Spring Training, Episode 2

Daniel Descalso!! 

With only hours left until Opening Day at Busch Stadium and a full season of Cardinals baseball ahead of us, here’s the final part of my Spring Training report with highlights of my time in Jupiter watching our boys.  

Some tidbits of Spring Training Magic.  Enjoy!

Luck of the Late Arrivals

Kyle McClellan

After driving the 4 hours from Tampa, we arrived at Roger Dean Stadium less than 2 hours before game time on Friday.  We hit the team store briefly, then headed to the backfields as the small crowds were dispersing.  Figuring we’d missed the fun, we weren’t expecting much.  But we caught some pitchers taking batting practice, having fun competing for total distance, etc.  Kyle Lohse, Jake Westbrook and Kyle McClellan were taking turns in the cage and after they were finished, all three signed autographs for the fans that were still hanging around. 

In camp for approximately 30 minutes and getting autographs from three starting pitchers?  Why yes, I do believe in fairy tales!  ;)

Pujols Smacks TWO!!

Albert Pujols is ……. Well, he’s Albert Pujols.  What more can you say?  The Spring Training crowd that Saturday went wild when Albert led off the 4^th inning with a solo blast to left center field.  Next inning, Pujols decided to do it again, with another homerun.  We felt honored to be watching.  Nothing magic about this one…. Just Pure Pujols.  ;)

Morning Frivolities on the Back Fields

On Sunday morning, Lance Berkman was good-naturedly terrorizing Skip Schumaker in the batting cages.  Yadi, Ryan Theriot, Skip and Berkman were taking turns in the cage.  The sun was hot and the crowd was sparse when Berkman decided to have some fun.  He started smacking the cage with his bat when pitches came in to Schumaker.  This progressed to full-fledge cage rattling to distract him.  Pretty soon Yadi and Theriot were joining in and all four were laughing.  It was one of those behind-the-scenes moments that makes me smile.  Nice to see Cardinal clubhouse chemistry alive and well.  ;)

“Look!  It’s Carp!!”

That's what I said to Hubby on Sunday, pointing up the sidewalk.  He mumbles something like “How can you see with that guy in the way?” 

Turns out that guy was Chris Carpenter, the Cardinals’ Ace and starting pitcher for Opening Day.  He was heading out for a run in shorts and a t-shirt.  Nobody else was around. It was eerie and exciting all at the same time.  Carp wasn’t stopping to chat though, and I didn’t bother him to ask for an autograph.  Memories of the Carp temper and flashbacks to the icy glares he shot Brendan Ryan that time last season kept me from invading his personal space.  I did grab my camera though.  Carp in shorts??  I had an obligation to document that leg art.  ;)

Blessed Are the Happy Autograph Givers

In my opinion, the best part of Spring Training is the accessibility to the players.  (For autographs as well as great photo opportunities) The environment is welcoming and the smaller venue affords a better chance to interact with these players we watch from a distance during the regular baseball season.  I adore observing Cardinals interacting with fans, especially with kids.  Some of the guys are admittedly better about it than others,  but those brief moments when a favorite ballplayer stops to take a picture or sign an autograph often will be more poignant memories for fans than the action on the field that day.

Skip Schumaker making kids happy

We certainly didn’t camp out for hours or pester players for autographs.  Several players voluntarily made themselves available to sign for fans after practice and before or after games. I know some players are jaded by the fact that autographs may end up on Ebay instead of as treasured spring training mementos.  However the players who take the time and spread some joy with a pen on a baseball make long-lasting, positive impressions on fans.  Those moments are priceless, no matter how old you are.

Well, those are a few of my highlights from Spring Training.  Game One of the 2011 Cardinals season is tomorrow!!!  We here at Cardinal Diamond Diaries look forward to sharing the season with you all!

GO CARDS!!

