My Visit to Marlins Stadium

Well, I made the 3.5 hour drive up the Keys Friday afternoon to catch the game. Surprisingly, traffic was not your typical Miami parking lot affair. I got right there with minimal hassle! Found a great and cheap parking spot for low $$ and made my way to the stadium.
I had my Pirates T-Shirt on but not my McCutchen jersey. I wanted to get inside before putting it on since Miami fans aren't known for being the friendliest on the planet. Walking through the parking lot, I happened across several Pirate tail gate parties going on! It seems most of us ex-pats had gathered in one spot and that was a great sight to see.
Most were living somewhere in Florida and trekked to see the game. Some as far away as Tampa area too. Met several couples that were in the area on vacation and decided to catch the game. Many attending were 20 and 30 somethings and they were really excited that they will finally get to see a winning team in their lifetime. I was very warmly accepted by everyone and certainly it did help to put my mind at ease.
I had a great seat about 15 rows behind our dugout and on the aisle. There was so much black and gold walking around the stadium I almost felt like I was in PNC instead of Marlins Stadium. I did not get one disparaging comment from any of the Miami fans about supporting the Pirates. We all laughed and joked throughout the entire game.
The stadium was OK I guess. Not as good as PNC but the sight lines were good most everywhere. I walked all over and even checked out the cheap seats. Man, some of those gave me a nosebleed! LOL They seemed higher than the ones in Three Rivers. They did have the roof closed and inside was about 78 degrees. Good thing it was closed and several storms moved through the area which would have meant rain delay. They did open the roof after the game as it was "Friday Fireworks". The rain had stopped by then so all was good.
Oh yea... the game... Well, they looked pretty lackluster. Locke looked ok for a while. Would have been nice to see a win but you cannot win em all! I did get a little heckling form the Miami fans (good natured of course) and just told them that we will beat em manana!
Anyway, I will post a few pics if anyone is interested. I just wanted to share this with everyone. I had a great time and can't wait to go again to see our Buccos.. next year!
Secretly hoping that we see a Tampa - Pittsburgh World Series. That would shove it up the asses of all those big market teams! LOL I know MLB would hate it but who cares!!
Don