what should i see at spring training?

by buddahead9 on Jan 16, 2007 6:23 PM PST Comment 34 comments

So I decided this year to venture on down to Phoenix and catch some of spring training. I've never really been dying to go, but I figure as a baseball fan, it would be nice to experience once in my lifetime.

Is there anything I should see while down there?

I really have no clue as to what goes on besides the games. So i'm open to any suggestions.

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Re: Phoenix

In some book that my friend continually reminds me about, Phoenix was rated one of the worst (crappiest) cities in America. I suggest venturing to Scottsdale if thats the case because I've been to Scottsdale and can say that it's a nice town.

This is not meant to be mean towards Phoenix residents, it's just what this book says so maybe you should find out for yourself.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Jan 16, 2007 6:33 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

I CANNOT WAIT!

GO TO PINK PONY RESTURAUNT IN SCOTTSDALE SUPER BOMB STEAK . . . A REAL BASEBALL HANGOUT. . ITS AN OLDIE BUT GOODIE. . HMMM TEMPE IS A GREAT TOWN TO VISIT ITS JUST UP THE ROAD FROM THE MUNI! ITS REALLY FUN!

"Im drinking seven and seven and theres only seven in here!"- the old Nick Swisher/ Spring 06

by 15andLovinIt28 on Jan 16, 2007 8:06 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

for me

The bars baby. Tempe is a lot of fun but more of college scene which I will participate in. Tons of good places 2 eat in Scottsdale and if you go be sure to wear nice clothes in scottsdale. Most places have a strict dresscode

by Spidz34 on Jan 16, 2007 8:46 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

meant

if you go out

by Spidz34 on Jan 16, 2007 8:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Go see a Suns game

The atmosphere is pretty much like an A's game. And Alice Cooper has a really good restaurant behind the arena (south of it) for before the game. But other than the Suns and D-Backs, downtown Phoenix is pretty much dead during the evening.

Downtown Scottsdale and Tempe are pretty fun in the evening (i'm partial to Tempe because of the college crowd). There's also a few Indian casinos scattered around the valley, though i've never been to any of them.

AZ is a good state if you're an outdoorsy type. Sedona / Oak Creek Canyon are 90 miles north of Phoenix and feature be-yoooo-ti-ful hiking and sightseeing. Flagstaff is 140 miles north of PHX. Prescott (where I went to college) is an old west town 90 miles northwest of PHX. Billy the Kid is thought to be buried there (I think at the graveyard on Iron Springs Road right next to the Super Wal-Mart. No joke.) The Grand Canyon is about 200 miles northwest of Phoenix.

If you're there long enough, there's skiing near Flagstaff, Show Low, and Tucson (yes, really. You can see the Mexican border from the top of the mountain. They don't get nearly as much snow as the Tahoe resorts, so call first).

Another option, is to go soaring. There's a gliderport about 30 minutes south of Phoenix near the town of Maricopa. http://www.azsoaring.com

"I guess more players lick themselves than are ever licked by an opposing team." ~ Connie Mack

by Flyin As on Jan 16, 2007 8:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

Don and Charlies.

the best dining experience ever. Think McCovey's but times ten the memorobilia (really it's amazing), and better food. Also, if your lucky you will see MLB players (I'd give it a better the 50/50 chance. It's in Scottsdale and you will love it.

by OaktownIn06 on Jan 16, 2007 10:36 PM PST reply actions 0 recs

go see the University of Phoenix

Not the stadium, the university itself.

Ok, I think I just lost any job possibilities I had with travel agencies with that one. Look up (read: Google) the U of Phoenix if you don't get it.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 1:13 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

ok, here's a real suggestion

I kind-of-recently read about this RIDICULOUSLY over-the-top burger joint in the Phoenix area...I believe it's called Heart Attack Grille, lol. Waitresses dressed as nurses, well, barely dressed as nurses serve you triple cheeseburgers and fries, and if you eat their biggest burger, I believe it's called the Flatliner (once again, lol), you get taken out of the place in a wheelchair. And likely driven to the closest hospital, though they neglected to mention that part. If you do choose to go there, I'd recommend fasting for 40 days in the Arizona desert beforehand.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 1:19 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

heres the link

http://www.heartattackgrill.com/home.htm

I'm not a big wine guy... Where do you grow the BEER?

by str8tarrow on Jan 18, 2007 8:21 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks man

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 18, 2007 4:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

More Phoenix-related ideas/thoughts/misc

If you're drunk and desperately need a place to relieve yourself, pissing in the pool at Bank One Ballpark is a great option. If enough people do that, maybe D'Backs fans will learn to watch Brandon Webb throw a complete game 5-hitter instead of looking for those damn discs or whatever that people used to enjoy retrieving from the bottom of backyard pools (not much of a swimmer myself...)

