Sunburns and Backfields: A Look into the Pelicans Trip to Spring Training

March 22, 2023 by Sam Weiderhaft

I had never been to MLB Spring Training. I’ve been a baseball fan my whole life and had always dreamt of making a trip to Arizona to see the stars of the game prepare for their seasons. When the Pelicans asked Hunter Horenstein and I to go and get some content from Cubs camp, I was ecstatic. Let’s do this thing.

First off, Arizona is beautiful. I’ve always called it my “future retirement home” because it’s already been decided that’s where I’m ending up. The mountains, palm trees, and an abundance of cacti made for some incredible scenery. Add 80-degree weather with a slight breeze and a blanket of sunshine, and you’ve got the perfect spring training weather.

Hunter and I were in Mesa for three full days, March 12-14. Our job was to interview some former Pelicans about how their spring was going and capture some content from around Sloan Park during the Cubs game days. Again, that was our job. We got paid to do that. Pretty awesome.

Day one began early on Sunday morning when we headed to the media room at the complex. With the Cubs game later that day at 1:05, the big leaguers were made available for the media a few hours before first pitch. I’ll admit it, I get starstruck all the time. Walking into the clubhouse and seeing Cody Bellinger, Kyle Hendricks, Dansby Swanson, and the rest of the squad was a strange mix of intimidating but incredible. 8-year-old me would be freaking out, and so was 24-year-old me. We met up with 2016 Pelican David Bote at his locker and knocked out our first interview. We talked about his spring routine and reflected on his 2016 season with the Pelicans, one that ended with a Carolina League championship. After battling injuries the last few years, he’s healthy this spring and looking to fill a spot on the Cubs roster.

.@sam_weiderhaft caught up with David Bote to reflect on his time in Myrtle Beach during the 2016 season and discuss the impact manager Buddy Bailey had on his development.#MBPelicans | @DavidBote13 pic.twitter.com/qakHVD5oR4

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) March 13, 2023

After the media availability, it was time for a quick change to head out to the tailgates. I swapped my professional collared shirt and pants for the casual Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and a straw hat- with my ray bans to complete the look.

Sloan Park has a few grass fields outside the stadium, making for the perfect tailgate spot. Fans set up tents along the player’s walkway as fans line up and down the gates waiting for autographs. There are also stages with live music to give some energy to the area. Hunter gave me a mic and it was showtime.

The first person we ran into was Rich Biesterfeld. Rich was the perfect guy for our first conversation, we’ve met him at Pelicans Ballpark before and provides us with awesome photos from Arizona. He came dressed for the occasion, sporting our “Mermen” Hawaiian shirt and the Palmetto State hat. We had a great conversation about his photos and the environment at spring training.

From there, Rich introduced us to some of the folks at the Club 400 tent, with arguably the tent that sees the most action. JP with Club 400 runs the whole operation and has pizza ready for every tailgate. The pizza was so popular that he ran out before we could get a taste test, but he was quickly forgiven after giving me a great interview. Club 400 is a popular hangout for Cubs fans in Chicago that also does charity work. JP was their Arizona correspondent and put together quite the pregame party.

From there we continued walking around the tailgate area, met a fan with our Pelicanos de Myrtle Beach hat who offered me to trade my Hawaiian shirt for his Anthony Rizzo jersey. After a quick exchange for the video, I had to decline for work purposes. But I do not regret anything about being shirtless at spring training. Feel like that’s a part of the deal.

After connecting with Cubs fans from near and far, we headed into the ballpark for the game. It was a beautiful afternoon and the perfect weather to sit on the grass berm behind the outfield wall. While baseball was taking place on the field, I decided to hit up the concession stands and do a few food reviews. Sloan Park gives you a little taste of Chicago by offering the Vienna Beef Chicago Dog, so of course that had to be the first test. I know it’s frowned upon, but I’m usually a ketchup-only guy on hot dogs. I broke that habit and traded it in for peppers and onion. Fantastic choice. The dog was superb.

We walked to the outfield after to check out the line of food trucks. I settled on a truck that offered a cheeseburger filled with more peppers among other toppings and loved it. Lesson learned, try more things on ballpark food.

As the game wrapped up, we caught a few pitches on the outfield grass with a beer to round out the first day of content. I took a trip to the team store to pick up the Cubs' official spring training hat, and it was back to the hotel to rest up for our trip to Phoenix that night.

