The Dodgers have swept the Milwaukee Brewers and are going to their second straight World Series. In the deciding fourth game, Shohei Ohtani pitched six innings, struck out ten Brewers and hit three home runs. Maybe the greatest single game performance in MLB playoff history and sure fun to watch.
The Series starts on Friday against the Blue Jays. Since we have a couple of days without Dodger baseball, my thoughts wandered back to the very start of this season and our 2025 Spring Training road trip.
Around here 2025 will forever be marked as the year of the Eaton Fire. On January 7 we evacuated amid rising flames behind our house and gale force Santa Ana winds. Then, on February 13, we were hit with a torrential rain storm. So by late February, we were happy to get out of town and Arizona called. It was perfect timing for a roadtrip.
Spring Training Road Trip from East Pasadena to Glendale, Arizona
I enjoy Spring Training. Always have. Warm sun, green grass, crack of the at, slap of the glove, new stories and high hopes. I like it all.
And, I even enjoy the drive to Arizona. Leave before noon, jump on the 210 to the 10, then stop in Cabazon for a Hadley’s Date Shake. Then it’s back on the 10, past the desert cities and on to the Chiriacu Summit with the fantastic General Patton museum. Onward through beautiful Blythe, over the Colorado River, and then onto Quartzite, which is actually an interesting place. You can get gas there and go to rock shops. From then on, just a boring ride into Glendale, AZ.
Personally, I am not crazy about the Phoenix metro area. Don’t know why anyone lives there. But, I do like the many ballparks that are spring training sites for 15 major league teams. Each ballpark is like a green oasis from the otherwise dreary Phoenix landscape. Stadiums are small, prices low and the atmosphere relaxed.
From a fan’s standpoint, you get to see a lot of different players. Early in spring there are the young prospects (we saw 20-year old Zyhir Hope hit a home run). On the other end of the spectrum, there are journeymen players desperate to show they still have it. Of course, the superstars are there too.
And, that brings us to Shohei Ohtani and the photograph above.
Shohei Ohtani
Now the really big stars don’t often play in spring games. Instead, they do their workouts on the many Dodger practice fields. The fields are open to the public and, if you want to see someone like Ohtani or Betts or Freeman, you need to walk behind the Camelback stadium to the practice fields and you need to go early.
So, that’s what I did. I expected just a few die hard types. Boy was I wrong.
I was among thousands of Dodger fans milling about the practice fields. Many, like me, were there just to see what we could see. Others came prepared, carrying autograph books and still others were loaded down with camera equipment. The place was a flurry of action, with pitchers in one area and hitters taking swings at multiple practice diamonds and fans moving from one diamond to another. Dodger players were escorted through the crowds to the workout area.
Then, a shout went out. Ohtani!! Ohtani!! A crowd of people shifted toward the shout. Then the rush — the kind of rush where you move along with the crowd, but you don’t know exactly where you are going. It soon became clear — Ohtani was being escorted to a practice field and the crowd was following.
Ohtani made his way to the plate. His batting stance is immediately recognizable with left elbow out and bat held high. The star took his practice cuts with all kinds of fans recording the action. He finished his practice and was escorted back to the clubhouse.
Spring Training Bonus
Spring training games are fun. But Phoenix is not. So, each year we try to find some interesting place to stay that is a bit out of town. Generally, we’ve ventured north and have stayed in Cave Creek and Carefree. Seems we always find something interesting to do there.
Last year, we drove further north to New River, which is a census designated place in Maricopa County and home to the Road Runner Restaurant and Saloon. We dined at the Road Runner and had a very good meal with a lively karaoke. Definitely a cowboy crowd and we were a bit out of place. We sat beside a corral, where they offer bull riding practice on Thursday nights.
Oh, the lodging in New River was interesting too and marked the first time we stayed in a modified shipping container. It is as small as it looks, but was actually quite comfortable.
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