Last week of Spring Training in Tucson...forever

It is with great sadness that a Spring Training era comes to an end after next week.  From the Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Arizona Diamondbacks, major league baseball will officially depart Tucson.....most likely forever.

For over 60 years, from the Indians first year in 1947, Tucson has always been the home to at least one team for Spring Training.  With the Indians departure to Florida after 1992 (and now back in the Phoenix area of course), Tucson quickly rebounded and landed the Colorado Rockies in 1993.  Five years later, the White Sox and Diamondbacks joined them.

It just seems hard to imagine not seeing any teams coming here again after next week.  And it really won't hit home for real until next February when pitchers and catchers report and there will be nothing in Tucson but signs pointing north to go see baseball.

Hopefully a few Japanese league teams will in fact land here and play at TEP soon, but it still won't be the same.  Nothing can replace good old-fashioned American major league baseball....especially in the spring.

Great day at the ballpark

In what I would consider an absolutely perfect day for baseball, took in the D-backs and A's yesterday at TEP in Tucson.  The backdrop of the snow capped Catalina Mountains beyond left-center field is a thing of beauty.  Clear skies.  About 70 degrees.  Oh, and the D-backs hammered the A's 10-1.

I was quite impressed with Ian Kennedy in the start.  Now the A's aren't exactly the Bronx Bombers of the West Coast, but saw enough of Kennedy to believe he will in fact be a solid fourth (or gasp third if Webb is DL'd) starter in this rotation.  Probably as good as any fourth guy in the N.L.  The Arizona bullpen was quite impressive as well - it seems to me that Juan Gutierrez is getting better and better.  He's just seems to have a good combination of power and command.

Still pushing for Tony Abreu to make this squad, but my feeling at this point is that Augie Ojeda will make the club to start the season, and Abreu will go to AAA Reno.  That gives the D-backs the flexibility of bringing Abreu back at anytime if needed.  Abreu just really impresses with both his defensive skills (solid range, soft hands, and much better shortstop than Ojeda) and has displayed a great knack for spraying the ball around as well.  Just don't think Byrnes and Hinch are quite ready to pull the trigger on Abreu and keep him on the Opening Day roster....but I'd give them many props if they did.

On the flip side, sure wish I was seeing more out of Chris Young.  I'm seeing a lot of the same from him at the plate, and somewhat surprised as this spring is huge for Young in terms of getting back in the good graces of this team.  Hope he picks it up in the next couple of weeks....