Mrs. Frederick and I took in a ballgame Saturday with the Tampa Rays defeating the Cleveland Indians 4-2 before announced crowd of 33,000-plus. Baseball here, though is so different from up north. First is the driving distance: 360 miles round trip. Second is the atmosphere -- too genteel. But one thing that remains constant: The cost. Expensive.
Another observation is the lax media coverage. It seems the Central Florida media focuses heavily on the Orlando Magic and NASCAR, which makes sense. But certainly baseball here deserves more than a line score. Of course, the competition between the St. Petersburg and Tampa media outlets is fierce.
Mrs. Frederick and I tried to relate to our new adopted team, the Rays, since we are Floridians in search of sporting events. We got to learn a little bit about the Rays from their playoff run last fall that included the American League Championship series victory over the Boston Red Sox before their World Series loss in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Getting to the game itself was a little bit of a challenge. First of all, our Mapquest directions were wrong. There were no signs at all on Interstate 4, though once we turned south on I-275 it became easier, not only with signs, but the domed stadium was visible from the interstate. Parking was expensive, at $30, and the tickets for seats, two sections up from third base, were $55 each. Sausages were $6.50 and hot dogs, $6. Sodas were $6 and peanuts, $5.
I never quite understood why the Rays are called Tampa since the stadium is in St. Petersburg, though you have to cross the long bridge over Tampa Bay to get there. The fans were very supportive of their team, many wearing the jerseys of their favorite players such as third baseman Evan Longoria, first baseman Carlos Pena and oufielders Carl Crawford and B.J. Upton. Speaking of Upton, he hit a home run that got the fans on their feet.
The wave was another way to get the fans standing, though it took a few times. Then of course, after completing it several times, it got kind of irritating standing up again and again. The seventh inning stretch was nice as were a few lighthearted moments as demonstrated on the jumbotron, including couples kissing and a Deliverance-looking guy dancing to "Cotton-Eye Joe." There was also a Ryan Seacrest clone interviewing fans.
While Tropcana Field is easy to get in and out of, I have a lot of memories in Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park. This was Mrs. Frederick's first ballgame in person so she was very excited, though the ride home in the Audi TT sports car made her sick. Or maybe it was the sausage, or both. Any way, she loved the game as did I. We had a great time and look forward to rooting for our new team as we return 18 more times this season with a pre-paid package, that includes cheaper seats in the upper deck and much less expensive parking. And we'll get to see the Yankees and the Red Sox.