Spring Training, Episode 1

Spring Training means different things to different people.  To me, a trip to Florida in late March when the weather is warm and Opening Day is juuussssst around the corner makes perfect sense.  Mornings spent soaking up the sights and sounds of baseball drills on the backfields of Roger Dean stadium are not too chilly.  Starters are going longer into games and the lineups are full of actual, live 2011 Cardinals!!  It’s as close to “real” season baseball as possible… while still in the cozy setting of the Cardinals Spring Training facility, surrounded by palm trees, sea breezes and sunshine.

Brief Recap: 

Previous Spring Training trips (’09 and ’10) were hard on Hubby.

In 2009, new fan syndrome was in full effect.  I’d be up at the crack of dawn, not wanting to miss a single glimpse of a guy in a Cardinal uniform.  I was on Yadi Watch constantly. We hadn’t heard about the opportunity of watching morning practice drills.  I took a total of 178 photos (many of them were blurry because I was shaking from the excitement of it all.)  I noticed a guy named David Freese (#66) and took pictures of Chris Duncan and Rick Ankiel.  We saw two games and fell in love with the Spring Training atmosphere.

In 2010, new fan syndrome was still rampant.  PLUS I was armed with useful information from a baseball fan’s best tool: twitter. For example, this time I knew about Roger Dean stadium’s back fields, morning workouts & autograph opportunities, and the existence of Pyros Grill.  I was on Matt Holliday watch.  I took over 700 photos (some were still blurry because Brendan Ryan was spinning too fast for my camera or because I was drooling -just a little- over David Freese.)  I took pictures with Adam Wainwright and Kyle Lohse.  We saw 4 games – 2 home and 2 away.  I toured a baseball museum (because Aaron Hooks offered me free tickets if I’d review it for Cards Diaspora… #win!)  Highlight?? David Freese signed my shirt!!!  I was addicted to Spring Training.  Baseball overdose at it’s most extreme. 

(Hubby was more than relieved to finally get me out of Florida!)

So, on our third trip to Spring Training, this year we did something different. Maybe because I’ve matured in my fandom, maybe because Hubby medicated me…who knows?  But somehow we achieved a more well-rounded Florida vacation.  Don’t get me wrong.  It revolved around baseball!  But we did venture away from Roger Dean.  We enjoyed restaurants and sight-seeing that didn’t involve player-stalking. (Granted, I knew I had to behave myself if Hubby would ever agree to a Spring Training trip #4!)

Last week we even went to see some *gasp* non-Cardinals games.  In fact, while Hubby was meeting friends for a day of fishing (he saw dolphins!!), I ventured off all by myself to watch the Phillies play the Braves.  That experience was a perfect Spring Training warm-up.  I was a berm bum, taking in a game whose players/teams I was less familiar with.  Honestly, I bought that ticket hoping to see Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee pitch for the Phillies and fully expecting to be cheering on former Cardinal Joe Mather in a Braves uniform.  Alas, none of my hopefuls were in the game.  So, I spent a lot of time watching just baseball. I didn’t care who won or lost. And you know what?  I loved every second of it.  The view from the grass was different, enlightening – the game looks different and catches that seem so simple when watching from the infield are suddenly a heckuva lot more impressive when the fielder manages to intercept a rocket while chasing across the outfield grass.  It was baseball.  Good baseball. Man, you gotta love Spring Training!

ST Game 1

Yay!! – 78 degrees, light winds and sunshine.

-         Ryan Madson, in all his Madson glory, LIVE!

-         Beach party on the OF berm

                        Boo   - No Joe, Halladay or Lee, but I got over it. ;)

                                   

That same night we went to watch the Yankees take on the Astros at the Yankees Spring Training complex.  We were late to the game and the gate guardian wouldn’t let me bring in some of my camera gear. So we were even later after lugging it back to the parking lot again.  No Mariano Rivera appearance. (So far I was shooting 0-fer on my Spring Training hopefuls.)  However it was a night game and the stadium was full of New York fans.  Suffice it to say, that was a FAR different experience than Roger Dean Stadium full of Cardinal fans at 1:05pm games. ;)  Again, I savored every second. 

ST Game 2

Yay!! –    Joba and Dave Robertson pitching relief.

-         Jeter. Jeter. Jeter.

