Spring Training, Day Two

Day 2, Spring Training. City of Palms Park, Fort Myers. Home of the beloved Boston Red Sox. Traffic and parking around the facility is nightmarish. Wound up parking on some guy’s lawn for $7 a few blocks from the park. I’ve got a feeling a lot of the spring training sites are going to be like this. There is NO parking for the Pirates’ McKechnie Field in Bradenton (where I go Tuesday). I have no clue where I’ll park there.

Nice facility. As the name implies there are a ring of palm trees just over the outfield wall from foul pole to foul pole. No green monster, though. The outfield wall is only about 8 feet high all the way around. They had a local theatre group that is currently doing “Damn Yankees” sing the National anthem. Nice touch.

Good news was that my seat was in the first row. Bad news was that it was the last seat all the way down the left field line. The Sox games went on sale real early and I missed it. My first few choices for games were already sold out, so I guess I was lucky to get a ticket at all. This game might not have been as popular since it was a split squad game, where you risk seeing few of the stars. But the other split squad game is against – of all teams – Boston College later tonight. Management is not about to let some hot shot college pitcher throw at the starters, so all of the big names started in the day game against the Blow Jays. There was a mix of clouds and sun, so it wasn’t too bad sitting out in the open. The covered stands end about at the end of the infield. Unlike the Yankees fans yesterday, the Red Sox fans hung around for most of the game. I didn’t see a lot of empty seats until the 9^th inning, when I moved down behind home plate. Very laid back atmosphere. Pitchers ran wind sprints around the edge of the warning track during the game.

From my vantage point in left field, I got to keep an eye on Manny. Manny never broke a sweat. In the top of the 3^rd, he slept-walked a single into a double. When he walked in the bottom of the 3^rd, they inserted a pinch runner for him. Since he had no intention of running in the outfield, I’m sure he wasn’t about to run the bases either. I guess it doesn’t make sense for Manny to pull his hammy in March. He can wait for April for that.

Sox lose 9-6 in 10. Reserve catcher Alberto Castillo gives the Sox the lead with a 3-run dinger in the 2^nd, but Bosox non-roster spring training invitee Runelvys Hernandez gets lit for 6 runs in the 3^rd. I doubt he makes the roster. Sox tie it in the 9^th when minor leaguer Bryan Pritz hits a 2-run homer. But some clown named Sturge, whose name wasn’t even in the program gives up three to the Jays in the top of the 10^th. I don’t think he was warmed up properly. I think the bullpen was caught by surprise when the Sox tied it and didn’t have anybody warming up. The bullpen is hidden by the outfield wall, so I don’t know for sure, but he was late getting to the mound to start the 10^th.

On Monday, I see the Reds in Sarasota, so I get an easy commute for a change.

Dad