Queens

On Starting the Season, Ready or Not

Not Shea Stadium, 2017

Saturday, April 8, 2017
Miami Marlins vs. New York Metropolitans
Not Shea Stadium (Citi Field)
MLB (National League)
Queens, NY
7:10 PM


Outside the Game:
It was a late evening Saturday game for another "Opening Weekend," so I spent the morning in my regular Saturday schedule of doing the laundry and taking a nap. Eventually, I got ready for the game, and instead of walking, I decided to get an Uber to the Hoboken PATH station. However, the traffic in Hoboken was awful, and I of course managed to get to the PATH train right after a 33rd train had left. The good news was that it left me time to re-up all my transit passes while I was waiting for the next train to show up.

I eventually got my train to NY, and managed to snag an Orange subway connection right away, but I was not so lucky with the 7, running down the stairs to watch one just pulling out. This was then compounded with an announcement nearly immediately afterward saying that there were "serious delays" on the 7 line, making me wait an extra long time for the next train, which was wall-to-wall people almost the entire ride out to Willet's Point thanks to the aforementioned delays.

Eventually free and just before the gates opening, there were huge lines already piled up and the main gate, so I went around the back to the Bullpen entrance, which was bereft of anyone except the guy manning the gate and some old timers in line ahead of me. The gates opened on time, and I was off to the Shake Shack for my first burger of the year.

Shots fired

I bailed on the fireworks after the game, and I was back to the subway in good time. Just as I was boarding the 7 homeward, the fireworks started going off in the distance. I was in no mood. The trip back home was uneventful, and I was in bed before midnight, wondering if this awful night was going to be a bellwether for the season.


The Stadium & Fans:

Center field to home plate, Not Shea Stadium

Good old Not Shea was open for another season of business, and there were a bunch of changes afoot. Out in center on top of the "7 Line Army" section was a Jim Beam Bourbon Bar. So now you know where they get their "team spirit." There were also new round plaques of retired numbers up on the left field side by the out-of-town scoreboard.

The biggest change was in the non-alcoholic beverage concession, where over the winter the Pepsi Porch had miraculously become the "Coca Cola Corner," which was gussied up with some new Coca-Cola bottle patio chairs and some new Coca-Cola branded amusements like fast pitch and cornhole. The brought-in wall in left now hosted an entire row of seats instead of the party area that was there previous seasons. There were also more low-key corporate naming rights with the restaurant out in left becoming the "Porche Grill" with a car out front that they got up there somehow, there were "Nikon Photo Spots" all around the park now, and Spotswoods took over the club level concession name.

The Mets welcome you, peasants

In less-appealing changes, the area by the Whiffle-ball field that had previously housed the kids store now had a DJ booth, for some godawful reason, and the kids store moved upstairs, to be replaced with a "Season Ticket Holder Lounge." Yes, the Metropolitan ownership will do absolutely everything to give season ticket holders some stupid perks, but not anything that anyone wants or is asking for.

I loves ya, Case.

The crowd was a little sparse for the cold April Saturday evening game. Less people to be disappointed, really. Mr. Met and the ill-conceived Mrs. Met were on hand for the between-innings entertainment, which hadn't changed all that much at all.


At the Game with Oogie:

First Shack of the year

I grabbed my first Shack of the year and later got a Rao's meatball sub in the club area dining. I did my visit to the team store and the museum, and then had my walk-around to see what was new in Metropolitan land.

My seats were just past third on the club level, and there was a big family in front on me, with one guy who kept bragging all game about how he was connected and got the seats. There was an awesome old lady sitting next to me. Her jacket was covered in pins, and she was scoring the game along with me. I just wish the team had put on a better performance for her, but she was old enough to be immune to disappointment. I envied her.


The Game:

First pitch, Marlins vs. Metropolitans

This early season matchup between the bottom-dwelling Marlins and the bottom-aspiring Metropolitans was a one-sided route that wasn't even much fun to watch. The fact that New York was no-hit through 5.6 innings is about all you need to know.

I mean, really.

The Marlins started off the top of the first with a one-out double brought home on a ground out and a single to steak them to a 1-0 lead. As mentioned, the Metropolitans were no-hit until the 5th (with a perfect game thrown against them until a two-out fourth inning walk), so let's ignore them until the later innings. Miami got a leadoff homer to left to lead off the second, and a questionable triple and a sacrifice fly brought in another run in the third, extending the lead to 3-0.

