TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020
Another large crowd today along with another great day. It was sunny and almost 80. I got there right at 10, but this will probably be the last day for that. It looks as though 11 am is going to be the starting time that Girardi has decided on. While we waited the minor leaguers started to come into the minor league building. They have to walk through the crowd of waiting fans to get to their door. The fans ask them for their autographs and they seem to enjoy stopping and giving them. I guess it is still enough of a novelty for them to enjoy it.
The players came out at 11:00 am and started to do their warm ups. The usual stretching, long toss, and the position players running the bases. They finished the warmups about 11:30. In watching the position players do fielding drills, it struck me that the outfielders weren’t there. I asked one of the attendants if the stadium was open. He said that it was. From the lower fields, the front of the stadium is a long way from the workout areas in the complex, but I decided to go up and see what was shaking.
When they open the stadium for spring training work outs, they cordon all of the seats but the ones directly in front of the main gate. They do that so the spectators can’t make a mess somewhere else in the ball park and they wind up picking up after them. I noticed that the store was open.
There were 10 outfielders and a couple of coaches there. Five of them were in at the batting cage and five were shagging flies. Among those that I saw and could identify were Jay Bruce, Bryce Harper, Adam Haseley, Mikie Mahtook, Roman Quinn and Nick Williams. The rest had pullovers on even though the sun was blazing and the scoreboard read 84 degrees.
I decided to go into the store and see what they had. Basic Phillies caps were $35. I was looking in particular for a bag that I could sling over my shoulder that was not too big, or too small, but juuust right. I have been using one that I adaped from bag to keep lunch cool. It keeps falling apart. What I need is one that is bigger than the ones that go around my waist and smaller than a back pack. Since before Thanksgiving It has been a crusade of mine to check all stores whenever in the area. I didn’t find it in the Diamond Outfitters either. The search continues.
Tidbits: I have yet to see Klentek on the field. Even Ed Wade used to come down the field once in a while. Surprisingly, I haven’t seen Charlie Manuel either. Larry Bowa is like a lead member of the staff. He has been here every day so far and has led many of the drills.
I left at 12:45 and checked my cell phone app to see about the traffic situation going to the beach. It was backed up over the bridge and back into town. Spring break/spring training seems to be here in full force. It seems to be early this year, or maybe the crowd has grown bigger. Oh, well, there are only 3 more days before the drills end and the games start.