Cavs take Utah’s Delon Wright in ESPN’s 2015 NBA mock draft
February 18, 2015So about that open WFNY Indians writer position…
February 18, 2015I miss many things about Arizona where I spent the first four years of my professional adulthood. I miss going to Canyon Lake with my wife and dogs.1 I miss the beauty of the mountains in the distance. Or, the beauty of the mountains from their peaks at South Mountain or Top of the Rock restaurant where my wife and I celebrated our first anniversary. I miss eating the bean and queso dip at Serrano’s with a mariachi band playing in the background.2 However, the thing that I miss the most about Arizona is MLB Spring Training.3
To understand why Spring Training matters to people living in Arizona, you must first understand an Arizona summer.4 From the month of April through the month of September, a day without the high temperature in the triple digits is as rare as a day without precipitation in Cleveland. In the summer, the temperature continues to rise a bit past sunset as the heat emanates from the vast amounts of concrete in the city’s heat island. The best parking spot at stores is not the one nearest to the door, but the one that may have even the smallest amount of shade on it so that the scorching interior of your car may cool down to a habitable climate more quickly upon your return. Outside, the terrain is barren. No lawn can exist without a dedicated irrigation system, and water restrictions limit even those lawns to a dull greenish brown. However, despite those restrictions, most residents have weekly car wash subscriptions so that they can wash the dust off their car and make it sparkle in the unforgiving sun. In just a few days, the constant sweeping dust that causes Desert Fever will once again coat those cars. Or, on those particularly windy days, a dust storm that forces everyone to seek cover will coat those cars much more quickly. Sometimes, the cars pulled over on the side of the road waiting for the storm of dust to pass are those that have just wasted their weekly car wash. In an ordinary setting, residents might fret the impending plight of the summer as it nears. However, Arizona is no ordinary setting because of Spring Training and everything it brings.
With no pressure on the stars and everyone else desperate for positive attention, you have the most fan-friendly environment possible.
Spring Training brings with it teams, coaches and players. In an ordinary setting, these coaches and players may ignore the fan requests for autographs or even worse engage directly with the media or fans in a negative way. However, Arizona is no ordinary setting because there is a delightful mix of different types of players on these expanded rosters. There are the veterans just warming up for the long season, the talented youngsters trying to prove they belong, the lesser talented youngsters trying even harder to prove themselves, and potentially washed up veterans who need to show the same enthusiasm as those youngsters to scratch out one more summer in the sun.5 With no pressure on the stars and everyone else desperate for positive attention, you have the most fan-friendly environment possible. In fact, it is one of the premier places where you can add your own sport celebrity story.
Most importantly, Spring Training combines all of these people into a gigantic celebration. The fans are celebrating beginnings of the season and spring. The players are either celebrating the beginning of their career, another season of playing or even the end. And, the Arizonians are celebrating the precious last weeks of the non-summer season. So, I ask that today be a day of celebration for all. We have plenty of time to figure out the expectations for this team.6 We have plenty of time to argue about in the way of attendance, Chief Wahoo, the Dolan family checkbook, the lack of a right-handed power bat, and the players the Indians have developed through the draft.7 But, for today, throw some peanut shells on the ground, dump a box of Cracker Jacks just to get to the worthless toy, have a hot dog drenched in Stadium Mustard8, drink some over-priced beer, or do whatever else reminds you of baseball season, and celebrate the beginning of another year of Cleveland Indians baseball.
- The dogs are 11 years old, alive and well, but that time of my life seems more like a distant memory. [↩]
- And, I could go on. I miss living across the street from the GM proving grounds. I miss living within the flight patterns for the Stealth fighter training. Well, you get the point. [↩]
- I also missed the Indians being in Arizona by a few years as they were still in Winterhaven at that time [↩]
- There are two seasons in Arizona: Summer and non-summer. [↩]
- Hat-tip to Jason Giambi who understood that his way for those summers now rests in the dugout. [↩]
- we shall dig into expectations later this week. [↩]
- Hat-tip to nj0, steve, and others; we shall continue these another day. [↩]
- Or Bertman’s, I won’t even debate mustard choice today. [↩]
17 Comments
Hey! Look at this guy climbing out of the rabble of the comments section. Congrats, sir. Looking forward to more.
I make fun of spring training, then see that you’ve written this (and gave a shout out).
http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/uploads/1280708013/gallery_8885_14_7703.jpg
Hey, that means you at least read the footnotes 🙂
And, no shame should be felt. I was goading it along and agree with you from a baseball knowledge perspective there isn’t much to gain from Spring Training.
Congrats, nice to see a great commenter (and someone on the west coast) get the position.
Don’t tell me what to do, bode
I love baseball and the Indians, but for me Spring training is always about the glimmer of hope that I can start counting down to the end of the endless freezing grind of January and February in north central Ohio. March starts out just as bad, but is always transformative in the end. The actual baseball is only moderately interesting and I know not to put much stock in any performance, good or bad, but that first preseason game is always the first sign of a thaw for me. I’ll celebrate just as soon as that happens…
I grew up on the North coast, moved to the West coast, but now live on the South coast 😉
Oh yeah! Well, try to watch this GIF without smiling 🙂
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-7CdeYoy5OEY/VKkOzSbiHMI/AAAAAAAAAqg/0JuW3axU2KA/w506-h750/f9ce64a542c826b5ffa48cae723332a0.gif
I wish I was in Arizona to join them. This is the winter from hell and spring will take forever to arrive. Like an old man easing his way into the tub.
Welcome mgbode! Can’t wait to read your stuff.
Gasp! You turncoat! Joining the ranks of the writers at WFNY… what a pity. Just kidding, this is pretty fantastic. Will enjoy reading your stuff both above and in the comment section now.
Houston, we have a problem.
DITTO
Joined the site just for Bode. Plus Stadium Mustard for life.
Glad to see you on here.
Hey Pat, linked here because the second sentence I ever wrote about for WFNY was about Ella and well, today’s post was too.
Just scrolled down to the comments and here we have you calling my commenter-turned-writer as a turncoat.
No one ever said God doesn’t have a sense of humor.
The Lord works in mysterious ways, Michael.