I Went To My First Cubs Spring Training Game Of 2018 And Witnessed A Murder

I haven't been to many spring training ballparks in Arizona and of course Sloan Park is beautiful, but my few times at Goodyear Ballpark have been awesome. Two years in a row Kyle Schwarber has hit a home run at the spring training home of the Reds and Indians, but on Wednesday night I witnessed a murder. First of all, lesson learned, don't try to get to a game that starts at 6:05 p.m. by leaving at 5 p.m. when it'll take 45 minutes to get to Goodyear and then another 30 minutes to get to a goddamn parking spot that's 15 minutes away from the ballpark. Hand up, that's on me. Anyway, the first thing I saw Wednesday night was Yan Gomes hit a grand slam. Indians fans celebrated like it was a walk-off in Game 7 of the World Series. Sorry, maybe you'll get it the job done eventually and not lose in heartbreaking fashion.  It didn't matter though. I was enjoying my frosty cold XX (they didn't have Pacifico, you should really drink Pacifico if you never have before) and while ordering a burger, surprisingly good, Albert Almora Jr. absolutely murdered a baseball, as I was standing on the concourse 100 feet behind him. I'm bad with distances, so I'll estimate that the home run went no less than 600 feet into the desert air. Yeah, I know you saw it WGN, but seeing it and listening to the sound of the bat was exhilarating. That poor ball was killed instantly. Ugh, that sound!

I didn't think that ball was ever going to land. It's been an interesting start to spring training for the Cubs. Not many roster questions if any, but Almora and Ian Happ are making fans take a deeper look at the outfield situation. Yeah, we know Jason Heyward is a gold glove right fielder, but if he continues to struggle offensively, and Almora and Happ prosper at the plate, Joe Maddon has to go with his best starting nine, right? Maybe it won't matter because the Cubs are deep and it's not like they need Heyward to become an all-star hitter. However, if, like the first half of 2017, the offense is inconsistent and Heyward is part of the problem, then more of Almora and Happ might be seen. Oh, and if you're wondering about Kyle Schwarber, he's doing just fine.