Mottzilla
I'm a recently laid-off 34-year-old sportswriter from Saginaw, Michigan, recommitting to my first love -- Baseball. I've covered a host of professional sporting events for newsprint and online media, including the Detroit Lions Training Camp from 1996 through 2001, the 2002 NBA All-Star game, the 2004 and 2005 NBA Finals, features for the Detroit Tigers run to the 2006 World Series and University of Michigan football. I appreciate the opportunity to post stories here at Through the Fence Baseball. I'll chronicle a few firsts in this game for me, from my first trip to Spring Training in the Grapefruit League to my first season of fantasy baseball. Hopefully I can relate to some of you baseball nuts out there.
Day eight: Score one for the Canadians, eh
Spring training trips are a lot of work! (photo by Geoff Mott) Canadians invaded South Florida on my eighth and final day of this Grapefruit League tour. Our neighbors to the north came out victorious. I doubled More...
Day seven: It’s a pretty nice stadium, after all
Another great day for a spring training game at Champion Stadium in Orlando. (photo by Geoff Mott) After catching a foul ball in Lakeland on Wednesday, there really was only one move left for me on this trip around More...
Day six: The baseball gods are with me
Geoff snags front-row seats and, eventually, a foul ball. (photo by Geoff Mott) Always stuck in the back of your mind at a baseball game is how you would react if a ball is hit your way. If you’re in the outfield, More...
Day five: Doubling the pleasure, doubling the fun
I’ve been wearing my Detroit Tigers gear everywhere I go on this Grapefruit League tour. There's no denying you're in Yankees territory when visiting Steinbrenner Field. (Photo by Geoff Mott) Most More...
Day four: Little Green Monster inside a space shuttle
JetBlue Park allows fans to watch a game through its mini Green Monster. (photo by Geoff Mott) JetBlue Park is the creme de la creme of Grapefruit League stadiums. And of course it belongs to the Boston Red Sox. I More...
Day three: You stay classy Minnesota Twins
Spring training games in the Florida heat are not complete without a $5 sno-cone. (Photo by Geoff Mott) I’ve always respected the Minnesota Twins organization. That’s hard to say after they ruined my More...
Day two: ‘Tis the season for a spring training road trip
Nothing beats a warm St. Patty's day spring training game complete with a Prince Fielder triple. (Photo by Brooke Wright) Saturday was St. Patrick’s Day at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla., but More...
Day one: Spring training road trip and other love-of-baseball musings
Sideways rain, an indecisive GPS device and a presidential motorcade that stalled traffic in Atlanta for more than two hours Friday had little effect on enthusiasm for my first trip to spring training in Florida’s More...
