March 23 - “Go ASTros!”

We had a few hours down time in the morning. Gave us a chance to do a load of laundry. That will free up some time on Tuesday to get the oil changed in the car. Maybe. 

The event at the field (or should I say, fields) was a lot of fun. First we made a quick trip through the team store. I had my eye on a few key items (Spring training cap and the new City Connect hat). Somehow a Spring Training tshirt wearing bear jumped in our bag as well. New travel buddy. 

Then we had time to watch some pitchers warming up (Brian Abreu and Josh Hader, among others). We also saw some batting cage work. The only one I recognized there was Jake Meyers. 

Next came the big meal and program our travel group had set up in a tent just past center field. Good food. Grilled Mahi, barbecued chicken, pulled pork and a lot of fixin’s. Oh, and a cookie with the Astros logo emblazoned on it. 

After dinner they set up a little panel of sorts with Steve Sparks (former player and current radio voice of the Astros), Spencer Arrighetti (pitcher) and Hayden Wesneski (another pitcher who just arrived with the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal with the Cubs. All three were pretty sharp gentlemen. 

After the panel we were allowed to get autographs and photos with them. I got my autographs on a baseball I brought with me. It was one I actually played with when I was in Little League. Hayden offered to get me a new one, but I considered it the culmination of a childhood dream to get a big leaguer’s autograph on one of my own baseballs. Check. 

As a bonus, at the game they gave away bobble heads of Pena, Valdez, and Alvarez. 

The game was a fun one. The minor leaguers who were left playing at the end staged a furious comeback back, but it fell just short. The Astros lost 6-5. Oh, well. 

Oh! And there was a fireworks show after the game. Go Astros. 

Speaking of that … thanks to Rangers fan Diane for her rabid support of the ASTros … almost  (“Go AST” was all she could bring herself to commit to). 

Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭27‬ says, Then He told them, “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.”

Father, thanks for this bucket list check. It was fun. Amen.