In which I saw Mariano Rivera pitch for free

This is the space between the two fields. The field that the bleachers are facing was used by Scranton and Tampa. The field behind the bleachers was used for Charleston and Trenton. At the end of this space is a gate that leads to where the players sit.



So I had not really planned on going to the minor league games today but I figured it would be a better use of my time than just sitting at home procrastinating on my homework again. I got to the field early today so that I could go find a workout group roster so I would know who was hitting, pitching etc. I put on my sunscreen like I do everyday but today it did not work so well, the back of my right arm and my left thigh are red as tomatoes. That's pointless I know but it's hurting right now so I thought I would share :)

Here is the full roster for the workout groups, they put out a new one every day in case something changes. The only thing that isn't on here are the Major League players.
Note:Click on the picture for a full sized image

I walked through the fence to go down to the space between fields and this guy was walking out, he says to me "hey, you a Yankees fan?" uh yeah..he was like..."look onto the mound, you see who that is?" I said "is that Mariano Rivera?" yep. Mariano Rivera was pitching at the minor league complex and pitched the first two innings of the Tampa Yankees game. His family was actually sitting on the bleachers watching him. (They even stayed around when he was finished pitching until he had finished his workouts.) What a treat that was. Free Mariano Rivera baseball! couldn't ask for more than that especially when I wasn't even planning on going to the game. I heard some of the Dunedin players talking about his cutter, they all seemed impressed and happy to be able to face him.




I think the Tampa Yankees did pretty good from what I was able to focus on. I got to see Jose Ramirez pitch and he did well. Rob Lyerly played 3rd base and he reminds me of Bradley Suttle, they have the same body type which is something to look forward to ;)

Sitting in front of me during the game was DJ Mitchell's dad and Brett Marshall's parents. I ended up talking to Brett's mom for the majority of the afternoon. She is a very nice lady from what I was able to gather when talking about her. I learned a lot about Brett, most importantly that he is very determined to make it to Scranton sometime in the 2011 season. I told her that I hope he makes it. We talked about how it is hard for the players to get used to losing out on the great fan base they have in Charleston when they come to Tampa. It is true and unfortunate that in Charleston they have thousands of fans every night and when they come to Tampa, they are lucky to have 200 people in the stands on a weekend night. I also learned that he really wants to be a Yankee and was so excited to be drafted by them and come to his first spring training being able to meet Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera and everyone else who he looked up to as a child. She told me all about when he had to have Tommy John surgery, like how it happened and the whole process which was actually interesting to learn, also how he rehabbed quicker than expected and was a lot better when he returned than anyone expected. It was really nice talking to her about baseball stuff and non baseball related things like teaching and our awful governors. Brett doesn't pitch until Wednesday and I won't be able to make it to that game unfortunately. I told her that if I don't see her tomorrow then hopefully I get to say hi to her on the first game of the season.

So that's my story about getting to see Mariano Rivera pitch and meeting Brett Marshall's mom. I am probably going to the game tomorrow after my class since I will already be halfway to the field anyways.

I am hoping that you are enjoying reading my blog posts. I know that I haven't been reporting much on actual baseball but more on the personal side of things, but that is the kind of person I am. I promise when the season starts I will include some things that are more relevant to baseball.

This is where I sat on Sunday. The bleachers are on a concrete slab and there is a gap between the slab and the fence, no one was sitting under there today but on Sunday the whole gap down there was filled with people.