Baseball—all day or rather all afternoon and evening! Rick and Harris caught the Kansas City Royals and the San Diego Padres game in Surprise stadium. The game seemed to be a blowout after the first couple of innings but the weather was sunny and 81 degrees and they had found a seat at one of those tables with a color umbrella which provided much appreciated shade. At the table they chatted with one of those Canadian Snowbirds that happen to be in plentiful supply in Arizona. It was pleasant, eating vegetables (on top of left over pizza), witnessing several great plays and many errors, and soaking in the ballpark ambiance. Lo and behold the 16 to 4 score changed to 16-12 and the Kansas City crowd came alive. KC never got closer but it was great to see a comeback.
Then it was off to a nearby park for Stinger drink and for Harris to try to rack up a third straight victory in Phase 10. Harris remarked that by “forcing” Rick to drink a Stinger he could ensure a victory. Rick maintained that by playing under a picnic table canopy instead of inside Howie, he could break the winning streak. Rick was right although Harris was mollified slightly by the Stinger… On to La Carumba! Restaurant for dinner. Harris had a burrito which was spicy and yummy with many tangy shrimps enclosed.
Then it was on to Peoria for the Mariner’s first night game of the season. The place was packed with 10000+ fans. They wanted regular seats but by the time they arrived, only lawn and bleacher seats were available. Rick scouted out a line that took only cash for lawn seats and had its own entry door without a line. They bypassed 10 minutes of waiting in line and didn’t miss a pitch. They watched a couple of innings from the right field berm It started off great with Ichiro walking as well as Figgons getting on via the 4 balls. Then the Mariners fizzled…right through the 9 innings eking out one run while the Rangers slammed 4 homers and ended up with 8 runs.
Rick and Harris sharing a campsite
Thursday March 18, 2010 (Day 101)
Rick and Harris got off a little later today but made it for the Mariner’s 1:05 first pitch. It was even more packed today than last night’s 10,000+ fans. The M’s have decided to play the starters for an entire game and then rest them so today we saw the replacements. If you are a person that believes that the team will play the opposite of how they play in spring training, you would have loved the past 2 games. Combining the 2 games gives the M’s a total of 3 runs and 5 hits. Last night’s game was 7-1 and today’s was 8-2. The highlight was the weather—81 degrees!
Back at camp Rick prepared veggie burgers while Harris stuck with steak. There were baked potatoes and beans along with a great salad which Harris had double servings of.
Rick cooking and enjoying a mixed drink
Friday March 19, 2010 (Day 102)
An almost double header
After the usual morning routine of a walk for Harris or a run/workout for Rick, they decided to head to a Cubs and White Sox game at a stadium neither had been to. They figured that even though the website said the seats were sold out they could get lawn seats/berm seats. They figured wrong. Harris dropped Rick off just outside the stadium so that Harris could find a place to park (for free) while Rick bought a couple of lawn tickets. Several minutes passed by, enough that Harris parked, made sandwiches, and packed the game bag before Rick called and informed Harris that after hiking for 4 miles, nothing was available. They did see a scalper selling $8 lawn seats for $35. They passed on this and went to a Chinese place to watch the NCAA tournament, play Phase 10, and eat before heading to the Mariners game at Good Year stadium. The Mariners lost 6-2. While at the game Carl Johnson from Lake Stevens called to say that they arrived at the same RV campground. Plans were made for dinner the following night.
Rick showing his expertise at bocce
Saturday March 20, 2010 (Day 103)
The Mariners Win! Finally!!
This was a day game at Peoria that saw a record breaking 13000 plus in attendance to watch Felix pitch the M’s to a 4-0 shutout. Afterwards, they went to Carl and Anita’s RV to have an expertly prepared meal including steak (veggie ribs for Rick), salad, steamed veggies, and 4 tin (sp) for dessert. After dinner Harris and Rick called it an early night and Harris decided to catch up on the blog.
Short notes:
Rick continues to trounce Harris at bocce.
Harris continues to have a slight edge over Rick in Phase 10.
Both continue to try out various mixed drinks.
Sunday will be a laundry morning before going to see the White Sox and the Brewers play.
Carl and Anita hosting steak night at Pleasant Harbor Rv
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