FanPost

Arizona Fall League

 I posted this in the other AFL league diary and was just going to recommend it, but apparently the time to "recommend" it, has expired. It took me 20 minutes to post it and as the other one is now buried, I'm starting my own because, well because I can:

 Went up to HoHoKam today and saw the Solar Sox and Scorpions play. Before the game I got Fuld's and Gallagher's autographs on a baseball I found in the parking lot behind the Outfield grass general admission, which are closed for the AFL games. I normally don't do this kind of thing as far as getting autographs because I don't have any kids and because I'm a grown man, but I figured there's gotta be a Cub fan out there I can give the ball to.

 The games out here start at 12:35 and gates open at 11;30 and there's a 5 minute window before 12 that players will mull by the stands and sign autographs and I was lucky today that it was a very small crowd and not many requests for an autograph and I had on my Cubs hat and Sam and Sean were generous enough to walk over and appease me.
 I told 'em both I was looking forward to seeing them head North with the club after Spring Training and Sam said Thank You and he hopes to see me then as well but he wasn't counting on it and he's just going to keep working hard. Sean didn't say anything and was pretty much business like, which was fine.

 As far as the game, it was a good game and fairly clean game. Fuld had a nice day hitting a shot down the RF line for a double and benefitted from the Arizona sun in his 2nd ab when the Center Fielder lost it in the sun and had to watch it thud in front of him. Fuld hustling all the way (man that sounds good) ended up on 3rd as the CF dropped it while trying to pick it up. I haven't looked at the box score but it was probably scored a 2b and E while he advanced to 3rd.

 Clevenger hit the ball hard all day but had nothing to show for it as he went 0-4, but all his ab's ended in a line drive hit directly at someonea. I know he's listed as 6' and I think that might be generous. He looked in the 5'10 range and has a very small frame.

 With Clevenger behind the plate, the Cubs were able to work in Berg, Avery and Roquet. Avery easily looked the best to me as he was throwing a hard curve and I was impressed with his velocity. Berg got toatally shelled and everything, even the outs, were scalded. Roquet came in for Jones with runners on 1st and 2nd and gave up a BB and then gave up a bases clearing hit which was ruled a hit but the LF was running over towards the LF line and was basically under it, but completely missed it and watched it roll to the fence and cleared the bases. But I was far from impressed of Roquet and from all the pitchers I saw today, and if I wasn't a Cub fan, he wouldn't have stood out. He was less than impressive.

 The wind was blowing out to LF at about 30 mph today as the valley was hit with some heavy winds but surprisingly only one HR was hit today and that was a walk off 2 run HR hit into the cross wind by Left Handed hitting Jed Lowrie, a prospect of the Red Sox. Even before Lowrie's walk off HR, I was impressed by him. He was hitting the ball hard all day and made 2 really nice plays in the field. He was one of those players that "stand out", even though he's hitting .190 in the AFL, which is a notorious hitters League.

 I took pictures, among the many was a picture of Fuld and Gallagher as they were nice enough to stand next to eachother and let me take one of them. I will be going to a couple more games throughout the season (including Fridays "rising Stars" game, which will include Fuld) and will post all the pics when the season is over.

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