After Monday's road trip it should have been a challenge to get out of bed on Tuesday, but with a Cleveland Indian's Spring Training game on the agenda I woke before my alarm went off!
Baseball has long been literally the only sport I follow, and getting to a spring training game has been on my bucket list for many years. When Steve and Helen proposed this crazy Arizonian adventure, seeing the Tribe play (ahem, beat!) the Cubs was a big selling point!
Of course the plan was to get to the stadium in plenty of time to get some autographs, but anyone who knows me (or my bloodline) knows that's kind of laughable! But we did get there in time for the first pitch - give me some credit!
It was such a treat to be in an intimate stadium, taking in the classic sights, sounds, and smells of a true summer pastime and to do it with so many of my favorite people! We (Uncle Dave and Aunt Karin, mom, Aunt Jan, Julie and I) met up with Steve and Helen, Allyn and Bob, and Bob and Candy. Bob has a Canine Companions for Independence service dog named Piazi, who is actually Pluto's brother!
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| Mom and Aunt Jan |
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| Jules and me |
In typical Arizona style, there was not a cloud in the sky and the temperatures were in the mid to high eighties - perfect for me but a bit hot for Dash and his other black-dog friends! Don't worry though, we managed to find the one (tiny) tree in the park and pretend it provided more shade than it actually did!
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| Dash, Piazi, Pluto, and Tundra - black dogs unite! |
After a while of socializing under the tree, I felt drawn back to the game - and it's a good thing I followed my instincts! Little did I know but Uncle Dave and Aunt Karin were about to give us the surprise of a lifetime - our names on the big screen! I was in SHOCK!
And lest you worry about my fair complexion and Dash's temperature...
And if this day were a cake, it didn't just have icing but also a gnash filling! Not only did the Tribe beat the Cubs 10-6, but when we got home from the game there was a framed photo of the jumbotron shoutout and a ball, signed by the whole team. See?! Being late pays off! :-)
Our day at the game was even better than I could have imagined. I almost always go to the Cleveland Home Opener, but it sold out extremely quickly this year. Normally, I would have been really disappointed about this, but having gone to a Spring Training game definitely took the edge off - and was measurably warmer! I'm hoping to make this a new yearly tradition for sure!
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