FRIENDLY TOWN AND CORN EATERS

Today I'm at the D'backs game at Tucson Electric Park, their home during spring training. They're hosting the Colorado Rockies, who only had to drive 10 minutes down the road to get here. The entire stadium is packed including a grassy lawn in the back field, where fans have sprawled out on picnic blankets and beach towels. The media room is air conditioned (thank god) but they ran out of food so I grabbed a hot dog and some red vines to munch on from the concession stands.

This is a place where kids play in the jump houses at games, the girls that throw free t-shirts out to fans are in slacks and button-up shirts (not the booty shorts and cropped T's like L.A.), and fans munch on corn on the cobs. Seriously. It's like they stopped by a farm, grabbed some corn and then sold it. It still has the leaves and everything.


The crowd today is a bit younger than the Rockies v Cubs crowd yesterday and the stands are a rainbow of colored T's unlike the pastel resort colors yesterday. One thing that hasn't changed: everyone is just as friendly as ever.

Right now it's the top of the 4th, Rockies leading the D'backs 4-1. In the media room, the TV is always set to one of the March Madness games. Right now it's the Purdue v Xavier game and the reporters keep going back and forth between their seats and the TV, asking each other, "Who's ahead? What's the score? How much time left?" Then they'll miss a play in the baseball game and everyone will start asking, "Did you see that play? What happened? I missed it!" It's pretty funny.

5-1 Rockies now.