Play Ball!

Welcome to JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers, the winter home of the Boston Red Sox. The ballpark opened last year and this was the first chance I had to attend a game here. We sat on the outfield berm for a chilly night game but, I must say, compared to other stadiums in the Grapefruit League, this place seems to lack ambiance.  (Gosh, Red Sox fans...please don't think less of SDP for this review.)  It was quiet, with few vendors...overall, it just didn't seem to have much character. Perhaps you have to be a diehard Sox fan to fully appreciate it.  Nevertheless, we had a great time. Well, the good thing about being so busy recently is that I have lots of photos from the past few weeks stockpiled:  owls, eagles, beaches...oh my!  I prefer to post pics shortly after I take them (it's the old news hound in me constantly considering timeliness), but, with the SDP Editor-in-Chief's blessing, some of them will be rolled out over the next several weeks.  TGIF...and I'm linking to Skywatch Friday.

St. Patty's at the Ballpark

Since St. Patrick's Day arrives during spring training, most of the ball clubs have started having fun with it and showing their Irish side.  During the Red Sox-Orioles game here in Sarasota, the Red Sox still sported red socks, but their jerseys and caps were a dazzling Irish green.  (I think that's outfielder Darnell McDonald strolling around centerfield in his best Christmas colors.)  The Orioles, on the other hand, were a bit more subtle.  The traditional orange oriole on their cap was replaced with a green one. And there was one other quirk at the game that day....

This is the scoreboard after the game concluded. Notice anything unusual? (I bet my blog friend Jim at Terrell Daily Photo has already spotted it.) The game ended in a tie after 10 innings.  Major League Baseball games are supposed to continue until one team wins!  That's a first for me.  Gotta love spring training!