Shin's Baseball Vacation (2 of 5)

On the Road Again

After the justly lauded sights of Mono Lake, I headed south along the California / Nevada border, through the very scenic Death Valley (which really isn't very scenic at night which it was as I went through) and into Nevada.  I spent a couple of days there, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  No pics. Heading further south, I went by Hoover dam.  Of course after 9/11 it's not nearly so accessible.  Still, it's very impressive.

It's March 12.  To the right is the feature of the vacation, Scottsdale Stadium.  This is where the Giants hold spting training.  It's obviously not the operation that they have in San Francisco, but it's still a fun place.  As I recall it seats about 11,000.  Trust me on this, book early!  This is coming in from the back, center field approach.

Outside the San Francisco ballpark is a statue of Willie Mays, argueably the best baseball player ever.  Not to be outdone, Scottsdale has put in a statue of Jim "The Commissioner" Hill.  He apparently volunteered lots of time to the youth of the area.  I don't know who the kid with the bat is.

Of course, I underestimated traffic and parking and all.  By the time I got there in the bottom of the second ining it was Cubs (bad guys) 7 and the Giants (good guys) 0.  A little later, I stood up to stretch and looked behind me.  I was in the back row of the seats behind home plate.  Right behind was a "private" booth.  I put "private" in quotes because it was wide open.  Sitting right behind me were (right) Lon Simmons, long-time broadcaster for the Giants and (left) Hall of Famer Willie McCovey.  Two nicer gentlemen you'd have a hard time finding.  As people realized they were there, they shook hands, gave autographs, and in general made the spring training experience something special.  And of course, I don't have to tell you who the guy in the middle is!

for more belated vacation pics!

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