Spring Scottsdale vacation

[sfgdood]

I have decided to take my 2017 vacation in Arizona this spring. It's been too many years since I've been to a Cactus League game. I can't make the week of the 6th because I have a previous commitment. But I was thinking the first week of games, including the March 1 game against the damn Dodgers in Scottsdale but nothing's set in stone. Anyone else planning on going this coming spring?

[Rog]

Spring Training is a lot of fun, although it isn't close to being what it was years ago. Still, Spring Training is the most relaxed opportunity we have to watch the Giants. Where else can we see Mike Murphy walking his dog before games! Speaking of Mike, he's still going, isn't he?

Don't miss a chance to eat at Don and Charlie's. They may have the best memorabilia of any place outside the Hall of Fame. McCovey's restaurant (re-opening close to AT&T is it before the 2018 season?) is great in its own right, but it pales in comparison to the Scottsdale establishment. Sadly, the unique Pinnacle Peak Patio restaurant has gone out of business. If you look at their reviews, you may find that you would have loved to go there with Kimberly Doka.

I would love to take Barbara to Spring Training for the first time, but it won't be this year. Too many other plans already in place for 2017.

[sfgdood]

The guys I'm wanting most to see play are Chris Shaw and Christian Arroyo. I want to see how Shaw fares against big league pitchers and I want to see Arroyo show us some power, which he showed zip in 2016.

[klaiggeb]

Those are EXACTLY the guys I'm curious about, too, Randy, so when you get home, or if you can when you're there... PLEASE tell us what you see.

boly

[sfgdood]

I'll definitely take my laptop so you guys will get updates while Im there

[Islandboagie]

I am planning on heading down there as well.

I'll be interested to see those players, but also the Cain/Blach competition for the 5th spot, as well as Williamson/Parker and hopefully Tomlinson competition for LF. The backup catcher position might be under consideration also, but for now it's Brown's to lose.

[garyd4sf]

I've been there 6 years in a row and this will be the 7th year 

One thing.. the week in which St Patrick's day falls is normally the spring break for schools and they overfill all attractions including the ballparks and museums, etc. the Giants home tix are really tough to get and lousy seating except for those between the first and third bases. Better to see the Giants outside outside of Scottsdale. But the Giants store there is a fans paradise.

As to recommendations of the best parks, stuff outside of ballgames, restaurants , etc. Let me know your preference and I can give you some suggestions.

One such is the Organ Stop in Mesa...mainly a pizza place/ salad buffet  but the attraction is the biggest pipe organ in the West with a great kitschy concert including lots of audience sing alongs,  or an appropriate Phantom of the Opera vibrating the walls. Sounds dumb but is fun. Best New Mexico food in the area, best pizza, best seafood, places to see, etc.

[Islandboagie]

You sound like a veteran of Spring Training, Gary. Do you remember the old Pink Pony? That's the place I miss the most.

[garyd4sf]

Dec 29, 2016 17:48:02 GMT -5 Islandboagie said:

I am planning on heading down there as well.

I'll be interested to see those players, but also the Cain/Blach competition for the 5th spot, as well as Williamson/Parker and hopefully Tomlinson competition for LF. The backup catcher position might be under consideration also, but for now it's Brown's to lose.

There is always one guy in Spring training that comes out of nowhere and impresses. Usually its an outfielder. I can remember Parker hitting a ball way over the fence but foul by a lot . On the very next pitch he hit it farther and 10 feet in fair territory.

If you go to Scottsdale I recommend paying the piper and getting a seat off stub hub or other ticket swapping. I got tickets through San Francisco Giants site the first day individual seats were available last year and literally ended against the fence in the last seat along the left field line. Hot and bad sight lines. But I also saw three other away games in other parks under the shaded stands and near home plate. Choose the latter if possible. The newer stadiums are better re. shade, seats, and food. And you get to see other stars signing autographs for $$. I got to talk with Bob Feller for a while and got his. He died later that year. He was a good guy whose handshake enveloped mine.  I can see why he was a stellar pitcher in his day. .