-         Brett Wallace (former Redbird) playing 1^st, but hitless

-         Kettle corn for dinner!

-         Chuckling about “Mr. Know-It-All” sitting behind us who was always handing out words of (incorrect) wisdom to his kids

                        Boo   -  Gate trolls and repeat trips to the parking lot.

With that, my Spring Training warm-up was complete and we had a 4-hour drive to Jupiter, Florida (near West Palm Beach) for Cardinals camp the next morning.  Needless to say… it was hard to fall asleep that night.

Next post:   my stories from Jupiter and my time at Cardinals’ Spring Training:  running into Chris Carpenter out of uniform, on the sidewalk by the stadium; the batting practice frivolity of Lance Berkman; autographs, meeting players, and my favorite Spring Training game moments. 

Fitting it all in a blog before Opening Day (tomorrow) was poor planning… but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Like I said, we all do Spring Training a little differently.  I spend a lot of time taking pictures instead of keeping a scorecard.  I love watching ballplayers sign autographs and how they interact with fans.  Spring Training provides a unique opportunity to live and breathe the beginnings of baseball season…. until the big show begins. 

Happy Opening Day Eve!!  =)

Starting to Mean Something

Those of you that know me a bit know that I get really excited about the beginning of the baseball season. First day of Spring Training? Check (I wore red). First spring game? I found ways to watch that silly little Gameday box from my desk at work (and I wore red). First televised game? I again snuck peaks at the game (despite being unable to listen to most of it) from work (and wore more red). 


Each and every first made me smile, caused me to comment, and gave me reason to talk about baseball a little more than usual. But when the game ended and the final score was posted, I shut it down. I didn't fuss that too many men were left on base or get irritated at why Tony used this reliever instead of that one. Because it didn't matter. Spring records mean nothing (although I imagine being incredibly bad or blowing everyone out would turn heads). I have no idea what the standings look like for the Grapefruit League, nor will I be looking them up anytime soon.


It's not that I don't care. I'm trying to guess my way through those last few roster spots just like everyone else. I have been looking at various names/faces/statistics, but every time I start to get wrapped up in it I remember: Never fall in love too early in spring. Two weeks ago I was pulling for Lance Lynn for the rotation, Daniel Descalso to be the last bench player, was genuinely concerned about Lance Berkman, and still found little reason to trust Kyle Lohse. Since then I changed my mind... on all of those. But let's look at one at a time...

Pitchers: I am a huge Kyle McClellan fan. Really. I want him to succeed in whatever role he finally lands in. However, it seems that every year he gets put into the rotation mix during Spring Training, I pull for someone else. Why is that? It's because I constantly fall into the belief that while fifth starters can be found through any number of ways (and the Cardinals have a history of... interesting... fifth starter names over the past few years), strong and reliable workhorse bullpen arms are a little tougher to come by. I don't doubt Boggs and Motte. I love those goobers and the flaming fastballs they shoot out of their arms like cannons. I do at the same time love that McClellan can use an assortment of pitches and be the kind of setup man that TLR loves to have and use. 


I was pulling for Lance Lynn to have the kind of spring that Jaime Garcia did last year. After watching him today, I'm still unconvinced that he absolutely couldn't do it. His outing was okay, 4 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs and 4 strikeouts is nothing to be super critical of, but not eye opening either. McClellan has done nothing but mow 'em down. I want it to be McClellan. I suppose I'm pulling for Fernando Salas to get that last spot in the pen, but as Derrick Goold noted this afternoon, the team hasn't decided yet. I'm not sold, but I feel better about this all now than I did a couple of weeks ago, that's for sure. 


The other pitcher discussion has to be the combination of Jake Westbrook, Garcia, and Lohse. Quick, if you would have picked one of those three to have a strong spring, which would it have been? I would seriously laugh if you had said Lohse. NO ONE saw it coming. Will it last into the regular season? I certainly hope so. I don't expect him, Westbrook or Garcia to take the place of Adam Wainwright (*sniff*... I'm okay, it's dust or something), but feeling like we could rely on him to be more like the pitcher we saw in 2008 would be fantastic! Is it time to get concerned about Westbrook feeling like he hasn't really been able to get his pitches under control or Garcia not feeling worried about his not great start or not working counts well? I suppose that time is getting close. The games are starting to mean something (even if the final scores still do not).


