Final Score: 4-3 Tigers
Melbourne, Florida has been the home of the Expos/Nationals since 2002, the same year that Prince Fielder left Melbourne after being drafted by the Brewers. Fielder, in the city where he spent his teenage years, almost managed to drive Stephen Strasburg from the game with a well-placed line drive that glanced off the pitcher’s glove hand. The sight of Strasburg grimacing in pain drew stunned gasps from the crowd, and his quick recovery evoked audible sighs of relief. The fans sitting around me, who were veteran season-ticket holders of the ballpark, took the possible injury in stride. Over the course of the game, their discussions ranged from the quality of recent trades to whether the Nationals would abandon Space Coast Stadium for a more appealing venue. My neighbor, Kyle, described her claim to fame as being the first person to ever scan a Nationals ticket and pointed out a former minor-leaguer who had once played with Joe DiMaggio. The friendliness and baseball intellect of the crowd proved to be the element that brought relatively mundane Space Coast Stadium to higher level. In fact, for spring training stadiums, the excitement of the crowd makes a significant difference in the perceived quality of the experience. A stadium can have a great seating plan, concessions concourse, and field, but still present baseball as an afterthought.
The Nationals game was the last of the 11 games I watched in Florida. Statistically, I saw 10 stadiums (sorry to the Orioles, Pirates, Rays, and Blue Jays) and 14 teams (really, really sorry to the Rays). Counting the journey from Massachusetts, the trip covered over 4,000 miles, including more than 1,500 miles in Florida alone. Despite the driving, there’s almost nothing better than getting to watch and write about baseball. Thanks to everyone who read these entries, and thanks especially to David Pinto for letting me post on his blog. As baseball fans say during their traditional holidays, next year in Florida!