I do like going to see different ballparks, both the big, MLB parks and the smaller, more intimate, minor league and spring training fields. Three weeks ago we got in three games at Spring Training in Phoenix.

We were supposed to have a 1:00 afternoon game at Surprise Stadium, but the forecast was for 108° at game time and in the interest of not killing the players, the fans, or the stadium staff, MLB moved all games at all parks in Arizona to start at 18:30. When it was only like 102°. Balmy!!

Tempe Diablo is the Angels’ home park and this is something like the fourth or fifth game I’ve been to there. Again, 105° at game time, but we played on. They said our seats would be in the shade “after a couple of innings.” They lied through their teeth. In the sun the whole game, sizzling like bacon on a pan. Most of the sane fans went and found a spot to stand up on the concourse in the shade.

On Saturday the Angels were off, on their way back to LA for the Freeway Series against the Dodgers, so we went to American Family Fields to watch the Brewers. Again, nice seats near the front, right behind home plate – IN THE SUN. I asked one of the ushers about the shade situation, he said it would reach our seats “soon,” but in the meantime, there were plenty of empty seats in the shade a few rows back, so feel free to move to one of those and DON’T BE STUPID. That seemed like good advice, so we moved.

We’ll see when we get to a game here. When we were in West Hills we usually tried to get down to Anaheim for an Angels game once or twice a year, and maybe to a game at Dodger Stadium. That may or may not happen from Hesperia.

However, there are two nearby minor leage parks out here. Rancho Cucamonga is only 30 minutes away and the Angels have a single-A affiliate there, the Quakes. Nearby, this is the first year for the Ontario Tower Buzzers, the Dodgers’ single-A affiliate. It shouldn’t be too hard to get to a game or two at one or both of those sites.

Play ball!