Letters from Lakeland: WatsonStClair checks in
by Kurt Mensching on Mar 8, 2010 10:33 PM EST
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Editor's note: WatsonStClair was the first to check in with a guest post after visiting Lakeland for a game. He's included some photos as well. Thanks, Watson! And remember everyone else, if you watch the Tigers or visit Lakeland, feel free to drop me an e-mail with a guest post about your experiences!
Today was the first really good weather day, 70 degrees plus, and so naturally the stadium was packed. I usually arrive really early, but had to take a pet to the vet, so I got a late start, was stuck in traffic, and barely made the Star Spangled Banner.
I had two impressions from the game. First, if Max Scherzer had had any kind of a decent start, Detroit would have been in it. Instead, between him and Fu-Te Ni, Atlanta scored 8 runs in the first two innings. Dontrelle Willis, Joel Zumaya, and Phil Coke all pitched pretty well, and kept the Braves from piling on more runs.
My second impression is that I felt cheated because Cabrera was the only Tiger starter of any consequence. No Carlos Guillen. No Magglio Ordonez. No Johnny Damon. No Austin Jackson. No Adam Everett. No Gerald Laird. I would have felt better if some of these guys would have started, even if they only got one at bat. Casper Wells looked good in center field and got some good swings in.
I did not like the fact that Atlanta chose to practice running and sprints on the outfield warning track. The problem was they ran in right field when a right-handed batter was up and in left when a left-handed batter was up, but only when the Tigers were hitting! These moving runners had to be a distraction to hitters trying to see the pitch. Funny how they never ran when they were batting!
Some of the best action of the game came from the nesting ospreys in the light towers. Whenever an Osprey flew too near another Osprey's tower, the second took off and flew at the first one. The chase ensued over the field at about 50 feet or so.
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Yesterday was a great day for baseball
I was at the game too, and agree that if Scherzer hadn’t struggled so much to only get one out in the 1st, we would have been in it. I too was a little irritated that only Miggs started. Though we did get to see Avila and Sizemore go at it, which was somewhat of a consolation prize I suppose. I’ll tell you what though, it was great to see Dontrelle do well in his first inning out there and it was a great moment to see him get a standing ovation as he left the field. Heading over to Viera to watch the Tigers take on the Nationals. Strasburg is making his debut today so that should be interesting to watch!
Verlander.Porcello.Crosby.Scherzer.Turner: the future..?
It was a lefty audition day!
I was at the game too, and I told my boyfriend it seemed like it was an audition to see who was going to bat left handed for us off the bench this season. Now if only Copa would serve that good of a beer there, as Joker does here, because that first inning was a rough one!
We went autograph chasing after the game, and watched the players come out. Must give props to the new guys, Coke and Schlereth, as they stopped in their cars (or in Coke’s case, heavily tricked out truck-the thing sat on 5 foot tires) and signed autographs. The crowd only got a hearty wave from the pitching staff (JV, Porcello, Perry, and Zoom) as they climbed into a limo and drove off. Dontrelle totally ignored us in his gold convertible—too bad, because the crowd wanted to congratulate him. The nicest staff person we met was James Pickens, as he let us play with his dog, Wallace.
Hopefully they start a regular squad against the Yankees on Wednesday!
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