Tim Ellsworth

Today was practically a perfect day. The game on the docket was the Cardinals vs. the Dodgers at Dodgertown, which is probably the best spring training facility I’ve been to.

Some highlights:

– The weather was beautiful. Overcast all day (so no worries about a sunburn) with a refreshing breeze. Temperatures in the 70s. Though rain was in the forecast, it held off until after the game.

– Got to interview J.D. Drew and Bill Mueller of the Dodgers, Dodgers bench coach Dave Jauss and former ESPN broadcaster Gary Miller.

– Prior to the game, got to hang out and visit with former big leaguers Eddie Taubensee and Doug Flynn, who now work with a ministry called Pro Athletes Outreach. I met these guys a couple of years ago, but today got to spend quite a bit of time talking to them.

– Got to see Tommy Lasorda and hear him turn the air blue with his language. Every other word must have been a cuss word.

– Spoke briefly with Charlie Steiner, formerly of ESPN, who on more than one occasion on the air got so tickled by a story that he lost all composure and was practically in tears.

– Met Brian Walton, who covers the Cardinals for the Scout.com network. I’ve read Brian’s work for a while, so it was good to put a face with a name. Nice guy.

– Enjoyed a visit with my old friend Brett Maragni and my new friend David Wooten, who came down to Vero Beach from the Jacksonville area for the game today.

– Had an interesting experience at Applebee’s after the game. You’ll have to read about that in the next post.

Tomorrow’s schedule includes the Astros and Tigers tomorrow morning and the Braves and Nationals tomorrow night.