The stadium at the Peoria Sports Complex starts to fill up with fans before Sunday’s meeting between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. – photos by Joe AlexanderSpring training baseball games usually make for a relaxed day at the ballpark – unless it’s the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the San Diego Padres.
Then, even in the first weekend of the Cactus League, the rivalry kicks in.
After an early Sunday morning flight to Phoenix and an hour or two of sightseeing, I headed to Peoria, Arizona, for an afternoon Dodgers-Padres game at the Peoria Sports Complex. Along with about 9,800 other fans, we packed the place and watched the defending champion Dodgers take the win.
The Padres bounced back the next day to beat the Milwaukee Brewers, also in Peoria.
My three-day spring training schedule wrapped up the day after that with the Arizona Diamondbacks beating the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium, the Rangers’ home stadium in Surprise Arizona.
Flying into Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix on a partly cloudy morning.South Mountain Park on the south side of Phoenix. The clouds burned off for a beautiful day in late February.The view of downtown Phoenix from the south side of town near South Mountain Park.A few swirling clouds over the mountains to the west of Peoria gave some color to the Arizona sunset.Surprise Stadium, spring training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals. I got in just as the gates opened and good a picture before the fans filed in.
