Bob and Tia's Spring Training: 2007

This is coming a few days late. Didn't really have the time for it in Florida w our travel schedule and have had a harder time than normal recovering from the travel.

First thing I did Monday was head down Route 19 to the Phillies Spring Training home, Brighthouse Networks Field. It is located adjacent to the Carpenter Complex which consists of four full-size baseball fields, an extra infield (which looks funny with a fence two feet behind it), and extra bullpens just feet away from the locker room. It was by far the nicest facility I saw down there, but I can't comment on the regular game atmosphere.

The game I saw was a "B" game. This is a game made up largely of minor leaguers, but is utilized for some regulars to get more at-bats or innings. The rules are flexible (they only played 6 innings, the top of the 4th inning ended with Blue Jay Russ Adams' two run homerun with two outs) and the results don't count in the standings (The Jays won 3-0, hehehe yeah I care).

I did get to see quite a few Phillies regulars, including starter Freddy Garcia, pitcher Ryan Madson, centerfielder Aaron Rowand, leftfielder Pat Burrell (who dropped a routine flyball), and first baseman Randall Simon (of sausage hitting fame). The Blue Jays employed regular rightfielder Alex Rios as their DH since he has not appeared in a spring training game yet. Pitching for the Jays were three players who saw action with the big club in 2006, Dustin McGowan, Casey Janssen, and Ty Taubenheim.

I didn't have the camera with me, which was unfortunate, but we stopped down here on our way to Dunedin to get these shots. The 'B' game was already over at that point and Jays manager John Gibbons (along with Kevin Barker, Sergio Santos, and Ryan Patterson who played later in the day!) made the trip across the peninsula to Dunedin.

Since it wasn't a publicized game, there was never more than a couple hundred people present and only about 30 when the game started. Third-string catcher Sal Fasano provided levity right off the bat when he boisterously stated to his Jays mates, "We have to take the crowd out of it early boys." Also, Chris Roberson, a 2006 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Baron (R.I.P.), ripped a foul chopper just above the Jays dugout into the row of seats in front of me. The ball popped up in the air and into the seat next to me. Nice souvenir!

On our way across town, we discovered more fast food options that we are missing out on up north. Checkers is a hamburger joint with no inside seating, but TWO drive-thrus! Their menu has such highlights as Chili Cheeseburger and Bacon Cheddar Ranch fries (Fully Loaded! exclaims the menu). Would rival Sonic if the menu was more diverse. The burgers are probably better.

We parked in an old man's driveway for five bucks about a block and a half down the street from Knology Park, the Jays spring training home. The tickets were a fairly ludicrous $13 to watch Indianapolis take on the Jays for 5 innings before the wholesale substitutions began. Bright spots among the Jays regulars were a Vernon Wells homerun, a Royce Clayton two RBI double, and a B.J. Ryan perfect third inning. Josh Towers, who is locked in a battle with John Thomson, Tomo Ohka, and Shaun Marcum (and maybe even McGowan and Janssen) for just two rotation spots, pitched well. He had two strikeouts to go with three groundouts. His only blemish was a bomb hit by beer-league softball player Brad Eldred of the Pirates.

During the 10th inning, I was able to get catcher Gregg Zaun, one of my favorite Jays along with leftfielder Reed Johnson, to sign my scorecard of the game. Also was able to chat with him briefly about his opinion of the new spring training hats. Unfortunately, when I went down to the rail, I left my baseball glove of the last 11 years at my seat. We left slightly before the conclusion of the 8-8 ten inning tie game and never went back to get it by mistake. It wasn't until our night in Clearwater Beach was winding down that we even realized it. We went back to the stadium and left our information with some staffers. As of Wednesday, it hadn't turned up at the D-Jays offices.

Since we weren't aware of this yet at the time, we had a blast at the beach. We took a dolphin watching cruise with a company called Dolphin Encounter. Their hook is the offer of free unlimited Beer, Wine, Soda, or Champagne. All of this for only $19.95, just pennies a day! Also got to see a Florida Gulf Coast sunset from the boat. Quite a sight!!

I hit the Chardonnay fairly hard and Tia the White Zinfandel (which isn't white). The embedded movie below is one that Tia took of the dolphins chasing the boat.

After the dolphin cruise we went to Crabby Bill's at the Marina for the best clam chowder I've ever had. Also rocked a big plate of real hushpuppies. An interesting event occured where the junction between a propane tank and patio heater caught fire. Everyone was asked to clear the area to avoid injury by shrapnel! Sobering up and cleaning up the rental car after this is when we realized the glove was gone.

Coming back to Rochester was a bitch. We woke up at 5:30AM to gas up the rental and catch our 8:10 flight. Security lines in Tampa were insane. We stopped in Baltimore only long enough to walk from one gate to the other and arrived in Rochester a little after noon. Not much could prepare us for the weather we encountered. A balmy FOUR degrees. While it wasn't exactly warm in Florida while we were there as the jackets in the photos suggest, it sure wasn't FOUR! Anyway, real baseball is less than a month away! Already making plans for a Toronto trip on April 15 to see the Tigers/Jays.

-Bob

Eventful day in St. Pete.

The Jays won 7-4 today at Al Lang Field. Victor Zambrano got the win and Ryan Houston ended the drama by getting Evan Longoria (no lie) to ground into a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded in the 9th. The Toronto attack was powered, ironically, by 6 Tampa Bay errors leading to 4 unearned runs.

Curtis Thigpen provided some explosive insurance in the 9th inning with a homerun off of Tony Peguero and John-Ford Griffin had an RBI double to lead Syracuse, er...uh Toronto. During the late innings, the Devil Rays showed their true opinion of the game by allowing the backups to get loose in the outfield DURING the game!

After the game we went to "The Pier" where we ate some excellent Jamaican Jerk Burgers and Chicken. We bought some Florida produced Strawberry Riesling and Tia got to feed a pack of hungry Pelicans!

Tomorrow we catch the Jays/Phillies B-Game in Clearwater and then go to Dunedin where we will finally see the Toronto regulars against the Pirates. Now it's off to Congo River for some crazy putting action. Will need pants though. It hasn't been very warm here since about 3PM.

-Bob