Dave Schofield from Spring Training
BlueClaws team photographer Dave Schofield checks in from Florida, where he is covering Spring Training.
–
First off I would like to apologize for the lack of blogs from me here if Florida. The internet connection here at my hotel has been less than spectacular during my stay here. In order to email anything, I have to get it done before 7am. It seems that if more than a couple of people are using the internet it slows down to a stop!!
I had a great experience the other night. While I was sitting in my room working on some photos, a friend from the area called to tell me that the shuttle was going to be launched on the other side of the state in 2 minutes. I went outside with my camera in hand to see if I could see it. And surely off into the darkening eastern sky a trail of fire and smoke rose and was a spectacular sight. I thought that it might be somewhat frightening to someone traveling east on I-4 if they did not know a Shuttle launch had
been scheduled. This was a nice little bonus to the work I am doing here, I am attaching a photo, perhaps it will find it’s way onto my blog on the website.
This past week the Phillies made some cuts to get the big league roster down to a little over 40. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and J C Romero are still away on WBC duties so they are not in camp. John Mayberry JR. is still making a strong push for his inclusion onto the opening day roster. He has 3 homeruns and continues to play well in the outfield. Jason Donald has played three positions for the Phils in the infield and also hit very well. You will remember his as a former Lakewood BlueClaw and bronze medal winner in the Olympics.
The minor league teams have opened up their spring season. The will play against teams from Toronto, Yankees and Pirates. Since these are the closest teams training near Clearwater, these are the only teams they will play. The structure for spring games is quite loose. While all rules are observed, it woiuld not be unusual to see someoone from big league camp who needs at bats, come into a minor league game and bat every inning. It is all about getting ready for the season.
On St. Patricks Day, Brighthouse Field was a sea of green, and not only from the fans. The Phils were decked out in their traditional green jerseys and hats. Their opponents the Cincy Reds also wore green caps. It was quite a festive day for all involved.
Each day I attend a minor league game I will try to give a report. Yesterday against the Pirates, Derek Mitchell, last year’s BlueClaw 2B crushed a solo home run over the left field fence. Freddy Galvis followed up with an infield single.
That is it, I will try to report more tomorrow.
Share This Post!
