As you sit down in the bleachers you’ll hear names like Lockjaw, Sockeye and Piano Legs. You’ll see men and women dressed like it was the 1860′s all over again with period base ball uniforms or at least long sleeve dress shirts, long pants or knickers. The ballists are playing base ball, Vintage style.

While some areas have one or two vintage base ball teams, Arizona is the home of an entire league that spans from Phoenix through Tucson and all the way down to Bisbee, near the Mexican border. The Arizona Vintage Base Ball league has been holding 1860′s rules base ball since 2007. In addition to the league games, there is a traveling team that plays games at a variety of community days, pioneer days and holiday celebrations throughout the state.

Now when you go, don’t be insulted when they call you a crank. That’s a base ball fan. You’ll need to brush up on your base ball vocabulary too. The pitcher is the hurler. The guys out in the grass are gardeners. The infielders are maintainers and the short stop was then the rover or short scout. When they say a player is dead, they just mean he’s out. Or if he’s lucky enough to round the bags and score, it’s not a run but an ace. The striker will then have to go to the scorers table which is very near home base on the playing field, raise his right hand and say, ” I swear that I score an Ace”, as he’s ringing a bell.

Now, it’s not easy to score an ace. If your hit is caught on the fly or on one bounce, it’s an out. You have to use a wooden bat. But, you do have some advantages. The hurler throws underhand and the nine in the field don’t wear gloves, they catch bare handed. Initially, the arbitrator doesn’t call balls and strikes. But, if the striker is too picky or the hurler is too wild, the arbitrator will start keeping track. The maintainers have to be within two steps of their base. You can bunt and any ball that hits in fair territory is a fair ball. It can even bounce straight back past the behind or catcher.  Now if a ballist complains to the arbitrator, he can fine that player a copper, but today it’s a quarter.

Now, as a crank you can get involved. Any foul ball caught by a crank whether on the fly or on one bounce is an out. That’s a home field advantage.

Games are played starting in November with a little break for the holidays and then until April. To learn more about the game or to see the schedule and plan to see a game visit the Arizona Vintage Base Ball website. You can also learn more about Vintage Base Ball at the Vintage Base Ball Association.

If you have any further questions call me. I’m not only a Realtor but I’m a hurler for the Phoenix Senators of the Arizona Vintage Base Ball league.

Pat “Pile Driver” Monahan (hey, it’s a better nickname than Frying Pan Hands)

On the second Sunday in October, Amy and I decided to hike the Peralta Trail. No not all of it, but a few miles up near the Freemont Saddle. The trail rises gently to get to the saddle. At the saddle you can take a side trip to a scenic overlook of Weaver’s Needle, visit Geronimo’s Cave or you can go further into the wilderness area. Weaver’s Needle is well know as being near the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. Find it and you’ll be set for life.

You could spend the rest of your life exploring the Superstition Wilderness and never hike the same trail twice. Dozens of trails lead to the south side of the range and just as many on the north side along the Apache Trail. There’s at least a half dozen trail heads with parking on each side as well.

One way a REALTOR can save money (which means his/her services can cost the consumer less) is to take the photos himself. A professional photographer can cost hundreds of dollars. Now if you want professional photos, just ask your agent. Otherwise your agent will probably take the photos, do some editing and put them up on the Internet and multiple listing service.

Here’s two shots I took of a recent townhome listing.  The one above was taken in the street.  The tree in front casts some shadows. It was around noon when it was taken. Also, the windows to the left are not part of this townhome. The shot below is a bit closer. The bald spot in the grass stands out a bit more. Which one do you like better? I’m thinking I’d like the top one if I re-shot it in the morning with more lighting under the tree.

Here’s another couple photos of the living room. The top photo shows the saltillo tile nicely.  The bottom shot is taken from the landing of the stairs. It’s darker and I don’t like the stair rail in the shot. Which do you prefer?

Finally, this shot of the master walk in closet. What do you notice first? The leopard coat or all the clutter? I didn’t use this shot. A lot of agents would just throw it in the mix. I’ll keep it, just in case someone might want ask to see a photo of the closet. If I decided to use a closet shot, I think I’d re-shoot without the clothes, luggage, vacuum and other items. What would you do?

Again, a professional photographer would come in and stage the home. Bring lighting and take stunning pictures. At a much higher price. This cost would be passed on to the seller.   This is a nice townhome in Mesa.  It’s selling for $50,000. If you’d like to see all the photos and the mls listing for it, click here.

