I'm going to AZ next week for vacation and am going to be spending a day in Mesa at the Cubs Spring Training. As I've never been before, I'm looking for some general advice on where to sit, how to buy tickets, avoiding traffic (I remember hearing that getting out of the parking lots is mess) and anything else that you can think of. So...

1. Lawn "seats" are still around, right? I know it's personal preference, but is that recommended vs grandstand seating?

2. Should I buy tickets online or is there a box office where most people buy day of to save on the fees and what not?

3. Any general tips to maximize my ST experience? Good ball park food to try? Or can you bring your own food like at Wrigley?

I'd really appreciate any tips or suggestions that anyone can provide. I'm really excited about going... I wish I could spend all week at Spring Training, but one day will suffice for now, then it's off to Sedona. Thanks in advance!

Twins tickets go on sale this Saturday, and I'm planning on making a trip up there in June to catch one of the games against the Cubs. I'm looking for advice/suggestions on where to sit in Target Field. Obviously closer is better, but I don't know that an out of towner coming to Wrigley would even consider that the 400 level might be a better option than row 15 in the 200 level, for example. So... does anyone who has been to Target Field have any suggestions?

Also, hotel recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks!

I'm seriously stunned that this made the papers. Quotes like the two below are absolutely embarrassing, particularly the first one. I don't know much about Steve Rosenbloom, because I typically don't waste time and brain cells reading the Trib's sports section, but is this common for him? What a joke.

Now get a load of this: Zambrano plans to fly to Guatemala over the All-Star break to prepare for the adoption of his son. Can you say "utter disrespect,’’ boys and girls?

Zambrano threw a bullpen session at Wrigley Field on Wednesday while the Cubs were looking stupid in a third straight one-run loss in Washington on a suicide squeeze that just pantsed everybody from the manager on down. More of that later. For now, the story is that Zambrano threw a bullpen at Wrigley instead of in Washington because the Cubs didn’t want the big goof to further hurt or strain his back sitting on an airplane. This spasm of lucidity could impact the Cubs’ chances reaching first place in the Frickin' Idiot League.

Carlos Zambrano criticized Carlos Marmol and his teammates after Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Cardinals, which was the Cubs’ sixth straight defeat. Big Z was asked if he was surprised that Albert Pujols came through with the game-winning hit again.

"The problem wasn’t Pujols," Zambrano said. " The problem was the previous at-bat. We should know better than this. We played like a Triple-A team. This is embarrassing, embarrassing for the team, for the owners, for the fans. Embarrassing. That’s the word for this team. We should know better than this, we should know better than we did on the field. We should know that Ryan Theriot is not a good fastball hitter. We should know that as a team. We should play better here. We stink. That’s all I’ve got to say."

In case you weren’t watching, Theriot hit a game-tying RBI double in the ninth off Marmol, hitting a slider. Marmol apparently shook off catcher Koyie Hill, who wanted him to throw a fastball.

Okay, not an exact quote but it sums up the article pretty well. Good to see that he's got his inner Farnsworth out of his system and is ready to focus on doing what he gets paid to do.

This can't be good.

Sign. Kiko. Calero. Seriously.

If you want to read Cardinals fans being entirely irrational, go here and read the comments section:

Figured this was worth passing along...

"And I'll tell you this, Major League Baseball is going to have a big, big problem on their hands when they find out they have a Hall of Famer who's used."

The first person to come to mind is the most recent inductee... Rickey. I can't think of any other HOF-ers that he played with off the top of my head, although I'm sure there are at least a couple.

"Because our fans are not stupid like Cubs fans," Guillen said. "They know we're [expletive]."

What a complete embarrassment to the game.

Because they need to better educate themselves.

On Lilly: Career Potential -- Decent mid-rotation lefty.

On Theriot: Career Potential -- Steady utility man.

On Ryan Ludwick: Career Potential -- A platoon or fourth outfielder.

I'm sure there are others. Is someone getting paid to write these? If so they're not very good at their job! Al how do I inquire about replacing this person? Just kidding. Well, kinda. It would be a fun job!

Overall, I like MB's attitude and the way he approaches the game. But this is dumb. Focus on the game, Milton. The umps aren't the reason you've been awful this year.