Earlier last week we got a text message from the hubby's oldest brother asking us if we would be interested in going to a Tampa Bay Rays game with them on Sunday. For free. Didn't have to ask us twice! And, the cherry on top? The Rays would be playing the Braves! To say that I was excited is an understatement.
We normally only get to see the Braves play if we make a trip to Atlanta, like we did last summer for my birthday. If they come to Florida, they usually play down in Miami, which is just too far for us to travel. (I know, Miami versus Atlanta? Well, we get to stay for free at my brother-in-laws house versus paying for a hotel.) They rarely come to Tampa because the Rays and Braves are in two different leagues. But this past weekend, the stars aligned.
So, we met up at my brother-in-law's house and car pooled down to Tampa for the game. The hubby and I got to ride in the back seat with our nephew sandwiched between us. It was his first baseball game, and he was a little unsure of what it was going to be like, so he was pretty quiet on the trip down. We had a little difficulty finding our assigned parking lot, but once we got into the stadium, everything went really smoothly.
Our seats were fantastic! Both of the above pictures were taken from my cell phone with zoom. I seriously don't think we could have gotten much better seats. We had an unobstructed view of the entire field, and we were close enough to get a pretty good glimpse at home plate and get a feel for the strike zone.
I didn't get any pictures this trip of our food this time around, but I got a personal pizza from Papa Johns and the hubby got a cheeseburger and french fries. We decided to split an unlimited soda to help save money. Eating out at a ball game is expensive! Just for the two of us we spent $28! I can't imagine how much the larger families were spending that day.
And I can't forget to mention that we saw Knightro at the game! See him up through the crowd? For those who don't know, Knightro is the mascot for UCF (my alma mater). He was part of the "Mascot Games" during one of the breaks in the game. I was pretty surprised and excited to see him there. I should point out that UCF is located in Orlando, about 2 hours away from Tampa Bay/St. Pete. And, there is another state university (USF) really close to the stadium. But, the hubby figured that the Rays just don't put up with any BULL, and decided to invite Knightro instead.... Bulls = USF mascot....funny, right? Ok, maybe not to everyone, but it made me laugh.
The game was amazing! Many times I thought the Braves would lose - the Rays had players on base with 2 outs on more than one occasion. But, they couldn't seem to get those players home. At the end of the game, the Braves won 2-0! This girl and her hubby were happy (I think I've officially converted him to a Braves fan...score! haha).
We might be able to make it out to one more Rays game this season, but we're not 100% on that yet. I'm just glad we were able to see another game this year without having to spend an arm and a leg. Anyone else hitting up the ball parks this summer? Or maybe you prefer another sport?
P.S. Before I go, though it isn't ball related, I wanted to share this picture of my brother-in-law's dog who tried to come home with us after the game. Better luck next time Niko!
Our seats were fantastic! Both of the above pictures were taken from my cell phone with zoom. I seriously don't think we could have gotten much better seats. We had an unobstructed view of the entire field, and we were close enough to get a pretty good glimpse at home plate and get a feel for the strike zone.
I didn't get any pictures this trip of our food this time around, but I got a personal pizza from Papa Johns and the hubby got a cheeseburger and french fries. We decided to split an unlimited soda to help save money. Eating out at a ball game is expensive! Just for the two of us we spent $28! I can't imagine how much the larger families were spending that day.
And I can't forget to mention that we saw Knightro at the game! See him up through the crowd? For those who don't know, Knightro is the mascot for UCF (my alma mater). He was part of the "Mascot Games" during one of the breaks in the game. I was pretty surprised and excited to see him there. I should point out that UCF is located in Orlando, about 2 hours away from Tampa Bay/St. Pete. And, there is another state university (USF) really close to the stadium. But, the hubby figured that the Rays just don't put up with any BULL, and decided to invite Knightro instead.... Bulls = USF mascot....funny, right? Ok, maybe not to everyone, but it made me laugh.
The game was amazing! Many times I thought the Braves would lose - the Rays had players on base with 2 outs on more than one occasion. But, they couldn't seem to get those players home. At the end of the game, the Braves won 2-0! This girl and her hubby were happy (I think I've officially converted him to a Braves fan...score! haha).
We might be able to make it out to one more Rays game this season, but we're not 100% on that yet. I'm just glad we were able to see another game this year without having to spend an arm and a leg. Anyone else hitting up the ball parks this summer? Or maybe you prefer another sport?
P.S. Before I go, though it isn't ball related, I wanted to share this picture of my brother-in-law's dog who tried to come home with us after the game. Better luck next time Niko!
Looks like so much fun! While it IS not my alma mater, I went to USF and my time there was the only time I cared about baseball. I miss it.
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