3.24 Pirates at Braves

This game report will be relatively brief for two reasons. First, I was having focus issues with my camera. Second, I was too busy talking to take pictures and notes after the first inning.

The Atlanta Braves play their spring training games in Champion Stadium, which is literally on the property of Disney World, in Orlando. It's about 30 minutes from the Astros park, where I had been earlier in the day.

I stopped in between games to eat at a Latin restaurant called La Gota Fria. I had planned to eat at a seafood restaurant, but not only was it gone, but the business that had taken it's place had been abandoned. So I tried La Gota Fria, unscouted.

My meal at La Gota Fria was excellent. I had some pupusas for the first time on this trip, filled with pork and cheese. They are like grilled stuffed tortillas, although thicker. They come from El Salvadoran cuisine as an appetizer - I used to order them frequently when I lived in DC.

For my entrée I had grilled chicken, rice, beans and plantains. Very yummy.

Back to baseball. Champion Stadium feels larger compared to other minor league stadiums in the sense that it has a pretty significant upper deck. It also has more of a big time feel, kind of like a small major league park.


It is unique in two other ways. First, they are the only place I've been so far that offers free parking. Also, they have a pitch speed indicator on the scoreboard.

My seat -- initially -- was in the twelfth row, just behind home plate, about 10 feet to to the first base side. Just as the game was about to start, a guy (I'd guess around 17-18 years old) got up from his first row seat in front of me and started up the aisle to get some food. As he saw me, he said "Go Dragons". I was kind of confused until I realized I was wearing my Dayton Dragons hat - they are the 'A' club for the Reds. He asked me if I lived in Dayton and volunteered that he used to live in Ohio and was a Reds and Dragons fan. I asked him how he and his father got such good seats and he said they are family friends with the Atlanta GM, Frank Wrenn. He went up the rest of the steps, bought his food and sat back down.

At the end of the first inning the guy walked back up the aisle and asked me if I wanted to sit with them in the first row. They had three seats but his mother decided not to go to the game. Uh, YES!

So I spent the rest of the game in the first row, right behind the catcher. Quite a view. Even though I've had some good seats, this vantage point revealed the speed and power of the game. The Braves on deck circle was immediately in front of us. When Yunel Escobar warmed up to hit I thought he was going to his us with his bat.

Anyhow, I spent the rest of the game discussing sports with this father and son, who had very similar sports team interests as I did, especially the Reds, and they also had detailed knowledge, so it was fun talking with them. I did poke my camera lens through the home plate webbing to take two pictures, both of which are a bit blurry because of the camera issues.


Javier Vazquez and Ross Ohlendorfer pitched really well, especially the latter. I don't really know much about him other than what I saw last night, which was a hard fast ball and devastating curve.

Chipper Jones played for the first time in a while, as he had been injured.