Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit Tropicana Field, home of the Devil Rays, and see them play the Red Sox. To be honest, I could really care less about either team. I chear for the Sox when they play the Yankees, because the Yankees just suck. But I'm a Cards and Royals fan at heart, and neither team is in my division. I like players on just about every team, but you know...

I had a day off before I travelled back, and picked up a ticket. $22 for an outfield seat, which is kind of high for a shitty team playing in a mid-market, but what can you do. Free parking, which was cool. $7 for a Bud Light, which is perhaps the biggest rape this side of Law & Order: SVU.

I'm a big believer in the ettiquette of baseball. I simply love the game, and will jump at the chance to watch it. But there are some rules out there for the game, which should be followed. You cannot anger the baseball gods. Look what they've done to Griffey just for wearing his hat backwards between the lines. The grand lord of outfielders has had his holy foot up Jr's ass for years, while his other foot is apparently kicking at his hamstring.

First, it's sad how little the owners do to make Tropicana an inviting place. First, while Florida is a rainy place, it's beautiful a good portion of the year. Yet this stadium is domed, and its not even retractable. Not a good dome either; it looks like someone put a bunch of cheap tents up there. It's a boring place too... a scoreboard about 1/2 the size of the one at Kauffman Stadium (home of the Royals and a few decades older). There's an animated scoreboard above the left field seats, but nothing for anyone sitting along the left foul line, left field, or center to see. The entire 2nd deck runs along the lines, none of it over the outfield. The upper deck runs even less space, behind home. Seriously, what's the fun in that? It's also a pretty boring field, with very little pride in the team around it.

Second, its' sad how little the fans show up to support the team. Sox fans outnumbered Rays fans by at least 10 to one. $7 beer, average food, cramped seating, and no energy doesn't help, but come on. They're your hometown team, and beyond that, even though it's a crappy house, it is their house. Don't show up wearing Red Sox crap and then boo the home team because they're winning. God, what are you, Oakland Raider's fans? Not cool.