Fan Fest Frolics

We tried to get to Fan Fest early, but the lady at the main entrance to the stadium said that we had to drive up to another gate and wait until 10:00 to get in. As that gate already had a line of cars stretched out into the main road, we said to heck with this and drove off to get some gas. When we got back, the gate was already open and there was a line at the ticket windows big enough that you knew you weren't going to get the exact seat you wanted but small enough that it wasn't a bother to do the standing. Rich Waltz, Taylor Tankersley and Mike Jacobs handed out doughnuts to us line-standers, who were dressed in mixtures of shirts from different teams. A loud guy was yelling up and down for people to join the Marlins Fan Club. When my friend noticed his accent, the guy blurted out, I'm a Yankees fan from the Bronx, to which my friend gave his condolencses.

I'm wondering why the ticket booths, which look to be portable, have been positioned off to the side and exposed to the elements. I guess sales diminished after the huge rain storms started past 2 PM.

There were kiddie rides and pitching and batting cages, and a dunk tank where a guy with a Mets jersey was taunting fans to hit the target. There were music groups and long lines for autographs and company displays and radio stations. There was even more free food - popcorn, lemonade and coffee. But the most impressive thing to me was the just-finished new addition to the stadium. The Huizenga project, partially paid for with the Marlins sales-tax subsidy he happily receives, is spectacular. The new club concourse is huge and classy, the new gift shop the same. Seeing the whole thing from outside, like some huge goiter bulging from one side of the building, is funny-looking, but inside it feels top-notch.

The field had been resodded and the sprinklers were on in recovery mode from last week's Monster Truck Jam. All activities were either outside or in the tunnels. We saw Josh Johnson (geez he's big) and Logan Kensing signing stuff in the sort-of-foyer to the stadium. Robert Andino was getting his picture taken with fans. We stayed away from the autograph lines.

We went to the 12:00 Town Meeting, with Jacobs, Tankersley, Fredi, Ironman, Matt Treanor, and Mike Hill at the dais, and Dave Van Horne and the infamous Glenn Geffner presiding. Geffner was taking a back seat to Van Horne, and did not seem to be horrible.

I didn't ask anything this time, but a few things struck me. First, as has been noted elsewhere, was Samson's mentioning that all-but-one of the Marlins' players attended - he didn't mention who at this occasion, but his pissed-off-ness was noted.

Next was the continuing presentation of Fredi's habits of mind. The way he presents himself makes me believe he thinks in a sort of a scattered way. At one point, Jacobs had to remind Fredi exactly how long he was out with his injury last year. Fredi don't seem to be a stickler for exactitude.

The interesting thing from Samson to me was the concepts he presented for what the team is planning to do about the parking problem at the new stadium, stuff I hadn' heard before. He said that beyond the parking garage, specific parking areas designed for cars coming from different areas of South Florida will be near the most convienent exits, with shuttles going back-and-forth from those parking areas to the stadium. Good to know they're thinking about solutions to that problem.