I recall reading that Phoenix is big on car theft and meth usage. So if you're into either of those activities, you should have a good time (on a related note, with that combination, I would suggest to the makers of Grand Theft Auto that they stage their next game in the Phoenix area. Totally underrated when it comes to drugs and crime; I mean, I bet most people don't know those facts. I'm sure it would be subsidized by the Chamber of Commerce)

When I was like ten, my mom and I went to the Starter outlet in the outlet mall in Niagara Falls, NY, back when Starter gear was all the rage. My favorite basketball team at the time was the Phoenix Suns; I was a big Jeff Hornacek fan, grew to love the Round Mound of Rebound too. Anyway, all their hats were discounted, so I was pumped I was going to be able to get a cool new hat for like 5 bucks or something. Except then I noticed that the city name was spelled "Pheonix" on the hat...I pointed it out to the guy behind the counter, who didn't seem the least bit concerned: "well, nobody else ever noticed before." I wasn't so keen on the Starter outlet anymore...kind of felt like a flea market after that. Still bought a jacket, though. And I wound up finding and keeping a Wu-Tang winter hat at my school's lost and found, which was infinitely cooler to my peers than a purple and orange baseball cap with a spelling mistake would have been.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 1:39 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

I should note...

that Wu-Tang hats and any other articles of Wu-Tang clothing are better referred to as Wu-Wear. I may have grown up listening to alternative rock in the suburbs, but I went to school in the city (of Buffalo), so I knew this shit. Wu-Wear was like body armor against all the insults I used to face for professing to be a big fan of Oasis.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 1:44 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

The joke is on you.

You should have looked closer at that Wu-Tang Klan cap. You've actually been wearing a Ku-Klux Klan hat all these years.

The point should have given it away.

"Kotsay is 31... Kotsay's back is 127." - Jeepers

by Ozzz on Jan 17, 2007 11:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm

Maybe that's why there were riots and a couple deaths when former Wu-Tang member Ghostface Killah held a concert in Buffalo last year...I better step forward and claim some responsibility

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 4:23 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

forgot to point out...

not all clans are Klans. Staten Island (which, amazingly, is the NYC borough that those guys hailed from...if it wasn't for Rza and co Staten Island may have been annexed by one of the other four boroughs by now...were the Beastie Boys from there too? Nah, I don't think so...that would be even more remarkable)is pretty far from Australia, Vancouver, and even Hollywood, though, so you are excused.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 5:13 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Fucking Sabres are so sweet

Every time I turn from the computer to glance at the TV, there's a scoring chance (score's currently 3-2 Buffalo over Boston midway thru the second)...unlike CrackBaby, or even DiamondMind, or any other prognosticator that has two adjoined capitalized words, I'm not so positive about the A's chances in 2007, or the Bills' chances ever...maybe once Ralph (the 87-year-old owner) dies, and the team moves to Toronto...but the Sabres...we have a dynasty on our hands here. I don't think I'm going to be able to buy conference finals tickets off the street for a mere $150 this year.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 5:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Sabres

Very good team but haven't they lost 3 in a row prior to this game? Also the Bruins have been, notwithstanding there shootout win over the Sabres on Monday, downright awful lately.

by Larry E on Jan 18, 2007 9:04 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

They could lose 13 in a row

...and they'd still be the #1 seed in the conference at year's end. I can't even imagine what the team's going to do with Tim Connolly, arguably their most talented player (and, on a team with an NHL-record 3 all-star game starters, that's saying a lot), if/when he returns from his post-concussion syndrome...he is expected to return late in the season. C/F Derek Roy will likely be moved to wing to make room, but if he wasn't, they'd have 4 first line-caliber centers (Connolly, Daniel Briere, Chris Drury, and Roy).

