Spring Training - Cactus '14 (part one)

The Boys of Summer - Second Base, sequel to the award-winning first documentary, began principal photography on March 13, 2014. We need your help. Please visit our kickstarter page and share it with your friends and family.

 Simply making the trip to Phoenix was a big deal. For anyone who's ever been on a family road trip, particularly from the parental side, or if you've seen National Lampoon's Vacation, you know what I mean. We loaded up our metallic green Town & Country minivan to the hilt, strapped in the kids (no Aunt Edna), and headed south. I got us there, but thankfully the rest of the car was sleeping or they would have to endure and, worse, probably would have questioned my unintentional scenic route that added roughly an hour to a journey that didn't need it. For the record, my wife only suggested we should ask for directions once. I, of course, said no.

It's the small things that make family road trips so great. When we arrived at our first night shanty - and that's being polite - we convinced the kids to go back to sleep so they could have waffles tomorrow morning at the "Continental Breakfast"! The name sounded just regal enough to put them back to sleep with a smile. The next morning, my four year old, Giuseppe whispered me awake with the repeated word: "Waffle? Waffle?"

We did. The joy he got out of sitting in the lobby and picking out his own yogurt, pouring an orange juice out of a machine ("so cool!") and having a perfectly round, hot golden waffle put him firmly in hog heaven.

We moved on to our next hotel, where the Nine Baseball Conference would be held. The hotel was a significant upgrade. The pool immediately had the kids jumping out of their shorts. Grandma and Grandpa's flight arrived and we went to lunch. That night, I was part of a three-person documentary film panel about baseball. It was an excellent discussion.

That night, I had a hard time sleeping. I was very nervous about the next day. I had a press credential to be in the clubhouse of my beloved Oakland A's. I had a plan to talk to certain players who I thought might have an inherent relationship to Boys of Summer. Would they talk to me? What was the proper etiquette for the clubhouse? What if I struck out in my attempts? Would this be a wasted effort? How was my dad feeling? Would my wife be okay with the kids?

Worry, worry, worry. So it goes in the mind of a father, son, and independent filmmaker in a high stakes poker game.