SquintFest 2013

[Redondo]

Thanks for the write ups and pictures. Gives all of us a taste of ST when we can't get there.

[gotbeer]

Nice stuff Percy.  But why are you hanging out with Jared from Storage Wars?

[gotbeer]

How can one score tickets to this fest? I'll take your answer off the air.

 

 

The tickets for the official spring fan fest were RSVP'd a month ago.  

 

The Percy Fest can be had with a pack of smokes and a few beers.  Food also works.  

 

Downing Fest we'll hear on the news tonight.  But I'm expecting some blackouts, some deportations, and possibly some animals being involved.  Not necessarily in that order.  

[The Ghost of Bob Starr]

Percy what camera do you use. Quality photos and posts. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[DowningRules]

Good work, Percy. If I see your hat at the game today, I'll introduce myself. If you don't want that kind of action, turn and walk away, or just tell me that you spotted someone else with the same hat at the game and that I should look for him. Percysquint doppelgänger.

[Eric]

I feel like Jack from Season 3, and Squint is the Dragon. Hurry up!!! I need my fix!

[PercySquint]

Day 3-

 

Another hot one under the blazing Arizona sun, A rather depressing loss to the stinking Seachickens today. Didn't see much good, except for Howie, who continues to obliterate Cactus League pitching, and Speedy Petey who went bomb sauce again (Huh?). We'd had enough after 6 innings, so we decide to wander over to the back fields and see if anything's going on back there. There was. 2 minor league games against Chokeland. And ya just never know who ya might run into. Maybe a World Series MVP, or an 11-time Gold Glove winner, who knows?

 

My friend LongHairDontCare has a special talent: he is extremely gifted in the art of obtaining game balls, foul balls, autographs, batting gloves, pine tar rags, you name it. And today was no exception. He got balls signed by Hamilton, Jepsen, Kohn, Maronde, and Madsen. And that's just today. I asked him how many balls he's gotten in the last 3 days. He said "I don't know. 20 maybe?" If this were a marketable skill, he'd be richer than the Federal Reserve. My other friend HaloMVP is no slouch either. He got a signed Hamilton bat, and balls signed by Vernon and Frieri, not to mention the David Eckstein photo. Me? I'm not much into the autograph thing, so I got nothing.

 

This panel would look very nice in my living room.

 

Ran into some nice folks from AW.com. They are getting drunk with other folks from AW.com as we speak.

 

Stretch 'em if ya got 'em...

 

Bunch of rail birds.

 

Is Hanson replacing Santana or Haren? Can never remember...

 

Our new right fielder, whatshisname.

 

King of the Cactus League bomb sauce.

 

Meanwhile....

 

Don't get this kind of access at the Big A. But you do here at Tempe Diablo.

 

Eckstein and I exchanged hat compliments and chit chat.

 

I told Omar Visquel it's good that he's in camp to show the youngsters how it's done. He asked me if I was from Vietnam.

 

LongHairDontCare models HaloMVP's freshly signed Hamilton bat.

 

LongHairDontCare has excellent taste in tattoos.

 

HaloMVP models his new balls.

[pattimelt]

Percy, where's MY picture that you promised me?????  I wanna see the one of Jim and Mikey with Matt!!!!

[PercySquint]

Percy, where's MY picture that you promised me?????  I wanna see the one of Jim and Mikey with Matt!!!!

Here you go...

 

And one of Carlos, while we're at it...

[gotbeer]

Funny how his VIP pass says no autographs, yet he's there getting autos.  

[Eric]

Ahhhh, da fix.....

Thank you, Squint.

It's killing me. This is the first year in... Well, I can't remember, but at least 15, that not in AZ for Spring Training. I can't believe I'm not there.

And don't none of you go and say "We got an extra seat at the Fanfest tomorrow night if you wanna be there" just to twist the daggar a little harder.

[AZMike]

Ahhhh, da fix.....

Thank you, Squint.

It's killing me. This is the first year in... Well, I can't remember, but at least 15, that not in AZ for Spring Training. I can't believe I'm not there.

And don't none of you go and say "We got an extra seat at the Fanfest tomorrow night if you wanna be there" just to twist the daggar a little harder.

 

I just got a Bill Lumbergh quality "request" from my boss to show up at work all weekend. I live 1.5hrs drive from Tempe Diablo, I've been to a few ST games this season and will likely catch at least one more buy can't possibly make the fanfest, which sounds very cool.

[PercySquint]

Thanks for the write ups and pictures. Gives all of us a taste of ST when we can't get there.

Exactly the reason I'm doing this, sir.

[DowningRules]

Excellent work, as always , Squint. Really appreciate you taking the time to post the pics. I saw your hat from across the diamond but wilted like a gentle flower in the Arizona sun and could not muster the energy to harass you.

I may have an extra for tonight if anyone's interested.

[LBHalos17]

Great work, Squint!  Thanks for the pix; be there soon, love LBC/AZZ-Clowns...

[Eric]

You're killing me here, Smalls! Where's the updates!?!

