We decided sometime this winter that Tampa Bay would be the first stop on our baseball tour this year. I figured it would never be as cold and wet in Florida as we were last year on Opening Day in Cleveland. Plus, the Rays were scheduled to pay the Orioles. So warm weather, a dome, and my favorite team - the O's - should make for a perfect day.
I didn't really get excited reading about Tampa. It seems like the fan base is lacking. I kept reminding Randy to get tickets, and he kept saying he would be able to get seats. After studying up on the Tampa Bay Rays, I understand one reason he wasn't in a hurry to get seats. It seems the area doesn't support their team. Even when they are playing well, they failed to averaged more than 23,000 fans a game. Maybe location is a factor, maybe it is the dome itself - or maybe snowbirds have their own loyalties somewhere else.
I usually take pages of notes of things to look at and for. I was going to look for the Golden Seat where Wade Boggs's 3,000th hit landed in 1999 and look for the murals depicting old-time ballparks. I was not, however, looking forward to seeing the Rays Touch-Tank. My feeling that all living creatures belong in their own environment, not in a tank for us to look at.
Just say no to this one, Tampa Bay!
Anyway, our flights were booked and tickets purchased. My Orioles shirt was packed, and I had scheduled days taken off from work. And then...
Our dear, sweet Stella had to be rushed to MedVet in Columbus, Ohio. She spent four days in ICU for acute hepatopathy. We still don't know the cause, and her prognosis is grim. She was given a 30 percent chance of recovery.
So, baseball will wait. Flights cancelled and tickets put on Stub Hub. We will stay with her as long as we have her with us - or until she heads toward recovery.
Scoreboard Sweep will return, and our baseball journeys will continue when our family is through this crisis. In the meantime, we will love her and care of her and have some peanuts and Cracker Jack while watching games on TV!
