Saturday (16 Mar) - Hot Time in Peoria

Saturday (16 Mar) - Hot Time in Peoria

Last year we decided to become San Diego Padres season ticket holders for the first time. The Padres had deeply slashed their prices and we figured it would be a once in a lifetime chance to do it. We enjoyed it so much, though, that we signed up for the 2013 season, too.

One of the perks of a season ticket holder is that we got a free trip to Peoria, AZ, the Padres spring training camp. We got a free lunch and tickets directly behind the Padres dugout. The Padres brass gave a presentation. The manager, Bud Black, gave us a personal assessment of the team (of course, there were no surprises that we hadn't already read about) and several players dutifully turned up for autographs. It was fun, and I met quite a few other ticket holders, some of which were staying the whole week, instead of just the one game.

One funny moment - and a little embarrassing for the player - was an exchange between one of our group and the Padres team president. The guy asked the team president about pitcher Andrew Cashner. Cashner is a young flame thrower who has been with the Padres a couple of seasons. He routinely hits 100 mph on the radar gun, and loves to throw that heater. The guy told the president that he should get Cashner to throw something besides that fastball, since major leaguers can hit anything when they know what pitch is coming. A big laugh followed that comment, but not because of the question. At that exact moment Andrew Cashner arrived to give autographs. The quick thinking president immediately turned to Cashner and said, "Andy, I want you to start throwing more pitches besides that fastball." He then turned back to the crowd and said, "There, you can't get any faster results than that."

Among the folks at my table I even met a kindred spirit in Fernando, who lives in Arizona now but is trying to get back to California. He trades most of his Padres tickets for cash. He must be good at it, if he can sell Padres tickets at a profit. Our connection, though, is that he was born and raised in Detroit, and we had a great chat about the Detroit Tigers (my childhood team), the old Tiger Stadium, etc.

The Peoria stadium complex is shared between the Padres and the Seattle Mariners. Our game started at 1pm against the Arizona Diamondbacks. It was 102 degrees. There was a breeze, though, and the air is so dry that it didn't really feel that hot. Sitting close behind the dugout was a real treat. I'm not much of an autograph hound, but there were plenty of folks getting balls, bats, jerseys, etc, autographed before the game and in between innings. There was even a couple of groupies (which used to called baseball "Annie's"). Two blondes in tight outfits had seats on the rail near the dugout. Between innings they would get as close to the dugout as possible, holding up a sign that said "I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours." They would call out to individual players. Security would then shoo them back to their seats when the inning started.

I've been to a lot of baseball games, and never got close to catching a ball in the stands. I finally got my souvenir at this game. A high foul ball from one of the team's better players, Jose Guzman, came down behind the dugout. The guy next to me had the best read on the ball, but he chose to go for the two-handed grab. I stretched out one hand out between his and got my fingers around the ball first. He grabbed my hand with both of his and tried to wrestle the ball away, but I had a good grip on it and he had to let go. There were no hard feelings, of course, I'd won it fair and square.

It was a good day for the Padres. We had a 10-1 lead by the seventh inning. By then a lot of substitutes were coming in to get their shots to make the team. The D-Backs rallied back, but the final score went to the Padres, 10-6.

Judi's favorite player, Yonder Alonzo, hit a homerun, but she didn't see it because we had a sick cat at home and she didn't come along on the trip. The most amazing hit of the day, though, came from a Single-A player named Kyle Gaedele. He is a 22 year old non-roster invitee known more for his speed than his power. Gaedele crushed a pitch from top major league D-Backs pitcher Ian Kennedy and drove it over the twenty foot centerfield wall. It must have traveled 440 feet. He got a standing ovation.

The whole day was a blast. We might get a chance to go together once before the season starts. But maybe not. The real season starts in two weeks.

The sick cat Judi was tending to is Mr. Creme. We had him in for a routine check of his diabetes and a senior blood panel. Judi also felt that he was "just a little bit off." We couldn't put a finger on what it could be, though. Mr Creme checked out fine for his diabetes and his weight was still good. He was getting around really well, too. Overall, he was doing fine, for a cat that is turning 13 this week. I'd taken him in to the vet on Friday, and we didn't expect the blood test results until Monday. On Saturday, though, the vet called back with the results. The tests showed that Mr Creme had a bladder infection and she wanted to get him started on antibiotics right away. Judi's "feeling" that something wasn't right was right on target. Mr Creme is on medication and that should clear up the infection, so in 7-10 days Mr Creme should be back to normal. We'll still be keeping a close eye on him.