Rangers Lose (Again) and The District Marketplace

The Texas Rangers once again found themselves behind early after giving up six runs in four innings today. So far the Ranger pitching staff seems to be struggling. But this is nothing new, unfortunately.

It was another beautiful day at Surprise Stadium, with very little wind, 74 degrees, and bright sunny skies. Below are some pictures from today's game.


Ian Kensler, Michael Young, and ? taking a pre-game walk. The Homerun Party Deck behind them is a "bar and buffet" place for postgame tomfoolery. They usually have a live band on hand, plus plenty of suds.

One of the numerous photogs who are here to cover the games. I think he dropped his hotdog or something.

A young Rangers fan trying to ponder the question, "Why can't we ever find some pitching for this team?" Answer: Tom Hicks is a tightwad.

A Hippie and his companion singing the National Anthem. How groovy.

Either the National Anthem is being played...or, they are watching highlights from last year on the Jumbotron.

"Look, Daddy, the Padres just hit another homerun."

The scoreboard says it all. The Rangers scored some runs late (five), but it was too little too late. Kevin Mench's 3-run homer wasn't enough. Final score: Padres 9, Rangers 5.

This guy gets the "Dumbest Hat Award" for 2008 Spring Training. I think he let his love of baseball go to his head.

After the game I drove back east via Loop 101 and stopped off at a nice outdoor shopping mall, The District at Desert Ridge.

I'm at my "office", it's a Thursday night, and the place is a little strange tonight.

Just across the room from me is a group of people with Middle-Eastern accents discussing a new church they are starting--an evangelical church, not a Muslim one. It's a reminder of the "melting pot" our country is known for, and has renewed my faith in freedom. God bless America (hand over your heart, please).

Then, a woman approached a man drinking his latte and gave him a small button that said, "Accept Your Success." She tells the guy, "I'm with a group that believes to have true success you just have to believe in yourself. Tonight, our members were given the challenge to see how many buttons we can sell. Do you have a dollar? The button is free, but we are trying to sell them for a dollar." The guy sheepishly reached into his pocket. "Sure, I'll give you a buck." If she had approached me I would have said, "I'll give you two dollars if you'll go away and leave me in peace." She ignored me, however, because I quickly put on my headphones in order to send the messsage, "Leave me alone."

Just a recap of yesterday. I spent most the morning and early afternoon at the Fine Arts Expo (where you can hang out with artists while they work on stuff and you can basically bore them to death with questions like, "How do you make that shadow on the horse's head look so real?) I then drove further north to Carefree and the neighboring community of Cave Creek. At Cave Creek, a new western-themed retail and office development is almost completed. They call it "Stagecoach Village" and the development seeks to mimic an old western town.

So far, the only offices currently in use belong to real estate agents. A ReMax residential office is open, although I saw some agents still unloading their wagons and it appeared they were still moving in.

According to the newspaper, it will be another six to nine months before all of the offices and retail spaces are occcupied. It's a beautiful setting among the foothills of Black Mountain.

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That was yesterday. Today, my plan was to take a walking tour of Arizona State University, home of the Sun Devils. I spent about three hours on campus and in the area retail shops nearby.



Sun Devil Stadium is just a couple of blocks north of the main campus.


College Ave. Marketplace (above) is located between Sun Devil Stadium and the main campus further south. The mountain with an "A" on it is in the background. The University of Arizona in Tucson also has an "A" mountain. Why do colleges in Arizona feel the need to place big ugly letter A's on nearby mountains?

The best place to go shopping and have lunch is the Mill Avenue District just to the west of the campus. I found all kinds of places to eat, drink, buy stuff, and just hang out. (Photos below.)

I took the above shot of ASU head football coach Dennis Erickson, his face plastered on banners around the area. He's smiling because he makes over $2 million a year.

