Pirates/Rays game, March 15

On Sunday, March 15, we continued our weekend of baseball with a trip south to Port Charlotte. Last year, the Rays trained in St. Petersburg - I could go there right before work and see almost a full game. Now, though, the team is about 90 minutes south of St. Petersburg. The hope was that the move would boost attendance/interest in the Rays. (I think the World Series appearance helped the cause, too.) But it worked - Rays spring training attendance was up 30% this year, while the rest of the Grapefruit League was down 20%.

But we had a day off and decided to make the trek out to the middle of nowhere. The field was nice enough, but I've heard enough stories from the Times' beat writer to know that "the Port" is a different place. Wild boars in the parking lot of the complex. Alligators in the lake outside of the field. A limited choice of restaurants - Perkins, Bob Evans, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden and Applebee's. A Days Inn. Not exactly an exciting place in the city.

But people don't go there for bright lights or lack of wildlife - they go for the baseball. On the day we went, there were 11 innings of baseball. And the game ended in a tie. The game looked over in the ninth, with the Pirates down four runs. But in a rare offensive explosion, they tied it up.

The exterior of the ballpark.

Carl Crawford.

Joe Maddon makes a pitching change.

Pirates in the infield.