We're home from a fun trip down to Florida to see Spring Training baseball. It was too far to go to Arizona to see my beloved Cubbies, so we settled for a few random games in the Grapefruit League. Sarasota, Bradenton, and Tampa -- then up to Tarpon Springs to see friends there.
In Sarasota, we went to a night game -- Orioles vs Tampa Bay at Ed Smith Stadium. Tampa Bay outplayed Baltimore but I could see why they all need a few weeks of practice before the season starts. Lots of missed opportunities on both sides.
Sunday was an afternoon game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Houston Astros in Bradenton at McKechnie Field.
McKechnie Field was pretty small, but it had a great atmosphere. Maybe because it was Sunday afternoon there were lots of families there. The concessions were outside and there was a lawn area where people were chilling out in chaise lounges and playing with the kids who were too little or just tired of the game.
This guy sat in front of us and kept score. His dad said he had is own set of metrics. According to our pastor who is a huge Cardinals fan and preaches a baseball sermon every summer, this is what it's all about -- kids growing up with the game.
Here's a Pirate at bat.
Day Three -- We fought the traffic into Tampa to see the Yankees play the Astros at George Steinbrenner Field. Compared to the other stadiums we went to, this one was super delux!
It was the prettiest field, but most boring game we saw. The score ended up Astros -1, Yankees - 0. It seemed all the hits were pop flys or outs on first.
It was a fun time. This was our Christmas present to each other. I like it a lot more than a sweater.
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