Spring Training Trip - Day 45

We drove over to Dunedin again today, this time to watch the Phillies play the Toronto Blue Jays in their stadium.  There was nary a trace left today of yesterday's St. Patrick’s Day festivities in the town square and surrounding area.  Hopefully, everyone made it home O.K. and had a good time before the party was over.

The stadium is about ½ mile south of the center of town surrounded by residential and small roadside businesses. The best we can tell, the stadium doesn’t have a public parking lot, only one for players and staff. If you drive to the game you have to park in one of many entrepreneurial parking lots along the streets leading to the park.  These parking lots include driveways, private businesses parking lots, fields, lawns, etc.  They all have people along the street with signs advertising their parking spaces and encouraging you to park there.  The price increases from $5.00 to $10.00 the closer you get to the stadium and one place even offers you a free beer if you park in their lot.

We ate lunch in the “Canadian Grill” area of the stadium again and had an enjoyable time talking to a couple of old Phillies fans while eating lunch at one of the communal picnic tables in the food tent. 

Our seats for the game were in the shade surrounded by Blue Jay fans, mostly Canadian “snowbirds”.  The people behind us were from Winnipeg, Canada and were somewhat amazed that a couple of Americans from California who once lived just down the road in Grand Forks, North Dakota were in Florida, sitting in front of them and rooting for the Phillies. They were further amazed when they found out that Judy also graduated from the University of North Dakota, the guy from Winnipeg’s alma mater.

The game itself was a stinker for Phillies fans.  They lost 10-2 and didn’t pitch, field, or hit very well today.  The Blue Jays’ fans were very nice about it however, just little smirks, and a few “better luck next time” comments.  Our favorite beer vendor was there.  He has sold beer at most of the games we have attended there, and is very funny in his approach to people and his job.  At the Blue Jays’ stadium, he also leads the 7^th Inning Stretch song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” for all the games. 

During the game, we enjoyed watching some Ospreys nesting in the high light poles around the stadium.  Even though there are no bodies of water immediately around the ballpark, there must be some water close enough, because we saw an Osprey flying back to the nest with a fish in its talons.

After the game, we had an early dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Dunedin.  The food was O.K. but you get spoiled after a regular diet of good Mexican food in California and the American Southwest.  Judy is fighting a cold coming on, so it was back to the RV and early to bed.


Day 45 Pictures