Miami had only one baserunner on an error in the fourth, and scattered a walk and a single in the fifth. The Metropolitans began the bottom of the fifth with two strikeouts, and then Duda finally got the first hit, a homer to left with authority. Back-to-back walks followed, but were stranded, with the score a more respectable 3-1. Miami only had a walk in their half of the sixth, and the New York promptly went back to going in order.

The Marlins put another run on the board in the seventh with two walks and a single, while the Metropolitans scraped together another single. Not quite done scoring, Miami started the eighth with three singles in a row and a suicide squeeze bunt to plate two more runs, while New York only managed a single in their half, leaving the score 6-1. The Marlins continued feasting on the New York bullpen in the ninth, turning a walk and two singles into two more runs. The only good thing was that the Metropolitans got so good at striking out (13 on the night) that they managed to get on base with one before feebly ending the inning and the 8-1 loss.


The Scorecard:

Marlins vs. Metropolitans, 04/08/17. Marlins win, 8-1.

Although I picked up a $6 program, I didn't even bother to check the scorecard until I got home. I was so inured to the awful designs the Metropolitans had put out that I was shocked in flipping through the program on the way home that it appeared they had adopted a new, clean design for the scorecard that I would definitely have to check out on subsequent visits.

That said, and not knowing the above, I scored the game in the BBWAA scorebook. There were a few interesting plays from a scoring perspective. Let's start with strikeouts. There was a strikeout bunting in the top of the fourth, for a rare MLB "K-B." There were also two "K-2"s on Marlins players where the final third strike was not caught cleanly, which you don't find in many major league games unless a knuckleballer is going. The Metropolitans just struck out a lot, but they had an even more rare K in the bottom of the ninth where the runner reached base because the batter was not put out after a dropped third strike.

There were also a bunch of plays that needed actual notation. A bunch of double-shifts required a shifted player line for both teams in the scorecard to accommodate new players. A Metropolitan challenge on a safe steal call in the top of the seventh was denied. The first oh-so-time-saving immediate intentional walks that I saw in person happened in the top of the seventh. And then there were a couple of calls I disagreed with the scoring on. A triple in the top of the third was clearly an E8 on a botched play, and conversely, an E5 ruled in the top of the fourth was clearly a single. I don't know what the official scorer was doing on those plays, but it wasn't even home cooking.


The Accommodations:
Jersey City, sweet, Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2017 Stand-Alone Trip

Port St. Lucie

On Meeting Idols & Enemies, As Well As Some Rain

First Data Field, 2017

Monday, March 13, 2017

Miami Marlins vs. New York Metropolitans
First Data Field
Grapefruit League (Spring Training)
Port St. Lucie, FL
1:05 PM


Outside the Game:
I woke up Monday morning, and in the process of getting ready for the game, I realized that I had the wrong game on the menu for today. I had swapped up the order of my next two games. I had booked two games at the new Palm Beaches ballpark to see both teams, and I had booked two games in Port St. Lucie to go with my family and then fan geek out for the second one. I had thought I was watching back-to-back games in West Palm Beach, but in looking at my ticket before I departed, I realized that it was the second Metropolitans game this day.

Outside of leaving slightly later than I would have liked (as West Palm Beach is much closer), it didn't affect things too much. There was an accident with a truck on fire that I passed on the way up to the stadium that wasn't exactly a great sign, but once I got to the park, I parked in nearly exactly the same place as the first game on Saturday, though this time I was alone and driving my mother's Florida car.  I quickly headed off to the training facilities and into the game from there.

A damp exit

After the rain delay, there were not many people left in the parking lot once the game was over, so it was particularly easy to get out. The drive back to the condo was unmarred by any flaming trucks, and I had my regular shower and nap before dinner with my parents. I did laundry and packed up as I planned my accommodations for the next day and bought my tickets, as it looked like I would get all my baseball done in four straight days, even with the rain scare today. I even put in a call to Disney to get some preliminary information, but didn't buy any tickets in case tomorrow went south in West Palm Beach.

I had an early night, hitting the sack before 11 PM, just because I ran out of things to do.


The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, First Data Field

The stadium hadn't changed much in two days, so not much new on that front. All of my particular personal interactions are described below.

Even for a weekday afternoon Spring Training game against the null-drawing Marlins, there was still a solid crowd in the stands, even if the 7-Line Army was out marching somewhere, because they were not in attendance on the picnic berm for this game.