I took the photo above from the second floor of an old bookstore that specialized in out-of-date and collectible books like you find in most garage sales. They were going out of business (big surprise since there is a Border's Bookstore just down the street). The owner said I could rent the 1900 square foot retail space for $24 a foot. I told her, "I think I'll just buy these books." I found a drawing book published in the 1950's teaching how to sketch protraits, and a Civil War book of Mathew Brady's photographs.

Photos from my walking tour of the ASU campus:

The palm trees above are called Mexican Fan Palms (Washingtonia robusta). They come from Mexico and are very popular in Arizona for landscaping. The one drawback: they grow so tall you can't trim them without a very tall ladder.

I have found my working office. It's the Starbucks at the Kierland Commons mixed-use development on North Scottsdale Rd. at Greenway Pkwy. This Sbux is much larger than your average one, lots of room to spread out. The huge tables with laptop hookups are exactly what I need.

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Since I've been on the road, one of the first things I do when I visit a new city is find a local Starbucks to use as an office. In Tucson, I had two Starbucks I really liked: one on Speedway and the one near the UA campus on University Dr. So far, this is my favorite Sbux in Scottsdale. I'm sure I'll find other locations just as nice. Since I spend two or three hours minimum when I'm at a Sbux, it must be a nice one. I also stop daily at the Starbucks on Indian Bend Road near the Casino Arizona. It's handy, but small.

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Starbucks does have some serious competition, however, from a large Coffee Plantation cafe at the Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix. I love the Coffee Plantation. It has glass walls overlooking a manicured patio, plus free online access (at Starbucks I have to use T-Mobile). It is definitely upscale, being located next door to a Ralph Lauren retail store. I first stumbled upon the place after leaving the Border's Bookstore located across the parking lot.

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I mention these coffee shop locations because I spend so much time in them. I have always used Starbucks for work, even when I was brokering real estate back in Texas.

Rangers Lose...but Nolan Ryan Makes a Visit

I began the morning with good intentions: I wanted to find a Scottsdale fitness club to use for the month. I'm losing some pounds, but I need to get some exercise and I thought some free-weight training might firm up the mid-section (I'm old and flabby, you know).

I found a LA Fitnesss facility not far from the Casino Arizona (my home port), so I went inside and met John. John gave me a tour of the place and it was just right for my needs. However, the only rate plan available for a traveler like me was way too expensive.

"Why do they charge so much for guy who just wants to use the place a couple of times a week for a month?" I asked John.

"Uh...I don't know." He looked a little disappointed that I wasn't going to pay a registration fee plus an enormous weekly amount to work on my chest and flabby waist.

So I left and drove toward Surprise for my date with the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. On my way I stopped by an RV showroom and looked at a travel trailer. I found one just the right size for $13,995. I told Dan, the salesman, "Well, let me go see the Rangers play some ball, and I'll think about it." He looked a little disappointed, too.

I made a stop by Walmart to buy some snacks and water before heading for the stadium. Suggestion: take food and water with you when you go to the ballpark. Otherwise, you'll have to take out a second mortgage and sell your bedroom furniture to buy a hamburger and coke at the stadium. The stadium rules for these games at Surprise Stadium: you can bring in food, unopened bottled water (no soft drinks), and your bag must fit under your seat.

Today's photo album is below. By the way, for you photographers who might read my blog (Linda, Jay, etc.), I use a Nikon Coolpix 5200 with 7.1 Megapixels, 2.5 inch LCD screen, ISO up to 1000, and a 3x Zoom. The camera is the size of a credit card, less than one-half inch thick, and easily fits in my pocket. I paid around $200 for it last Fall. The quality of the photos are not that bad for such a small and inexpensive camera.

Banners are hung around the major roadways leading to the stadium.

My seat location is much better today, and I'll have this seat for the remainder of my games. Next year I have made plans to return to this seat...and hopefully see a World Series pennant hanging on the dugout. (Well, we can dream can't we?) I'm on the first row, just behind the Rangers dugout. I can spit on Michael Young if he strikes out. (Notice I'm wearing a Dallas Mavericks shirt along with my Rangers cap. My sweats are red and they have an Arizona University Wildcat logo on them. I looked like a sports dork.)

