Wish you were here...

Wish you were here. No, really. I understand most of my readers are suffering through the worst late winter in a long time. Snow and ice and record low temps. When I was working a regular job the worst part of it was always the commute and the worst part of the commute was winter driving. While I can't magically transport all of you to Arizona I can truthfully report there are places where Spring has sprung, the grass is green (oh, the wonderful smell of freshly mown lawns!), the flowers are blooming and the air is warm.

When I first arrived in town for Spring Training Arizona was suffering through some nasty weather of its own. Though  nothing like the feet of snow in northern climes there is still something just wrong about cactus with a mantle of white. All of that seems a distant memory and at the ballpark this week its shorts and shirtsleeves and the higher the SPF of the sunscreen the better. Lots of folks flying in to catch some baseball are heading home with rosy red (with emphasis on the red) tans. Temps during the day have been in the 60's, 70's, and even low 80's and I'm sure before long we'll hear people complaining how downright hot it is. My first year working Spring Training saw a week of 100+ temps. Not sure we'll see that this year but I personally wouldn't mind some low 90's and I'm sure Mother Nature will oblige sometime over the next couple of weeks.

Surprise, Arizona is a booming little city and new home construction seems to be happening around every corner. Farmland that last year sprouted lettuce, carrots, and other crops are this year being bulldozed to make way to house all the people fleeing the north in search of seemingly perpetual sunny skies and warmth. I know most of the water consumed in the greater Phoenix area originates high up in the Colorado Rockies. Seems like there's hardly enough to feed the insatiable appetite of the Front Range let alone all these new transplants. Water restrictions and efficiencies aside, the question of just how many people this arid desert will support is a valid one and one that will be contentiously fought over for years to come.

Crowds at Surprise Stadium have been steadily increasing over the last two weeks with the big influx occurring when  Spring Breaks hit in Texas and Kansas City. Capacity at this particular stadium is officially 10,714 and I think the most we saw last year was 10,800 with the grass in the outfield absolutely full. The Rockies made their second appearance at Surprise today and tied the Rangers 4-4. They don't go to extra innings in Spring Training unless the coaches mutually agree. This early they generally don't go extra but as Spring Training winds down we'll likely see the coaches want to continue to expose their teams to some more high pressure situations.

I'm writing this from the Maricopa library located right across from the stadium and looking out the window folks are strolling around the adjacent lake and park with dogs leading and kids in tow. Soon, though perhaps not soon enough, Spring will tire of the desert and start to make her way north eventually reaching snowladen Colorado. The frigid temps will ameliorate, the highcountry avalanches will cease their white roar. Opening day at Coors Field is on the horizon though perhaps only visible through a telescope. Until then, chin up, shovels down, drive safe, and oh, wish you were here. No, really....

Here's a few snippets from the last week...