It's been a long winter, but in about a day I'll finally hop a plane and head southwest to my 12th annual Brewers Spring Training work / fun trip.

I can't believe a whole year has come and gone since my last trip to Arizona. So, as I dug my way out of yesterday's surprise snowstorm, I let my mind drift to greener pastures.

I'll blog my way through the trip, writing at least once per day and probably beginning Thursday morning. We have tons of fun stuff lined up for this year's trip, and if you care, you can vacation vicariously through my travel blogs.

Each year, just before I go, I make a short list of questions I'd like to see answered at Spring Training. With a little help from our veteran baseball writer, Drew Olson, I came up with this list. Feel free to post a Talkback with any other questions, and I'll try to add them to my list:

• How slim does Prince Fielder look, and does it matter? The dude was getting pretty portly by the end of last year, and frankly, he looked out of shape. Does the Prince have his home run cut back?
• Same question about Bill Hall, except he didn't look fat, just big and bulky.
• Does Yovani Gallardo look healthy on the mound? He says he's fine, and he needs to be, since the Brewers are leaning on him to be their ace.
• What's the dynamic between Dale Sveum and Ken Macha? It must be a little demeaning for Sveum to return as a coach after his brief stint as interim manager.
• How do the players respond to Macha? I have this weird, gut feeling that the skipper is a little flighty -- but maybe that's just because he buttoned his jersey wrong at his first press conference.
• Will Trevor Hoffmann look happy to be in Brewers' camp? Or is he just collecting a paycheck?
• What's the deal with Tony Gwynn and Eric Gagne? Will this be the last time I see either in a Brewers' uniform?
• How badly will the Brewers destroy the Australian team in the WBC exhibition game Thursday? I'm hoping for a double-digit victory.
• And finally, off the field -- will the Phoenix / Scottsdale scene look different this year? Typically, the Valley is full of baseball-crazed tourists in March. Is the recession hurting tourism, restaurants and nightlife? I aim to find out.