Best things about spring training
It never fails.
Every year when I return home from spring training, I get two questions.
No. 1: How much golf did you play?
No. 2: How come you’re not tan? My answers: No. 1, believe it or not, I’m working, so there’s no time for golf. No. 2, believe it or not, I’m working; plus I’m Irish and we don’t tan very well.
And truth be told, for a beat writer, spring training often becomes a Groundhog Day grind. But this is not a woe-is-me column. Spending six weeks in Arizona, watching, talking and writing baseball is a pretty good gig. I understand that.
So, without further ado, I present my 20 favorite things about spring training (in no particular order):
1. Watching Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story perfect their signature plays on a back field. It’s thrilling to witness their raw joy as they make impossible throws across the diamond.
2. Enjoying the chile relleno platter and a cold margarita, in the evening, on the patio, at Frank and Lupe’s in Old Town Scottsdale.
3. Participating in daily morning media sessions with Bud Black in his office. The give-and-take is always fun and informative.
4. Sure, I miss out on February skiing at Winter Park, but the desert sunsets can be spectacular.
5. Reconnecting with longtime Rockies coaches and staffers such as Rick Mathews, Bob Apodaca and Rolando Fernandez.
6. Watching the first bullpen sessions of spring is cool. When you get close to the action, you realize just how hard the pitchers throw and how much action they put on a baseball.
7. Dining out with my good friend Thomas Harding of Mlb.com. You have not lived until you’ve experienced Thomas ordering dinner and an “unsweetened ice tea.”
8. Tossing around Jake Lamb puns in the press box at Salt River Fields in order to aggravate Diamondbacks beat writer Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. (“Sacrificial Lamb …. Lamb chops out to third … Jake Lamb-basted that pitch ... Kyle Freeland silenced Lamb with that strikeout”).
9. Covering the championship match of the Rockies’ annual pingpong tournament. Vinny Castilla is usually in the finals, and his competitive fire is something to behold.
10. Late-night swims at the pool at my rented condo. Pure bliss after a long day.
11. Watching Charlie Blackmon take batting practice as he drills the ball to all parts of the outfield.
12. Talking baseball with longtime Rockies fan Mabel Miyasaki, who turns 94 on March 6. She always celebrates her birthday at spring training.
13. Stopping at In-n-out Burger near Arizona State. I get the double-double combo, with onions.
14. Covering a game at Scottsdale Stadium near downtown. Yes, Giants fans can be annoying, but the ballpark feels old school and the fans are passionate.
15. Witnessing young players blossom, as Trevor Story did in 2016 and Garrett Hampson did last spring. Will Brendan Rodgers be the man this year?
16. Talking baseball with Ryan Spilborghs, the former Rockies player who’s now an analyst. I always learn something.
17. Swapping Jim Tracy anecdotes and impersonations with KOA’S Jerry Schemmel.
18. The “Southern Shrimp and Grits” at Grassroots, a restaurant on Hayden Road, close to Salt River Fields. With a glass of pinot noir.
19. Keeping score at a ballgame again, though I confess I have never completed a box score at a Cactus League game.
20. Discovering a compelling story, conducting the interviews and then writing the article. And realizing I get paid to do it.