"An unofficial holiday:" Brewers pack up, head for spring training in Phoenix

MILWAUKEE -- The groundhog may have predicted six more weeks of winter Thursday morning, February 2nd, but for the Milwaukee Brewers, spring arrived!

With snow still piled outside Miller Park, the Brewers packed up and headed to the warmer climate of Phoenix, Arizona.

Brewers Spring Training 2017

“We have a thousand bats and hundreds of jerseys," said Tyler Barnes, Brewers VP of communications. "I think the most important number is 82 degrees projected for the reporting day, February 14th, down in Arizona.”

And when you can’t get someplace soon enough, you call in the help of the speedy Racing Sausages.

“We look at it as sort of an unofficial holiday around here," Barnes said. "It is the first day of spring as far as we’re concerned.”

Tyler Barnes

Pitchers and catchers report on February 14th, but the Brewers’ equipment truck was loaded up on Thursday. More than 20,000 baseballs, 1,000 bats and 60 cases of sunflower seeds are some of the essentials for six weeks of spring training.

“We really pick up our entire operation on the baseball side," said Barnes.

And once they get to the dessert, the work will begin to try and end a five-year post-season drought.

Brewers Spring Training 2017

“The amount of talent in the organization has really increased dramatically, just in a very short period of time, so we’re very, very excited about where we’re headed," Barnes said.

Hope springs eternal, even in the middle of a Milwaukee winter.

Single-game tickets for the 2017 season go on sale Saturday, February 18th – the same day the full roster reports for duty in Maryvale.

The Brewers also released this week the schedule of promotions for the entire season.