Spring Training Welcome Dinner and Stadium Tour

Finally it was time for us to get started on one of our bucket list items for retirement - Volunteer for LA Angels spring training!  The Angels use volunteers to staff their ushers, ticket takers, and parking lot attendants and those volunteers come from the Tempe Diablose Charities.  We inquired with them and got set up to volunteer for the 2019 season.

For more info:  https://www.tempediablos.org/volunteer-opportunities/

To kick things off, the Angels held a welcome dinner at the local Sheraton for about 100 volunteers.  We received our uniforms (shirts, hats, and jackets), id cards, and parking pass.

We were welcomed by Arnold and Denis from the Tempe Diablos and our leaders.

Arnold on the left and Denis on the right.

The manager for the Tempe Diablo stadium welcomed us too.  Then Tim Mead, VP of Communications for the Angels spoke a little giving some info on the team and players as they head in to spring training.

Tim Mead

He took questions from the group so I told Al now is your chance to ask Tim a question.  Al asked him about the best player in baseball, Mike Trout's, contract which is up in two years.  Tim answered the question the best he could basically saying that it's all up to Mike.  Mike is very close to his family in New Jersey and he owns a nice piece of property there so it all depends if Mike wants to be closer to his family during the season or be a career player for the Angels.  We don't think it's a money issue because we expect the Angels will pay him whatever he wants.  So we have Mike for two more seasons and hopefully he'll be with the Angels for many more seasons. 

Then we were served a nice dinner and dessert with open bar.

On Saturday morning we met at the bottom of the entrance stairs to the stadium for a tour and some training.

Our leader, Arnold, took us for a tour of the stadium and pointed out things we needed to know in case guests ask us.

Painting in the office of Arte Moreno and who?
(Someone please tell us if you know the answer.)

View from the announcer's booth

After our tour we hung out and went out to the practice fields and watched some of the pitchers trying out for the team.

Funny watching pitchers playing basketball as part of their warm up.
They should stick to baseball!

Shohei Ohtani (in the white pants) with his interpreter.
Shohei is a unique player who is both a pitcher and hitter from Japan.

Some of the practice fields on the property

Our truck in front of the stadium.
Looks like an add for Ford Trucks!

We're so excited to be here and watch some baseball!