Twins Spring Training...Finally!!

I finally made it to Fort Myers to catch some spring baseball. I have wanted to watch the Twins play in spring training since I was five years old. I probably can't say the same thing for Laurie, but I think she was just as excited to make the trip south. Although, she may have been more excited about the beach. As you can see in the photos below, the weather was outstanding.

Laurie and I flew down to the retirement community of Fort Myers, Florida, which is the spring training home of the Twins. Fittingly, upon arrival we met Laurie's parents, Bonnie and Gene, both of whom are recently retired. Given their recent retirement, I spent the entire the trip trying to convince Bonnie and Gene to buy a place in Fort Myers. This way we would have a place to stay every March. I think Bonnie was convinced... 

 

Well, where do I start. I could probably write for hours (which I might have time to do if the Government shuts down), but I don't want to put some of our blog followers to sleep. Here are some quick tidbits about the Lee Country Sports complex, which has been the spring-training home of the Minnesota Twins since 1990.

• In addition to Hammond Stadium, which serves as the home of the Fort Myers Miracle (the Twins Class A minor league affiliate), there are five full and two half baseball fields, two soccer fields, a softball complex and an eight acre lake for public fishing.

• Hammond Stadium has some very interesting features, including an outside facade that's supposed to invoke the feeling of Churchill Downs and a palm tree lined path that leads to the stadium from the parking lot, ending at a waterfall fountain plaza. Overall, it is a very nice park.

• Hammond Stadium also provides fans with direct access to the batting cages, which are located below the bleaches down the third base line. Needless to stay, it was pretty cool talking to Mauer, Morneau, and the rest of the boys as they were taking live batting practice.

• The seven other fields are also open to fans during spring training. In fact, fans can wander those fields with no restrictions. So naturally, I wondered aimlessly through the different fields and talked to a number of players and coaches. Laurie and I ran into Gardy, Tony Oliva, Paul Molitor, Jake Mauer (Laurie was so excited when she thought she saw Joe), and a number of other players and coaches.

• Hammond Stadium also features a "Party Deck" grill that serves up a number of local favorites. A beer drinker's paradise can be found beneath the grandstand at the end of the concourse on the stadium's third base side, where the Beer Garden is located. Hammond Stadium offers a larger variety of beer on tap than any other ballpark in the Grapefruit League. No wonder why Gardy likes to do his press conferences in the Beer Garden!

While we were there, we watched the Twins pound the New York Yankees and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both games ended in pretty exciting fashion, including a walk-off base hit to beat the Pirates. During the games, we watched Delmon, Cuddy, and Thome all launch homers, while paying extra close attention to our new second baseman, Nishioka, make some wonderful plays. Overall, the Twins looked pretty sharp...a stark contrast to how they have started the 2011 season.

Here are some other photos from our trip to Hammond Stadium:



  

Overall, Laurie, Bonnie, Gene, and I had a blast while we were done in paradise. We are still trying to recover from the sun burns, but we all agree that it was well worth it! Hopefully, Laurie and I can make this spring training trip a tradition, which is why it is imperative that Bonnie and Gene buy a place in south Florida soon! 

- Bobby

Zach's East Coast Trip

Our nephew Zach came out to visit Laurie and I...and this was Jimmy's expression when Zach walked through the door! As you can see, Jimmy is a not exactly a big fan of Zach!

  

Zach actually made the trip out here all by himself. However, I think someone dyed his hair when he fell asleep on the plane (see photos below for evidence). This was Zach's second time visiting us in DC. He and my Dad made a trip out here last June. Not only did we see a lot in DC while Zach was here, but we also made a trip up to New York City. 

Day One: 

We started the day with a trip to Ford's Theatre. Ford's Theatre is a historic landmark in DC and was used for various stage performances beginning in 1860's. However, and more importantly, it was also the sight of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. The theatre was later used as a warehouse and office building and was renovated and re-opened as a theater during the 1960s. It is now part of the U.S. National Parks system. The booth on the right side of the photo is where President Lincoln was shot.

After Ford's Theatre, we made our way to the U.S. Capitol for a tour. Visiting the Capitol is still one of my favorite things to do in DC. While we were at the Capitol, President Obama was visiting, along with the Prime Minister of Ireland...for St. Patrick's Day. At first glance, I thought maybe the extra security was because of Zach and his pink hair!

Fun Fact: Did you know that the President can only come to Capitol if he/she is invited by Congress or if he/she buys a tour ticket?

Here are some photos of the tour:

After the trip to the Capitol, we made our way to Good Stuff Eatery for the best burgers in DC! After lunch, we made our way to the Library of Congress, down to the National Mall and to Arlington Cemetery.

While at Arlington, Zach and I ran into the Missouri Cheerleaders, who were in town for the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament. Needless to say, Zach is pretty excited for college!

After Arlington, Zach and I made a pit stop at a Buffalo Wild Wings to catch the end of some NCAA tournament games. We finally met up with Laurie and ended the day by hitting some range balls at TopGolf in Virginia. Check out their website ( http://www.topgolf.com/Locations/US/Alexandria/Default.aspx )...it is a pretty unique driving range.

Day Two:

After spending the first day in DC, Zach and I made a trip up to New York City. In the mean time, Laurie was making her way to Barcelona for a Hilton "team building" trip. More on that story later. After being dropped off at Madison Square Garden, we made our way to the World Trade Center site and had some fantastic New York style pizza...

