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Event offers fans a chance to meet big-league players. That and more for Friday, brought to you by the Arcadia Tavern.
Spring training warm-up: More than 20 big-league and former big-league baseball players are expected for The Spirit of the Game community event from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at Surprise Stadium. Retired San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Drevecky will speak.
Confirmed players are: Eric Chavez (Oakland Athletics); Russ Ortiz and Adam Godwin (Los Angeles Dodgers); Mike Sweeney, Rob Johnson and Garrett Olson (Seattle Mariners); Blaine Boyer (Arizona Diamondbacks); Bill Bray and Micah Owings (Cincinnati Reds); Matt Laporta (Cleveland Indians); Matt Herges (Kansas City Royals); Terry Evans (Los Angeles Angels); Tim Dillard (Milwaukee Brewers); Kevin Young (Pittsburgh Pirates); Chase Headly and NickHundley (San Diego Padres); Jeremy Affeldt (San Francisco Giants); David Murphy (Texas Rangers) and retired players Damion Easley, Eddie Taubensee and Tim Salmon.
Instructional clinics will be offered with tips from the pros on all areas of baseball. Clinics are open to kids of all ages and are available on a first come, first serve basis. Other activities include autograph stations and a kid's zone with interactive games as well as food available for purchase. Bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to the St. Mary's Food Bank to have a chance to win a door prize. Raffle tickets will be sold for $5 a piece or six for $20 as a fundraiser for the food bank and Interfaith Community Care. Raffle gifts include a Wigwam golf package, Suns tickets and a Diamondbacks package.
The event is being put on by Compassionate Surprise and Christian athlete associations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Baseball Chapel, Unlimited Potential Inc., Pro Athletes Outreach and Endurance with Jan and Dave Dravecky.
For more information call (602) 274-1988.
2. Big baseball weekend: More than 140 youth baseball teams are playing in four tournaments this weekend in parks in Tucson, Goodyear, Peoria, Glendale, Gilbert and Mesa.
3. Air Traffic: Next time I’m at a a baseball tournament at Mesa’s Red Mountain Park, I won’t be worred abut foul balls. I’ll be on the lookout for planes. A small plane crashed into a restroom Sunday morning at the Park’s Multigenerational Center. The pilot was uninjured. A passenger was treated in Scottsdale for a head injury, azcentral.com reported.
4 Recruiting a middle schooler: USC football coach Lane Kiffin raised a few more eyebrows recently when it was reported that he offered a 13-year-old quarterback a scholarship, and the kid accepted. Calm down, people. As with any oral commitment, the athlete can change his mind up until he signs the letter of intent. The school can change its mind as well.
I think the chances of David Sills signing with USC in 2015 are about the same as Kiffin still coaching there in five years.
The List for Thursday:
1. Making up: Triple Crown Sports softball wasn’t able to get in its 14uB tournament last weekend. So TCS will finish it up starting at 6 p.m. Friday. The Gold Glove Classic championship game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
2. Teammates again: Shaylah Simpson, the defending 5A-I state champion in girls pole vault, signed last week with ASU, where she will be reunited with Desert Vista teammate Cara Carpenter. The two have won the last three state championships.
3. Seventh best: Simpson’s personal best of 12 feet, 9.75 inches is the seventh best height of returning girls high school vaulters in the country.
4. ASU’s all-comers: Arizona State University track and field program will play host to the Diablo Relays on Saturday, Feb, 20 at Sun Angel Stadium in Tempe. The meet is an “all-comers” meet for all age groups. Participants are to compete unattached (except college athletes), and all participants will pay $5 to compete when they register at the meet. For more information/questions, call Ryan Cole in the ASU Track & Field office at (480) 965-0016 or via email by
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The List for Wednesday:
The Sun Devils have a strong local contignent for softball, and we might see a rematch of an epic pitchers' duel. That and more for Wedensday, brought to you by the Arcadia Tavern.
1. Opening day approaches: ASU opens its softball season Thursday in the Kajikawa Classic at Farrington Stadium. The Devils take on Mississippi at 4:30 p.m. and Kentucky at 7 p.m. ASU, which won the Women’s College World Series in 2008, has a team loaded with locals.
