Quick Hits: Spring Training Adventure

Spring Training ’10 was heaps of fun! So we thought we’d take you through it with v1 of Quick Hits…

After an epic game of Over the Line, both teams came together for the greater good of Halokind.

• Our trip began on Friday night in the Los Angelesian neighborhood of Atwater Village. Totaling three cars, twelve of us ventured east on the 1o freeway; fueled by fast food and ever-changing iPods.
• Arriving around 3am in Glendale, AZ on Saturday morning, our hotel of choice wasn’t too keen on letting us prance into our rooms and call it a night. But after a short spell of chit-chatting, we exchanged plastic money for plastic keys and a short countdown ’til our 9am self-created wake-up call.
• Venturing into the “Where the heck are we?” district of Surprise, AZ, we bought tickets and parked our cars as far as we possibly could from everyone. The reason? Our first game of Over the Line for the 2010 season. However, even though we’d alerted the parking corps of our OTL operation, we moved two separate times to avoid the onslaught of cars. Turns out that just like the players, wiffleball-wise, we were also in pre-season form.
• Heading into the beautiful Surprise home of the Royals [also shared by the Rangers], we stood just over the bullpen in right field. Lucky for us, after saying hello to Hank Conger, a foul ball rolled near him and he threw it to us. Two minutes in and we’ve already had one souvenir. Thanks, Hank!
• Despite the fact that the Halos were winning 3-0 and had only surrendered three hits by the end of the 3rd frame, they ended up losing 12-3. We’ll chalk that one up to the Angels’ starters playing really well and the young guys getting some solid in-game lessons.
• Shortly after the game ended, we tore out of the parking lot en route to our next destination: the Econolodge in Tempe, AZ. That night, we went out for food, celebrated a birthday, and dealt with an erroneous charge by the clerk at our hotel. While the charge isn’t worth the time it’ll take to spell it out, it was quickly straightened out so we could continue on with our night of enjoyable festivities.
• On Sunday morning, we awoke and left the hotel by 11; our noses clinging to the scent of Waffle House, which was right down the street! And then the inevitable happened: Just as quickly as our frolicking, food-frenzied mood appeared, it evaporated as we learned that the Angels/Cubs came — due to begin at 1pm that very day — had sold out.
• We had the talented scalpers of Tempe to thank for the sell out. Seemed like getting each of us to fork over $30 for lawn seats just happened to be on their to-do list that day. But we weren’t having it. So instead, we decided to play Over the Line until the 6th inning, which was when Tempe Diablo Stadium opened its gates to the public. The Angels, however, lost 8-7, as Michael Ryan fell just short of tying the game with a drive to right.
• After a short post-game version of Over the Line, we headed to a local restaurant that, although it might have one of the best names and tag lines in the bar/restaurant biz, is at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to their quality of food. The place was called Monkey Pants. If you’d like to know the tag line, Google it or check it out in person.
• Sunday night had long been reserved for a trek up to Alex’s parents’ house in Prescott, where we could recoup before our seven-hour drive back to reality the following day. Thanks to a local bar’s free pool tables, cheap dart board, and 2-for-1 beer special, we were able to relax and catch our collective breathes for the first time since Friday. Karaoke was also a high-point of the night; but when isn’t it? Oh, and we were also able to engage in a little verbal warfare with a local Dodgers fan. Always a good time.
• Monday meant seven hours of starring at absolutely nothing for seven hours. Then again, the fact that we didn’t see many cops throughout the drive made it much easier. After all, we had a softball game to get to by 6:15pm.

Mad dashes and all, there’s nothing better than a trip to Arizona with your best friends. The weather’s good, the hopes for every team are high, and the actual season isn’t too far away.

Let’s hope that, Halo-wise, our hopes don’t come and go at the speed of our Spring Training adventure.

Alex and J after the sun painted their faces Angel red.