3 Signs?!?!?!

Monday taught us that there are 4 extremely important things to have along our journey this week...

1.) Water
2.) Sunscreen
3.) Team Rosters
4.) Directions to Destinations

We had all but three of them today...and missing that one thing ended up getting the police involved...

1.) and 2.) pretty much go together. It's pretty hot here. Today was in the upper 80s and no cloud in the sky...so sitting in a baseball park during the peak afternoon hours (1-3:30 PM) with no escape from the sun requires skin protection and much hydration. Luckily we had both!

The importance of having a 3.) a team roster for the teams you are watching in a spring training game is because many of the players people don't know, because they are some of the younger "kids" who are trying to make the big league team, but also because many of the teams do not put their names on the backs of their jerseys and if you're about to get someone's autograph, or if you just want to say "hi" to the players who are casually walking right by you (as you get so close to the players at spring training games), you're going to want to know who it is, so the roster is crucial. Not only should you print out a copy of the "40-man Active Roster" from the teams website, but also the "Non-Roster Invites" list, as that's where you'll find the names of most the "kids."

So as you can guess from my detailed comment on which rosters to print, it was not the "team rosters" that we didn't have today. So yes, it was the directions to our destination(s) that was lacking.

Now, typically I'm pretty good directionally, but I will admit a compass is always very important to me (which my friend's car doesn't have), and a simple printed off directions from mapquest always gets me where I need to go. I'm great at following directions, even when they are just verbally given to me. But when we headed to Phoenix I admitted I hadn't had time to print all the "To's" and "From's" directions for each of the stadiums from our hotel, so I just planned to mapquest the destinations the night before and hand-write the directions (as we don't have access to a printer here). So last night I looked up the directions and since it was so late I figured I'd copy them down the next morning (so I just created short-cuts to the directions on my desktop for quick access and planned to get them this morning).

Well I forgot. And actually, when we got in the elevator to go to the car I was like, "Whoa, for a minute I thought I might have forgotten the directions...but I got the papers in my bookbag." So then we got to the car and I pulled out the papers and remembered I had forgotten to write them down (I was thinking of some other directions I had written). So as we considered that we were already running late, and we were too lazy to go back up to the room and turn on the computer, we decided to wing-it. I mean we did have this map of the "vicinity" in which all the spring training stadiums are located in (note it has no actual addresses on it though), and I had brought a 2003 USA atlas I had, which had a full page map of Phoenix, so we figured between the two we could surely find our destinations, right?! Well, not so much. And believe it or not, you'd THINK you would be able to see these stadiums from some distance away...uhh, no!

So today's PLAN was to catch the Cub's practice this morning...get there at like 10 AM...and then after that, hit up the Angels vs. Giants game at 1 PM in Scottsdale. So off we headed to the Cubbies stadium. We left our hotel about 9:30 AM. By about 10:20 we get in the "vicinity" of the stadium (according to the vicinity map), but we just can not find it! I'm driving up and down streets, we KNOW it has to be SOMEWHERE right around where we are at. We are looking in the skies for stadium lights, but all we keep seeing is palm trees, palm trees, and PALM TREES! WHERE YOU AT, CUBS STADIUM!?!?! Okay, we aren't men, so I'm like, "We are going to stop and ask someone, because the batting practice is probably almost over, if not already -- we've got to find it." So we pull into a Walgreens to ask. The first employee we see is a boy who looks like he's 14 years old...but he's obviously working, so he's probably capable enough of handling directions to the stadium in the neighborhood, right? [Once again] Well, not so much.

So at first he sounded like he wasn't going to know, he said something to the extent of "Um, I think I remember"...so I was thinking, "Uhh...this kid needs to be in school, not working during the day!" HA! But then he rattled it off like he knew exactly. So we left feeling slightly confident. So we do exactly as he said, and uhh....no stadium.

Lesson Learned -- You can't always trust the locals!

So it's 11 AM by now and we've accepted we won't be seeing any Cubs practice, but I tell my friend, I feel like I've failed that we couldn't find a stadium...I mean seriously...it isn't like it's a hole-in-the-wall place! So I say, I am going to go to the next street AFTER the one that kid sent us on, and let's hope it's over there...if not, let's head on to the Giant's stadium. I mean seriously, we had driven that whole "vicinty", so about the only place left it could be was that "next street."

So once we get on that "street" the signs start popping up that say "No Ballpark Parking" -- we're close!!!! It's gotta be right around here...let's turn right here at this major intersection. Red light. Complete stop. Blinker. No cars coming. No pedestrians. No bikes (their are bikers and pedestrians EVERYWHERE here). I turn.

I immediately look to the left and see it. STADIUM LIGHTS!!!! Then I glance in my rearview and see more lights -- cop lights! You've GOT to be kidding me!!

I'm telling my friend, "what did I do!?"

She's like, "You blinkered"

"I know, right" I say.

I get pulled over and the nice cop strolls up to my window.

"Ma'am, I pulled you over because you turned right at the intersection back there when there are 3 signs that say 'No Right Turn On Red'"

[I'm thinking...3 signs...are you kidding me!?!?! I didn't see a single sign. Hmmm...now I guess I was looking more for stadium lights than 'No turn' signs...but still]

"I'm going to need your license and driver's insurance please, ma'am"

"Yes sir. I'm so sorry. We are from out of town. We're trying to find the Cubs stadium..."

"Well you should have went straight through the intersection and then the second right"

I'm thinking: Yeah, I've already spotted it by now...why didn't you pull me over an hour ago.

"Oh, okay. Thank you."

[Hand him my driver's license]

"Okay, hold on, I'll be back in a minute"

"Did you not want my insurance card" [I state back out the window as he's walking off]

"No, that's okay, just hold on"

I turn to my friend and say, "3 SIGNS?!?!?! DID YOU SEE THREE SIGNS!?!? DID YOU SEE EVEN ONE SIGN?!"

"No!"

" I bet he's going to let us off with a warning...gotta love talking your way out of a ticket. He's just going to check and see if I got any warrants...HA HA!"

So he comes back, gives us a warning and that's it.

Phew. Nice guy though. I really think the fact that we were two young ladies from outta town (obvious from our driver's license and license plate) that he let us off. I mean we had blinkered....come on! HA!

And just for kicks, we drove back through that intersection, because I wanted to see those "3 signs" as did my friend. We saw two of them, so yeah, we must have just been too distracted looking for the stadium, as well as taking in how strange the right turn lane was, because it had to intersection with the bike lane.

So yes, we found the Cubs stadium. Took a few pictures outside. Then moved on to our 1 PM game. Got there, bought tickets for two seats out in the furthest section along the third base line near the foul poll. We soaked in the sun (but didn't seem to burn really, since we had lathered up in our sunscreen)...and enjoyed an 8-5 win by the Angels (even amidst the annoying drunk hecklers that kept trash talking the LA left fielders).

So far...better fans at the Cubs vs. Diamondbacks game on Sunday. Giants stadium trumps the Diamondbacks stadium. And Carl's Jr's Guacamole Burger beats Burger Island's (that's in Irving, for those who don't know Burger Island). Man, I haven't had a Carl's Jr burger in a LONG time!

Tomorrow...RANGER'S TIME!!!! And from what I'm hearing/seeing, the Ranger's organization truly is the more "fan friendly" club. Can't Wait!!

Note: I've already WRITTEN OUT the directions to the Ranger's stadium for tomorrow. HA!