The view of the dugout from my seat.

Michael Young about to hit a home run. He knocked the approaching pitch into far right center field for a 2-run homer. The Rangers were behind 5-0 at the time. After the next inning, Young and a few other starters left the field. He only played three innings today.

Josh Hamilton on first base. Josh is a fan favorite this spring. Most fans want the former drug addict to make it back and be successful this time around. He says with "God's help, all things are possible."

Former Ranger great and Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was at the game. He was recently hired as President of the ball club, and he hopes to see success here before he retires from baseball for good. He signed a two-year contract. A long line of fans were waiting for him to sign autographs. I asked him to give me his jacket. It's very cool. He told me to get lost.

Here is Nolan biting his tongue before he says the Rangers sucked last year. Maybe this year will be different.

Old Town Scottsdale

I visited the Fine Arts Expo for a couple of hours this morning, then decided to have lunch at the Red Robin at the 101 Shopping Center. Since I ate too much, some exercise was next on my agenda.

I drove to Old Town Scottsdale to take a walk. Old Town Scottsdale has become a tourist attraction with various retail stores and fine art galleries. A new development was created on the "waterfront", overlooking what is supposed to be either a river, stream, creek, or manmade drainage ditch. I'm not sure exactly what the "waterfront" is, but I'll let you know.

In any case, Old Town Scottsdale is a cool place for an afternoon walk. The art galleries are primarily along 5th Street. I strolled past a couple of nice patio bars and more than one cafe with seating outside. If you want to ride around the neighborhood, Scottsdale offers a free trolley ride. It runs a 20-minute circuit around the Old Town area.

An Art Walk is scheduled for the first Monday of each month, and the sidewalks are painted to show you the way. (See photos below.)

One of the restaurants near 5th Street that offers patio seating. The weather today was a little cool, but still excellent for an outdoor snack. The heart of Old Town is the "fountain of horses", or at least that is what I call it.

She looked so sad, I had to take her picture. She was stuck inside a display case in front of a gift shop hawking various party treats for St. Patrick's Day. I'm sure she'd rather be riding the free trolley around town.

The Seat from Hell

I walked into the Surprise Stadium for an afternoon of baseball with my beloved Texas Rangers but soon found my seat was in Hell. I didn't realize Hell was a part of baseball, but then I remembered Roger Clemens' remarks before Congress a few days ago. His seat was in Hell, too.

I ordered my package of tickets online and had a fuzzy idea about my seat location. But I was soon disappointed. I found myself sitting next to Lucifer and his partner, Old Cranky Man. My tickets were inprinted with "Section 105, Row V, Seat 3." When I saw the seat, I almost cried. Lucifer and Old Cranky Man were on my right eating hotdogs in seats 1 and 2. On my left, of course, was the brick wall that stretched 20 feet into the air providing support for the floor above.

Was I destined to watch the Texas Rangers from a seat between a brick wall and two of Hell's biggest baseball fans?

I suppose I should explain the reason for referring to the two older gentlemen as Lucifer and Old Cranky Man. When I first pointed out my seat to them, they both looked at me with a "You can go to hell" expression on their faces. They were not Rangers fans, but were from Kansas City. They loved the Royals. Kansas City is Hell, so you can understand my monikers for these men.

But all was not hopeless. I met Kendra in the Box Office (Heaven) and she happily exchanged my tickets and found me better seats. Kendra saved me from the depths of Hell and showed me the Light. My new seats are located five rows back of the Rangers dugout, on the aisle.

Hallelujah.

Current Location: Scottsdale

I'm still on the road, of course. Traveling around the Southwest has been great. I'm seeing places I've never seen, meeting people along the way who are having an impact on my life in ways I would have not considered possible.