A couple got (successfully) engaged in a mid-innings break, and all the stupid between-innings contests such as golf chipping and the like were in the house. It did mark the first time I had any rain for a Spring Training game in Florida (or Arizona for that matter, but that's sort of a given). Even though it was relatively short and there were plenty of places to stay dry from the rain, the crowd did thin out quite a bit with the Metropolitans already leading in the late innings.

Not everyone is a die-hard.


At the Game with Oogie:

Spring scoring

This was an eventful little game for me.

My first stop was the training area behind the park that they had finally opened up to the fans several years ago. One of the first people I saw was turn-of-the-90s Metropolitan pitcher Frank Viola, who was a “special pitching instructor” this year for the Metropolitans. He was talking to a family that he apparently knew, but as he walked over to one of the fields, I asked him to sign my program on his picture, which marks the first time I ever hit someone up for an autograph.

There was soon a less-welcome visitor, as son of Satan and walking corpse Fred Wilpon showed up on a golf cart and went on the field to talk to some coaching staff. I found that I was a coward to my conviction, as I did not take the opportunity to physically assault him when I had the chance, and that cowardice shall haunt me to my grave.

As I headed back to enter the stadium before the game, I saw rehabbing Matt Harvey on the back of another golf cart going to another practice field. I followed the cart, and he was taking bunting practice with one of the coaches, presumably as part of rehab, which I watched for a while. I thought he looked okay, but what did I know?

Burger and chips

Once I went into the park, I grabbed a burger and chips at the Ulti-Met (get it?) Grill, and then walked around more for pictures and the like. I came across some lady in a Tebow t-shirt., I forget the exact wording, but it was something about Jesus loving Tebow, so I immediately disliked her. She was going on and on about how great it was that Tebow was in the lineup, and Jesus had foretold it, and it was all I could do not to slug her. But I went two-for-two in that regard.

Better things were afoot, though, as I walking around and could have sworn I just saw Doc Gooden pass me. Upon further review, I did just pass Doc Gooden. He looked very old and tired, and he was wearing a black t-shirt that showed all his World Series rings, but it was definitely him. He was walking around (and eventually sitting) with a family that I would guess had won some contest of seeing a Spring Training game with Dwight Gooden. I followed him a bit, and he was very shy. A couple of people came up to him, and he waved them off and said he wasn't here to sign autographs, and everyone was respectful of that. He and the family ended up sitting just to the left of home plate, across from where I was in the seats to the right of home plate. I occasionally watched him throughout the game. Only a couple of people came up to him, and they only made an announcement on the PA about it once without saying where he was.

The Doctor is In.

Curtis Granderson's charity was also in the park that day, the Grand Kids (get it?). They all had special t-shirts on and were in the left field picnic area. I was sitting surrounded by old couples who bailed when the rain started.


The Game:

First pitch, Marlins vs. Metropolitans

The pitiful Miami Marlins were in town to test the not-all-that-inspiring Metropolitans this fine afternoon. Who would win was anyone's guess, although the Noah "Thor" Syndergaard on the mound, I at least had some hopes.

The Marlins had only a two-out double to show for the top of the first, while New York answered with a one-out homer to right to jump to an early 1-0 lead. Miami got even worse in the second, going quickly in order, while the Metropolitans blasted a homer to right-center to start their half before going in order, boasting a 2-0 lead. Miami was similarly anemic in the third, as their only baserunner was a two-out hit batsman. New York went yard for the third straight inning with a one-out shot to right-center to extend their lead to 3-0.

Miami got their groove back in the top of the third, as a walk, double, and home run quickly tied the game at 3, before they struck out in order for the rest of the inning. The Metropolitans managed to strand a leadoff double in their half. Both sides went in order in the fifth, though New York had a leadoff single that was erased on a double-play. As mass replacements began in the sixth, the Marlins only had a one-out double, but the Metropolitans  had a leadoff double brought in by a one-out home run to retake the lead at 5-3.

Brief delay

The rest of the players swapped out for high numbers in the seventh, and Miami went in order. New York turned two singles and a ground-out into another run, extended their lead to 6-3 as it began to pour in sunny Port St. Lucie. After a twenty-minute rain delay, play resumed with both teams going in order in the top of the eighth. Miami gave it their all in the top of the ninth, with a leadoff double that made it to third on a fly-out to right and brought in a ground-out to first. A two-out single brought the tying run to the plate, but it was erased with a strikeout to end the game with a 6-4 Metropolitan victory.


The Scorecard:

Marlins vs. Metropoltians, 03/13/17. Metropolitans "win," 6-4.