Originally, this trip was going to be focused on Cubs' spring training and catching up with some former Pelicans. About a week before, we were able to snag World Baseball Classic tickets for two contests, USA vs. Mexico on Sunday night, and USA vs. Canada on Monday night at Chase Field. My goodness, what an experience.

We knew going into Sunday night that the crowd would be a majority Mexico fans. What we didn’t expect was the energy they brought that translated on to the field. Right when we entered the stadium, we heard “U-S-A” and “MEX-I-CO” chants back and forth. The Mexico chants were a lot louder, and their team heard it. Joey Meneses hit a two-run home run close to our seats in left field in the first inning and Mexico didn’t look back in their 11-5 win. Former Bird Javier Assad was crucial for Team Mexico as he held USA scoreless in three innings of relief pitching. It was a baseball environment that I’ve never been in before. Of the 50,000 that were packed into Chase Field, probably 35,000 of then were doing the “OLAY…OLAY OLAY OLAY” towards the end of the game to signify Mexico’s victory. Truly astounding.

Monday was an off day for the Big-League club, so we headed to the backfields to watch the minor league guys practice. The layout of the complex is really interesting. The main building is right in the middle with Sloan Park and the backfields on either side of the building. Fans are able to park in a lot behind the practice fields and walk right up and see the prospects play on the four practice fields.

After meeting up with the South Bend broadcasters and letting them know how stacked their team will be next year and how they should be getting ready for another Midwest League championship (shoutout Max Thoma and Brendan King), I walked over to the field that had the potential Single-A group playing. On that field was MiLB legend and current Birds manager, Buddy Bailey. I spent a few minutes catching up with him before he gave out a typical Buddy Bailey jab, telling Hunter and I that we’re both the same height as a Pelican, that’s why we work for them (he’s not wrong).

It was a really fulfilling day. Running into the players I’ve watched at Pelicans Ballpark and the coaches I’ve interacted with over the last two years all in one place was thrilling. We did a few interviews with former Birds, one of those being Cubs’ top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. PCA is the most competitive guy I’ve talked to, and that edge is what gets fans so excited. He mentioned in his interview that his goal is to win another ring no matter where he’s at, and whichever team in the system has the 20-year-old on their roster is going to have a great shot.

Ran into this guy on the backfields, said his name was Pete, seems pretty good at baseball. pic.twitter.com/Ti4liLCrFv

— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) March 13, 2023

From the conversations on the backfields, we headed back to the hotel for some down time before going to USA vs. Canada later that night for another World Baseball Classic game. While Hunter cut the interviews, I took the opportunity to visit a favorite west coast fast food place of mine: In-N-Out. That place brings me so many memories from my childhood in Southern California, and it was just as good (if not better) than I remember. I can still hear the jingle “That’s what a hamburger’s- allllll about.” I was able to beat the incoming lunch rush and head straight to the counter. Double-Double with animal-style fries and a vanilla shake. Can’t beat that.

Feeling better than ever after the In-N-Out experience, we met up with Hunter’s friend from high school at Four Peaks Brewing Company for a few drinks before heading into Phoenix. The restaurant is named after the Four Peaks Mountain that lies in the distance. It was here that I officially decided that this was the place I eventually want to be. Surrounded by the beautiful desert scenery and a margarita sitting in a cactus glass in front of me, I was content. The bar was also surrounded by Angels baseball fans- a community in which I am a part of, which also brought back some good memories. Just a great place to relax.

We went back to Chase Field for the USA-Canada game, which was much less crowded than the night before. Going into it, I decided that this was the game I’d walk around and check out the different areas of the stadium. Team USA made that an easy decision by piling on nine runs in the bottom of the first. I had started my stroll around the stadium in the middle of the inning, but knew I had to see Mike Trout’s at-bat. Trout has been my favorite player since he came through the Angels’ system, and I’ve gotten the chance to see him play in many different cities since I moved away from the Anaheim area. Trout came up, and I stopped my walk in right field. When the ball popped off the bat, I knew. He hammered a three-run home run to left-center field for his first big fly with Team USA. It was awesome. Hunter was back in our seats down the right-field line. He took one of the most incredible videos I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone more excited about anything (well maybe the videos I took at the Taylor Swift concert, but that’s a story for a different time).

