The Ghosts of Spring Trainings Past

I love this game. I eat, sleep, breathe, and basically function by the Mets. Some of my favorite moments have not been from regular season action, but from the spring training games. My younger brother and I still talk about the broken down ambulance, me dropping my camera in the middle of Route 80, and getting trampled in pursuit of The Autograph. ♥

This picture is from my first spring training game back in 2006. We were lucky enough to meet Omar Minaya in the Tradition Field parking lot and again after the game. We got this picture taken after the game because there was a more pressing issue for me at the time: "How's Pedro's toe?"



In March 2007, the Mets visited the Red Sox in Ft. Myers for the first time in over 20 years. Of course, my brothers and I skipped out on school and went to the game. David caught me taking this picture of him and Jose Reyes working out.



This was as close as I got to David Wright that game. Here, he is signing autographs in the back field after being taken out in the sixth inning.





My younger brother and I waited outside the team bus after the game ended, and my day ended in heartbreak. David had come over to sign, except I had gotten trampled by the throng of fans, dropped my Sharpie and didn't get The Autograph ♥. This is something that still upsets me to this day.



Of course, the trip is always half the fun. We saw this broken down ambulance in 2006 with a "FOR SALE" sign on it. We had forgotten where it was in 2007 but when my brother and I found it again in 2008, I stopped on the middle of Route 80 and took a picture for proof of its existence. As far as we know, it is still there.



Also part of the fun is driving through Okeechobee, Florida--or Eli's Town as we have dubbed it. Eli has a few stores on the main road of this town. It's always fun to play the song "Eli's Coming" by Three Dog Night when driving through Eli's Town.



I love this time of the year, and not just because of the obvious. Spring training brings back so many good memories and makes me look forward to the many more memories I hope to make.
I just couldn't resist putting up this picture of David and Jose warming up. So cute ♥