The roster includes: pitcher Mackenzie Popescue (Chaparral), catchers Lacy Goodman (Red Mountain), Lucy Aubrecht ( Red Mountain), infielders Katelyn Boyd (Horizon), Annie Lockwood (Paradise Valley), Michelle Nulliner (Mountain Ridge), outfielder Talor Haro (Highland), infielder/outfielder Caylyn Carlson (Corona del Sol), first base/outfielder Dani Rae Lougheed (Scottsdale Christian) and second base/ pitcher Sam Parlich (Basha).
2. Possible rematch: When Arizona plays Nevada at 11:15 p.m. Sunday in the Kajikawa Classic, we could get a rematch of 4A state title game from 2006 when Kenize Fowler, now with the UA, and Katie Holverson, now with Nevada, faced off. Holverson’s Cactus team beat Folwer’s Canyon del Oro team 1-0 in a thriller that pitted two high school All-American pitchers against each other.
3. Chambers on her side: This time, Fowler would have slugging Stacie Chambers on her side. Chambers was Holveron’s catcher at Cactus.
4. Legends: Major League Baseball legends — though we don’t know which ones — will be on hand for a clinic from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 27 at Peoria Stadium. The clinic, for kids 6-16, is free and put on by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and MLB Players Alumni Assoication. Registration is limited to the first 150. To register, click here.
Three stars if the weekend, brought to you by Arcadia Tavern.
1. Tianna Stewart scored the winniner in the penalty kick phase to lift Arcadia High School into the semifinals of the 4A-IIstate girls soccer tournament.
2. Jonny Galetti singled in the top of the 13th inning and turned an unassisted double play in the bottom to lead the East Mesa Yankees to the 13u AA title at USSSA Super Ball Bash baseball tournament.
3. Haley Driver of Scottsdale won the 18u girls singles in the Surprise Sweet 16 tennis tournament.
The List for Sunday:
Andre Ethier and a movie star come back to Arizona State. That and more from ASU’s 10-6 victory Saturday in the Alumni baseball game.
1. Good Draw: No official stats are kept on this, of course, but this seemed to be the best turnout of alumni – especially of guys who are current pros – in a while. Best known among alumni pros in attendance was the Dodgers' Andre Ethier.
The game also drew a star … well, maybe not a star … ah name … well, not a name … someone from the entertainment world, Brody Stevens. Stevens is a standup comedian who played a police officer in the movie “The Hangover.” He played at ASU under the name Stave Brody from 1989 to 1992. He pitched a perfect 1/3 of an inning. He faced one batter and got a 390-foot flyout. Ethier was in street clothes.
2. Top performances: Kole Calhoun of Buckeye homered and doubled for the current Sun Devils. Zack MacPhee, Zach Wilson, Riccio Torrez and Xorge Carrillo each had two hits. Matt Newman had three hits and an RBI.
Colin Curtis and Bill Schorr each hit two-run homers for the Alumni.
3. That’ll play: Curtis’ blast was a monster shot over the right-field fence. The ball hit Scottsdale Road and bounced onto the driving range at Karsten Golf Course.
4. Local boys: The Sun Devils have 17 players who played high school baseball in Arizona. Five are from Brophy – Newman, Torrez and his brother Raoul, and Drew and Beau Maggi
Longtime readers of The Ledger will remember Newman and Torrez brothers played on the team that won the Connie Mack World Series. Click here.
The Sun Devils' roster has two players from McClintock, Jimmy Patterson and Xorge Carillo, who led the Charger to a state title in 2007.
5. Jake Barrett made his debut for the Sun Devils, going a couple innings. Barrett, from Desert Ridge in Mesa, was one of the top baseball prospects in the state last spring. He was the 99th overall pick in the draft in June, taken by the Toronto Blue Jays.
6. Packard Redux: The signs with names and retired numbers of ASU greats on the outfield fences were absent, but the Winkles Field at Packard Stadium at Jim Brock Ballpark is getting a facelift.
7. My choice: Former Coronado standout Bob Dombrowski suited up for the alumni. Back in 1984, he was my choice for high school player of the year at The Arizona Republic. The other guys on the staff wanted some kid named Curt Schilling from Shadow Mountain.
Anyway, I thought about possible vindication when Dombrowski came to bat. He promptly hit a dribbler that pitcher fielded easily.
My solace is that I bet Schilling wouldn't look so great on the field these days either.
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