As any good SEC employee would do, our next stop in New York was Wall Street. I was able to arrange a tour of the New York Stock Exchange, which was really fun (especially for the nerd who works at the SEC). Zach and I met a lot of the traders, including some who thought Zach's hair was pretty cool. Only in New York!

 

 

After spending a couple of hours on the Street, we made our way to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. Battery Park was packed, so we were not able to take a ferry out to the Statue. We had to save something for his next trip!

After spending the first half the day in Lower Manhattan, we made our way up to an Irish sports bar in Midtown, near where our hotel was, for some food and of course, to catch some of the NCAA tournament games. We then made our way to Rockefeller Center and Central Park. At this point, I think both Zach and I were ready to pass out!

But, no rest for the weary. Our next stop: Times Square!

As you can tell from these photos, Zach's mom, Tammy, must be a great dentist. I am sure she had her hands full after this trip. Sugar anyone?

Day Three:

After having a hearty New York breakfast, we started day two with a trip to the Empire State Building. Here are some views:

 

After spending a while checking out the views of New York City from the clouds, we made our way to Chinatown, Little Italy, and eventually the Brooklyn Bridge. We really covered a lot of ground in a short amount of time.

After the bridge, we made our way back to Madison Square Garden and took the bus back to DC.

Day Four:

Zach's last day was little less eventful, considering how exhausted both Zach and I were, and since his flight left relatively early. But, we had a few Mountain Dews in the morning and were able to make our way to General's Ridge golf course in Manassas, VA. Oh, and for all you Minnesotans, it was actually pretty cold here during Zach's trip...70's for the most of the time!

 

Overall, Zach and I had a great time during his visit. We certainly miss our family and friends, so it was great spending a few days with Zach.

Thanks again for the making trip out here and we can't wait to see again soon! 

- Bobby

Christmas 2010

Well, as usual, we are a little behind on the blogging. But, nevertheless, here is some information regarding our most recent trip to the frozen tundra. As most of you know, Laurie and I made the trip back to lovely, warm Minnesota for the Holidays. We ended up freezing for ten days in Minnesota and returned to DC (and 50 degrees) on New Years.

PART I

Our first stop on our whirlwind tour of Minnesota was Mankato. We spent several days in Mankato to see Laurie's family. The Sellners are a blast, especially with little Max running at full speed. Everyone in Laurie's family made the trip to Mankato including Scott, Lana, Hannah, Emily, Keri, Dave, and Max. We also spent some time with Laurie's aunt Deanna and her Grandma. We had a blast! It was a full house at Bonnie and Gene's, which made for some fun entertainment. One can only imagine...

The days at the Sellner "Homestead" were primarily spent playing games with the kids, building snow forts, watching movies (Despicable Me gets 4 stars), eating tons of great food, and watching our youngest nephew Max run, and run, and run, and then run some more. I needed at least two cans of Mountain Dew a day to keep up. This little guy is destined to be a track star. The snow fort that Scott, Dave and I built ended up turning into a small city, with a couple of hills for sledding and several tunnels. Hannah and Emily, the supervisors of the construction, were pretty impressed.

Our next encounter with the Sellners will be in March, when Laurie and I meet Bonnie and Gene in Fort Myers to watch a few Twins Spring Training games. Only 22 days until pitchers and catchers report! I will be sure to let all you Minnesotans know how warm it is in Florida...

PART II

Next on our whirlwind tour was a stop in lovely Perham, MN. The short five hour drive from Mankato to Perham was much better this year than in the last two years, given we didn't run into any snow. The highlights of our Perham visit included lots of sledding, playing games with the kids, watching a lot of hockey and swim meets, and of course, eating at number of fine establishments such as Mrs. B's, Pizza Ranch, Zorbaz, and Taco John's. My entire family made it back to Perham as well. We had a blast...it was really hard leaving. That list includes Tammy, Paul, Zach, Hayden, Ana, Brenda, Tony, Faith, Bryce and Ty. As you can see in the photo below, there are no barbers within a 20 mile radius of Perham. Zach and Hayden...that was directed at you...

Here are some pics from the day spent at Perham Hill...

We were also able to watch our nephew Hayden play a few hockey games. Nothing beats watching hockey, except watching basketball, unless your nephew, who loves checking people, is playing, then I guess hockey is pretty fun. All kidding aside, Hayden played great and it was a blast watching him spend several minutes in the penalty box.

We also made it to Brainerd to watch our nephew Zach swim. Zach did great in all of the events he raced in. He has already qualified for sections in the 200 individual medley, the 200 butterfly, the 200 breaststroke, and the 400 relay. I can hardly wait to see how he does at Sections and see if he can make it to State. Oh, and ladies...grab a number...look at those pipes!

PART III

After a few days in Perham, Laurie and I made the trip back to Minneapolis and Saint Paul to visit with friends. I met a bunch of buddies at Joe Senser's in Bloomington for some beer, food, and sports, while Laurie met up with some of her old high school friends for another Chirstmas party. The next day was spent preping for the night ahead...New Years. We went with a bunch of friends to the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin and it was a blast! Here are some pics from the night...

I still don't know why Laurie was laughing so hard...I look good!

And, as a finale, this was our buddy Brian the next day at lunch. Priceless.

That's it for now. Stay tuned! You never know when another posting could pop up out of nowhere!

- Bobby