fatcat255

I'm bad at my job too!

No need to say "Duh", no way to know 'til you get there. For Ranger practices and minor league stuff, go to the parking lot on N. Parkview Place. That is the kind of triangular looking parking lot just north of the youth fields. The youth fields are at the corner of N. Parkview Place and W. Greenway Rd. Looking at the aerial image on Google Maps, the entrance from N. Parkview Place goes to the player/staff parking lots directly behind home plate of Surprise Stadium. For the practices, walk up that player entrance driveway to a gate between those first two practice fields on your right. Go to the center of those 4 minor league fields and take a left to get to the Rangers practice fields, cages, etc. They won't let you walk straight through from the practice fields to the stadium, so ... for games at Surprise Stadium, you have to park in the lot behind left field. The practice fields closest to the big parking lot belong to the Kansas City Royals. You can enter those fields from the big parking lot.

The Parking Lot for the Rangers side of the complex is near the Southwest corner of the block, near some youth sized fields. There will be signs that will designate where to park. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a spot. You will see the main gate there where the players drive in, it will be manned by one of the many retirement-aged volunteers. There will be a small group of people waiting there for the gates to open at 10am. You will see the back fields there. No charge to watch the practices. No concessions either, so bring a small cooler or a bottle of water. The volunteers at the gate iare very helpful, so don't be afraid to ask if you have some specific questions on the days you are there.

The gates to the Back Fields open at 10:00am every day. You will see the minor leaguers practice, take BP, etc. The Big Club does something different every day. Their practice field is down a little deeper in the complex ... just pay attention to what is going on down there to see if they are taking BP, running, hitting in cages, taking infield, etc. You'll walk right among them as they make their way from one spot to the next. If you keep up with the minor league stuff and know who the prospects are, watching the minor league workouts was actually a lot more interesting than watching the major leaguers practice. To each his own though. I enjoyed talking to the young players, meeting members of their families, talking to coaches, etc. Also some pretty good "B" games and lower level games on those back fields. Enjoy your trip. I look forward to going back again.

This is honorable for you to teach your son about Team and Effort and all those things, but the thing you need to remember is your first and most important responsibility is to support your son and stand beside him. If you are doing that while teaching him these other things, then my hat is off to you. If you are losing touch with him while trying to help him be a "better ball player", then you have failed. More than likely, these kids won't play beyond high school anyway. Ten years from now, he needs to be able to look back and know that Dad ALWAYS had his back. It is a whole lot more important to keep the respect of your son than it is to get attaboys from a bunch of has been, old ####s on a message board.

I would not watch golf on tv if it weren't for Tiger Woods. When he is not playing ... the announcers are dull, the style of play is dull, and there is nothing to entice me to watch. I hate the fact that he has brought in all those goofy pretend fans that yell, "GET IN THE HOOOOOOOOLE!" after every shot ... but even when he loses, the atmosphere is much better than normal. He makes shots that nobody else can make, he gets himself out of trouble that others can't, he provides a spark to the game that nobody else can, and he lifts the level of competition (and announcing) to another level. Even though it has transformed into a NASCAR-like sporting event, Tiger has resurrected the game.

MLB.TV Just go to MLB.com, it's pasted all over the screen for you to consider. Just $14.95 per month, or $79.95 per year. $19.95 per month for PREMIUM, or $109.95 per year.

I was very impressed with Andrus when I saw him in Spring Training. The way he carried himself, the way he responded to fans, the way he interacted with teammates ... and especially the way he plays SS. When Andrus was involved in the 4-6-3 DP in the first ... I almost cried. When he got his first MLB hit ... I clapped loudly. When he snagged that ball up the middle and effortlessly threw the runner out at first: .......... I jumped off the couch, .......... Screamed, "ELVIS!", .......... Threw a few air punches, .......... and wiped a tear from my eye. This young man appears to be special. Improved defense at both SS and 3B will keep the Rangers in a few more games this season. This may not get them in the playoffs this year, but it ought to keep them in the hunt a while longer and help to change the outlook. It certainly is a sign of things to come.

