Cubs/Brewers: Pre-Game Tailgate > Game Itself

Friday afternoon The Heckler Spring Training Trip crew headed to Maryvale Baseball Park to watch the crummy half of a Cubs split-squad take on the Milwaukee Brewers. The game was a rout. Former Cub Jim Edmonds hit a two-run homer off
Jeff Samardzija in the first inning and the Cubs were down 4-0 before I
could finish my first beer (alright..maybe it was my second…or
third…)

Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez were the only regular starters in the field, so we got a good look at hot prospects like Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin. Colvin was 2-for-3 with an RBI on the day, while Castro went hitless and had a costly throwing error. The Brewers ran away with the game, 12-3, but Cubs fans won the tailgating battle for sure.

Check out our sweet tailgating set-up and some pics from the game…

Greetings From The Land of Sunshine, Baseball & Beer…

Just touched down in Phoenix! The sun is shining and a long weekend of fun awaits. Keep checking back for photos,videos and stories from Spring Training! I’ll be rolling with a crew of about 15 other Cubs crazies, so there’s sure to be some adventures along the way.

Let The (Meaningless, Unnecessarily Dissected) Games Begin…

Today marks the start of Spring Training games, as the Sox face off against the Angels and the Cubs take on Oakland. The games may not mean a thing, but hope springs eternal in March, when every team has a perfect record and a championship run is still possible. And even if your team isn’t going to go all the way (I’m talking to you, Pirates fans) at least the losses in Spring Training don’t count on your sure-to-be-dismal season record.

For many, the excitement of Spring baseball isn’t in dissecting the box score–it’s in the realization that warm weather is just around the corner. Just 32 days from now, the 2010 MLB season will kick off and the boys of summer will be playing for keeps. Of course, Chicagoans know better than to expect sunshine and short sleeves on Opening Day. Last year’s Sox home opener was postponed due to snow–SNOW!

Let’s face it, the winter weather in the Windy City is enough to shrink Ronnie’s Woo Woos. If you, like me, can’t possibly gear up for baseball when you’re still scraping snow off your car, then I suggest a little vaca. Late next week I’ll be kicking off my Cubs coverage the right way–from a blanket on the lawn of Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.

I’ll be with a great big crew of Cubs fans, so if you’re heading out to Arizona next week, send me an email or post a comment and come enjoy a game of bags, some hot dogs on the grill, and maybe even a few Old Styles. If you’re there now, or you’re going a different week, send me some pictures of your trip! It’s always nice to make the folks at home jealous…

 

Mesa Council Approves New Cubs Facilities, Waits For Word From Team

A beer vendor at the Cubs’ current home for spring training, Hohokam Park.

Monday evening the Mesa City Council approved an $84 million proposal for new spring training facilities for the Chicago Cubs. The team is expected to respond with the final word on the proposal sometime in the next few days.

Writes Dave van Dyck on Chicago Breaking Sports:

If the Cubs board approves the proposal for a new 15,000-seat stadium
modeled after Wrigley Field, the two parties would enter into an
exclusive negotiations period.

Not only would the Cubs operate
the new complex, which would be built east of HoHoKam Park along the
202 Freeway, but they would try to find another team to take over the
old site.

Friday, the Mayor of Mesa, Scott Smith, spoke about the specifics of the proposal on the “Roc and Manuch” show on The Fan, AM 1060. Check out the interview at Fanster.com.

[HT to NSNG reader Greg Esposito for the interview.]