"The Red Sox are a religion. Every year we reenact the agony and temptation in the Garden. Baseball's child's play? Well, up here in Boston, it's a passion play."--George V. Higgins, Time Magazine After the military honor guard, ceremonial first pitch, and national…Read More

"The Red Sox are a religion. Every year we reenact the agony and temptation in the Garden. Baseball's child's play? Well, up here in Boston, it's a passion play."--George V. Higgins, Time Magazine

After the military honor guard, ceremonial first pitch, and national anthem, the game between the Devil Rays and Red Sox started about 2:15 p.m. on April 24. It was never a dull moment during the game, and Erika, Todd, and I enjoyed it immensely.

The Red Sox fans outnumbered the Tampa Bay fans, and the third base side of the ball park was saturated by fans in Red Sox T-shirts and hats of all colors and styles. The P.A. announcer tried to get the fans going with music and other things, but the charge music just died in the water every time. Erika was busting up in laughter everytime the music was played. There was an old man walking around our side with an Native American headdress on. "Chief Can't Get It Up!," I joked to Todd. "That's what Viagra is for!" he quipped. "Ah! Chief Viagra!," I shot back. Many fans were hoping that our pitchers would give up the 10 hits for that free burrito a local restaurant gives away. "Do we get refried beans if they get 11 hits?!" Todd cracked.

The game itself was a wild one from the get-go. Tampa Bay kept the game close, and we fans were fearing a sweep of the 3-game series. But our beloved Idiots' bats came alive in the 6th inning. Hideo Nomo, the Rays pitcher almost hit Manny Ramirez. Manny got back at Nomo by hitting the ball out of the park. "Stick a fork in him, he's done!," we heard one Sox fan yell to Nomo.

Then in the 7th inning, it got really exciting. David Ortiz almost had his head taken off by a Lance Carter pitch. Big Papi charged the mound but was restrained by the umpire, Rays catcher, and others. Both benches emptied, and a fight ensued.All of us fans were out of our seats and craning our necks to see all of the excitement. Both managers and six players from both sides were ejected. Papi struck out that at bat, but after another brawl and a grand slam by Jay Payton, Papi bombed a monster home run to right field that I lost sight of after it cleared the catwalk. "MY HERO!," I exclaimed. "Now I can sleep happy tonight! Manny and Papi hit homers!"

The Red Sox won this game 11-3, but have lost their last five games. Mom has a teddy bear we call Johnny Damon who sits in a chair in the living room. If the Sox win, it sits upright. If the Sox lose, it's put on its head. Right now, he is upside down. There is still bad blood between the Rays and Red Sox about the brawl going on and Major League Baseball just fined or suspended eight players for their role in the Sunday brawl.

One week later, I am still on Cloud 9 over seeing my Papi Ortiz hitting a home run and our Red Sox winning. My friend Leslie said she never heard a female who watched a ball game call it "Awesome!" But that is the way I feel!

erasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemepleaseerasemeplease…Read More

erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
erasemeplease
Close

This is what heaven must look like.--Fred Pfannenstiel, a lifelong Red Sox fan It certainly felt like heaven when Erika, Todd, and I arrived at Tropicana Field a couple of hours before game time. I just looked up to see where we were sitting for…Read More

This is what heaven must look like.--Fred Pfannenstiel, a lifelong Red Sox fan

It certainly felt like heaven when Erika, Todd, and I arrived at Tropicana Field a couple of hours before game time. I just looked up to see where we were sitting for the game and beelined it down to the front rows to catch our "Idiots" taking batting practice and the possibility for autographs from our heroes. 

My heart was doing the mamba in my chest as I clutched Johnny Damon's new book Idiot: Beating The Curse and Enjoying The Game of Life and took a position among the throng of Red Sox fans from all over America on the third-base line. 

For those who aren't Red Sox or baseball fans, the term "Idiot" is not an insult to the Red Sox players (We have come up with worse names for them when they are losing!), but a term of endearment that was coined by Red Sox first baseman and team clown Kevin Millar and took off when Johnny Damon told the press before a Yankees/Red Sox game, "We're not going to try to figure it out. We're just a bunch of idiots..."

I thought I was a die-hard Sox fan, but many of these fans took the cake. The lady next to me had a David Ortiz Wheaties box and a limited-edition NASCAR with the Red Sox all over it. Other people had signs or other memorabilia, and don't get me started on all of the T-shirts. I felt right at home among my fellow fans. It was great talking with some of the fans about the Curse, clinching the World Series, and our Red Sox. 

I got all excited seeing Johnny Damon, David Ortiz, and Manny Ramirez taking B.P. "There's my Papi!" I exclaimed when Ortiz came out to bat. We fans were not disappointed when Big Papi and Manny put on a homerun show by cranking bombs over the left-field fence. 

