Other posts in this series:

Greetings from scenic Sarasota (Reds at Pirates, March 21, 2008)

Frozen in Florida (Reds vs. Jays, March 24, 2008)

I love the Club Seats (Reds at Phillies, March 25, 2008)

Game report: Reds at Jays, 3/26/08

Today was my first game at Ed Smith Stadium, and my first time sitting on the box seats anywhere.

It's not really that I'm cheap. It's more that I'm a last-minute Louie when it comes to baseball. I never order tickets ahead of time; I just walk up to the box office on game day. Even for minor league games, this usually means the box seats are sold out. Today, however, there was one box seat available, and I took it.

It was kind of cool to be so close. You could talk to the players if you wanted to.

But all in all, I didn't like it. You got a great view of the batter, but the view down the first base line and to the mound was often obstructed by umpires and players. And it was hard to see what was going on in the outfield. I think I prefer being a little higher up.

Another problem with the seat was that it came with an obnoxious Pirates fan behind it. He considered himself an expert on all things baseball, including the Reds, and yammered on throughout the game. I didn't say anything to him, but I had to bite my tongue more than once.

The Easter Bunny threw out the first pitch:

I hadn't realized this was Easter week when I planned this trip, or I might have picked a different week. I think the games are more crowded than usual because of the holiday. And a lot of restaurants, etc., are closed today.

Pity the poor guy in that costume. It was sweltering hot today; I can't imagine how uncomfortable it must have been wearing that fur suit.

The obnoxious Pirates fan (OPF) behind me started out by making fun of Johnny Cueto. First, he didn't know his name, calling him Cuevo, Cuomo, etc. He laughed about what a no-name he was, and dismissed him as minor league roster filler. Over and over again. Every time the kid threw a ball: "That's why he's going to minor leagues."

Unfortunately, Cueto couldn't make him eat his words. He had a really rough day at the office. He later said he had trouble with his fastball. It looked to me like he was having trouble with everything. He even walked the pitcher on four pitches.

Carlos Pena hit a three-run homer off Cueto.

(The Yankees must be kicking themselves for letting Pena go. He opted out of his minor league contract when the Yankees showed no interest in calling him up, preferring to stick with Andy Phillips at 1B. You know, the guy they non-tendered last December.)

Jim Brower came in in relief of Cueto. In the first inning.

Your opening day shortstop? The slick-hitting Juan Castro was 2 for 2 with a double.

Adam Dunn also got a lot of abuse from the OPF. He let a ball drop in in left field, and OPF proclaimed him "Dogging it" Dunn. He also hit into two double plays. His third at-bat was almost another GIDP, but he just beat the throw. (But hey, at least he didn't strike out.)

Cy Garza mowed 'em down.

Drew Stubbs made an appearance, playing CF and going 0 for 2. (OPF dismissed him as a no-name, too, based on his jersey, which was #83 with no name on the back.)

Andy Phillips got things going in a big 7th inning for the Reds, hitting a two-run homer.

He hustled out of the box, not sure it was going out, but it kept going until it cleared the wall in left-center.

It ended up being a 7-run inning for the Reds, capped by the Latin Love Machine's 3-run go-ahead homer. The 7th inning pitcher was Troy Percival. OPF ragged on him throughout the inning. He said between Percival and Stanton, you'd have a great bullpen...circa 1998. (Okay, that one was kind of funny.)

Andy Phillips also had a nice play on defense, scooping it out of the dirt on a 6-4-3 double play.

Joey Votto was 1 for 2.

Two Andys: Andy Phillips chats with Andy Cannizaro at first base. Both became free agents this season after years in the Yankees system. (Cannizaro got on base when Justin James hit him with a pitch.)

Old friend Jeff Bannon, who became a minor league free agent after seven years in the Reds system, is now with the Rays.

Burton pitched one inning and gave up three hits and a run.

Affeldt gave up two runs on four hits in the dreaded 8th inning, tying up the game.

All in all, this game had a rather familiar feel. The offense pulled Cueto's bacon out of the fire...but the bullpen couldn't hold it. (Though it was Affeldt and James who coughed up the lead, not Weathers and Cordero.)

The final score: Rays 10, Reds 9, in a roller coaster of a game.