I didn't get to the Pink Pony but did go to a couple of cowboy bars in Scottsdale with country music playing, and some of the best burgers I tasted. I've been to about 20 Scottsdale restaurants from downscale (Rusty Spur Saloon) to upscale  (Wildfish, Cowboy Ciao, Roka Okor) and there is always something interesting within a mile or two walk of the park as you know.

[Rog]

Do you remember the old Pink Pony?

Rog -- The Pink Pony was really famous, although I'm not sure I have heard about it from anyone aside from Giants announcers. Another place that was highly regarded was the old Red Dog Saloon.

A party buddy of mine pitched several seasons in the minors for the Giants, getting only as high as a cup of coffee in AAA. One fall he played in the Arizona Fall League and was on the floor of the Red Dog drinking with some baseball buddies. A waitress brought a pitcher of beer to them, and said it was from the guy up in the balcony. Marty and the guys looked up, and there was Jimmy Ray Hart, in between two girls, waving down at them.

An aside: Marty thought his slider was as good as Randy Moffett's. Randy might have had the first truly great slider I can remember on the Giants. I had the opportunity to watch both Marty's slider and Randy's from right behind, and as is pretty obvious by the levels they reached, there was little comparison.

Randy's slider was Billy Moffett King, and Marty's was the older Bobby Riggs.

[Rog]

Christian Arroyo is still quite young (21), but his power projects more like the shortstop he signed as or possibly a second baseman. In fact, given the power resurgence last season at both those positions, his power might even be a little light for those spots.

Here are Christian's positives: Excellent contact, highly intelligent, good overall make up.

His negatives: Below-average speed, hardly ever walks, no true position since he has a middle infielder's bat and corner speed.

Fielding percentage is only a partial way to evaluate a player's fielding, but Christian's has been low at the three infield positions he has played. Shortstop .959. Third base .926. Second base .990. It's easier to make errors on less manicured minor league infields, but except for second base, those are very low even for the minors.

The sample sizes at second and third bases are small, so perhaps he's really not quite a .990 fielder at second base and is better than a .26 fielder at the hot corner.

Christian's hitting dropped off at AA Richmond to just .264 with a .689 OPS. Than again, Joe Panik's hitting dropped off there too (a near-idential .257/.680), and Joe was playing well in the majors the following season. Joe was a year and a half older too. But Joe still showed plate control with only 68 strikeouts to 58 walks, while Christian struck out 72 times with only 29 walks. Christian struck out slighly more and had only half as many walks.

Christian's goal entering last season was to be more patient and look for balls he could drive. With just 99 points of isolated power (SLG - BA), clearly that didn't work out particularly well. But he did have 36 doubles. If he can turn some of those doubles into home runs, he could still have at least marginal pop for a third baseman, but right now I don't see him as a top 50 prospect.

In other words, the Brewers are considered by some to the have the top minor league system right now. They have SIX prospects ranked as high as or higher than Christian, who is still considered by most to be the Giants' top prospect. One of those prospects ranked slightly higher than Christian is Phil Bickford, whom the Brewers acquired from the Giants in the Will Smith trade.

I think it might be fair to call Christian -- as much as I like the guy -- a slower, worse-fielding Joe Panik with less plate control. I said a year ago I wouldn't hesitate to trade Christian, and I feel at least as much that way now as I did then. I certainly wouldn't give him away, but I wouldn't hesitate to include him in a deal for a needed piece.

I give Christian an A for make up and an B+ for contact. The rest of his game I find average or below. I'm hoping he will show us more this season, but two or three other prospects might go around him IMO. At least I hope the other prospects are good enough to do so.

[Islandboagie]

Rog -- The Pink Pony was really famous, although I'm not sure I have heard about it from anyone aside from Giants announcers.

Boagie- The players, coaches and umpires used to go there before it got too popular in the mid 90's. I enjoyed it because they had the most extensive collection of Giants memorabilia on their walls. I saw a few players, coaches, umpires, and met Gene Autry, but the main attraction for me was the prime rib. Over time the prime rib got smaller while the bill got bigger.

[Rog]

Over time the prime rib got smaller while the bill got bigger.


Rog -- Nicely put, Boagie. Kind of seems like a parable of life sometimes, doesn't it?




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