Fanpost Friday: 2020 White Sox spring training

This is a de facto update of Hamster’s calendar piece(s) this offseason, tagged at the top with an additional twist: An invitation for all of you to talk about Spring Training 2020, and Spring Training past.

FanPost if you want to (I believe a few of you may have promised SoxFest FanPosts yet undelivered), otherwise just tap into the comments below with anything Spring Training related:

• Plans for 2020 attendance
• Questions for other readers about Camelback Ranch, or best times over the six weeks or so to attend
• Spring Training tips or tricks
• Memories of past springs you’ve shown up in Arizona ... or Florida, even.

I’ll start with one of mine, from back when I covered the team on the beat.

Jake Peavy watch!

This was his first game back after his lat injury, back on March 4, 2011. Of course, Peavy’s recovery was the big early drama of the spring, and this game at Tempe Diablo Stadium was no picnic. My company-issued “netbook” was on the fritz, so the only way I could cover the game was what we now know as “live-tweeting” (OK, hipsters, I didn’t know the term back then, that’s for sure) with my Blackberry ... on the roof of the stadium, outside of the press box.

I snapped a ton of photos, from the minute Peavy walked onto the field pregame, yakking on some Bud Fox/Wall Street-era cell phone. I’m not sure what I (or any of us hawking the game) expected, his arm was gonna fall off or something ... I sure seemed to be snapping photos in search of some sort of explosive triumph, it seemed.

Anyway, it was my 42nd birthday on that day as well, and though a bit more harried than most of mine since, I did get a small gift: my first-ever foul ball! For all of the hundreds of games I’d been to at that point, I’d never gotten a foul ball. Well, the roof of a stadium is a good place to avoid a competitive scramble for such bounty, and when a ball was shanked almost straight back at me, I had my little present for the day.

The remaining spring calendar is below. Please feel free to share your Spring Training stuff.

February 12: pitchers and catchers report

Pitchers and catchers report to Camelback Ranch on February 12.

February 17: players report, first squad workout

The entire club is due at Camelback Ranch by February 17.

February 22: Spring Training opener

The White Sox host the Angels at Camelback Ranch on the second Saturday after pitchers and catchers report, kicking off another Cactus League season. Here’s the full schedule:

March 26: Opening Day

Lord in heaven, the White Sox open at home ... in March ... hosting the Kansas City Royals.