Biscuits Win

Wow, did we really beat the Rays?
Yes, indeed, and a fine start to the season it was!

A couple excellent throws from the outfield to gun down Rays runners at the plate, keeping the score just close enough to overcome with timely hitting.

AT THE START, SORTA LET DOWN
The day started with Joe Maddon giving a QnA session for season ticket folks. The worst part of it was that staffers were unable to tell me how to submit a question before the event, and then we spent longer hearing the mayor incorrectly say that we had never hosted a parent club in the city. Quickly we learned that the only questions being answered were submitted well ahead via twitter and facebook and we wouldnt get to ask anything.

Deep topic questions were not included, and when the question "whats your favorite hoodie" incited a five minute plus reply, the group I was with decided it wasnt worth it to sit in the sun while NOT getting a chance to ask a baseball question. It was a decision I supported fully!

I didn't even want to waste video time on it, and was probably not alone in feeling a bit shorted on the Q and A, though it wasn't Joe's fault.


BATTING PRACTICE
BP started at 12:15 and we saw the big league club swing fence on a windy, overcast day. A few of the Rays made our park look alot smaller than we usually see it. James Loney was the first to reach the fence, but several of the Rays regulars sent balls into the crowd.

ARCHER

Arch

Satch

Then the warmups, including the appearance of the Tampa starter, Chris Archer. Archer has always been a cool drink of water, having now developed a classic style of his own that is a blend of modern pitcher and classic era player.

Chris' tall sox and quiet swagger reminded me of one of everyones favorite Negro league players. He has a similar delivery and a similar smoke ball!

SAY HOWDY!
Got to meet Zobrist and Joyce, very cool to have the big leaguers say hi. Not alot of autograph chances, though I did get Wil Myers to sign a bat. I felt fortunate, because obviously I wasn't the only one hoping for a signature!

Face in the Crowd

The Game

The Rays jumped out in front on starter Victor Mateo, including an Evan Longoria RBI single. Mateo was making his first start at Riverwalk since tossing the stadiums first No-Hitter, and handled the Rays easily through the first three frames, equaling Archers fine mound work.

Somehow, the Biscuits managed to overcome the deficit once the Rays pulled their starters. Wholesale lineup changes went in the Skitz favor, and Im sure most of you know how it turned out.

A rare victory indeed, as the Montgomery team has only come out on top in a handful of the approximately 50 exhibition games to have taken place here. Oh, and one tie!

AFTERMATH
The day after the game I hosted our long standing fantasy league draft. Our 26th annual event, the dynasty league format was a tough order the day after such a big game, but went off without a hitch. The only casualty was the instant posting of my usual Sunday evening blog post! haha