Peoria Spring Training - Part 1

 So we were really excited when we found out that the Mike Trout Transcendent party was going to be held in Arizona right before Spring Training.  We had never been to a Spring Training game before, but we love the Mariners (And Cubs) and have season tickets to the local short season single A team, even though they are a farm team for the Giants.  We just love baseball.  We had seen minor league games in Texas, and thought it would be a great opportunity to see the M's farm team play in the Spring.  We bought our tickets online and picked them up at will call, and it was entirely painless.  Even better, about a mile from the stadium there was an In-and-Out burger.  Awesome.

The stadium itself was really beautiful.  It had rained and was about 40 degrees the day before, so this was a pleasant improvement to about 55 or so.  Still jacket weather, but the sun was out and was shining the whole time.  We even got a bit of a sunburn.  Our tickets were right next to the Mariners dugout, and we had fantastic seats, even with the extended netting.  We sat right on the aisle in section 115 where the kids ran down to get foul balls and end-of-inning balls.  I think every kid got at least 2-3 during the game.  Really cool.

It's hard to read in this picture, but we actually got to see King Felix Hernandez start the game.  He had a great first inning, but ran out of gas in the second.  He still got a very loud ovation.  It was unexpected, but still very cool.  We were also stoked to be able to see Franchy Cordero play again, as he is a personal favorite and hobby darling of mine.  I must say that despite his performance, King Felix was very well respected by fans of both teams and obviously the other players.  There is a clear understanding of the enormity of what he means and what he has meant to Seattle Mariners baseball.