Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Spring Training Rewind: Tidbits From the Desert



 I can still feel the warm Arizona sun kissing my (spray) tanned shoulders now. It was only over a week and some change ago I was in the land of Spring Training watching our World Series Champion San Francisco Giants playing ball at Scottsdale Stadium. I brought my friend for her first time to Spring Training as she is a HUGE Giants fan and was pretty much my Giants homie all throughout the 2010 season. We had been talking about Spring Training since last season, not sure at what point of the season, but I just remember many nights talking incessantly about it.
I figured out this was my fifth time going down to the desert for some Spring ball. Usually I have friends down there that I can hang with because it's hard to get people that aren't huge fans of the game to rally and spend the money to watch baseball that doesn't really "matter" and to hang out with a bunch of drunken college students and sports nuts. Yeah, I'm not painting the prettiest picture, but once you get there you get it.

Angie and I decided many months ago that the time for us to visit would be around St. Patrick's day. The Giants had at least three games in a row at their home stadium, one of which was to be played on St. Patty's which was perfect! The first night we were down there we headed to a restaurant named NOCA. The Chef behind the counter's name is Christopher Curtiss and he and I go back..........way back. He learned his way around the kitchen and then some in San Francisco and wound up in Arizona showing all those chain restaurant pallets what good food really is. We had a wonderful, multi-coursed meal sitting at the Chef's counter which ended with cotton candy and three other desserts in which Angie exclaimed "I've never seen cotton candy for dessert!" Needless to say, it was a meal that won't soon be forgotten Chef Curtiss. Oh, and a side note, the Chef was sporting his trusty Giants baseball hat and a few days prior had just come off preparing, serving and hanging with SF Giants coach Bruce Bochy, General Manager Brian Sabean and other well known Giants and Major League staff at a private reception at Bochy's place in Scottsdale. Not too shabby and great insider knowledge that I love to know! Thanks Chris!

Next day was St. Patty's. As females, we had a lot of different clothing options to choose from, and you know, it was a big day and all so we had to choose wisely. Angie's boyfriend - tattoo, graffiti and graphic artist Joey had designed some simple script for shirts I wanted printed up. That was going to be the shirt I would sport on day 1 of Spring Training. Done. Angie also came equipped with tons of St.Patty's necklaces so we were prepared and that way, I wouldn't get pinched since no one would believe I was wearing green underwear. Done. Done. Off to the show we go.......well, not without a small hitch.

The night before, our humble Chef told us the game on St. Patty's was a night game. We had no idea and thank goodness he told us because we would have been the losers ready to celebrate the day of the Irish about 7 hours too early (but I guess it's never too early for real Irishmen and women!) So, on the 17th we got our taxi, like responsible young ladies and headed into Scottsdale . In the meantime, my friend from SF, who is also everyone’s favorite mascot, Lou Seal texted me to join him before the game (he had to work a few innings and wanted to get his Irish celebration on beforehand.) So off we go, pumped for our first game and to see our World Series champs take the field for the first time in 2011!! Woo hoo! Well our overly friendly cab driver JJ informed us the game started at 1......uh, it's 3:15 right now. Angie and I looked at each other and I think we both wanted to cry. Are you kidding me, we're 2 hours late to our first game....the St. Patty's game....but we're all ready!!! We're ready to root for our guys and feel the camaraderie of our friends - our fellow Giants fans!!!!!!!!!!!!

Taxi cab driver JJ calls a friend to verify the time of the game, Angie feverishly searched her Smartphone for guidance and a few minutes go by without any confirmation of anything.  By this time a million things are running through my head; I have accepted the fact that we're idiots and now we've missed our first game; why would Chris steer us wrong, and if he has, he's probably pissed that he's missed the game too. Ahhhhhhh! FALSE ALARM, JJ has found out the game is a night time game, "you're fine ladies." Geesh, ok, where's Lou hanging out?

The Blue Moose of course. What's the Blue Moose? Probably one of the BEST Giant's bars in Scottsdale , come to find out! We walk into the Blue Moose and it's decked ceiling-to-floor in Giants paraphernalia - filled with Giant's fans. We pony up to the bar to get some food and to start the St. Patty's day celebration and it wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without being hit on by a true Irishman that has somehow found his way to the Arizona desert. Gave a big hug to Lou before his way to the stadium, downed a corned-beef sandwich with a side of tater tots and a chaser of Jameson on the rocks and now it’s game time!

We get to Scottsdale Stadium and it’s GREAT. Giant's fans everywhere. Get to our seats and they're fantastic! Just rows up from the Giants dugout, where, who could it be....WILL CLARK?! in the dugout...Wha?! He's my dude. Will Clark has been my FAVORITE Giants player since I was 7 years old and now I have the pleasure to stare at the number 22 for nine innings. What a treat!  

Throughout the game Angie and I yell "Will Clark!!" whenever appropriate, when he would hear us, he'd turn around and acknowledge the shout out. We made some friends in the stands with our love for number 22. They thought we were too young to know who that guy was, but I set them straight. Lou sported his St.Patty's jersey and greeted the fans in and around the stands for a few innings, and Angie and I sat back with our dyed green beer and took in the game. Oh, wait, I forgot to mention the 12 deep rolling d.bags that decided to grace our presence at that game. A gaggle of Dodger fans took a lap around the stands that night and had the crowd of over 10,000 people boo them all the way around. Thanks Dodger gaggle for another little hi-light to the evenings festivities. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
 
So what do you do on St. Patty's night after the Giants win? You go out with the Seal. The rest of our friends are over at the street party in downtown Scottsdale and we gotta get there, but we're too lazy to walk at this point. Hey, everyone, let's get a pedicab! That seems to be a really good idea. It is of course, until the guy tries to take a short cut and practically takes off Lou Seals left arm by ramming a garbage can and taking out Angie with a nasty desert bush (good thing I sat in the middle!) but we survived even though the poor pedicab dude had to walk our combined weight not quite the rest of the way to downtown.


After our eventful ride, we finally get to downtown where the party is and has been for quite some time (obvious by the sheer number of people stumbling around.) There's a rumor that my work husbands bachelor party (of 20+ guys) have been here or are still here but I'm not exactly sure. But alas, within the hour, we find them, or as the story goes, they found me and for the rest of the night I am the den mother who is keeping the 19-year-old bleached blond away from the bachelor even though she's throwing eye daggers at me from across the room. Sorry chica, I'm saving this guy's life for at least the next few hours and having a ridiculous time doing it.
As the evening comes to a close and I mingle around the bar a bit, meeting new people and hanging out a bit more with my friend Lou and our Giants clubhouse friend Brandon, a Panda comes walking into the bar......
 
And this my friends is why you come to Spring Training. People ask me all the time if I see the players out and I tell them it's not really a sure thing, but you may be able to spot a player or two, but really it's about the experience. It's about being with your friends and rallying around a sport you love. It's about the beautiful desert weather, rooting for your boys during the day, laughing the rest of the night away and maybe, just maybe, hanging out with a World Series champion by the end of your trip.

Random Notes-

Will Clark & Lou Seal signed Angies glove. What, you didn't think we were gamers?

Never go to a bar named Shady's twice. There's a reason why it's called that.
                       
I met a new gay named Tim. I would marry him if it were legal.