I was again using the inadequate Metropolitans $5 Spring Training program scorecard. It proved as cramped as before, with the same inadequacies.

This game, however, was even more by-the-book than the previous one, though with a happier outcome. There were special notes about the rain delay, and since it seems to be of biblical friggin’ importance, also a note about witnessing Mr. Tim Tebow's first hit of Spring Training in the bottom of the fifth (not doubt to the joy of the crazy women in the T-shirt). Also, his replacement in the eighth was an unnamed high-90s player, so he was note recorded by name on the scorecard.

Otherwise, outside of some hits through the overshift, there was nothing noteworthy on the scoring front.


The Accommodations:
I was in the guest room in my parents' condo for the last night in a bit. It was another night of hanging out in my room, so not much there.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2017 Spring Training

Queens

On the Start of Something... Something

Not Shea Stadium, 2015

Saturday, April 18, 2015

Florida Marlins vs New York Metropolitans
Not Shea Stadium
MLB, National League
Queens, NY
7:10 PM

Outside the Game: 

So, it was "Opening Weekend" again, except that the first game this weekend was an evening game. All this meant was that I was able to get all my normal Saturday morning chores of laundry and running out to the supermarket done before I headed out to the game in the early afternoon.

I walked down to the PATH station and then was able to get a rather uneventful ride to the city and then the subway transfers that got me to the stadium right as the gates were primed to open.

Flee to the trains

After the game, and in a considerably better mood than I expected, the jovial crowd plunged themselves into 7 cars that got less and less crowded as the stops wore on. I was back home in a decent amount of time and got back to the apartment easily enough to crash for the evening.

The Stadium & Fans: 

Home plate to center field, Not Shea Stadium

Not Shea had some updates in the off-season, some more horrible than others. Before you ever enter the hallowed halls, there were now fixed-in-place metal detectors at all the entrances, just to make the experience feel a little more like prison. The left-center field wall also came in a bit to try and pretend that the field wasn’t cavernous when it was opened. The team store was also renovated pretty extensively, moving around the checkouts and re-orienting the whole store. Some new auxiliary video screens had also been put in to handle the poor view lines in some places.

Professor profile

On a more positive note, there was a new Rao’s concession on the club level and a new billboard outside the park paid for by “Mets Fans” read, “FRED, JEFF & SAUL, Ya gotta leave.” I can’t really agree any more than that.

Couldn't agree more

As it was a home-opening-weekend night game, the stadium was packed and actually had something to cheer about, which is rare enough as it is. Although completely ready to consign a blown game by the bullpen after a masterful performance by a starting pitcher, the entire crowd was pleasantly surprised by the lack of a full collapse by the team.

At the Game with Oogie: 

First Shack of the year

I got to the game in late afternoon just as the gates were opening. Once inside, I did the ritual sprint back to Shake Shack to get my first double-shack and fries of the year, watch a little BP, and then hit the museum and the store, which they redesigned this year. 

Ice cream in a helmet

I wandered around to look for anything new and changed before hitting the Caesar's Club to find they had a new Rao's concession in the fancy area, where I got myself a chicken picatta sandwich for dinner. At another new stand on the club area, I also grabbed ice cream in a helmet before heading back down for my first quality time with Mr. Met for the year. 

You are next

At a half hour to game time, it was AIS o'clock, so I went back to the club level and settled into my seat, which was in the last row of the club level behind third base. Seeing the main scoreboard was a bit of a problem with the overhang, but I managed. There were on a couple families in my immediate area, as I guess the season ticket holders here had better things to do this night.

The Game:

More like "deAwesome," am I right?

The Metropolitans spent their "Opening Day Weekend" facing off against their NL East "rivals," the woeful Florida... sorry, Miami Marlins. And, in their usual fashion, the Metropolitans managed to win by the skin of their teeth.

The game started with a bunt single that immediately prompted the Metropolitans to use one of the new challenges, which was overturned. However, the Marlins still managed to go down in order thanks to an odd strike-‘em-out-throw-‘em-out double play. New York fared little better, with just a two-out double to show for their half of the first. Miami went in order in the second again, while the Metropolitans put together a run with two singles and a stolen base, giving them a 1-0 lead. In the third, the Marlins got a runner to third after a single, a sacrifice bunt, and another single (originally ruled out but overturned on appeal), but he was stranded there. New York got another run in their half off a one-out homer to left by D'Arnaud, extending their lead to 2-0.

