Spring change of plans
COVID-19 has caused Cubs and White Sox fans to opt out of trips to Arizona
With spring training underway for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox in Arizona, one aspect of camp is noticeably different: the number of fans. Travelers decked out in Cubs and White Sox paraphernalia won’t be packed into the grandstands, lounging on lawn chairs or watching practices from behind gates in 2021. The Cubs announced last month that their stadium at Sloan Park would have 25% of capacity for games. The White Sox said they would allow 18%. Both won’t allow fans at practices. Many fans have made spring training trips a lifelong tradition. Here are six snapshots of fans who either won’t attend or remain undecided this year.
’It’s just such a calm and chill atmosphere’ — Amanda Klein: Despite spring training being part of her routine the last 15 years, Amanda Klein, 42, of Denver, decided to sit out this year. She said she doesn’t feel comfortable getting on a bus in her own city, let alone going to Arizona for spring training.
Until 2005, Klein didn’t see the appeal of going to spring training. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago and became invested in the White Sox in the early 2000s.
When she moved to Denver in October 2005 — something Klein still kicks herself about to this day because the Sox won the World Series that month — she was much closer to spring training than ever before. After the World Series victory, she made the trip down to Tucson , Ariz. What kept her coming back wasn’t necessarily the baseball but the environment.
“It’s just such a calm and chill atmosphere,” Klein said. “You get to bounce around to all these parks and see all of these people. At that point in time, I was on a White Sox message board and I met up with a few people.”
Klein appreciates how much fans at spring training enjoy baseball. She said sometimes she goes to games and there are jerseys from at least 20 teams in the stands.
She also has traveled to different stadiums throughout Arizona, which she enjoys as well. Klein’s profession involves architecture and interior design, so she enjoys seeing different stadiums. During her last spring training trip in 2019, she went to two new stadiums — and she loved the layout of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. But ultimately, the health risk wasn’t worth taking.
“I’ve been obviously getting the emails like, ‘We’re having people, this is when tickets go on sale,’ “Klein said. “There’s certainly a heartbreaking aspect of ‘I really want to do this,’ but I don’t feel like it’s safe enough for me.”
’Every day is perfect out there.’ — Eric Braasch: Eric Braasch, 48, of Litchfield, Ill., and his son started going to spring training in 2014 after a birthday present turned into an annual tradition. Braasch is a White Sox fan, but each time he and his son go to spring training, they travel to different camps.
Braasch said they would get up at 5 a.m. and drive an hour to morning practices. He said the travel felt like work, but it was special hanging out at the ballpark from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Every day is perfect out there,” Braasch said. “It was always nice coming home, coming back with a sunburn and forgetting how I got this sunburn today. … That’s what’s going to be hard.”
In addition to seeing Cubs and White Sox training camps, Braasch also visited the Indians and Reds facilities and his son got a Trevor Bauer autograph. Access to players was one of their favorite aspects of spring training, so with COVID-19 restrictions, the decision to sit out was a no-brainer.
“We discussed it for probably 30 seconds,” Braasch said. “I was like, ‘Do you have an interest?’ and he’s like, ‘I got absolutely no interest.’ The access won’t be there.”
Instead, the two will take a break from spring training, but they’ll still watch at home. They have high hopes for the White Sox coming off a great season in 2020.
’I can put up with this crap because I’m going to be living it up’ — Rob Varak:
As Rob Varak, 49, shovels snow at home in Naperville in the winter, he reminds himself why it’s all worth it: spring training in Arizona. He thinks about the opportunity to trade the snow for the warmth of the Arizona sun, surrounded by mountains and palm trees. The excuse to trade snow pants for shorts.
For Varak, spring training is a guilty pleasure each year. It’s like rewarding yourself with your favorite TV show after a long day at work. Or, as Varak puts it, it’s like having ice cream for breakfast.
“No joke, especially this winter, when I’m shoveling snow, it’s always in the back of my head: ‘I can put up with this crap because I’m going to be living it up,’ “Varak said. “Short sleeves and shorts, hearing the crack of the bat and the sounds of the game in the desert.”
Varak has made the annual trip to Mesa with friends from law school to catch up since 2003. Typically, the group makes hotel reservations for the following year right after leaving spring training, but they canceled early on this year once they realized the vaccine wasn’t going to be available to them for some time.
Varak said he’ll still watch, but he’ll miss the opportunity to connect with friends and the larger Cubs fan base.
