Cactus League '09

The Thompsons finally made another appearance in Phoenix for Spring Training after a year off to welcome Jessi. We just had a great time watching games, eating great food every night, and getting lots of Nana & Papa time. We caught 4 games including one at a new park (which we try to do everytime we visit) in Goodyear. There are two new teams in Phoenix this year, the Indians and the Dodgers. The Reds will also join the Cactus League next year making the number of teams in Florida and Arizona exactly the same. This was Will's first trip he remembers to Spring Training and he LOVED it. I think he wore his glove more than he had in the rest of his life. He loved playing catch with Papa and Dad, especially on the little diamonds at the ballparks. Jessi enjoyed time in the sun and just scootching around in the grass area when she wasn't being held by one of her favorite people. Another successful, trip. Be sure to check the captions on the pics!

Thompson Fav Food of Phoenix for 2009:
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1. Los Dos Molinos (Mexican food, yummy. Hit two different locations this year.)
2. Oreganos (Pizza...tasty....also hit it twice.)
3. Tia Rosas (New Mexican place, recommended by Mom & Dad. Very good and REALLY good atmosphere!)
4. Famous Dave's BBQ. (Yes, its a national chain but damn good and the one in Portland has been on hold for like 3 years.)
5. Alice Cooperstown (Sports Bar with a rock & roll twist in downtown Phoenix. Food is pretty darn good too for a sports bar.)


Thompson Favorite Cactus League Ballparks (so far):
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1. Scottsdale Stadium - Giants (You just can't beat it, great food/drinks/atmosphere and within walking distance of Old Town Scottsdale)
2. Peoria Sports Complex - Mariners & Padres (also very good)
3. Goodyear Ballpark - Indians & Reds (nice new park but very isolated from any part of town)
4. Tucson Electric Park - D-backs (Good park but nothing spectacular...and its 2 hrs from Phoenix)
5. Phoenix Municipal Stadium - A's (Surprisingly, not bad and with great backdrop of mountains...but needs grass seating.)
6. Hohokam Stadium - Cubs (Just blah....but its the Cubs and baseball so its not all bad)

Still need to visit:
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Maryvale Ballpark - Brewers
Surprise Stadium - Rangers & Royals
Tempe Diablo Stadium - Angels
Camelback Ranch - Dodgers & White Sox
Hi Corbett Field (Tucson) - Rockies

Tourney Time 2009

This year the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament FINALLY made an appearance in Portland. We only had to do away with our state NFL lottery game, Sports Action (moment of silence, please). Sniffle....Anyway, the first and second round games were in the Rose Garden. Christy and Ryan hit the first session of 2 games on Thursday afternoon. Then Aaron swooped in to relieve Christy for the 2 evening games....after a quick shot of Jaeger and a few beers at McFadden's, of course! Christy recovered in time to attend Saturday's awesome games which included the Fuskies losing by 2 and a last second shot by Gonzaga to send them to the sweet 16. My only two complaints of the tourney is the lack of games on the big screen during timeouts and half time. (HELLLLOOO, there are 4 games running simulataneously during the 1st round. Would it kill you to play something besides stupid trivia questions when play is stopped??) My other complaint is the NCAA's no alcohol policy. However, I totally understand why they wouldn't want to sell beers for 4 straight games....yikes! All in all the NCAA tourney is a truly unique event. The electricity when the crowd senses an upset is simply awesome.

Jessi's 1st Birthday (Part Two)

In between NCAA tourney games, we decided to throw another party for Jessi's first b-day. What the hey! Actually, we hadn't had a local party with Christy's mommy group friends and the rest of our loco, er, local Portland friends. Needless to say, Jessi digs cupcakes!

Happy 1st Birthday, Griffin!

Happy Big #1 to our good friend, Griffin! We helped Aaron, Tiffany and family ring in the event with some good food, beers, and lawn mowing. Go Grif, go! So happy to have the Deckers living close by again!