Back in maybe '97 or 98, when they had the Dominator (Hasek), soon-to-be-blackballed NHL Coach of the Year Ted Nolan, and...no one else (though they did have one hell of a fourth line...probably 700 PIM's combined), they called themselves the Hardest Working Team in Hockey. They still work pretty hard, but the appropriate title now would be, undoubtedly, Most Exciting Team in Hockey.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 18, 2007 3:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Playing Devil's advocate

I don't know if you'd want to test that 13 in a row theory with New Jersey only 7 points back and with a game in hand. I had Connolly in my play-off pool last year and would have won the pool if he hadn't been injured. I hope he comes back but with his concussion history I don't know. As for the 3 all-star starters ... I'm not so sure Brian Campbell is one of the 2 best d-man in the conference and this is coming from a guy who lives in Ottawa and rooted for him for 4 years while he paired with Nick Boynton on the Ottawa 67's defence and helped them to a Memorial Cup Championship.

by Larry E on Jan 23, 2007 3:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

When I was in HS ...

I went on a trip to DC, which was attended by kids from other schools, around the country. Whenver we were listening to a speaker, there were these two kids who would every now and then yell out, "Oasis Rocks!"

I've come to appreciate their music since then, but as a student at an inner-(real)city high school student, I was naturally not listening to that sort of stuff at the time and I was really, really off put by Oasis for some time after that as a result.

Not that that has much of anything to do with anything ...

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by devo on Jan 17, 2007 12:09 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

pretty funny story

That's just what Noel Gallagher (frontman/egomaniac for Oasis) would've expected to hear at, well, any public gathering, since he felt Oasis was big enough in the early 90's to go John Lennon on us and say something to the effect of them being more popular than god (I know Lennon made the comparison to Jesus rather than god; I think Gallagher might have gone one further, heh. But I wasn't exactly a Rolling Stone subscriber at that point in my life, so I can't be certain).

Funny, as you've come to respect them more, I came to respect them less, realizing probably early in high school that I only really liked one album by them, and from that album, four or five songs. But when I was ten and wearing Wu-Wear with pride, they were "definitely maybe" my favorite band, period (reference to the title of an Oasis album which is not my aforementioned favorite...that would be "Morning Glory"). They've been supplanted by grunge, progressive, and industrial stuff since then, though I still need the occasional listen to Wonderwall, the title track, and Champagne Supernova, which was to my middle childhood what "Down on the Corner" by CCR was to my early childhood: my favorite song.

Hey, don't disrespect Buffalo by making parenthetical allusions to Oakland being a "real" city, implying Buffalo isn't. Buffalo was once the ninth-largest city, population-wise, in this country...that may have been a century ago, but I don't think Oakland can say the same at any point in its history. I went to a private school that may have been the best Buffalo had to offer, but I went with kids from all walks of life, I myself often feeling like somewhat of an outcast due to my status as a middle-class suburbanite (took me a while to overcome that class-conscious paranoia...friends of mine would check what clothing brands I was wearing on a daily basis; my fashions tended towards the uncool middle ground, not Banana Republic, not FUBU (though there was a dress code, so...if FUBU made collared shirts, maybe), which is why that Wu-Wear find seemed essential).

Not to mention the school's location, which was in a place where it wasn't all that surprising to come to school on a Monday morning and find windows being replaced due to damage from weekend gunfire.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 4:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

'course...

my being targeted by peers surely had as much to do with my relative youth as with any other factor...when I transferred to the school after second grade at a local Catholic elementary school, my new school wanted to immediately promote me to either fourth or fifth grade, based on test reults and whatnot. My parents left the decision to me. I opted for fourth grade, exercising some wisdom as an 8-year-old that going straight from second grade in comfortable surroundings to fifth grade in an unfamiliar place with an hour-long busride each way would stunt if not kill my ability to succeed socially. And the school had a policy of holding back pre-kindergarten kids that had birthdays after August 1, which is a little earlier than most...and a few of my classmates had July birthdays, which made them 23 months older than me. As it turned out, they're the ones I've maintained a friendship with to this day.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 5:01 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

In retrospect...

that was probably the last smart life decision I made, heh. If anyone wants to hook me up with some life coaching from Dr. Phil, let me know.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 17, 2007 5:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

One of the good things about listening to 'oldies'

and by that I mean anything not from the more or less contemporary era of music, is that all of the crap kind of falls to the wayside. We'd probably agree about which of their stuff is really worthwhile -- the difference is, you had to listen to the other crap to get to this point, while I was just able to go with what survived the test of time.

I had no idea Buffalo was once the ninth largest city in the country. Learn something new every day. Oakland has never made the top ten, nation wide, though at this point, Oakland has nearly 150% of Buffalo's population.