“There’s that sense of touching base with the community and checking in,” Varak said. “Here’s all these lunatic Cub fans that I’m sort of a part of this community (with), and it’s good to be in that. … I’ll miss that.”
’It’s nice to be around other Chicagoans without having to go to Chicago in February or March.’ — Rebecca Harris: Rebecca Harris, 40, of Seattle, and her friend Gaelen O’Connell-Bidabadi started a tradition of taking a joint trip to Arizona starting in 2007. Harris is a Cubs fan and O’Connell-Bidabadi is a Giants fan, so they split time between Mesa and Scottsdale.
Harris loved seeing the Cubs when they came to play the Giants — Cubs fans travel well, so it was a fun environment, but tickets at AT&T Park were expensive. So spring training became an annual girls trip for the two of them and a chance to get out of San Francisco.
“It was just a nice change of pace to get some sun,” Harris said. “Just not be stuck behind a desk, you know, drink beer in the middle of the day.”
It was even more exciting once their teams became good — the Giants won three World Series and the Cubs won one since they started going. Harris wasn’t at spring training in 2016 but did make it to Arizona in 2017 after the Cubs won.
Harris said she has been COVID-19 vigilant and has not been traveling, so the girls trip will be postponed until vaccines are more accessible. She’ll miss the weather at spring training the most but also the feeling of being in Chicago without being there.
She grew up in Chicago, her family still lives there and sometimes they come meet her in Arizona. Some of the food and flavors from Chicago — Portillo’s and Giordano’s — have made their way to Cubs training camp too.
“Mesa and the merchants in the commercial area, they’ve done a nice little job of making themselves Wrigleyville West,” Harris said. “It’s obviously still not the same as being on Addison, but it’s nice to be around other Chicagoans without having to go to Chicago in February or March.”
’Really, it’s just about spending time with him.’ — Matthew Bailey:
Spring training might already be underway, but Matthew Bailey, 31, and his dad still haven’t decided whether they’ll be there. Bailey’s dad is in his 70s, and Bailey assumed it wouldn’t happen.
But when they spoke last week, his dad was still holding out hope.
“It surprised me to hear that he still kind of had his heart set on it this year,” Bailey said. “It’s going to have to be more discussions with him. I would really prefer he get that vaccine before he starts traveling out of the state, but it’s still partially on the table.” The two have gone to White Sox spring training six or seven times as a way to connect. Bailey lives in Los Angeles and his dad, Shawn, lives in New Mexico, so they would meet in Arizona and catch up while watching some ballgames.
Bailey said the Sox ballpark at Camelback Ranch feels like a well-kept secret. He said it’s like “pulling up to a high school field and your favorite major-leaguers are out there.” Bailey and his dad were able to get autographs and feel a sense of intimacy they wouldn’t get at Guaranteed Rate Field or Wrigley Field.
As his dad gets older, Bailey said one thing they always will connect on is baseball. If they don’t go to spring training this year, Bailey knows they’ll still talk on the phone about the games. If they do decide to go, he’ll make sure they take the necessary steps to be safe.
“Really, it’s just about spending time with him.”
’I’ve only missed one opening game since (1979) when I was actually in the hospital.’ — Mike Stoker:
This year will mark the first time in 42 years Mike Stoker won’t attend Cubs spring training. Stoker, 63, was born in Indiana but moved to Arlington Heights when he was 10 and immediately became a Cubs fan.
Nine years later, his family moved to Mesa, Ariz., and he followed.
The Cubs weren’t in Mesa, but the Athletics were, and he remembers having full access to the team as it walked between drills.
So when the Cubs moved to Mesa in 1979, Stoker became a fixture.
“I’ve only missed one opening game since then when I actually was in the hospital,” Stoker said. “They wouldn’t let me out long enough to go.”
Stoker has countless memories of his time at spring training — breakfasts with Mark Grace, charity events with Fergie Jenkins and autograph sessions with Bill Buckner and Ernie Banks.
Over time, Stoker said, the security at spring training has gotten stricter — and that’s part of the reason he isn’t going this year.
He felt a sense of intimacy from watching players close up at practices or talking to them as they moved from field to field. Now, with Sloan Park, Stoker said the stadium feels more like a major-league park in terms of restrictions and security.
Practices are not open to the public, something Stoker disagrees with and thinks could work if fans wore masks and stood outside the fence.