Odds & Ends from Reds Spring Training

So, I'm back in New York, baking chocolate chip cookies in order to bribe thank my coworkers for covering for me while I was gone.  Sorry I can't share cookies with youse guys (and TFM's are probably better, anyway), but I thought I'd share a few virtual souvenirs from Arizona...random tidbits that didn't fit into my spring training photo essays.

I nicknamed this cactus "Jay Bruce" because it looked like it was flipping me off.

Here's what the Goodyear Ballpark spring training tickets looked like:

Basically, everything's shared at Goodyear, between the Indians and the Reds.  The spring training guide comes in two versions, one with a Reds cover and one with an Indians cover, but the contents are the same.  The gift shop is half Indians stuff and half Reds stuff.

The Reds have the third base dugout, the Indians have the first base dugout.  I wonder what that means for visiting teams.  Is there a separate locker room for visiting teams, so neither of the two home teams has to worry about cleaning out their lockers to make room?

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Speaking of the spring training guide...here's what the Reds version looks like:

(Yes, Joey Votto is everywhere at Goodyear.  He's definitely become the face of the Reds.  I wonder how BP feels about that...)

The Reds portion of the guide contains mug shots of the 40-man roster and coaching staff, a feature on Devin Mesoraco (with a couple of large photos of him in his Hillcat uniform), shorter bits on Hamilton, Sappelt, and DoJo, and a profile of Jay Bruce.

There's also a "season preview" section, with photos of Votto, Volquez, Wood, BP, Chapman, Rolen and Bruce.

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They didn't have copies of the Maple Street Press Annual, but they were selling the 2011 Reds Media Guide at the ballpark giftshop.  You can read it online if you don't mind PDF format, but I bought a paper copy.  Mainly because I love the cover photo (click for larger version):

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This is a detail from a photo I took looking toward home plate at Goodyear.

Marty drinks Diet Coke!

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There was a fan (apparently a season ticket holder, because he was there every day) who would lead the same cheer throughout the game.

Everybody clap your hands!
I said EVERYBODY clap your hands!
Everybody do the wave!
I said EVERYBODY do the wave!

He yelled this incessantly. It didn't really bother me (though it was a bit awkward by the end of the games, when the likes of Mike Costanzo and Brodie Greene were playing, and maybe 2-3 people were left in the section to clap their hands or do the wave.) However, some people found it very annoying - to the point that they were muttering death threats. Finally, Eric Davis turned around and said, "How about everybody give it a rest?"

The fan in question took offense.  Mark Berry stepped in to defend Davis, telling the fan something like, "Next time, we're cutting you off at three beers."  He then turned away, went onto the field, and began talking to the cop on duty along the third base line.

I don't think he was actually discussing the rowdy fan at all; this cop seemed to be a friend of the Reds staff. But fans started yelling, "Tase him! Tase him!"

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Eric Davis is a real character.  He spent a lot of time at the top of the dugout steps, alternately teasing the players and the fans in the stands.  He even talked to me, commenting on how long my lens was.  (It wasn't that long - only 200mm.)  I told him size isn't everything.

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A fan sitting behind me really liked my lens.  He asked if it would work with his iPhone.  I told him no, and he said, "You mean there's no app for that?"

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Darn, I think I left the cookies in too long.  I confess, I like them crispy. Mom always made them that way, so that's how I like them.  But I get the feeling most people like them soft.