32 Things.

In 24 hours I'll be on my way to Surprise. The agenda is blurry, just as I want it to be. As I always say before this trip, peripheral vision and a flexible schedule are crucial. This year's version of the annual "32 things I'm looking forward to seeing" list: 1. Are you ever fixated on watching DeMarcus Ware from snap to whistle, or Dwyane Wade with or without the ball, or Steve Ott regardless of where the puck is, just to see how they do it? That's Elvis Andrus for me for the next week. During stretch. During BP. With teammates, with fans, with reporters. And at shortstop, before and during and after the pitch, no matter where, or whether, the ball is put in play. 2. Michael Main. It's his last year in the back of the book. 3. Max Ramirez, hopefully. His late-inning cameos for Team Venezuela in the WBC aren't doing him a whole lot of good. 4. Mike Maddux, working with Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz. 5. Actually would stop down to watch Maddux working with Brandon McCarthy, too. 6. From 40-41 to 81-0. That's not a prediction on the Rangers' improvement at home. It's the temperature and chance of rain I'm (1) leaving and (2) heading for. 7. Chris Davis finding his rhythm. He will. 8. The fivesome that stands to form the richest rotation in minor league baseball: likely Hickory Crawdads Martin Perez, Wilfredo Boscan, Joe Wieland, Neil Ramirez (who has eluded me in my three trips to Surprise since he was drafted), and Carlos Pimentel. 9. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's presence. 10. Wilmer Font's, too. Different issue. 11. The engineering advances that have surely transformed Bell Road from perpetual gridlock to a stinkin' Greater Phoenix autobahn. Surely. 12. Justin Smoak. 13. Righthander Guillermo Moscoso, imported from Detroit, and outfielder Juan Polanco, imported from the Rangers' Dominican Academy. 14. Joaquin Arias's arm. Enough hyperbole. I want to see where it's at for myself. 15. Michael Young from 10 a.m. until 11:30 each day. (In the afternoon, too, if someone would hit a tough chance his way in a game.) 16. Someone sending Julio Borbon a tough chance or two in center. 17. Pedro Strop, without question. 18. Someone jumping out the way Ian Kinsler did at spring training in 2004 and Derek Holland did at Fall Instructs in 2007 and spring training in 2008. 19. Don Welke, holding forth. 20. Mountains in just about every direction, other than up, where the Luke AFB training exercises go on all day, and into the night. 21. Little O, 20 years later. 22. Engel Beltre's approach catching up with his promise, I hope. 23. The Rangers episode of MLB Network's "30 Clubs in 30 Days," on March 18. 24. A huge NYPD pizza and a bottle of red. 25. No two-toned helmets. 26. Josh Hamilton, whom it's impossible to take your eyes off of. Only Nolan Ryan and Ivan Rodriguez had that before him. Alex didn't. 27. Greg Golson in batting practice and outfield drills. Very different player, but I used to anticipate Nelson Cruz the same way going into camp. 28. Yoga. Lots of yoga. No, wait. That's Ginger. No yoga. 29. Brandon Boggs, perhaps the most unfairly overlooked player in the system. (I took that one, word for word, from last year's list.) 30. Though Kennil Gomez probably deserves that tag now. 31. Writing every day. (Now's a good time to tell your pals who make you forward reports to them from time to time to go ahead and sign up themselves. Instructions are at the end of this email.) 32. A memory with the lasting impact of Ron Washington spontaneously grabbing a fungo last March while talking to beat reporters and slapping a ground ball at Max, who at age three gathered it in the way it's supposed to be done, or of Michael Young, on his way to morning stretch four days later, wordlessly engaging Max in a game of catch that half a dozen teammates stopped down to watch. Stay tuned for daily reports from Surprise, plus a Rangers-intensive appearance or a few on the Ben & Skin show on 105.3 FM The Fan. =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com If you want to be removed from this list, please e-mail me at newbergreport@sbcglobal.net