SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. -- Wow, it's nice to be back in Arizona. My morning began at 5:30 a.m., when I left Milwaukee for O'Hare. I usually do anything possible to fly out of Milwaukee, but with the best available fare for this trip hovering around $420, I had to make some sacrifices. That meant a layover in Dallas, and an ultimate arrival in Phoenix at about 1:15 p.m.

And we came at a great time. Today peaked at about 85 degrees under perfectly cloudless skies. This is what I spent the last 11.9 months dreaming about.

Fortunately, my friends Bill and Paul beat me here, checking out the Phoenix golf scene the last few days (stay tuned for Bill's blogs), so they picked me up and we got to Maryvale by the third inning. Maryvale Baseball Park, the spring home of the Brewers, is on the west side of Phoenix, and while it's a bit out of the way, it's much closer than many parks.

I didn't see a ton of the game, as I spent the afternoon reacquainting myself with the park I've visited for 11 years in a row. I stopped in to the press box, said hello to colleague Drew Olson and did my annual interview with Brewers radio announcer Jim Powell.

Then, I met up with OnMilwaukee.com editorial intern Maureen Post and showed her around, too. In all, a total of four OnMilwaukeeans will have graced the Cactus League in 2008, including long-time freelancer Gregg Hoffmann. Who can blame us, really, but I'm proud of our showing.

I did see Rickie Weeks smack a go-ahead homer, and I watched Craig Counsell boot it around the infield. Brian Shouse shut out the game.

After the game wrapped, we took Indian School Rd. back to the amazing Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, 6850 E. Main St. This is an incredible hotel, the kind one would imagine Frank Sinatra patronizing. The retro '50s décor is beautifully restored, and the service is gracious without being snobby. It immediately reminded me of "Entourage," and thus, we headed straight to the pool. I can't say enough about this place, it's like nowhere I've ever stayed.

Which is exactly what I needed after a long travel day. By now, Oscar from Chicago had joined us. The gang was starting to get back together.

We spent the next two hours sipping drinks at the hot tub, and now, and now we're getting ready for whatever the evening might hold. Then tomorrow, we do it all over again.

We check out tomorrow and head to the Westin, but before we go, I'll do some more exploring and report back.

There's a little work mixed in with this pleasure, but I'll take it. I say this every year, but something about this place reinvigorates my soul.