Miami went in order again in the fourth, while New York managed to get the bases loaded but score no runs due to a 1-2-3 DP, because of course the Metropolitans would do that. Both sides went in order in the fifth, while the Marlins stranded a couple of singles in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the inning, the Metropolitans remembered how to score again--get the guys across the plate, boys!--thanks a leadoff double, a single, and a Flores homer to deep left field, putting them up 5-0 after two-thirds of a game.

Miami just had a single in the top of the seventh, and New York went in order. deGrom exited the game in the eighth, and the Marlins scored nearly immediately, with a walk and a double, cutting the lead to 5-1. New York got a guy to third on two fielder's choices and a wild pitch, but a reach on error was overturned to a putout, and no more scoring happened. Torres (C) came in at the top of the ninth and promptly gave up a leadoff homer and three singles that brought in two more runs, cutting the lead to 5-4 before Torres (A) came in to get the last strikeout, securely, barely, the Metropolitan victory.

The Scorecard: 

Marlins vs. Metropolitans, 04/18/15. Metropolitans win, 5-4.

As I had been here before and the Metropolitan scorecards tend to suck, I scored the game in the BBWAA scorebook with just two colors.

The very first thing I had to deal with was review appeals. I came up with the symbol of an "R" in a circle, and a number afterwards if there were multiple in the game, with an accompanying note. Perhaps not surprisingly, all the reviews went against New York, with their one appeal on a safe call on the first batter of the game upheld the call on the field, and the two Marlins' reviews in the top of the third (to overturn a 6-3 putout to a single) and the bottom of the eighth (to overturn an E2 call to a 2-3 putout) were both reversed in their favor. Ah, Mets...

There were also two bizarre, or at least rare, double plays in the game. In the top of the first, there was a DP K-2-4 CS as the runner went on the third strike and was then gunned down trying to steal second. In the bottom of the fourth, there was the super-rare DP 1-2-3, as a based-loaded ground came back to the pitcher, who threw home, and the catcher threw to first to get the two forces and kill the rally.

The only other play of note was literally the last swing of the game, when the final Metropolitans reliever finally recorded the last out of the game with a strikeout, and the Marlins' left fielder promptly threw his bat into the stands. Because, why not?

Also, a sad note was Ichiro came in to pinch hit in the ninth and was struck out looking. I wanted to win the game, sure, but I don't ever want to cheer for that particular outcome.

And finally, deGrom's line was seven innings pitched with no runs and eight strikeouts. Daddy like.

The Accommodations: 

Jersey City, sweet Jersey City

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2015 Stand-Alone Trip

Jupiter (Cardinals)

On a Pleasantly Short Sunday Sojourn 

Roger Dean Stadium, 2015

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Miami Marlins vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Roger Dean Stadium
Grapefruit League (Spring Training)
Jupiter, FL
1:05 PM


Outside the Game:

Jupiter was mercifully close to my parents' condo, giving me a chip shot drive of under and hour there and under an hour back, which was a good deal considering how much driving I had already done and how much more I had left to do. Either way, I definitely wasn't a Spring Chicken anymore.

And it wasn't helping that my father kept waking me up super early as he "quietly" got ready for golf. I mean, I know I should be grateful for a free place to sleep, but then again, it was a place to sleep, and I wasn't doing all that much of it.

I was up, breakfasted, and showered pretty early, and I only needed to leave for the park around 10 AM. I had been there before, so I even knew the way, and the traffic, such as it was, would be cleared up by then. I grabbed my game bag and headed out, and after putting the destination in the GPS, I was off for a quick ride up. I parked and did all my photography outside before heading out to the practice fields for some photos and then heading to an entrance for the short line to get in as gates opened.

Spring training autographs

After the game, I was out again in a flash, and even with the crowd, I was able to leave relatively quickly for the short ride back to the condo. I dumped my bags and shut myself into my parents' bedroom for another coma/nap. After that, I headed down to the clubhouse at the complex, because it was the only place that had Internet, and I mainlined some pop culture for a while and did some typing up and the planning for the next day.

Back in my parents' condo, I had dinner, and then set about using my voucher from an awful stay in Buffalo to secure a room for the next night before seeing how quickly I could kick my parents out of the living room so I could hit the sack early and perhaps get some real sleep before my father woke me up on the way to golf the next morning.

The Stadium & Fans:

Home plate to center field, Roger Dean Stadium

Not much about the Roger Dean Stadium had changed since the first time I visited, except that there were a lot more people in the stands and there was the pitch timer clock in the outfield. The Cardinals fans outnumbered the Marlins fans by at least three-to-one, and probably more. Each fanbase was clustered around their "side" of the field, with the Cardinals by first base and the Marlins by third.

