Saturday at the Trop
I wanted to make opening day for the Tampa Bay Rays this year. It didn’t happen. So I had to settle for attending yesterday’s Saturday afternoon showdown with the Baltimore Orioles.
First thought: I was pretty well amazed at the turn-out upon arrival. Steve and I had to stand in line for a good half-hour to get tickets and I was wondering if the remaining available tickets would be worth the wait. To my pleasure, we found damn good seats looking down the first base line in the “Loge Box” section for $24.00 each. The fellow in the ticket booth tells us we would have an obstructed view of any high pop-ups, but other than that they were great seats. I didn’t recall this “Loge Box” terminology, but upon taking our seats I realized this was the same section my mother and I sat in several years back.
Honestly, for the view of the game we were provided with, I have no complaints. Every home run shot was in full view and we were close enough to the plate that I could easily read the back of each player’s jersey.
I was also able to take in some of the concessions and the facility in general, and I have to say, it’s really shaped up into a fairly nice facility for what it is. While I’m not completely opposed to a new facility, I’m not certain an open-air venue is a good idea in the summer heat of Florida. The game was very comfortable in the indoor environment, though I’m still trying to figure out why the turf down there is so streaky. I get that it’s the newer, better, more different turf (I forget what they call it….when we were at the Superbowl in San Diego back in 2002 there was a test section that they allowed people to walk on and try out…..pretty neat stuff), but it looks awful. Honestly, I hate the fact that there’s a 30 year lease in St. Petersburg. While I think St. Petersburg has much more to offer in culture, the money and the market is on this side of the bay. A new retractable roof facility in Tampa- perhaps close proximity to Raymond James Stadium (much like the sports complex in Philadelphia and other cities)- would be more ideal and would likely draw more of a fan base.
Given that I pay exponentially more to sit in nosebleed seats in the heat of the sun at Raymond James stadium, I have to say my $24.00 game day experience was well worth the price and I intend to attend a greater number of games this season than I have in years past. I even ventured into the apparel shop and picked up a t-shirt. I wanted a jersey but the $110 price tag is a bit much for what I can justify at the moment. Eventually, I’ll find funds that I can justify- perhaps my $600 kick-back from the US Government would come in handy for this.
I really like the way this team is taking shape. While I know there are some that have us competing for the playoffs this season and others who think I should be demanding nothing less as a fan, I would simply like to see the young guys get more development in preparation for the next couple of years. There’s amazing speed in the Outfield with Crawford and Upton and our young pitching staff is really looking like it could be a competitive group for years to come. I liked seeing Longoria in the line-up (if the kid shapes up to be everything they say he is, I will be able to look back and say I was there for his first major-league outing) and look forward to seeing what today’s starter, Niemann, is capable of. The kid looked really sharp today. My only concern is with Joe Maddon. Trever Miller got two quick outs in the bottom of the ninth when he was replaced by Dan Wheeler. Not sure why you make this switch at this point in the game or why you wouldn’t have had your closer in the game to begin with (RE: Troy Percival), but this was a bad move. With one out remaining, Ramon Hernandez drives in the winning shot with a home run off of Dan Wheeler. We’ll see how Maddon’s ability to make appropriate pitching changes develops as time goes on, but this one was pure disappointment from a fan’s perspective. And I’m still upset that the team couldn’t make Lou Piniella happy enough to stick it out down here. I can only imagine what his management would be bringing to the organization now.
For those who haven’t been or would like to go sometime this season, let me know. I’m all about it.