5 Things I discovered at Spring Training

Spring Training is much more relaxed than regular season. You are closer to the action. It's easy to mingle with players and coaches. The weather is gorgeous.. for the most part. I also discovered a lot... even more than the blogs and things I read online could prepare me for.

1. Ticket prices are not as cheap as I thought they would be. I was expecting minor league ticket prices meaning nothing more than $18-$20. Depending on the team and where you sit, tickets could cost upwards to $80+ a ticket. The Giants and the Cubs are the most expensive. To sit in the grass at a Giants game was about $58/ticket.

Speaking of tickets, I would make sure to get tickets early for the games you want to go to. The hubby's buddy was down there around the same time we were and his group wanted to go to the Cubs game one day. The game was sold out but they could get grass seats for $100/ticket.

2. Get there early. I don't mean get to the stadium when the gates open 90 minutes before game time. I mean 2-3 hours before a day game. There is plenty to do and see. The minor league camps are in full swing.. you can watch intersquad games where the Major League pitchers are pitching on "off" days. You never know who you might walk by. If two teams share a complex, the team not that is not home might be taking BP and you can shag home runs. Getting there earlier allows you to talk to managers, players, coaches that you would normally never even interact with.

The hubby talking to Mike Jirschele during Royals BP

Shagging home runs during Royals BP

I got an email from the Seattle Mariners saying their game at Peoria was going to be a full house and their were opening the gates thirty minutes earlier than usual (2 hours before game time) to accommodate all the people. Also the Giants would be taking batting practice starting at 4:30. Basically it was saying get there early and you can see the Giants take BP.

3. Depending on the park, the food choices can be pretty amazing and regionalized. Peoria had food local to San Diego and Seattle. Surprise had BBQ for Kansas City and Texas. Like ticket prices, food prices can be more than I want to spend but there are great choices beyond a hot dog or brat.

4. Souvenirs will set you back a pretty penny. I joked that the most expensive thing we bought we 2 spring training shirts at Maryvale for nearly $80. Heck I got 3 bottles of wine and tasting for almost half of that. The hubby wanted pins from the different parks but at $9 or $10 a pin, he was happy with just one. Baseballs were going for $10 just to have something for the players to sign. Maybe I am just frugal but $80 for two shirts seems a bit steep.

5. Getting around is easy. Since Phoenix is newer than cities on the east coast, the city and surrounding area is set up in pretty much a grid. There several major thoroughfares that run from the West Suburbs through Phoenix clear through to the East Suburbs.. Camelback Road, Thunderbird Road just to name a few. There also loops that circle the city making easy to get to one side to the other. Yes there is traffic at certain times of the day but what metro area doesn't?

Spring Training is an experience. Any baseball fan needs to put it on their bucket list. It is something that you need to fully experience and not just go see a game. Watch Batting Practice, see the Minor League camp practice, talk to people, get autographs, and just soak in the whole experience.

574. Go to a Brewer’s Spring Training Game

Both the hubby and I wanted to go to Brewer's Spring Training for awhile now. I've been to Braves spring training once but never out to Arizona for Brewers Spring Training. We decided this was the year we were going to go. We planned, scrimped, and saved to make this trip possible and it was totally worth it. 

The home for Brewers Spring Training is Maryvale Baseball Park in Phoenix. The Brewers are the only team in Phoenix proper. Maryvale is not in a great neighbor and there is not much around the ball park. It's not that it's unsafe but like any big city it has it's own less than ideal spots that you'd want to be after dark. 

Maryvale Baseball Park is comprised of 8 practice fields, batting cages, clubhouses for both the major and minor league camps and the Major League Diamond where the Brewers play their games. Parking is plentiful and only $5. Depending on how early you get there depends on how close you park. We got there at least two or three hours before game times and we had front row parking. 

You are probably wondering what we are doing at the ball park three hours before game time. No we didn't tailgate. We checked out the minor league games going on, watched batting and fielding practice. We mingled with players and coaches in a relaxed atmosphere. The only thing we didn't do was get any autographs. 

