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

Some Visitors from the Midwest (Part I)

As we mentioned in our last blog, we had a couple of visitors from the Midwest. Let me introduce my Dad and my nephew Zach (he is the one on the left)...

As you can probably guess, Laurie and I had a blast while these guys paid us a visit. My Dad and Zach arrived in Baltimore on Friday evening and our first stop was at the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore. We had some great sea food, including some of Baltimore's finest crab cakes and enjoyed the sights and sounds of beautiful Baltimore (which generally includes lots of sirens).

The next day, we packed up the car and drove north a couple of hours to the City of Brotherly Love. Our first order of business was to find the best cheese steak Philly has to offer. I can say without a doubt, mission accomplished! Zach was speechless, but he didn't feel so well afterwards...rookie.

After the cheese steaks, we headed to Citizens Bank Park to watch the Twins take on the Phillies. We also met up with some of our really good friends from DC: Mike, Ramala and their daughter Pria.

We watched the Twins jump out to a big lead, but then watched Slowey blow it. Before we knew it, the Twins were getting slaughtered 9-3 and it was only the third inning. Oh well, I guess there is always next time. Oh wait, the Twins stormed back to score six runs in the ninth inning and went on to win the game in extras! Hands down, the best Twins comeback I have ever witnessed!

As for Citizens Bank Park, the field was pretty awesome. Even the average Philly fan couldn't ruin this park. The sight lines were great and the food was spectacular. As you can see, there was nice view of the Philly skyline and the field is in great shape. Citizens Bank Park ranks up there as one of the best fields I have visited. Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5. 

Day two in Philly was spent seeing all of the historical sights. Our first stop was at Independence Hall, where we could sign up for tours and get information about the area. Zach also made a number of friends during this leg of the trip...we will get to Samuel shortly.

Next up, Independence Hall. Known primarily as the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. This building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House for the Province of Pennsylvania. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitution Convention in the summer of 1787.

The room below, the Assembly Room, is where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed. This building was very impressive for being built in 1753. This building served as the national capitol for a number of years, before the capitol was permanently moved to Washington DC. In addition, on June 14, 1775, delegates of the Continental Congress nominated George Washington as commander of the Continental Army in the Assembly Room.

Of course we made a stop by the Liberty Bell, which is a must see in Philly. The Liberty Bell is one of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War and has been a familiar symbol of independence for the US for a very long time. According to tradition, its most famous ringing occurred on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell had also been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and after the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

We made a few more stops around Independence Hall, which included Zach being selected from the crowd on several occasions. To begin, he was asked several times during the Independence Hall tour about general US history. He did his Mother proud and was able to answer most of the questions. His crowning moment came when he was asked to be Samuel, a tanner born in 1775. Zach was chosen by a storyteller during our tour to help act and tell the story of what it was like to grow up in the 1770's. Zach did great...he even got a few winks from the crowd...

On on our way out of town, we were able to catch a few more of the sights...

Overall, Philly was great!

- Bobby