Fan Fest

A shorter review this time....

Great sunny day for Fan Fest, and a lot of people attended. Or it seemed
that way as there was only one entry point into the festivities - gate F.
My Mets fan friend and I got there around 10:45.

The work on the stadium facade and remnants of the Super Bowl made this
year's setup much different than last year's. The activities surrounding
the stadium consisted only of a few booths for radio stations. Everything
else was inside the stadium.

Highlight of the day - the Supra Telecom girls (woo-hoo). The Mermaids
were there too, but my Mets fan friend noted that this year's crop looked
rather young, almost school-aged. I told him don't worry, they'll grow
into the role.

There were many booths at the 100 level concourse - tables for season
tickets, for the fan club, for Roger Dean Stadium. The Sun Sports table
had Rich Waltz and Tommy Hudson signing posters, but I didn't get in line.

There was a huge line to get tickets for player autographs on one end of
the stadium, and another long line to wait to get to redeem those tickets
at the other end. I didn't get in either. WQAM had a live broadcast
going, and I spied on interviews with Tankersly and Uggla.

Far from last year's disaster of a playing field. this year's was
essentially the Super Bowl field, with lots of kid games and rides, and
pitching and running games. Anyone could come for free and stomp all over
the same field that just the week before the whole country and a bunch of
the world was staring at. We took pictures at the NFL and Super Bowl
emblems that were still painted in the grass. The 2 World Series trophies
were there too.

We ended up not getting tickets, even though we could redeem his $5 parking
pass for a discount. My friend was annoyed that we couldn't get upper deck
tickets for the Mets visit in April, as the upper deck is not opened for
weekday games, as was the case last year.

I also didn't get into the 'town meeting' this time. The New York Times got
in first with a report of it. Since I'm still screwed up with my logging
in and links, here's a massive quote from it...

'MIAMI, Feb. 10 The first question posed to David P. Samson, the
president of the Florida Marlins, at the annual mixer with the
teams players and fans at Dolphin Stadium was as predictable in
these parts as a summer rain shower.

'A man in the audience of roughly 200 stood up Saturday and asked, in
so many words, if this would be the year that the Marlins finally
addressed their most pressing need a new stadium.

'Its only a record 13th year that thats the opening question at
FanFest, Samson quipped. Theres a lot of positive developments, he
started to say.

'But that was as far as he got before his voice was drowned out by
applause.

'Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins standout left-handed pitcher, had loped
onto the stage, a few minutes late, but seemingly right on cue.

'Willis, a 22-game winner two seasons ago, is the Marlins most popular
player, which makes him the franchises biggest bargaining chip in its
game of political roulette with state legislators and taxpayers over a
new retractable-roof stadium.

'The opportunity to see the charismatic Willis pitch every fifth day is
a powerful lure for a franchise that plays its home games in a
charmless stadium built for football, in a climate made for alligators
and orchids.

'As the worldwide audience that tuned in for the Super Bowl here last
Sunday can attest, it rains in South Florida. The steady downpour that
made a mess of the game between the Indianapolis Colts and the
Chicago Bears reminded Samson of the Marlins World Series against the
Yankees in 2003, when Game 3 in Miami was interrupted by rain for
39 minutes.

'It was amazing to watch the reaction of the Super Bowl in the rain and
think about how many times that happened to us here at Dolphin
Stadium, Samson said before the question-and-answer session. He added,
It certainly brought back memories and made me long for the day when
were in a retractable-roof facility....

'Certainly were optimistic, Samson said. It seems as though the stars
are aligning right now.

'The Marlins have two stars to shepherd the cause, the 25-year-old
Willis and the 23-year-old third baseman Miguel Cabrera. They are the
only recognizable faces remaining from the 2003 Marlins squad that
defeated the Yankees in six games to win the franchises second World
Series title in less than 10 years.

'This season, Willis and Cabrera will account for roughly 50 percent of
the Marlins payroll, which is again expected to be the lowest in the
league, at less than $30 million. As long as the new stadium
initiative is in play, they would appear too valuable to trade.

'But the Mets, whose starting rotation is a couple of arms short of
a championship rotation, coveted Willis last year, his supposed
comings and goings the subject of the nonstop conjecture.

'Its really funny because it was almost like I was one phone call away
from being a Met, said Willis, who agreed to a one-year contract last
month that is worth $6.45 million.

'He added, Ive never heard so much speculation, and its going on to
this day.

'A California native who married during the off-season, Willis has put
down roots in South Florida, buying a house in North Miami Beach. I
have a great deal of love and respect for this organization and South
Florida and how theyve embraced me, he said.

'But Williss future here is on a shaky foundation, seemingly tied to
the result of the stadium battle. He is reminded of it all the time.

'One of Williss neighbors, he said, is a Mets fan from Flushing. Every
time I walk outside, its like a countdown to when Im going to be a
Met, Willis said, laughing. Theyre all over me every day.

'Willis was surrounded by fans of all ages wherever he went Saturday.
The line to meet him at a V.I.P. luncheon was longer than the line for
the buffet.

'At the fan question-and-answer session, Willis smiled and nodded like
a bobblehead doll when he agreed with something a teammate was saying,
which was often. The last question posed to Willis was from Kevin
Gutman, a 6-year-old from Wellington, in Palm Beach County, who wanted
to know how many games Willis was going to win this season.

31, 32, Willis said. Smiling broadly, he added, Every time I go out
there, I want to win for you guys.

'Gutmans father, Ken, a Mets fan going back to his childhood on Long
Island, sighed. Of course he would love to see Willis in a Mets
uniform, he said.

'But they need a star here, he said, so Ill sacrifice.'