Project blue - Take six

Going to a Rays baseball game is beginning to be a fun experience. This is the first year in their history that they're having a winning season. Last Saturday night was Bradenton night at Tropicana Field. Three friends from Sweet Adelines and I went to watch the Rays beat the White Sox.

Pictured here is Raymond, the Rays' mascot. I thought he was wearing enough blue to qualify for Project Blue. It was Country Night, so he was dressed accordingly. After the ballgame there was a concert by Trace Adkins. The game sold out, and that is a rarity there. I think the concert had something to do with it. As they are winning more games, attendance seems to be increasing, and that's a good thing.

Pitching has improved greatly, and the defensive plays have been fun to watch. They are a young team with many good years ahead. At least that's what we're all hoping.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Part 2

The Pirates play at McKechnie Field in Bradenton. This field and seats were redone a few years ago, and instead of building a fancy, new facility out of town, they decided to stay here near downtown Bradenton. That made us all happy. Today the Pirates played the Tampa Bay Rays. Neither team has a stellar record. In fact, I don't believe either of them had won a game before today's game, and the Pirates beat them 5-2. It's going to be a long season.

I haven't seen too many young families here this week. I guess it isn't spring break up north yet, or else they're still frozen. At Monday's game, they announced the respective scores of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh as being 25 and 20. Everyone laughed. Then the temperature of Bradenton was announced as being 70, and that brought cheers from everyone.
It's always fun having a friend along. My friend Peg and I have been friends since we were in elementary school. We lost touch for a few years ago, but we reconnected after she moved back to Bradenton. Monday we ate foot-long hot dogs; today we enjoyed a slice of pizza.

Spring training runs through the end of the month. The Yankees will be here Saturday. The Red Sox will be playing too. I don't have tickets for either of those games. I believe the Braves are coming too. AC, eat your heart out. I believe that game is sold out.

I intended this post to come second, and I tried publishing this one first, so that it would be on bottom, but I didn't succeed. Oh, well.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame, Part 1

March in Florida means baseball. It's that time of year when the boys of summer get together and practice for the upcoming baseball season. Bradenton is the winter home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. When I was growing up, the Boston Braves trained here, and later the Milwaukee Braves.

My parents were great baseball fans. My mother said when she married my dad that if she hadn't learned to love baseball, she would have been a baseball widow. Long after my father had died, she remained a fan, following the Atlanta Braves.

It's always fun to go to the games with a friend. There aren't too many young families here this week. It must not be spring break yet. But the old folks are there...those who are loyal to the Pirates, no matter what. It used to be when I went to the games, I recognized the names, back in the days of the Killer B's - Bonds, Bonilla, Bream, Bell and there was one other whose name escapes me. Kevin, the young man in the picture below is back this year. He's the "Whazzup" guy. For several years he was a vendor, and you got used to his familiar cry. He was away for two years and is back this year. Monday when I went to the game, he wasn't hollering out to the crowd. He ran up to where we were sitting and said that someone had complained about his being loud. Can you imagine?! Someone told him to tell his boss that they were going to give up their season tickets if they muffled him, so today he was hollering out again. We all smiled. Some people!