This made me laugh our loud...had to share - Full story: espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/springtraining_2016startofspring/rejoice-baseball-fans-spring-training-here
In 2003, Indians pitcher Brian Anderson boarded the team bus at 8 a.m. for the two-hour drive to Vero Beach, Florida, for a spring training game. Thirty minutes into the trip, Anderson realized that he had forgotten his hat, his spikes and his glove back in Winter Haven.
"I was running late that morning because I knew I was going to get to hit in the game, so I was looking for the really important things: batting gloves and a bat,'' Anderson said. "When we got to Vero, I was in full panic mode. I borrowed a car and went to a mall, but there wasn't one glove in the whole mall, but I found some Adidas spikes. On the way back to the ballpark, I saw a Wal-Mart. I thought, 'Hey, Wal-Mart has everything ... tires ... produce ... it must have a baseball glove.' I found one: $29.95, already broken in. It was a softball glove. A Wilson. It was awful. I borrowed someone's hat and pitched in the game. Of course, I got three comebackers to the mound, and I caught them all because my new glove was as big as a butterfly net; it made [Greg] Maddux's glove look small. That day reminded me of when I was 17, playing legion ball. That is spring training to me.''
Another gem from the article:
Late in spring training in 1984, Rangers outfielder Larry Parrish told his teammates to purposely make outs against Royals starter Paul Splittorff, who was nearing the end of an excellent career but needed a good final spring training start in order to make the team. If Splittorff had pitched well against the Rangers, Parrish figured, they would get to face him in the first month of the regular season, when they could light him up when the games counted.
Anyone out there have any Spring Training stories to share? I've never made it FL or AZ yet...
My San Antonio Missions will be starting the season soon...and minor league ball is great. If anyone is in SA let me know...we can hang out at The Wolff.
2/19/2016 3:50 PM (edited)