Obviously, there was a big crowd for the game, and it was mostly dominated by Cardinals fans. Unlike some other places, the between-inning activities were still in full swing, but on a tighter schedule thanks to the shorter intermissions. There was still the general minor-league level contests and give-aways to keep people occupied and distracted from heat stroke. Fredbird didn't make the trip down for the Spring, so it was up to the human crew to shepherd the games around.

At the Game with Oogie:

Sun scoring

It was a hot one, which is a statement I'd be making with alarming regularity for the afternoon Grapefruit League games in Florida. I got in as the gates opened, and it was a packed crowd, as the senior resident Cardinals were playing the junior resident Marlins, and the stadium was filled to capacity with all their fans.

Hot dog and souvenir soda

I wandered around the place and took supplementary pictures while drinking a lot of liquids. I grabbed a hot dog and souvenir soda, and later I supplemented that with a "Dean Dog" and a water or two to get me through the game. I had a seat that was at the very last row behind just beyond first, which gave me a nice view of the field, but absolutely no protection from the sun. I was packed in with Cardinals fans, although the people directly to my right were actual Braves fans down for the game. I kept my opinions to myself and made some small talk with them throughout the game.


The Game:

First pitch, Marlins vs. Cardinals

This meaningless Spring Training game pitted stadium-mate Miami Marlins against the home-team-for-today St. Louis Cardinals, with one of the home teams coming away with the victory.

As can happen with Florida afternoon games, it started slowly, with both teams going in order in the first. Miami jumped out to the early lead in the second, getting a run from a leadoff walk with another walk, a fielding error, and a ground out, earning them a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals again went in order. It was the Marlins turn to go in order in the third, while St. Louis stranded a walk and a single in their half.

Miami added to their lead in the fourth with a lead-off homer to dead center, making it 2-0, while the Cardinals stranded two more singles in the bottom of the frame. The Marlins just had a walk in the fifth, while St. Louis finally got on the board with three straight two-out singles, cutting the lead to 2-1. Miami managed not to score in the top of the sixth despite a walk and two singles, while the Cardinals went in order in their half.

The Marlins just had a double to show for the top of the seventh, while St. Louis decided to get all its scoring done. A leadoff double was followed by a homer to left, and a batter reached on an error to be driven in by another, two-out homer to left, leapfrogging ahead to 5-2. Miami went in order in the eighth, and so did the Cardinals, thanks to a double-play that erased a leadoff walk. The Marlins tried to get something going in the ninth with a leadoff single, but two groundouts and a strikeout ended the game, giving the Cardinals their pointless 5-2 victory.


The Scorecard:

Marlins vs. Cardinals, 03/08/15. Cardinals "win," 5-2.

The scorecard was the centerfold of the $4, full-color magazine program. While the scorecard took up the entirety of the spread except for a tiny strip ad at the top, it was printed on semi-gloss magazine paper, while did alright with regular pencil, but much less so with colored pencil.

Which is a shame, because overall, this was a great scorecard. Each batting line had space for a replacement, each batting line ended with batting totals, and each inning column ended with summary totals, including errors and left on base. The scoring boxes were blank and comfortable to score in. Pitching lines were under the batting lines and also included catchers' lines for each pitcher. The scorecard was printed on white, so there was space for notes on the margins. With different paper, this would have been a dream.

There were a number of plays of note. In the top of the third, there was a pitching change with a 1-0 count on the batter that got its own note. In the bottom of the fifth, with runners on first and second, there was a shot into the shift with the shortstop behind second base. The play went to first, too late to get the runner, and the heads-up runner at third went home on the throw. The throw to get him went 6-3-2 but was too late, resulting in everyone being safe. That play got a note as well. And finally, in the top of the sixth, a runner at first went all the way to third on a single to deep left, and he arrived safely, with the player tagging him after he arrived. But he kept the tag on, and the runner left the base, so he was count out CS 7-5 with a note explaining it all. That was a weird one.

All but two players rotated out of the game. The Marlins swapped all their players between the sixth and eighth innings, while the Cardinals swapped all but the bottom two players in the lineup a little earlier in the game, between the fourth and sixth.


The Accommodations:

I was on the pull-out couch at my parents' rented condo again, not quite comfortable, and definitely not getting good sleep thanks to my lead-footed father and his early golfing habits.

Click here to see all the photos from this trip.

2015 Grapefruit League