Yesterday marked my second excursion to Space Coast Stadium in Melbourne Viera, Florida. In 2007, I watched the Nationals take on the visiting Dodgers. This year's visit pitted the Nationals versus my beloved New York Mets.
First, a few notes on Space Coast Stadium: back in '07, I commented how the Nationals organization had re-done Space Coast Stadium and removed any and all traces of the Marlins time at the facility. Well now the Marlins are long gone. Yet there is still work that needs to be done at the Nationals' spring training stadium to make it a more enjoyable experience.
1) Upon entering Space Coast Stadium, there is no sign to point visitors in the right direction. Every other ballpark I have visited has at least one sign to guide fans to their seat. Signs that state "Sections X thru Y --->" or "Sections A thru B
2) There were no roaming vendors. None. I was shocked. The ballpark experience falls just a little bit when I don't hear someone shilling peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, or even beer. All guests as Space Coast Stadium had to visit the concession stands.
3) Lack of ushers. This goes with point #1. Most other stadiums I have been to have numerous ushers to direct guests to their seat or even check their tickets to ensure they are in the right place. Space Coast Stadium had a few ushers, but all the limited few of them did was stand around and watch the game. They seemed useless.
4) No mascot, no dancing grounds crew, no cheerleaders, and a useless Public Address announcer. There was nothing at the ballpark to excite the fans except for the game. Although many fans may think the lack of extraneous entertainment is a good thing, good or bad, I found it oddly absent. I guess I am used to seeing something attempting to entertain me between innings, or someone trying to get the crowd excited. Space Coast Stadium seemed rather bland in the customer experience department.
As for the game: Due to the World Baseball Classic, the visting Mets were playing mostly minor leaguers - prospects such as Wilmer Flores and Ike Davis. On the mound starting for the Mets was ancient right-hander Livan Hernandez. Livan makes me feel old, as I remember his rookie season with the Marlins back in '97. Now he is a cagey vet, surviving only on his experience, cunning, and guile.
The Nationals, on the other hand, played many of their big leaguers - players such as ex-Met Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, and Ryan Zimmerman. On the hill for the Nationals was John Lannon.
The game was your average spring fling: lots of errors (including a very surprising bone-headed mistake by Zimmerman), many random pitching changes, and lack of all-around quality play. There was no doubt the best of the Mets was not on the field.
Funny side note: back in 2007, the Tampa Bay then-Devil Rays had what many today call the worst bullpen in major league history. Coming out of that pen on a near-daily basis was right-hander Gary Glover and lefty Brian Stokes. Both of them pitched like garbage for the Devil Rays. During yesterday's contest I saw both of them: Stokes pitched the bottom of the 7th for the Mets, and Glover closed out the game for the Nationals. My condolences to either team if they are relying on these ex-Devil Rays to be a key part of their bullpens.
The final was 8-3, advantage Nationals. Washington is now 2-0 when I visit.
Once again, I have written too much and said too little. If you want the details of the game, click here:
Mets at Nationals
Next stop: Disney World on March 21 or Port Charlotte on March 22.
2) There were no roaming vendors. None. I was shocked. The ballpark experience falls just a little bit when I don't hear someone shilling peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy, or even beer. All guests as Space Coast Stadium had to visit the concession stands.
3) Lack of ushers. This goes with point #1. Most other stadiums I have been to have numerous ushers to direct guests to their seat or even check their tickets to ensure they are in the right place. Space Coast Stadium had a few ushers, but all the limited few of them did was stand around and watch the game. They seemed useless.
4) No mascot, no dancing grounds crew, no cheerleaders, and a useless Public Address announcer. There was nothing at the ballpark to excite the fans except for the game. Although many fans may think the lack of extraneous entertainment is a good thing, good or bad, I found it oddly absent. I guess I am used to seeing something attempting to entertain me between innings, or someone trying to get the crowd excited. Space Coast Stadium seemed rather bland in the customer experience department.
As for the game: Due to the World Baseball Classic, the visting Mets were playing mostly minor leaguers - prospects such as Wilmer Flores and Ike Davis. On the mound starting for the Mets was ancient right-hander Livan Hernandez. Livan makes me feel old, as I remember his rookie season with the Marlins back in '97. Now he is a cagey vet, surviving only on his experience, cunning, and guile.
The Nationals, on the other hand, played many of their big leaguers - players such as ex-Met Lastings Milledge, Elijah Dukes, Austin Kearns, and Ryan Zimmerman. On the hill for the Nationals was John Lannon.
The game was your average spring fling: lots of errors (including a very surprising bone-headed mistake by Zimmerman), many random pitching changes, and lack of all-around quality play. There was no doubt the best of the Mets was not on the field.
Funny side note: back in 2007, the Tampa Bay then-Devil Rays had what many today call the worst bullpen in major league history. Coming out of that pen on a near-daily basis was right-hander Gary Glover and lefty Brian Stokes. Both of them pitched like garbage for the Devil Rays. During yesterday's contest I saw both of them: Stokes pitched the bottom of the 7th for the Mets, and Glover closed out the game for the Nationals. My condolences to either team if they are relying on these ex-Devil Rays to be a key part of their bullpens.
The final was 8-3, advantage Nationals. Washington is now 2-0 when I visit.
Once again, I have written too much and said too little. If you want the details of the game, click here:
Mets at Nationals
Next stop: Disney World on March 21 or Port Charlotte on March 22.