Spring Training Day 1

A lengthy delay due to a wreck involving two 18 wheelers turned a 10 hour trip into a 14 hour adventure. Traffic was backed up for miles. We were not involved, but we were only a few car lengths back, so we had a front row seat as one of the trucks was destroyed by a raging fire. It was a scary scene which created an awful mess. There was nothing to do but wait. By the time we were able to get past we made a sizable dent in our snacks which were intended to last a week. Never fear - we were able to replenish when we got to Phoenix.

So we were a little tired for our first day, but we were ready for some Spring Baseball. Our first game was at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, where the A’s were hosting the Chicago White Sox. The A’s are no longer the Oakland Athletics, just the Athletics. Eventually I suppose they will be known as the Las Vegas Athletics when they relocate after spending some time in Sacramento. What a mess.

The A’s played like a homeless team. Their pitching was poor and their defense was worse. Our old friend Martin Perez was the starting pitcher. He gave up a couple of runs in the first and took the loss. The White Sox piled on and the final was 10-3.

The name Hohokam comes from the indigenous people who inhabited Mesa. The stadium is nice, with a berm in the outfield for additional seating. It was built in 1997, and is well maintained. It is certainly a nicer place to play than the Coliseum in Oakland was!

We will spend Day 2 with the Rangers.

That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?