Traveling will do this to you. You begin to feel your life taking on new dimensions, new shapes, a new form. One's experiences define life, serve as a way to discover who you are. I suppose that's why I love being on the road. It's an American romantic and mythical pursuit, reflected in our literature and culture. Most recently I saw this fundamental characteristic of our American ethos in the film by Sean Penn, Into the Wild. There is something uniquely American about being on the road and traveling west, seeking one's personal "manifest destiny".

I've been writing a lot, just not here. I hope that will change. My blog at 2Vegas.blgospot.com has been taking up most of time. I'm also writing each day in a personal journal, and working on a rough outline for a novel based in the Southwest.

As I travel and discover more about myself, I'm also discovering my life as a writer, artist, photographer, and poker player. I love playing cards, so I write about my experiences in various poker rooms at www.7seat.com. I'm passionate about art and photography and will be developing a website for those interests in the coming days. My travel blog will continue to grow as I stay on the road, too. Each day I find myself learning to draw with pen and ink, visiting art festivals and museums, writing about various things, playing cards in a local casino, taking photos, traveling about, meeting people and just experiencing life.

I've had to admit to myself that these are the things that define my life.

Rangers "Breeze" to an 8-7 Victory

After leaving the Pro Shop at Surprise Stadium with my new Rangers ball cap, the little old lady behind the counter said, "Don't lose your new hat. It's windy outside." Then I walked outside and was handing the old gentleman at the gate my ticket, and he said, "Don't lose your hat. The wind is pretty strong today."
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No kidding. The day was perfect except for winds blowing everything asunder. I've lived through worse, growing up in north Texas. The spring winds in Wichita Falls can be severe, too. I remember spring baseball games while I was in high school, winds blowing so bad you couldn't wear a hat, much less lose it.
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The Texas Rangers played anyway, and posted a walk-off victory in the 9th inning after a base hit drove in the winning run. The 8-7 win over the Royals was before an estimated crowd of 5,256 fans. The Rangers were ahead most of the game, but the Royals came back and were ahead in the 9th inning 7-5. The Rangers scored two runs on a homer, then drove in the winning run with one out in the 9th to win the game.
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The only SNAFU I experienced was over my seat. I purchased an 8-game packet over the internet a few weeks ago, and therefore I had to hope my seat was going to be a good one. I had a general idea by looking at the small ridiculous stadium drawing they give you online, and I thought I was seated just behind the Royals dugout. However, when I actually saw where my seat was located, I was not happy.
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My seat was on the top row of the lower level (which isn't bad), the inside seat of a 3-seat row (bad), and next to a humungous brick pilar/wall that stretched upward to the floor above (very bad). To make it worse, the other two seats were occupied by two elderly and snotty Royals fans who were not happy to see me wearing a Rangers ball cap. So I was faced with the possibility of sitting between a brick wall and two crabby old Royals fans for the next month.
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This is not going to work, I told myself. Luckily there were plenty of unoccupied seats further down the aisle, so I sat elsewhere for today's game. During the 7th inning stretch I went to the Box Office and spoke to Kendra (very cute). She was happy to exchange my tickets for other seating (very helpful). Thanks, Kendra. I now have a seat on the aisle about five rows back of the Rangers dugout to watch the seven games I have left.
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Here are some photos from today's game.

The First Base Entrance to Suprise Stadium. Parking was just across the street and very close. The last Rangers game I saw at the Ballpark in Arlington, Texas (home field for the Rangers during the regular season) I had to walk 6 miles to find my seat.

My first view of the stadium. The crowd was just beginning to arrive. The stadium as voted "Best Sports Venue" or something by some Phoenix organization, according to the announcer.

A picture from my seat at today's game. For the next seven games I'll be on the other side behind the Ranger's dugout and much closer to the field.

Spring ball with the Rangers may become an annual event for me. I'm already making plans to be back next year. I told Kendra what seat I want reserved for next Spring. "Don't stick me next to a brick wall," I told her.