Outfield: Color me not really worried about the outfield. Holliday and Rasmus are obviously just fine, and I think Berkman will be too. He probably cannot and really should not be playing every game like he thinks he can, but I feel confident enough in Jay and Craig being the other two outfielders that it should work out nicely. Should Berkman go down, it would not be the end of the world. I just hope he doesn't. That's all.

AP Photo

Infield: The four starters are clear - Pujols, Skip, Theriot, and Freese. No questions there. The two bench spots are the trick. Most assume that Tyler Greene will take one of them, but then it comes down to Daniel Descalso or Matt Carpenter. At the beginning of spring I would have said Descalso, no question. I fell in love too early, then felt Carpenter sweep Cardinal Nation collectively off our feet. He's not on the 40 man roster, but man, he could be. The fans like him. The front office likes him. Tony likes him (and his work ethic... so... he's the anti-Brendan?). 


But.


Dang. There had to be a 'but.' 


Carpenter plays third. In reality, he only plays third. We have a third baseman by the name of David Freese. Freese has obviously had his share of boo-boos and injury mishaps, and the team is taking care of those and shielding him from doing too much too soon, but really, do you want two players on your team that only play third base? Greene can play second and short, but Descalso can play second, short, and third. Versatility will get you everywhere on a Tony team, just ask Aaron Miles. 


Is there a right or wrong answer as to who to take north? I'm not sure there is. The point will most likely be moot anyway whenever Nick Punto (Yeah, I forgot about him too) comes off the disabled list. Both players have played well. Carpenter has gotten more print, but both have averages over .300, both have played solid defense. If you want to argue logistics, then fine - Descalso has experience at the big league level, although very limited (11 games and 37 plate appearances), while Carpenter hasn't played a game above AA. That is definitely a factor. 


Don't sell either short. However, just because the games are starting to mean something doesn't mean it's been long enough to fall for either player. 


That's why they play the games. :)

Even if it was only one game...I finally made it back to Spring Training!!

Finally back after 5 long years!

It has been 5 years (almost to the week) since I last attended a Spring Training game at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida. March 2006 was also the first time I ever went to Spring Training. We also know what happened in October 2006....so if I am any kind of luck, 2011 could potentially be a Red October. :) Of course I am just being a little superstitious and silly, but it is always fun to think about.

For the last Spring Break of my college career (hopefully!), I visited a friend in Miami, Florida. I told her that I would do anything else during the week as long as we could go to a Spring Training game in Jupiter. Knowing how obsessed I am with baseball and the Cardinals, she agreed, even though she barely knows anything about baseball. I promised her that I would teach her as much as I could and we would have a great time.

Yadier Molina - you can't tell here, but I
swear his eyes were closed! 

In my usual over-zealous fashion, we got there before the gates even opened and I spent a good 20-30 minutes in the official team store buying quite a few goodies. Don't worry, I did bring back my little sister an official Spring Training t-shirt. I knew she would have been disappointed if I didn't. Once the gates opened and we got in, I made my way down to the first row on the 1^st base side of the stands. I parked myself right in front of the bullpen pitchers mound and waited for players to begin to enter the field.

After about an hour of waiting, finally John Gast, LHP, was the first to enter the field. I think about 3 people bothered even showing interest in him before a little boy in the berm asked for his autograph. He turned around and gladly gave it to him. After a while several more players began to enter the field, with Yadier Molina being one of the first as usual. As I watched him warm up, catching soft-tossed balls from bullpen catcher Murphy, I swear he actually did close his eyes when taking those warmup tosses. (remember the commercial from 2009 when he was blindfolded catching baseballs??). More and more players entered the field, and I got that same excited feeling I do every new season...I was shaking I was so excited. I think this is probably the coolest part of spring training. Instead of the players entering the field from the dugout, where very few fans are able to see them up close, they enter from the outfield where the berm is, so many fans are able to see the players up close and personal and get autographs and chat with their favorite players.