I can relate -- I was a middle class white kid, with educated parents -- my graduating class of 230 had four other white kids, my parents middle class income (mom's a teacher, dad was a baker, he's retired now) made me positively affluent compared to my classmates and I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of my classmates' parents didn't speak english. But I got a good education, none-the-less, and I'm sure I had a much more enriching experience than the kids at Bishop O'Dowd or College Prep.

btw, FUBU did (and I assume, still does) make collared shirts.

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by devo on Jan 18, 2007 10:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah...

Buffalo's in a decline that can be matched by few cities, Oakland included...people have left the area in droves. Forty years ago Bflo had about twice as many people as they have now...it's a bit depressing. And ANer andeux doesn't even count; like me, he's from a town near Buffalo, not Buffalo itself, heh. I can't imagine this city existing anymore without its pro sports teams...its identity and pride are so dependent on them.

Assuming you went to an Oakland public high school? We differ there; college is/was (I don't even know if I'm in college anymore) my first taste of public education. Paid higher tuition for grade school (private Catholic) and high school (also private Catholic, more specifically Jesuit...) than college, heh.

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 18, 2007 4:05 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oakland's on the rebound.

It's a city ... On The Grow! Well, not so much in terms of populations, but on the transition away from its industrial roots to an economy and populus more typical of the region ... for better and for worse.

I did go to an Oakland public high school. Oakland Tech, specifically. If you look back at yearbooks from 40+ years ago, the students were almost entirely white. I wonder if perhaps twenty years from now, that will once again be the reality.

I was entirely publicly educated, until I went to college ... at which point I decided I could use nearly 40k of debt.

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by devo on Jan 18, 2007 5:45 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

oh, and ...

I too now live in a suburb -- Sacramento. It's a pretty good distance away, but Oakland is the nearest real city ...

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by devo on Jan 18, 2007 5:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Oakland Tech

You could probably put that on a resume and have people assume you went college based on the name of that high school alone. But if you're 40k in debt from college, obviously that's not an avenue you're needing to explore.

You really think it's on the rebound? Oakland-pride-optimism or is there really some gentrification going on there...nothing else I've read from anyone else here seems to suggest it's rebounding. Not to make everyone out to sound like reztips, most people seem to like the city for what it is, but I haven't heard anyone else say it's rebounding. The Warriors did just pull off a pretty damn good trade, though, so that's a step in the right direction for a basketball town(of course that came to mind the more I read/wrote the word "rebound").

"We don't want haddock and chips, we want cod. In cod we trust." --Ghostigital, the pride of Iceland

by Cutthemullet on Jan 18, 2007 6:44 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs

Two things to do in Phoenix

One of my best spring training memories was sitting in the left field bleachers before the start of a game, turning around and seeing Bill King sitting right behind me, papers spread out, readying himself for his first spring broadcast the next day. He recommended a Cuban restaurant called Havana Cafe, and ever since then it's been a must-do on my trips to Phoenix. The food is highly flavored but not spicy hot (unless you order the side of habanero salsa, in which case you are on your own). I go to the one on Camelback; there are one or two others but they are family owned and delicious. Stick to the appetizer side of the menu.

If you're into shopping, Nordstrom has a place called Last Chance, which is where things go after they leave Nordstrom Rack. It's pretty well organized and you can get some awesome deals. There are only two in the whole country, and one is in Phoenix.

Enjoy!

"Put me down and I'll walk off the field." -- Bradley to Macha, 9/06

by skigurl on Jan 17, 2007 8:52 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

shopping link

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/best2004/shopping/articles/11185cheapdesigner.html

I'm not a big wine guy... Where do you grow the BEER?

by str8tarrow on Jan 18, 2007 8:29 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs

"see" the following:

-if crosby can bend over and tie his shoes.
-can kendell hit a ball out of the infield.
-does The Pizza Man wear a shirt during.
-is swisher sober.
-is slusser trying to pick up swisher.
-has urban finished pressing beane's new khaki shorts he purchased at The Gap for $39.99 taxes not included.
-when does milton get released for state prison.
-is melhuse still pouting.
-when does harden get off the DL
-has street recovered from the whiplash he suffered from throwing his last pitch in '06.
-if Duke can bend over and tie his shoes.
-has Kiko learned a new pitch other then the slider.
-has Haren cut his hair yet.
-what color is The Clown's hair this year.
-why is ellis on the DL again.
-if chavez can bend over and tie his shoes without popping a hammie.
-if kotsay can bend over and tie his shoes.

Your report is expected ASAP.

"Where you start is not as important as where you finish."- Zig Ziglar

by bigelephant on Jan 17, 2007 10:04 AM PST reply actions 0 recs