I watched the Angels/Dodgers spring training game Sunday on television.
It wasn't nearly as much fun as sitting in the stands at Tempe Diablo Stadium, the Angels' spring training home field in Tempe, Ariz., where I spent part of last week.
Cactus League games are not about winning. They are an opportunity for players to shape up and try to impress the coaches, for the coaches to evaluate them, and for fans to get up close and personal with their favorite players.
Kids toss balls and Sharpies to the players, who oblige with autographs and toss the balls back.
How fun for a kid to boast of catching a ball thrown by Jered Weaver?
Older fans aren't much more than about 20 rows from the field, either in seats or less expensive bleachers. And almost every foul ball ends up tossed into the stands.
Diablo Stadium seats 9,558, according to the official program. The 75-acre complex was built in 1968 for the Seattle Pilots and Milwaukee Braves and renovated in 2005. The Angels took it over in 1995 and have it leased to 2025.