Today was my last full day here. As they say on the Internets, I has a sad. It's not the most luxurious or glamorous hotel in the world, but I've grown to love my little work shack here at the Howard Johnson. It's quite homey and familiar. In fact, it's just two doors down from the room I stayed in last year. 

I love getting to the field at 9:00 every morning, watching the players get stretched out, do defensive drills, take BP and the like. It's like catnip for me, and it's something I'll miss once the regular season gets going. Granted, I generally get to the ballpark at 2:00 for a 7:00 game, but Waterfront Park lacks the simple intimacy of the Himes Complex. If I could, I'd stay here year-round and watch the T-Yanks and Extended Spring Training. 

But enough of that, here's what I did today. 

Unfortunately, the Thunder's game was rained out in the middle of the second inning. The skies looked oomy  from the moment I got there, but it held off for a few innings. Then the skies opened up and the Yankees banged the game in roughly two minutes. 

The pitching matchup for the day was Shaeffer Hall vs. Chad Jenkins, almost certainly what you'll on Thursday in Trenton. The Thunder held a 2-0 lead on Zoilo Almonte's laser beam of a home run in the first inning. 

Here's my story about what I think the Thunder will do this season. Basically, the team looks like it lacks power and on-base skills, and it definitely needs a big turnaround defensively from last season. The pitching should be solid enough, though. 

A couple of notes from the day that was:

- Pat Venditte and Abe Almonte will not be at the team's FanFest on April 3. Both will be with the Yankees while they finish up spring training. The pair will, however, be ready for Opening Day against the Fisher Cats on April 5.

- Rigoberto Arrebato was moved from Trenton's roster to Tampa's. The move was necessitated by Brandon Braboy heading to the rehab group. 

- Former Thunder pitcher Adam Olbrychowski has called it a career. He was briefly a member of the team toward the end of the 2009 season, and was dealt to Washington that offseason for Justin Maxwell. 

- There were rumblings today that Jorge Vazquez had left the organization. Not confirmed though.

Here are two videos from the brief game action today: