Fantasy Camp - Day One

A recap of Monday's events in Surprise, AZ...

After a bumpy flight, the campers went straight to their hotel – and had lunch catered by Chick-fil-A in the "American League Room." Jerry Terrell and Marty Pattin sat at Aaron's table and were hilarious. Jerry is 63 years old; Marty is older. They had a great time telling road stories, talking about crazy teammates, etc.

After lunch, they drove to stadium, entered the major league clubhouse and found their lockers. Each locker was full of gear – fantasy camp t-shirt and shorts, white and blue personalized jerseys, white baseball pants, blue belt and socks, and a blue hat. There is a major league baseball chair sitting in front of each locker. Every amenity you can imagine is in the locker room - all toiletries are provided, and there is a big refrigerator stocked with water, Gatorade, and beer.

Everyone was introduced to the Alumni and hit the field – the Royals side of the complex has 7 fields plus batting cages and utility building. The Texas Rangers side is identical; in the middle of the two is a big stadium. They went through stretching, warming up, etc…then were divided among the three fields by last name. The Alumni were pitching batting practice, scouting, and helping the campers. Aaron received hitting tips from George Brett and Kevin Seitzer. They had full infield batting practice and a scrimmage until the rain(!) came. When does it rain in the desert?

John Mayberry’s new nickname for Aaron is Penny. “Penny got a good swing.” “Man, Penny hit the ball far.” “Penny must have played college ball.” “Penny got skills.” LOL

After practice, Aaron was happy to return to the clubhouse because the HEATER was on there. The locker room has clubbies that pick up after them and do their laundry daily. They changed, showered, delved into the beer fridge, and watched the fantasy camp video from last year. Meanwhile, the alumni were in the conference room drafting teams. Aaron is on the RED team, coached by Jaime Bluma, Les Norman, and Greg Pryor. Scrimmages start tomorrow, along with team pictures.

Dillon’s BBQ was catered for dinner, and it was decided that KC definitely has better barbecue.
Aaron was in bed by 9:00 Monday, ready for another fun day at the ballpark:)