Seeing our now-disabled, left-handed pitcher David Wells out, taking fielding practice, was great too. "Boomer" was quite the character of baseball before joining the Red Sox this year. Overweight and with a shaved head and goatee, he admitted in his book Perfect I'm Not: Boomer on Baseball, Beer, and Brawls that he was half-drunk when he pitched his perfect game as a Yankee in 1998. This admission earned him a fine from his then-boss, George Steinbrenner. His book is a very funny account of his life in baseball and has endeared him to baseball fans for his down to earth attitude and style. I wish I had my copy of his book, but Mom was reading it back home.

Then the Tampa Bay Mascot Raymond came over to the Red Sox side of the field (the entire left field side was Red Sox Nation) to play with the fans and sign autographs. The lady with the Ortiz Wheaties box said that Raymond looked "like a Smurf on Acid." I had to agree with that. Raymond got as far as this lady and goofed off with her car before getting called away for pre-game ceremonies. Shortly after that, the security guard said we needed to return to our seats because the pre-game stuff was starting, and us fans were very bummed out because our beloved Sox never had time to sign autographs.

I was bummed out about no autographs and meeting my heroes, but the experience of watching "our Idiots" in B.P. was awesome, and I will be talking about it for a long time to come.

Ybor City is the Latin section of Tampa made famous by it's once prosperous cigar factories. Now it is being slowly revitalized with shops, night clubs, and restaurants, while preserving as much of the original architecture as possible. Even so, I still find this place somewhat…Read More

Ybor City is the Latin section of Tampa made famous by it's once prosperous cigar factories. Now it is being slowly revitalized with shops, night clubs, and restaurants, while preserving as much of the original architecture as possible.

Even so, I still find this place somewhat depressing due to the many closed storefronts, tattoo and body piercing parlors, and general rundown appearance that is prevalent here. It may be worth a look to adults interested in the Cuban history and architecture, but there is nothing here to appeal to young children. The area is popular with the young adult clubbing crowd, who fill the night clubs and bars and cruise 7th Avenue.

Points of Interest -
Ybor City Cigar Museum and Visitor Center (see separate journal entry.)
Ybor City State Museum (see separate journal entry.)
Columbia Restaurant - open since 1905. Cuban/Spanish food. (see separate journal entry)
La Tropicana (1822 E 7th Ave) - Open for breakfast and lunch. Where the old guard Cuban community hangs out. Good, authentic food.
Centro Ybor - a collection of shops, restaurants, clubs, Muvico movie theaters, and Gameworks area. The Dish restaurant is worth visiting (see separate journal entry).
La France - Vintage clothing store. A blast from the past jammed with tons of real vintage clothes, shoes, & jewelry. Fun afternoon for playing dress up and finding bargains or cherished memories.

Lots of walking involved to see the district. A new Teco Line electric street car system is under construction. Running along 8th Ave will make covering the area easier on the feet.

Bern's Fine Wine & Spirits is located just up the street from Bern's Steakhouse on the corner of South Howard & W. Morrison Avenues, Tampa. Opened in 1996 as an offshoot of the famous steakhouse to sell some of the wines that patrons have enjoyed…Read More

Bern's Fine Wine & Spirits is located just up the street from Bern's Steakhouse on the corner of South Howard & W. Morrison Avenues, Tampa. Opened in 1996 as an offshoot of the famous steakhouse to sell some of the wines that patrons have enjoyed in the restaurant. Beautiful wood floors and racks show off the large selection from the major wine producing countries of the world (displayed in the store by type & country) as well as champagnes and a small selection of cognacs & brandy. Great place to buy gifts for the wine-lover on your list. There are small wine tastings held throughout the year and a charity Wine Fest every spring. Cigar aficionados will appreciate the climate controlled cigar room.Close

This was one of the nicest airports I've been to, although admittedly also one of the largest. The pleasant, open atmosphere makes the long commute from the terminal to the gates tolerable. I would definitely plan some extra time when arriving at the airport compared…Read More

This was one of the nicest airports I've been to, although admittedly also one of the largest. The pleasant, open atmosphere makes the long commute from the terminal to the gates tolerable. I would definitely plan some extra time when arriving at the airport compared with other airports due to the size of the facility.Close

Fort Desoto Beach is not really in Tampa. It's closer to St. Petersburg. I don't remember the name of the town, but it's considered a Tampa Bay area beach. Fort Desoto was voted the #1 beach in America in 2005. Since we were visiting Orlando,…Read More

Fort Desoto Beach is not really in Tampa. It's closer to St. Petersburg. I don't remember the name of the town, but it's considered a Tampa Bay area beach. Fort Desoto was voted the #1 beach in America in 2005. Since we were visiting Orlando, I just had to visit a Gulf Coast beach. Since Fort Desoto is #1 we went there! It really was a lovely beach. The water was warm, the sand was white and clean. There were a lot park/picnic areas. You could rent bicycles or buy an ice cream. The waves were pretty calm. I hear that the gulf coast has warmer water and less waves than the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida. I never got to see the famous Gulf Coast Sunset. I was bummed about that. We were there on a cloudy day. Oh, and it's only 1 1/2 hrs from Orlando. Not too bad.Close