Spring Training - Day 2

After a restless night of tinny feet in my kidney, I needed some "good" coffee. Of course the hotel only served Maxwell House, mmmmm yummm! So, I decided to get breakfast with the boys then head to the pool for some playtime. At the same time, my wife headed on a mission to find a Starbucks. No joke, she was back an hour and a half later with a lukewarm Cup-O-Joe. I started connecting the dots to how my day was going to play out.

The game started at 1pm, so we headed over early to grab some lunch and take in the ambiance of the ballpark. I was really impressed with the Peoria Sports Complex and the people that make it work. There are lots of open spaces for the kids to run around and play catch. There is also a small park in the park to play on, and fundraising games for kids. I'm proud to share my oldest was the top eight year old for pitching speed during the two days. He threw 46 MPH the first day and 49 MPH the second day. I hope he likes playing baseball for a very long time because I refuse to be the parent that pushes him to play a sport he doesn't enjoy, and he is so good at it.

The game was super fun, even for my daughter who got to know all of the volunteer helpers around the stadium. All she wanted to do was walk around. All you dads out there with baby girls know that the princess gets what she wants. Man, I hate being so whooped by a two year old. My oldest escaped his seat often to return with a new autograph from a favored Padre player; he totaled eight by the end of the day. My middle was happiest when sitting on someone's lap to grab a better view of the game. He is the one most interested in the game itself. He sometimes will impersonate Josh Bard, his favorite player. He'll throw his hat on backwards, squat down, put his glove out in front, and his throwing hand behind him as he becomes Bard, the catcher for the Padres. It's nearly the funniest thing you'll ever get to see.

We finished up the day with a couple of well spent hours at the local Red Robin for dinner, then off to bed for another kidney assault. Thank goodness the dots connected to make it a great day.