room for lunch at Tucson Electric Park I saw someone I knew I recognized from somewhere. I figured he must be a scout or someone like that. I quickly realized I didn't recognize him from the Coveleski press box, but from every documentary about the golden age Yankees I have seen on ESPN Classic and HBO. It was Jerry Coleman. On top of playing second base and shortstop for the Yankees from 1949-1957 --- after flying combat missions in the Pacific as a Marine Corps pilot in World War II --- Coleman is the radio broadcaster for the San Diego Padres, today's opponent. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a broadcaster in 2005. The chicken parmigiana was pretty good too.
Before lunch, I spent some time at the minor league complex watching the players run drills. For the entire month of spring training, the minor league players spend every morning running drills. They'll spend half and hour or so practicing the same play again and again. Every type of play you can imagine, everything you see in a game all summer, these guys have spent several mornings during spring training doing it over and over.
One of the things I watched this morning was catchers handling pop-ups. Using a modified pitching machine, a coach will shoot balls straight up in the air. As you can imagine they go way up there. And in Tucson you're fighting the sun. A few guys were having trouble pulling the balls in, and I don't blame them. Just watching the balls go up into the sun from my seat on the bleachers, I was starting to get sunscreen running in my eyes. And I wasn't moving around or wearing all that catcher's gear.
In the major league game today there were a couple of odd situations. In the bottom of the sixth inning Mark Reynolds (SB '04-05) came up to bat with men on second and third, two outs, and the score tied 0-0. The Padres intentionally walked him. Now maybe its the right strategic move, but in a spring training game? The Padres and Diamondbacks are going to face each other plenty this season. If you're the manager, don't you want to see how your guys respond against a power hitter with runners in scoring position? Well, maybe it was the right call. The next guy grounded out to the first baseman to end the inning.
I thought that was strange. But I hadn't seen nothing yet. In the bottom of the ninth the D'Backs were down 4-2, but tied the game with two home runs. In the bottom of the tenth --- which would have been the last inning no matter what happened --- Arizona managed to get runners on first and third. When Ollie Linton (SB '08) came to bat San Diego moved their right fielder into the infield. They tried to put him on the line, but that would have put the first baseman at the second base position. And you can't play second base with a first baseman's mitt. So they put the right fielder just to the left side of second base, and moved the shortstop over to the right side of second base.
Perhaps distracted by the view of five infielders, Linton struck out. Linton's a left handed batter. The next batter, Jake Wald is right handed. So the right fielder switched places with the shortstop. Right on cue, Wald hit a looping fly ball into right field. The center fielder made a good effort getting to the ball and diving, but it was just off his glove, and the runner scored from third. The Diamondbacks beat the Padres 5-4 in 10 innings.
Most importantly, the game time temperature was 78 degrees with just a few clouds in the sky.
In other news, my quest for Mexican food and margaritas was stymied yesterday. Los Betos, the carryout by the stadium, closes early on Sunday. And the bar in the hotel was out of limes, a key margarita ingredient. Too tired to go anywhere else, I settled for a rum & coke and the hotel's enchilada. It was good, but a lot like the enchilada you could get at a hotel in Mishawaka. There was talk around the pressbox today that one of the best places for Mexican food in Tucson is a place called El Charro. If baseball writers know anything --- other than baseball and writing, of course --- its food. So if you need me tonight, that's where I'll be.
Marc Krauss waiting for his turn in the cage.
Mark Haley doing what he does best -- standing around while looking pretty (HA!).
A.J. Pollock taking his cuts in the cage.
Look at that view!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Pete's Report -- Day One
Unfortunately, I was not able to go to spring training this year. However, loyal blog reader and Silver Hawks official scorer Pete Yarbro made the trip to the desert, and I've asked him to send reports that I can put on the blog. I told Pete that he could write about the games, the players, or anything he wanted. As you will read, he clearly took me up on the "anything you wanted" part of the deal. Enjoy!
"My alarm went off at 3:30 Sunday morning. Actually, two of my alarms went off. Unfortunately, I set four. The first thing I need to do when I get back to South Bend is buy a new alarm clock. And remember that when I set the alarm on my cell phone I need to switch it from vibrate mode. That's why you set four alarms. With that hurdle behind me, it was off to the airport.
My first leg was from South Bend to Chicago. The flight is only 48 minutes, so accounting for the time change, we landed before we took off. Flights like that always remind me of Bob Costas' story about ABA player Marvin "Bad News" Barnes who refused to board a similar flight from Louisville to St. Louis, protesting, "I ain't getting on no time machine!"
