Thursday, February 10, 2005

Countdown to Spring Training

Three weeks and two days until our first Spring Training game. It will be in Mesa, Cubs hosting the Giants. No Barry Bonds (he’s recuperating from surgery), but you have to love the dynamics: Dusty on the Cubs; Moises Alou (and dad) on the Giants.

Before Spring Training, we’ll wander down to the park on the corner of Hayden & Camelback to see the Giants warm up. They will begin straggling in over the next week; we checked today to see if anyone was around, and the place was deserted save for the groundskeeper getting things ready. The warm up site used to be a well-kept secret; back in ’92, I stood next to the cage and talked to Dusty. Now, it’s fairly crowded with autograph seekers.

Leads me to wonder: will the Giants have Alou Day this year at SBC? I’d fly up to see Felipe, Jesus, Moises and Matty on the same field. It’s not The Beatles reunion, but for me, it’s darned close. I do believe Matty, Jesus and Felipe all played for the Giants in the field at the same time in the early ‘60s. Matty’s best years were in Pittsburgh; Jesus’ were in Houston.

Note to Brian Sabean (Giants GM): Please—Alou Day!!