I am having a very good time.

🎤🐟🏠🏃 pic.twitter.com/hzIA6K6NGk

— Hunter Horenstein (@h_horenstein) March 14, 2023

I took my walk around Chase Field during the early part of the game. Made a stop at the team store to check out the selection and ended up with a few koozies and a throwback purple Diamondbacks hat. Add that to the collection.

The game finished in seven innings as Team USA took down Canada 12-1 due to the mercy rule to move to 2-1 in pool play. We met up with our friend Clinton Yates from ESPN after the game to have a few drinks and explore downtown Phoenix. Clinton’s been a big supporter of the Pelicans through the past few years, and it was interesting to hear about his life experiences in California. He also surprised us with a few media guides from the World Baseball Classic, something that only another member of the media can fully appreciate.

Tuesday was the final day of our trip. Our goal was to knock out a few more interviews before the Cubs game later that night. We hung out around the backfields again and talked with 2021 Pelican Pablo Aliendo, one of my favorite players from my first year. The catcher is so full of energy and loves what he does, he’s also pretty good at it too.

While I was in the middle of a conversation with Hunter, I felt two arms go around my waist, and suddenly I was lifted almost seven feet in the air. When I returned to earth, I found 2022 Pelican Luke Little at my side. I didn’t think the lefty pitcher had much to grow, but it seemed like his 6’8 frame might have extended during the offseason. I had met his parents the day before at the tailgates and was excited to him again after his promotion to South Bend in August of last year. We talked about pitching, winning a Midwest League championship, and what this year will hold for the 2020 fourth rounder.

We were also able to catch up with former Birds’ pitching coach Clayton Mortensen. Morty was in Myrtle for the 2021 and 2022 seasons and will make the jump up to High-A this year. The former MLB pitcher is beloved by the arms in the pipeline and talked to us about how everyone has progressed in the offseason.

This was also the day that my skin turned a bright shade of red from standing out in the sun all afternoon. I wasn’t complaining, my complexion needs any color it can get. Plus, it was a nice little souvenir to take home that my friends made fun of me for.

We had an interview lined up with former Pelican and 2022 NL All-Star Ian Happ later in the day but had some time to hang out at the facility before then. The South Bend Cubs held a ring ceremony for their 2022 Midwest League championship, so we decided to take that in. The room was filled with many former Pelicans and that got promoted in the middle of last year and Cubs executives (Team President Jed Hoyer being one). That 2022 first-half Pelicans team was special, a 47-19 record, a no-hitter, a 12-game winning streak, there were a ton of talented players in that group. It was great to see them rewarded by not only a promotion, but some jewelry at the end of the season.

Hunter and I dipped out of the ceremony to catch Ian for a quick interview. While we were waiting at one of the tables outside the building, Ian came back from batting practice on a golf cart with Tucker Barnhart, Cody Bellinger, and other members of the Cubs. Starstruck again.

Our interview with Ian was quick, but still made for a great conversation. We talked about his stellar 2022 season that included the All-Star nod and a Gold Glove at the end of the season. I also asked him about his 2016 Pelicans team and working with Buddy Bailey. You truly don’t understand the impact Buddy has on these players until you hear big leaguers talk about the lessons they learned from the MiLB veteran. Happ was very appreciative of his time in Myrtle.

With that, we accomplished every task we wanted to hit. The Cubs game started at 6, so Hunter and I headed up to the deck above the left field grass, got some drinks, and enjoyed some baseball to conclude a baseball fan’s dream trip. Former Pelican Justin Steele started on the mound against the Rockies, and we also saw 2021 Birds Jeremiah Estrada and Jordan Nwogu take the field throughout the game. The weather cooled off and we felt a few drops of rain but that couldn’t dampen our mood. We just completed an incredible visit.

Just before our flight left Phoenix, we spent some time back in the hotel bar talking with a couple from Myrtle Beach. Hearing their experiences at Pelicans Ballpark was a great way to round things out. Our flight left a little past midnight, and it was back to the Grand Strand.

Wow. That was a business trip. I can’t thank the Pelicans enough for sending us out to do our jobs, the Cubs were very hospitable, and Hunter is so fun to work with to create content. It was a trip I’ll never forget, and hopefully have the chance to recreate. Now, it’s on to the 2023 season. Let’s do this thing.