Decided to skip the Ranger game the night of day 7. We missed Chris Davis' third Bomb of the week. Took 40 minutes to get from Surprise to I-10. Took about an hour or so to wind around on the crowded freeway and get clear of Phoenix traffic. We made it to El Paso late late that night. Drove to Odessa on day 8 and watched a family friend play a Double Header at UT-Permian Basin. This kid moved from Longview to Andrews, TX after his freshman year at Pine Tree. He was about 5'8" when he left ... now he's 6'2", starting at shortstop for an NCAA D2 team, and is playing in a wood bat league in Kansas this summer. Drove to Abilene to visit with another family friend who plays at ACU, then made it back to Fort Worth for a well deserved full night's sleep. Got back to Longview on Sunday and went back to work on Monday. Awesome trip. Well worth the time, the drive, and the money.

Day 7: Checked out of hotel, spent the day at the Rangers Minor League Complex watching practice, BP, and 2 games between Rangers and Mariners AA & AAA Squads. Lots of Ranger front office folks running around this day. This was also the first day for Mineola's Adam Moore to be back with the AAA bunch. He DH'd and started his day off with a Double off Rangers future star Derek Holland. Adam came around to score the only run off of Holland in his 6 innings pitched. I had noticed a couple Ranger wives and their young children in attendance throughout the week, but since baseball had my focus for the week ... I just didn't pay a lot of attention. I realized on this last day that the Tall Blonde was USA Softball Superstar Jennie Finch, wife of Rangers minor leaguer Casey Daigle. Last pics of the day were of Ranger farmhand Adam Fox and his son Brayden Gunnar Fox doing what many of us Dads have done with our children when they were just 2 or 3 years old. Braden's Mom pitched to him off-and-on every day we were there. As soon as his Dad's minor league game was over, Brayden hit the field to be with his Dad. This was a fitting end to a great Spring Training trip with my son ... a father and son spending time together doing what they enjoy most.

Day 6: Rangers @ Brewers in Maryvale. Rangers jumped up 7-0 then lost it in the Bottom of the 10th on a Wild Pitch. Finished this day with a Burger from In-N-Out Burger in Peoria.

Day 5: Minor League Practice & BP, Rangers A & Low A vs. Padres, Rangers Stretch & BP, Diamondbacks vs. Rangers in Surprise

Day 4: Minor League Practice & BP in the morning, Rangers @ Mariners in the afternoon.

Day 3: Arrived at the Rangers Back Fields to catch the tail end of Minor League batting practice. Talked to the Aunt of Minor Leaguer Cody Podraza, was cool to hear some of the stuff the young man has gone through during his time in the minors. Talked briefly with Steve Beuchelle and a coach or two I didn't recognize. Rangers had the day off. Rangers & Royals AA & AAA clubs played at the Rangers side of the complex at Noon, A & Low A teams played on the Royals side. Watched the games on the Rangers side, visited with a family friend of Max Ramirez's during one game while FatCat Jr. visited with Minor League outfielder Grant Gerrard's Grandfather on the other field. Saw several of the players that have helped vault the Rangers Minor League system to the #1 ranking and had a great time talking with family. Lots of young players running around the complex. Most impressive players we've seen so far: Carlos Melo (wild, but strong & live arm), Jose Vallejo, Justin Smoak, Chad Tracy, Miguel Alfonzo. Beau Vaughan had a good outing on the mound on Monday. The main thing for me ... it is just fun to be around the game and be this close to the action. I don't need a scorecard, I don't need to know all the kids' names, and I don't have to understand what everyone is saying (lots & lots of 18-20 year old Latin players in camp). I just enjoy the game and watching the players and coaches interact. I think we'll cap this day off with a movie. More baseball in store for tomorrow.

20 hours total. I did spend one of those hours in the Gift Shop at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.