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Padres Spring Training!
Spring Training weekend for the Thompson-Olsen-Hill-Evers Clan came a week earlier than usual this year which was a good thing! Not only because we had great weather, but because the rest of Spring Training was cancelled due to the Corona Virus.
I'm posting this on March 27, 2020, which would have been the second day of the regular season. Instead, well, I've got plenty of time to catch up on neglected tasks, such as updating my website. So here we go.
Tommy, Trevor, Mary, Neal, Jenny, Patty, & Lorri at our first game, a Friday night game.
A beautiful evening for a ball game and a selfie or two. Here I am with Patty sporting a 2017 Spring Training cap and a 2010 Spring Training T-shirt - a good photo of Patty and me, don't you think?
Me, Lorri, and Neal, getting ready for some baseball action!
...And here it is!
It was great to have a couple representatives from the next generation of Padre fans, Trevor Thompson and Jenny Evers.
The next day the Padres were playing on the other side of Phoenix, way too far to drive considering our propensity for tailgating.
We decided to stay in Peoria and see a Seattle Mariners game instead.
Why all the green on March 7th? Well, usually we're here on the middle weekend in March, on or about St. Patrick's Day. Since we're a week early this year, we celebrated a little early. Hey, how about a shot?
OK, Slainte!
...and again!
...and again!
The senior group
Have I mentioned that I'm a big fan of ketchup as well as the Padres? (Maybe it's because the Padres all too often are playing "catch-up") I was glad to see we had an adequate supply. Neal offered to "borrow" the ketchup dispenser from one of the hot dog stands in the stadium, but that proved unnecessary.
After ruthlessly stabbing the cutting board, Tom waves to the late arrivals.
I put a new coat of paint on the washers!
One of Tom's innumerable ringers. He's gotten much better since he installed a horseshoe pit in the community open space behind his backyard. That's what Neal told me anyway.
Corned beef for St. Paddy's Day? Yep.
As well as pan-seared tater tots and hash browns!
Great seats as usual, even though none of us are Mariners fans.
Me and my martini pal, Trevor.
The view from our seats.
Ryan, Kim, and little Everly joined us for dinner that night at On The Border.
The next day, Sunday, we had an afternoon home game against the White Sox
We made it a "brown out" in honor of the Padres "new" brown and yellow color scheme.
Here's our lineup: we got to see a little of Manny, Hoz, Wil, and Chris Paddock, our fledgling Ace.
Tommy got a photo with Captain America and Jasmine from Aladdin (I had to ask)
I guess we forgot to tell Neal and Mary about the brown thing.
We all are wearing the same shirt! Well not really the same shirt but three different shirts with the same design!
Here we have Everly, Uncle Trev, Kim, Ryan, and Grandma Patty.
Play ball!
On Monday, we played the Dodgers in another afternoon home game. I think this was Fernando Tatis Jr's first appearance in a game this Spring. The kid is fun to watch!
The Padres got pounded 14-2, but who cares? We had fun!
Time for some 'shoes after the game. It was me and Ryan vs Tom and Neal. From what I hear, Tom and Neal are becoming a formidable force in competitive Pickleball in North County San Diego.
Here Neal is concentrating on his next throw.
Neal has adopted a style of shoe pitching that, while in the air, the horseshoe looks like wobbly U-shaped flying saucer/Frisbee/wounded duck. Next year I hope to capture its essence in a video. Anyway, until next year, perhaps Tom and Neal can get in some horseshoe practice between pickleball tournaments!!! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
It was a great weekend, as usual, and great to spend time with everyone. Sorry Jenny couldn't stay longer. Love to all!
Go Padres! Wait. They can't go anywhere right now except the grocery store. Let's hope there is a baseball season this year. The Pads are on the verge!
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