Initial Thoughts From The Fort

It's everything you want it to be. It's warm. It's having both road and away games within driving distance, every day. It is peeks of minor leaguers and up close access to major leaguers. It is watching Byron Buxton glide into a triple and Tom Kelly feeding fungoes and encouragement to Kenny Vargas about ten yards away. It is new ballparks. It's hot dogs on the grill, and cold beer on a grass lawn overlooking left field. It is mist off the Gulf and dew on the grass. And all of these are only tastes; let me get you the main course.

It's an extra month of baseball at exactly the time at which you want an extra month of baseball. The human spirit needs baseball in March. (This truth is multiplied ten-fold for those who have experienced a Minnesota winter.) The spirit needs to unburden itself of the triple layer of fleece it is under and take flight. It needs to soak up a mixture of Vitamin D and Hope, more potent than anything Walter White could have cooked up. Spring training is fuel. It is depth. It is color.

It is Mecca, worthy of a pilgrimage, and if that's how you need to frame it in your mind to overcome the stasis in which you're imprisoned, then start pilgriming. If you can't make it in the next two weeks, use that time to start booking next year's trip. Get that PTO on the office calendar and start researching flights or condos or whatever. Don't be the 98% who read this and put it off. Here's why:

As you get older, you're going to start recognizing that life is shorter than you thought. And that's because it is. It certainly is for you. You're closer to your death than you have ever been and it's time you started taking that s*** seriously. Find a way to free yourself and get to spring training. This is why you are alive.

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In manager Paul Molitor's postgame talk today, there was understandably a lot of talk about Alex Meyer, who was demoted to the minor league camp this morning. The issue that is mentioned by detractors regarding Meyer is his age, as he's already 25 years old. Molitor was asked if Meyer's age raised any concerns. "Not for me," replied Molitor. "Sometimes different body types take a little longer to fix issues like that. He's got a lot of time to be really good."

The "body type" reference is likely in regard to Meyer's 6'9" frame. There was an interesting discussion in the forums in the story about Meyer's demotion where I wondered out loud if it takes taller pitches longer to gain a requisite level of consistency and control. So tonight I looked up Randy Johnson's career. Johnson didn't debut in the majors until he was .... 25 years old. His strikeout rate was rather pedestrian until he was 27. And he had a walk rate that was 6+ BB/9(!) in his 27 and 28-year-old seasons. He didn't really become the Big Unit until he was 29, at which point he had accumulated more than four years of service time.

That comparison can be looked at either way. On the one hand, it might show how big guys blossom late. Or it might show that pitchers who could be elite need to be able to work their craft and make adjustments in the majors. But at the very least, it seems to demonstrate that age might not be a big concern for large pitchers. In fact, it makes me question why we ever thought it was.

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An underrated aspect of any vacation: picking out the cheap sunglasses you're going to wear for the duration. Will you go for the Top Gun fighter, or Joel Goodson's Ray Bans, or maybe the sporty volleyball player wrap arounds? Who are you going to be this week? It's some of the best $20 you can spend on vacation.

The ones I picked were labeled "Player". Damn straight. #47YearOldDad

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I know you're waiting for the Hammond (now CenturyLink) Stadium beer report, so here goes:

Bud products rule the most taps, and they aren't even the real craft brews like Goose Island or Red Hook; it's mostly Shocktop and Longboard. But the Twins have done a nice job finding room for a wide variety of other beers if you look. First, Yuengling Lager is everywhere (one of the underrated aspects of Florida) and also their Black & Tan is in the stands behind first base. Across the aisle from it, you can find a Fat Tire kiosk, and the right field line has a similar kiosk with English import ales. Leinie's is easily found in a few places and I heard that Summit Pilsner is available, though I didn't find it. But if you really want to find some local craft brews go to the bar next to the right field foul pole, where you'll find Blue Point, Sweet Water and Jai Alai IPA all on tap.

Finally, I'd be remiss to not mention that a new stand down the right field foul line has beer milkshakes. They include three flavors and the Young's Double Chocolate Stout was recommended highly by a friend of Thrylos, so that is happening at some point this week, diet or no.