Down the Left Field Line:
Life, Baseball & Eric Byrnes

Matt Scarborough of the blog “Diamondhacks” reports from a recent Spring Training game between the geographically challenged Angels and the Oakland Athletics:

It bears repeating, especially here, that even during a Cactus League tilt between the AL’s Angels and Athletics, one cant escape the universal truth that ladies everywhere seem to crave Byrnesie:

[I don't know that these ladies really dig Byrnesie, or that they just happened to be walking behind someone who does, but I sure admire the sartorial tastes of the bald guy!--ByrnesBlogger1].

That said, Phoenix Muni stadium affords fans with plenty of alternatives to look at, like this panorama of Papago Buttes, a modern rock climbing area and strategic Hohokam lookout for over a thousand years:

Vladimir Guerrero is one of my favorite players to watch. Here he is, framed between two of Muni’s colossal light towers, imported from NYC’s old Polo Grounds almost half a century ago:

He’s such a physically unique player, with an almost ungainly body. Vladdy was quiet until the seventh when he parked a grand slam to win the game. [The Final Score: 6-1 Byrnesblogger1]. I don’t think too many fans currently think of Guerrero as a Hall of Fame track player, but I definitely feel he is. A much stronger hitter than any of the current HOF wannabe outfielders (Dawson, Parker, Murphy) and, I think, a better all around player.

[I agree. Vladdy's a lifetime .325 hitter with over 1100 RBI heading into 2008. He's also just 35 homers shy of 400, so we may see him make that mark this year. And before the injuries struck, Vladdy's arm was one you did not challenge. - ByrnesBlogger1].

Well, not everything at the ballpark was eye candy. The cheapest seats in the park ran $10 a pop, more than at many MLB stadiums. For a split squad practice game. A slice of spring training pizza cost $7. If that’s not enough to elicit a sour expression, check out the price of lemonade:

One final, sad and kinda weird note. Shortly after we entered the stadium, we encountered a heavy set man flat on his back, shirt pulled up and pants pulled down, being feverishly attended to by medical personnel. Needless to say, we didn’t linger or snap a photo, however I could ascertain he was down for a while and honestly don’t know if he made it. Let’s hope so. Sad, for obvious reasons. Weird, in that this is the second quite serious incident I’ve witnessed in my last two Cactus games, after attending games for nearly two decades and not recalling a similar incident. Last spring, a woman at Tucson Electric Park received a great deal of assistance and was ultimately wheeled out on a gurney, on an unusually hot day. Today was cooler, but still about 80 degrees in the shade - and rather uncomfortable in the sun, which in this ballpark is almost everywhere.

Not sure what it all means. More people at the parks. More older, obese, or otherwise at risk, fans. Coincidence. Who knows? One thing I will say is that it’s hot at these Arizona day games, at least in the sun. The Cactus League promotes a Chamber of Commerce image about our awesome weather - and in the shade or at night it’s justified - but these day games can be deceptively dehydrating and dangerous. Also, with the venues becoming more crowded, more fans are opting to leave the cramped metal bleachers to stand for extended periods, which further reduces the amount of “standing” shade available to at risk fans.

[You can read the blog Diamondhacks at http://diamondhacks.blogspot.com/ If you've got a write up of a spring training game you'd like to see published, drop me a line: byrnesblogger1 [at] azsportshub.com/].

ByrnesBlogger1