Spring (Training) Fever

Matt and I spent the last week in Florida with his grandparents. The time with family was definitely the highlight, but a close second was our time at two Minnesota Twins spring training games.

My dad took me to tons of Twins games when I was growing up. At every one of those games, he told me how much better the game would be if it were being played outside, "where baseball belongs." The result is my crazy love of baseball, and a genetic insistence that America's pastime be played outside.

Spring training is, of course, outdoor baseball, but it's so much more than that. It's an experience of submersion in baseball culture. While we were having a picnic lunch by a training field, for example, Tony Olivia and one of the coaches strolled by. Kids and parents were playing catch, right next to scouts with clipboards taking notes on potential new talent. These pictures capture just a bit of that experience.

Hammond Stadium from a distance:
Hammond Stadium a little closer:
...and closer still:
Our picnic by one of the many training fields:
One of the four main practice fields:
...and the tower from which the scouts watch all the prospects:
Oh, and there was a little baseball going on, too:
Finally, just for Rebecca, the obligatory "my feet are on vacation, too" shot:

I can't think of a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than sitting outside at the ballpark. We went to two games on this vacation, but I could've gone to 20.

Portrait of a Yankees Fan

Last night, I watched the home field umpiring Twins game at a local bar. Lady Luck sat me next to a quintessential Yankees fan, unapologetically oblivious to the fact that his designer shirt and uncomfortable shoes looked ridiculous at a blue-collar bar. He may have been out of place, but at least he was obnoxious about it:

Yankees fan circa inning seven: "Oh, great. A-Rod is up. God, I hate that mother f***er."
Yankees fan in the bottom of the ninth: "Yeah! That's my A-Rod! God, I love that guy."

Yankees fan in the top of the ninth: "I can't believe they're going to lose to those f***ing farmers. God, the Yankees suck."
Yankees fan in the bottom of the ninth: "Yeah! The Yankees always win!"

Perhaps not surprisingly, said Yankees fan did not take kindly to a certain die-hard Twins fan publicly calling him out for such hypocrisy. Nor was said hypocrite pleased when said Twins fan suggested that fewer people would hate the Yankees if their fans supported their team win or lose and worked for their championships instead of buying them. Thank goodness said Twins fan was among like-minded friends or this post may have had an entirely different focus, most likely involving a more interesting story about a bar brawl and eventual jail time.

The Twins...brought to you by LG?

A friend of ours was in Korea not long ago. While he was there, he saw the Twins play. No, not those Twins. The Korean baseball team with the same name and somewhat-copyright-infringing logo.

These guys may not be Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but I think I'd still be a fan of the "LG Twins" if I lived in Korea:

...even if they do think cheerleaders are a necessary element of baseball: