I’ll cut to the chase. I’m in sunny, happy Arizona.

Yes, it’s glorious.  Yes, I feel guilty.  Yes, the guilt passes quickly.

We arrived our sacred destination about 12:30- just in time for the ceremonial circumnavigation of Scottsdale Stadium, weaving in and out of 12,000 sun deprived baseball obsessives- their faces showing slight hints of future sunburns and even a trace or two of anticipatory drool.

We spotted my favorite pitcher in baseball. He’s 23 feet tall in person. Excitedly, we rushed over to watch Sir Madbum warm up. Twas for naught, as they have now covered up the bullpen so rude rookie Instagram photographers can no longer lean over for the quick out of focus art shots.

After that failure, I showed the missus where the team has warmups in an adjacent mini-field when one Hunter Pence suddenly appeared toting a bag, his bat, and a supply of intensity.

A fellow fan spotted him as well and yelled out from above: HEY PENCEY, MY MAN!

Pence continued to look straight ahead and and replied with kindness and clarity: Hey guys, enjoy the game…., I am getting focused.

While saying that, he gave the DEVIL ROCK SALUTE, never once looking up.

This is why I love Pence.  This is why everybody loves Pence. He’s keeping it real without the rude. He’s holding the fire without sacrificing the fun. And he’s focusing, like really hard, for us.

When he stepped up to the plate for his first at bat, he knocked the crap out of the ball and we all got the first taste of 2017 Penceian magic.

And with that lovely crack of a  bat, all the happy people became just that much happier.

And more focused, I must add.