[pattimelt]

Eric, the updates will be coming. Percy didn't have Wifi last night, and he JUST dropped me off at home.. whether he updates tonight or not, I don't know, but I know I'm going to bed.. 

[katie]

i'll be there at 10

Good seeing you

[Bruce Nye]

Percy, you rock!

[Angel Oracle]

_{Hey Percy, now that LB State dropped the ball in the BWCT this past weekend, I kick myself for not going to Arizona.    Looks like a great time was had.   Sorry that I didn't post on here sooner}

 

_{Two weeks until the season starts, and the rants also mean something!}

[PercySquint]

Sorry for the extreme delay in finishing this thread. Technical difficulties with the camera, computer, card reader, and the website itself kicked my ass.

 

Day 4-

We decide to forgo the big league game over in Phoenix and hang out at Tempe Diablo instead. There are 2 games going at the cloverleaf, low A on Field 4, and high A on Field 7, both against the SF Pygmies. At one point, I yawned and Kirt Manwaring of the Pygmies told me to wake the hell up. I told him I would if they stopped blasting country music on the stupid boombox while the games are going on. This crap would put anyone to sleep, yes?

Later, we head over to the Fanfest. Now that was a hoot. They put DowningRules at our table, so we discussed the Miami Vice episode with the Frank Zappa cameo. Salmon was great. Dipoto was informative. Rojas was pretty funny, especially the Alex Rodriguez story. And I got a chance to finally apologize to Kole Calhoun for last year. He said "Ah yeah, I remember that" and walked away. Didn't really sense a lot of forgiveness there. Not that I blame him. Sorry again, Kole. Big thanks to Chuck and the AW staff for pulling this off. Outstanding job. And you all looked great in the new AW corporate shirts! Except Mancini, Christian, and Eckstein Spawn, who didn't get one. They're just not good enough, I guess...

Afterward, we went to HaloMVP's house to turn in for the night. We stayed up awhile, talking baseball with the 2 Angels farmhands staying there. Talked about favorite players, getting on Scioscia's radar screen, the submarine knuckler (inside joke), WBC, waffle mitts, God, etc. Little bit of everything. I have to say, this was the highlight of SquintFest. These 2 players are genuinely great
guys, and I for one will be pulling hard for both of them going forward. Matt and Carlos, thank you! May you both reach your goals with room to spare.

 

 

Minor leaguers payin' their dues.

 

 

Dayam it's hot out here.

 

 

Field 4 low A game.

 

 

Field 7 high A game.

 

 

A good example of several technical difficulties I had. Sorry Tim...

[Eric]

 

[PercySquint]

Day 5-

 

Tim Mead is a good guy. He gave his usual excellent talk for us in the morning, and gave us all a glimpse inside the front office, among other topics. You cannot get this kind of behind-the-scenes stuff without a relationship built over time, with mutual respect, as AW.com has with the Angels. Tim made this pretty clear in the high regard he has for the website, and the people who run it.

 

Because I am a member of AW.com, I get to watch early BP before they let the crowd in. Saw Hamilton jack 4 in a row, all majestic. I don't think the marine layer will be much of a problem, going forward. While I watch BP, my friends LongHairDontCare and HaloMVP are in "the disease" in a big way. Besides baseballs, Hair has hooked MVP on bats, while MVP has hooked Hair on 8 x 10's. They are down next to the clubhouse getting their racks and God knows what else signed. MVP finally got Percival on a ball, and a Trout-signed bat. Hair got so many autographs, I can't even keep up any more. He got yelled at by Puljos in front of everybody, but still got a ball signed. "Albert, can you sign it on the sweet spot?" "NO!!!"

 

What a frickin' blast this week was! Didn't want to leave. Really enjoyed seeing Pattimelt, Blarg, AIR, DowningRules, Chuck, Hamiltown, Saltzer, BaseballMom, Katie, Derek, and the rest of you Halo degenerates. Every year I come out here for a week, and every year it's the best week of the year. I love it.

 

Hair gets cards signed by Iannetta.

 

 

Hamiltown rocks, even in the morning before coffee.

 

 

2 young girls ask Jerome Williams for an autograph. He gladly obliges, then takes his hat off, turns it inside out, and asks them to autograph it. How cool is that???

 

 

Albert gettin' his hacks in.

 

 

Trout is so fast, I couldn't get this shot of him heading into the clubhouse in time.

 

 

Howie taking his cuts.

 

 

Troy Percival with a fungo bat. Possibly the greatest picture ever taken. You're welcome.

 

 

Time for exciting action-packed Halos baseball. I must have it.

 

Trout blasting yet another triple. Ho hum...

 

 

Took the size sticker off a new ST hat and stuck it on my Hat. Cuz I gots me street cred, bitches...

 

 

It's all about my beloved Halos.

[Pbonetheman]

Definitely have been enjoying these posts. Thanks!

[Vegas Halo Fan]

This means more than you know for those of us who can't make the trip to Arizona. Thanks for taking us along, figuratively speaking.