The sun came out (sort of) yesterday afternoon, so I thought I'd take a chance and go to a baseball game after work. The Marlins were playing the Brewers at Pro Player Stadium, so I decided to treat myself and pay $28 for a seat 11 rows behind home plate. It turned out to be a good investment.
I've never understood why the Marlins play in what is clearly a football stadium, but Pro Player, while not a great baseball venue, is a decent place to watch a ballgame. The sight lines are good, the people are friendly- and on a summer night, is there a bad place to watch baseball? As soon as you walk in to Pro Player, it's clear who rules this roost. Dolphins colors are everywhere, virtually all of the signage is related to the Dolphins, and the Dolphin's Ring of Honor is impossible to miss. There's not much about the place that says "Florida Marlins".
Normally, a Brewers-Marlins game would promise all the excitement of watching someone load the cigarette machine at your local convenience store. This game, though, went all the down to the bottom of the ninth, when Paul LoDuca dropped a bloop hit into center field, turning a 6-5 deficit into a 7-6 Marlins victory.
All in all, it was a Friday evening well-spent. The weather was surprisingly comfortable. Sitting at Minute Maid Park in Houston with the roof open on an August evening would be absolutely brutal, but being in an open-air stadium in Miami was, while a bit on the humid side, at least pleasant.
You'd think that, less than a year removed from winning a World Series championship, the Marlins would pack Pro Player Stadium. Far from it. Last night's game official attendance was all of 21,484- and frankly, I found it hard to believe that there were half that many people in the stands.
It was nice to watch a team that can play up to their ability and come from behind, though....