Me & Daniel Descalso

I was lucky enough to meet Daniel Descalso & Mark Hamilton while they were signing autographs near the Cardinals' bullpen on the first base side. If you have read Daniel's MLB blog (http://danieldescalso.mlblogs.com/), you know that he has given us a really great inside look on what a day of spring training is like. When I saw him coming around the corner signing autographs, I was excited that I would hopefully get to meet him...and I did. Everyone else just seemed to be asking for autographs, so I asked for a picture as well. My list of pictures with Cardinal players is getting checked off quickly. :) A little while later, Mark Hamilton was doing the same thing, and I got a photo with him as well.

Me & Mark Hamilton

We continued to watch Jaime Garcia warm up before we got booted out of the seats we were using. We headed to our seats in the second level and got to watch an awesome baseball game against the Boston Red Sox. I was actually really glad I got to see this game because I don't think I have ever seen the Red Sox live and in person. There were a lot of Red Sox fans sitting around us, but thankfully the guy next to me was a Cardinal fan, and I got to impress him with my knowledge. I remember him saying to me, “yeah, you need to work for this team, you know so much!” I hope this comes true someday. We all know it would be a dream come true for me!

Me & CJ Beatty - sorry it's not the best,
iphone picture... :)

Prior to the game, I had contacted one of my favorite Cardinal twitter-ers, @CJBeatty44, to see if I could meet him. Fortunately, he was supposed to be attending the game before his workouts started the next day! He so politely obliged and we decided to get in contact with each other on March 8^th at the game. After several emails back and forth, we realized that we were actually sitting one section away from each other! So, before he had to leave (those dang American League teams cause games to be sooooo long!), we met up. Ok, people, if you enjoy CJ on twitter, you would love to meet him in person! Such a nice, humble guy. I must admit, when I read on his stats that he was 5'10”, I wasn't sure what to expect (honestly, I thought I might be a little taller than him because I too am 5'10”), but we were the same height. Good for you CJ, I hate it when players fudge their height on their stats page. Haha. Unfortunately we couldn't spend much time chatting, his girlfriend only had a few more hours to spend with him before his season started, and of course I wanted to watch the rest of the game. However, I can say from what I have read on his website (www.cjbeatty.com) he is a sincerely genuine person, and any Cardinal fans that get a chance to meet him would be very lucky. I am happy to say that we are now friends and I am looking forward to watching his journey as a member of the Palm Beach Cardinal and hopefully on up through the organization and as a St. Louis Cardinal one day. CJ, thanks so much for meeting me! I wish you the best of luck in 2011 and in the future!

Me & my friend Kristin at Roger Dean Stadium

Cardinal fans, I am soooo excited for baseball season! I know we have already had some setbacks and some scares heading into the 2011 season, but I still have faith...I think that there will be several young-veterans and other younger guys (baby birds maybe) who will be able to step up and take advantage of an opportunity. Next time you hear from me will probably be right after Opening Day! I will be there with bells on and I can't wait to cheer this team to victory in 2011. All things that have happened thus far, I am excited and I am ready to see what this team does this year. I am not extremely superstitious, but remember, I was last at Spring Training in 2006, and we know what happened then...lets hope for the same in 2011! GO REDBIRDS!! 

PS...all of these are my pictures, if you wish to see more, I can post em on twitter!

My, How Things Change

I laugh realizing just five years ago the name Jupiter made me think planet, not Florida.  And “Truck Day” would have meant the local Chevy dealer was having a sale.

Now those words give me happy shivers.  Baseball is coming!  We survived the long winter, football is finally over and even the groundhog wants an early Spring. 

Who would think that seeing crates of sugarless bubblegum and sunflower seeds loaded onto a truck could bring such joy to the hearts of hundreds (perhaps thousands?) of American adults?