We actually saw two Brewer games in Maryvale. The first day we had seats in the second row by the visitor's dugout. These were great seats once the game started. Before the game I REALLY hated our seats because the autograph seekers crowded in the aisle and the first row that I was getting annoyed with the amount of people. They did get a few autographs but waiting around for a chance of a signature was not my idea of fun. 

Once the game started we had a great view of the game. No foul balls did come our way but it is such a relaxed and fun atmosphere. Ryan Braun was probably a 100 yards or so from us on first base. It was like being at the T-Rats game.

The second day we partook in a bigger tradition at Spring Training and actually bought grass seats. This is one of the things I wanted to do. Grab a blanket and lounge in the outfield hoping to snag a home run ball. It was a HOT day but it we found a spot in the shade and was able to stay relatively cool. It was quite a different prospective to sit on the hill and watch baseball. I would probably not do it again just because it's not all that comfortable.

My only compliant about Brewers Spring Training was the lack of food options. Maryvale really didn't have a huge selection of food. However, the did have the designation driver program and we got full sized sodas or bottled water so that was a win. Hopefully next when after the stadium remodel, the food selection improves.

We loved Brewers Spring Training. We want to go back next year just a week earlier. It's relaxed, it's fun, and it's a break from Wisconsin in March. I can't wait til we go back.

1178. Go to the Arizona Capital Museum in Phoenix

One of the things on the bucket list is to see all the state capitals. I have been to several of them including Oklahoma City and Juneau. Since we were in Phoenix, I wanted to see the Arizona State Capital. I don't necessary have to tour the state capital or even get inside but I do have to see at least the outside of it. When researching the trip, I found out that the old Arizona State Capital is actual a museum and it is adjacent to the current state capital building. A Museum and a State Capital.. sounds good to me.

The Arizona Capital Museum is a fascinating place. It is three floors of history of Arizona. Now don't you moan and groan about it being 3 FLOORS OF HISTORY. First of all the building itself is worth seeing so even if you skip all the history you still need to visit all three floors and check out the dome from the underside. On windy days you can actually see the statue moving. Second, remember it was a working government building at one time so the rooms are really only offices and there are only a handful of rooms on each floor.

If three floors of history isn't your thing you can skip just about everything except this one room on the ground floor. Since it is a museum of Arizona history, it wouldn't be complete without the other Arizona.. the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor. There is an actual piece of the USS Arizona on display and a flag that was rescued from the Arizona. This is best part of the museum.

Upstairs was the territorial history. The original house galley along with the Supreme Court are open to the public.

The Senate floor or the galley is not open to the public but if the door happens to be cracked you might just get a peek into the Senate floor or galley. This is how we ended up having a conversation with the Sectary of State of Arizona, Michele Reagen. She was showing the galley to a few guests and we peeked in. She welcomed us in and we ended up talking with everyone for a few minutes about the weather and baseball.

I personally liked the names of some of the offices -- Livestock Sanitary Board, Mine Inspector.

Outside is the Capitol Mall and Wesley Bolin Plaza Monuments. We passed several of them on our way back to the car. If I wasn't with the hubby, I would have spent more time exploring the monuments. Monuments just aren't his thing.

The hubby really enjoyed the museum. I was glad we went and didn't just drive downtown to see the capital at night. It is free to visit and there is plenty of parking on either side of the Capital. I would recommend checking out the Capital Museum if you are ever in Phoenix.

Wine Tasting in the Desert

Since I've started to drink more wine, I decided I want to try to visit a winery in every state. Yes, I've been to many states but the hubby isn't quite fond of this latest endeavor so this one is easier said than done. Needless to say, I decided we were going to a winery in Arizona. A winery in the desert.. actually it turns out Arizona has several winery regions including the Verde Valley Wine Trail but none of them were really near Phoenix.

