First Posted: 2/18/2015
I’ve got the winter blues.
I am tired of the cold.
I am tired of the snow.
I am tired of the ice.
I think it brings you down mentally and physically.
It has for me, I believe.
Add in that once the Super Bowl ends and before March Madness starts, it is not the greatest time of year for sports fans.
Ugh!
This past Sunday, I watched the “Saturday Night Live” 40th anniversary special instead of the NBA All-Star game.
So did most of the country.
Outside of college basketball, and maybe some Blue Jackets and Cavaliers — I am not watching sports on the tube these days.
And the one sport that I have been actively involved in — broadcasting boys high school basketball games — well our FAN games of the week lately have been one-sided blowouts.
Ugh!
I need a change of scenery.
The good news for me is that a change of scenery is coming up next week.
I will be in Goodyear, Arizona, next week broadcasting my “Sportstalk with Koza” shows live from the Indians’ spring training facility.
I did the same thing two years ago and what an awesome experience it was.
I love spring training and have done it several times now with both the Indians and Reds.
But without a doubt, I can tell you my best spring training experience was in 1989 in Tucson — then the spring training home of the Tribe.
I had convinced management of WLIO-TV to send me to out to spring training for a week.
My “nugget” was that Lima native Brad Komminsk had become a Cleveland Indian.
And another Lima native Larry Cox was a bullpen coach with the Chicago Cubs and they played the Indians in spring games and also trained in nearby Mesa.
I was able to talk management into paying good buddy Chris Wheeler $25 that week to shoot all of the video with his camera.
What a week we had.
Back then, you could be right on the field during practice with the teams.
Interviews with the players and coaches were so much easier then.
We had access to anybody and everybody.
Larry and Brad were great.
Both remembered where they were from.
We even had lunch with Brad and Lima’s Dr. John Biery, whom I had just met for the first time at spring training in Tucson earlier in week.
And Doc Biery and I have kept our friendship since.
At the Cubs’ training facility, we had access into the umpires’ room and were drinking beers with them after one of the spring games.
We began “Cubbie Bear” chants with the Cubs fans, with Cubbie Bear leading the way.
But our focus was the Indians.
And we didn’t care if the Indians won or lost their spring games.
It was all about the great weather, the chance to be so close to the game we love, and hanging with fans that thought the very same thing.
Going to Major League Baseball games is an awesome experience.
But the opportunity to be a part of spring training is like no other.
Especially where they hold spring training, be it in Arizona or Florida.
Hey it’s warm weather this time of year.
Better than what we are dealing with now, right?
Been there — done that.
And I am looking forward to doing it again, next week.
I need to get rid of my winter blues.
Want to join me?
