Tampa Bay Rays Game

With more than a few things on our BIG MOVE To-Do list, I am just now getting around to sharing last weekend with you.  After announcing the news to our close friends, I actually have about three posts to share, but I am taking it one step at a time and fitting posting in as much as I can.

For those of you wondering what will happen next, I promise to keep checking in at least a few times a week.  Fear not, my friends… we are still up and running.

Okay, let’s start with last Friday…

Scott and I have been quite the “quick trip to Tampa” goers lately.  Two weeks ago, we took the short hour and a half ride to see Jason Mraz, which was fantastic.

This time we gave professional baseball a go and joined some friends to see the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Oakland Athletics.

The drive to Tampa from Orlando is generally quick and painless… except when you decide to head over on a Friday afternoon, during rush hour, while it’s raining. Oops.

Good thing I brought a Chocolate Mint (my favorite) Zone Perfect protein bar and a few Rascal Flatts CDs as backup.

I keep saying Tampa, but what I really mean is the Tropicana Field located just across the bridge from downtown Tampa in St. Petersburg.

Scott and I decided to go to the game last minute, after some friends of ours invited us to stay for the post-game O.A.R. concert.  Ummm, sure.

Do you remember Megan? She was the one who also invited us to go see Jason Mraz.  I like her taste in music.

🙂

There she is with her fiancé, Jack.  Between him and Scott, I almost felt bad for the family in front of us.  The two of them were egging the little boy in our front section on like it was their job.

My job, however, entailed enjoying some ball and taking advantage of the All-American menu.  Although the french fries and Diet Coke were not the best option (but delicious), I ended up doing pretty well by ordering a turkey burger, adding veggies and ditching the bun.

Not too shabby, if you ask me.

Even though we showed up a little late, we enjoyed a good five innings and were thoroughly entertained the entire time.  I enjoyed the baseball, but more than anything, this Tampa Bay DJ Kitty was out of this world funny to me.  He came onto the big screen a handful of times and I got SO pumped up! Every single time. Things like this make me so happy!

And then of course, there’s this guy….

Never a dull moment, folks.

The baseball game went by pretty quickly (considering I usually expect them to last four hours or more), and it was almost time for the concert to start.

And then another crazy guy showed up.  It was the Tampa Bay Rays mascot, Raymond the Seadog!  What is a seadog? Well… I’m not quite sure.

According to his website, “Seadogs have all the traits of normal dogs. They enjoy going for walks, playing with kids, and fetching…well known for their fun-loving nature, passion for baseball, and general good looks.”

Oh, don’t forget picking people up.  Clearly.  I guess you could say we tend to attract mascots at sporting events.

Even though the Rays didn’t bring home a W that night, we had a lot of fun watching them and O.A.R.

I love when games have post-game concerts.  The band was great, and I would say we got more than our moneys worth at $25 a pop.

Now if I could only meet DJ Kitty…

Question of the Day

• When you go to sporting events, do you really go to watch the game, or do you find yourself getting more tuned in to the entertainment?

Although I enjoy watching sports, I find myself wrapped up in everything that is going on around me more than anything on the court or field. Before I became a dancer for the NBA, my father would take me to Magic games and I remember watching STUFF the mascot as well as the dancers for almost the entire game. To this day, I watch more of the sport, but can’t deny my wandering eyes. Sports Entertainment can be so fun!