A random Google search for wineries in the Phoenix area lead me to Down Time Wines in Chandler. Like most of the wineries I end up visiting, I pick it based off the name and the wines available. Because there were many fruit flavored wines on the list, I knew this was my kind of winery.

Okay calling Down Time Wine a winery is a stretch.. it's literally in a strip mall between a hair salon and massage place. Don't let that deter you. Basil actual makes all the wines right in back of the store. The owners, Basil and Colleen, are very friendly and are ready to talk about any wine they make.

The hubby didn't want to taste especially since he was driving. For $10, I got to sample 6 wines and got a wine glass to keep. I thought the website said the tasting was free but I wasn't about to argue. Trust me it was worth the $10. I initially selected Blackberry Merlot, Raspberry White Zinfandel, Peach Chardonnay, Toasted Caramel, Winemaker Trio, and their Moscato. Because they nearly sold out of everything at Christmas, the blackberry was still "cooking" and was not available so I went with the Black Cherry Pinot Noir which the hubby said we were taking home without even trying it.

They were all very good except I was not a big fan of Moscato wine. I'm used a sweeter Moscato and theirs was a tinge on the dry side. Surprisingly the Toasted Caramel was very smooth and would make a fabulous dessert wine. Their peach is hands down better than Door County's Peach.

Not only did I get my 6 samples, I also ended up trying their Sangria, the Coffee Wine, and the Green Apple Gewurztraminer. I probably could have sampled the entire selection if I wanted to. Basil kept asking what I liked. I was impressed by the Sangria wine especially since I don't care for Sangria much. The same with the Coffee Wine -- I'm not a coffee drinker but it was almost like tiramisu in a cup.

I limited myself to three bottles of wine to bring home before we even got there. We ended up bringing home a Black Cherry, a Peach, and a Green Apple. I would have gotten the black berry and raspberry if I wasn't limiting myself. The best part... they ship to Wisconsin... And the wines are reasonable at $12, $14, or $16 a bottle.

The hubby loved being able to chat with the owners and get to know them and their winery. I loved the variety of wines they offered. They may not be a big operation but their wines are certainly going to go places. This will be a regular stop on our future spring training trips.

1175. Visit the Hall of Flame in Phoenix

When planning our trip to Spring Training, the hubby said to find other things to do besides baseball and since the baseball games didn't start til 1 anyways we really had our mornings free. The hubby has a narrow spectrum of things he's interested in and there's not much else outside of that spectrum I can get him to go see. Anything to do with hiking or outdoor stuff not even on the radar. Of course my first place to look is the bucket list. What is on the list that the hubby would enjoy??

The Hall of Flame was that would be up the hubby's ally. It's a museum devoted to fire trucks. My cousin thought about going but didn't like the reviews.. something about crabby old people. We still decided to check out.

The hubby loved it and so did I. The Hall of Flame is tucked away on the ASU campus in a non-descript building. The inside was much better. Entering through a small gift shop, we paid our $7/person fee and was handed a binder that described each exhibit. I thought it was a bit odd but okay. Each piece was number and corresponded to a blurb in the binder. I guess it's easier to update a binder than exhibit signs when they change our equipment.

There are 4 exhibit halls that take you through the history of fire fighting equipment starting in the 1700s or earlier. The amount of vintage and old-school fire wagons and trucks is amazing.

 The museum was actually started by a man from Lake Geneva and his first fire truck was from Oshkosh.

The last exhibit hall features a NYFD 9/11 Rescue Truck that was at Ground Zero.

There are patches and seals from various fire departments across the country. There are a lot of German seals and patches.

I don't know what reviews my cousin was reading but the place was awesome. Yes, you can't touch any of the trucks (alarms will sound) but there are enough things to look at. There is a small children's area where they can learn fire safety and a fire truck anyone can climb aboard.

The only disappointment was they didn't have a Pierce Truck on display. Apparently there was one in storage when we asked.

I'm glad we ended up going and very impressed to see this museum has Wisconsin ties. I have come to believe don't always trust reviews. If you are interested, check it out and form your own opinions.