According to the Daily Real Estate News, the IRS is experencing higher than normal the number of amended returns and that the IRS does these returns by hand, hence long delays.

We can expect delays to continue and maybe get worse, since the tax credit has been extended and includes home owners now.

Gilbert used to be the town that was way out there. Past the highways, past the malls, past the paved roads. It was synonymous with ‘Day Trip’. Not today. Now you can get on the Superstition (US 60) or the 202 and get anywhere in Gilbert in minutes. Plus, you have the option of the old downtown, the newer Gilbert Town Square or SanTan Village for shopping and dining.

 You can visit the Raparian Preserve and see an assortment of birds and waterfowl. Go to Freestone Park and ride the train, play softball or workout in the city gym. Explore  the canal trail system on foot or by horseback. You can even learn about Gilbert at  the Gilbert Historical Museum for fun. You can enjoy an evening at the Hale Theatre (pictured above) or playing softball at Big League Dreams.

Gilbert is southeast of Phoenix and Tempe. It borders Chandler and Mesa and being the fastest growing city in Arizona it will soon have over 200,000 residents. There’s not a lot of industry, so much of the employment is office and retail in nature. The city was know as the ‘hay capitol of the world’ in the early part of the 20th century and still has farms and ranches to the south and east.

Watch this video, it’s pretty cool.

Or play there. The 10 year old Tempe Town Lake is the centerpiece for sailing, rowing and fishing. But, it also attracks triathletes, runners and folks just out to picnic. The lake and Tempe Beach Park host the Ironman ArizonaTriathlon every November. Other times of the year you can see carnivals, concerts and parties on or around the lake. Tempe has other parks worth checking out too, like Kiwanis Park to the south, Papago Park to the north and 48 parks total. Papago Park is part Tempe and part Phoenix. Either way, you’ll enjoy the hiking, mountaineering, zoo and botanical gardens.

Just to the south of the lake is Mill Avenue, a collection of trendy restaurants, unique boutiques and rowdy bars. Mill is the western boundary of Arizona State University. Pac 10 sports happens on campus year around, plus you can visit over a dozen museums, collections and galleries on campus. All around ASU and Mill Avenue you’ll find shopping, but if you can’t get enough; venture out to Arizona Mills Outlet Mall or Tempe Market Place.

The newest addition to Tempe is the Metro light rail that goes east to Mesa and west to Phoenix. It passes Sun Devil Staduim, Wells Fargo Arena, Mill Ave and heads to Papago Park (short walk) and the A’s spring training home (short walk) and then onto downtown Phoenix, the Diamondbacks and Suns home. Tempe is one of three cities (Phoenix and Scottsdale) that make up the heart of the valley of the sun.

Living in Chandler is never a dull proposition. You’ll have numerous parks to play in, the largest of which is Tumbleweed. Tumbleweed has playtopia, called the best playground in Arizona by The New Times, Tumbleweed Recreation Center, the cities newest spot to run, lift weights, spin or visit with friends and the tennis center with 15 lighted courts. Or you can shop in downtown Chandler, the Chandler Fashion Center, Casa Paloma or the Fulton Ranch Towne Center. Wanting to run, walk or bike? Check out the Paseo Trail that runs right through Chandler or the soon to be completed Western Canal trail.

Wanting culture? Check out who’s playing at the Chandler Center for the Arts, what’s happening at the Chandler Museum, who’s racing atFirebird International Raceway or hang out at either the Wild Horse Pass Casino or Lone Butte Casino. Hey, it’s culture to somebody.

And this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Learn more about living in Chandler.

Are you wiring earnest money from Canada or anywhere outside the USA to open escrow on real estate?

Add the international transfer fee and ask the bank if there’s any other fees to be added.  For transfers from Canada, the fee we have seen is $10.00.

Your banker may not tell you this and you’ll be short on the needed money.  This means that you will then need to wire or send the short fall.  Worst case – this can cause you to be in default and the contract could be cancelled.

The Today Show

He’ll be competing on the show Friday. Tune into Channel 12 to see it, as it happens. Read a news story about Kevin on AZCentral.

The Burger

It’s called “Crab and Whitefish Burger” and I’m not sure if it has any beef. But, it sure does sound pretty darn good.

Other East Valley Burgers.

What’s your favorite east valley burger? I like the burgers at Joe’s Farm Grill in Gilbert and I recently had a great burger at Claim Jumpers in Tempe called the “Widowmaker”. It was big and tasted great. Or maybe you like the burgers at Heart Attack Grill in Chandler. Leave a comment and let us know.