Having returned from the trip, there were a few things that stuck out for me over my 5-day retreat to the conception of the baseball season last week. The first being I beieve John Maine is on the cusp of being a top-flight pitcher in this league. I still scratch my head over the deal Omar swung which brought Maine here from Baltimore. That said, 18 wins out of Maine is a realistic possibility. His change up and pin point accuracy with his fastball should continue to improve with confidence that gets better from start to start. It makes me feel even that much better that my Pujols for Maine and Justin Morneau deal in my fantasy league was on the front end.

Secondly, judging from his start against a relatively “A” Tigers lineup, Petey looked strong. We guess-timated that his fastball was popping the mitt around 88-89 and his off speed stuff was simply nasty- evident by his knee-buckling 3-2 curve ball to Cabrera.

Last and by far most important, is the revelation I had when I walked by a vendor named “John”selling “Tacos in a helmet” so of course I had to inquire. As I noted the other day, the Premio sausage and peppers were not up to par, since the grease caused the bun to dissolve like tissue paper in a rain storm, so I figured this lunch needed a clean getaway. I was right, it was clean and satisfying, like a dip in the Colorado River, just with horrid reflux. As my boy John cracked open the bag of nachos that would soon line the bottom of the helmet I appreciated the effort he took in his craft and told him so. I told him he should put a picture of Jimmy Rollins on the bag and beat the crap out of it all day long. After admiring the great craftsmanship of my new friend only one errand stood in my way before completing Spring Training baseball’s triple crown (I had my scorecard and lunch) - Beer me.

As I sat back and watch Petey throw 4 shutout, I said to myself “where in the world can you see professional baseball players at a bowling alley or shopping for toilet paper at Publix (sorry Billy Wagner), eat tacos out of a helmet and drink $5 beers, take a nap, wake up and play 9 holes?

Man, I love Spring Training.