Well, we can all smile a little bigger now, knowing those trucks, loaded with vital ballplayer gear and supplies, are on their way to Jupiter….Florida, not the planet. And the first Spring Training camp workouts start February 14^th for pitchers and catchers. Yes, we soon will have baseball!

Wait…February 14^th….

That date used to mean something different too!  

My, how things change when you fall in love with baseball!  ;)

Spring Training Countdown

First, congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, World Series Champions for 2010!

While I personally would have preferred to watch the Rangers win it all (or at the very least drag it out a little longer), the Giants did indeed play (and pitch) some absolutely spectacular baseball. I was pulling for Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson, Elvis Andrus and Yadi's big brother Bengie to beat out the Giants, but I gotta admit that Buster Posey, Cody Ross, Edgar Renteria and Aubrey Huff were a ton of fun to watch!  ;)

And now the dreaded offseason begins...  hopefully the Hot Stove heats up and the baseball chatter keeps us busy all winter.  We have a few months until our Cardinal pitchers and catchers report to Jupiter Florida.

So....Let the countdown begin!

Countdown Clock by Zoodu.com

Mission Impossible?

“Seven Degrees of Robby Thompson”

Cards Fans, I need your help.

One of you may hold the key that breaks this case WIDE open.

The inter-connectedness of baseball makes us a close-knit family. Sure, there are friendly (and not-so-friendly) rivalries. But true baseball fans have a ‘bond’, regardless of what teams they support.

Case in point: This March I talked my husband into an escape to Florida to watch several Cardinals' Spring Training games. I wrote about it over on the Cards Diaspora site. (You can read it here.)

But back to the story..

The fans at Spring Training are nothing short of wonderful, all baseball-starved and hungry for the sights and sounds of our beloved pastime. Everyone is happy; the Florida sunshine is warm, and the ‘Boys of Summer’ are back.

We met some fabulous people in the stands at our four Spring Training games. Many were there to cheer on the Cardinals, but some were fans of the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and yes, even the Cubs. One couple had a son in the game, playing against the ‘big leaguers’ for the first time. His name was Drew Thompson and he was playing 2^nd base for the Twins.

I snapped some photos of Drew with my camera (one of those DSLR cameras with a big lens that lets us novices pretend like we are actually good photographers). I offered to send any good shots to his proud parents. Emails were exchanged and the game ended. Outside the stadium, they passed by in their car and jokingly reminded us ‘not to forget to email the pictures.’ We waved and promised we would.

And then….. da-da-da-dum…… I lost their email address.

Not wanting to be remembered as someone who 'doesn’t follow through,' I did my internet research to track them down, but was shocked to learn whom we had been casually chatting with in the stands of Roger Dean Stadium that afternoon.

Drew’s father, Robby (or Robbie depending on the source) Thompson, was a major league ballplayer for the San Francisco Giants from 1986 – 1996. *light bulb*… It was beginning to make sense why he’d asked us how long we’d been Cardinals fans and if we’d remembered ‘that great game between the Giants and the Cardinals one year.’ I was kicking myself that we hadn’t put 2 and 2 together at the time.

Robby Thompson has great baseball history – with honors, awards and even a broken cheekbone from a pitch by Trevor Hoffman in September of 1993 to sweeten the story.

I SWEAR I would still be trying to find these parents even if the father wasn’t a former MLB player, but I think it’s pretty cool that he is!! Shouldn’t tracking them down be easier because of it?

Well, it’s been 6 weeks now and my amateur investigative methods have failed. My last resort, calling the SF Giants office, was a bust. The Giants’ computerized phone system connected me with a woman’s voicemail where I left my message explaining my story. She never returned my phone call.

(Dear Giants office: I am not a crazed stalker-type fan - I promise.)

So, fellow Cards Fans, I’m hoping we can solve this together.

Among us we should be able to discover the 'Seven Degrees of Separation of Robby Thompson', right?

Please pass this post along to any and every baseball fan you know. Surely in this interconnected web of baseball fans we can track down Drew Thompson’s parents?

Until next time Cardinals Fans, ... GO CARDS! :)