Every one of my flights was on time. So, with a couple of naps along the way, I got into Tuscon about the time today's game started. Off the plane, through baggage claim, past the rental car counter and straight to Tucson Electric Park, spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'll worry about checking into the hotel later. There's nothing quite like a day when you can wake up in northern Indiana, facing a 36 degree temperature, and by the middle of the afternoon be soaking in the Arizona sun, enjoying 75 degrees and sunny --- watching the Diamondbacks play baseball against the San Francisco Giants.
The game was already in the third inning by the time I got to the park, but the crowd was still filtering in. With a total attendance of 10,601, today's game is close to a sellout. When I came into the park there were still lawn seats available, but that's about all. I just hope I can find my rental car after the game. Somewhere on the other side of ten thousand people there's a silver Toyota Carolla. I may give the crowd a headstart before I go looking for it.
It's a beautiful view from my seat in the pressbox. Right in front of me is a patch of the greenest grass I've seen since last summer --- not to mention the baseball game being played. Past the left field wall is Mt. Lemmon and the Santa Catalina Mountains. If all that gets boring, today there's an airshow at Davis Monthan Air Force Base here in Tucson. So there are A-10 Thunderbolts and F-16 Falcons twisting through the air over the right field wall. On top of all that the smells drifting up from the barbeque stand under the pressbox are making me really hungry.
Late in the game, former Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman and former Silver Hawk Clay Zavada both made appearances. Heilman pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit. Zavada followed that with a one-two-three inning, punctuated by an impressive strike-out. My binoculars are still packed in my luggage, but Zavada appears to be sporting an impressive mustache. The Giants beat the D'Backs 4-3.
In the morning I'll be checking in over at the minor league camp before coming back over to TEP for the game against the Padres. In the meantime, I'm headed over to the Mexican take-out around the corner from the stadium to pick up dinner. I'm leaning toward a chili relleno. Then back to the hotel to check in and have a couple of margaritas before what I expect will be an early bedtime. But not before I buy some sun screen.
I just hope I get to sleep a little later tomorrow."
Thanks for the update Pete!
"My alarm went off at 3:30 Sunday morning. Actually, two of my alarms went off. Unfortunately, I set four. The first thing I need to do when I get back to South Bend is buy a new alarm clock. And remember that when I set the alarm on my cell phone I need to switch it from vibrate mode. That's why you set four alarms. With that hurdle behind me, it was off to the airport.
My first leg was from South Bend to Chicago. The flight is only 48 minutes, so accounting for the time change, we landed before we took off. Flights like that always remind me of Bob Costas' story about ABA player Marvin "Bad News" Barnes who refused to board a similar flight from Louisville to St. Louis, protesting, "I ain't getting on no time machine!"
Every one of my flights was on time. So, with a couple of naps along the way, I got into Tuscon about the time today's game started. Off the plane, through baggage claim, past the rental car counter and straight to Tucson Electric Park, spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'll worry about checking into the hotel later. There's nothing quite like a day when you can wake up in northern Indiana, facing a 36 degree temperature, and by the middle of the afternoon be soaking in the Arizona sun, enjoying 75 degrees and sunny --- watching the Diamondbacks play baseball against the San Francisco Giants.
The game was already in the third inning by the time I got to the park, but the crowd was still filtering in. With a total attendance of 10,601, today's game is close to a sellout. When I came into the park there were still lawn seats available, but that's about all. I just hope I can find my rental car after the game. Somewhere on the other side of ten thousand people there's a silver Toyota Carolla. I may give the crowd a headstart before I go looking for it.
It's a beautiful view from my seat in the pressbox. Right in front of me is a patch of the greenest grass I've seen since last summer --- not to mention the baseball game being played. Past the left field wall is Mt. Lemmon and the Santa Catalina Mountains. If all that gets boring, today there's an airshow at Davis Monthan Air Force Base here in Tucson. So there are A-10 Thunderbolts and F-16 Falcons twisting through the air over the right field wall. On top of all that the smells drifting up from the barbeque stand under the pressbox are making me really hungry.
Late in the game, former Notre Dame pitcher Aaron Heilman and former Silver Hawk Clay Zavada both made appearances. Heilman pitched a scoreless inning, giving up one hit. Zavada followed that with a one-two-three inning, punctuated by an impressive strike-out. My binoculars are still packed in my luggage, but Zavada appears to be sporting an impressive mustache. The Giants beat the D'Backs 4-3.
In the morning I'll be checking in over at the minor league camp before coming back over to TEP for the game against the Padres. In the meantime, I'm headed over to the Mexican take-out around the corner from the stadium to pick up dinner. I'm leaning toward a chili relleno. Then back to the hotel to check in and have a couple of margaritas before what I expect will be an early bedtime. But not before I buy some sun screen.
I just hope I get to sleep a little later tomorrow."
Thanks for the update Pete!
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