I DIDN'T WATCH THE CARDINALS GAME LAST NIGHT...WHAT A SHOCKER

I didn't watch the Cardinals game last night. I know, what a shocker. I didn't record it either. Instead, my boyfriend and I along with 2 friends drove to Miami to take in a Florida Marlins game. Let me start by saying that Cardinals baseball on TV is 10x better than Marlins baseballl in person...

The Marlins were playing the Atlanta Braves, and this was the final of a 3-game series. The Braves won 3-2, and in the process handed the Marlins their 9th consecutive loss. Ouch.

We had front row seats behind the Braves bullpen. $28 a piece. Those seats would cost an awful lot more in any other ballpark. They didn't announce the attendance at the game, and I'm sure there was a reason for that: the number would have been embarassing. As you can see from the picture above, baseball isn't very popular in Miami.

Sure, the game was exciting. Marlins pitcher Chris Volstad had a no-hitter going into the 6'th inning. The Braves scored 3 runs in the 6th though, and Volstad topped it off by giving up an RBI single to the opposing pitcher. That last run proved to be the decisive one, as the Marlins lost by 1 when it was all over. My friends and I were an animated bunch. Yes, we were THOSE people. One of the Braves outfielders, Matt Young, had a .111 batting average going into tonight's game. His swinging bunt single broke up Volstad's no-no, raising his average to an "impressive" .143. The next time Mr.Young came to the plate he got a standing ovation from 4 obnoxious fans in the front row of Section 103. 

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know how I feel about the Buster Posey/Scott Cousins debaccle.      

Dan and I felt the need to voice our opinions at last night's game with "Scott Cousins is Innocent" t-shirts. I have never received so many compliments. The back of the shirt read "What's worse than Dan Uggla in April? DAN UGGLA IN MAY!" Uggla wasn't in the starting lineup, but he made a pinch-hit appearance and proved his worth when he struck out looking. That's one thing the Marlins can feel good about: sending Uggla to the Braves in the offseason - they obviously dodged a bullet there.

My take on last night's visit to Sun Life Stadium? For starters, seeing as the tickets aren't expensive, the beer should be cheaper too. The Marlins fired their hitting coach on Wednesday and the new one was on the bench on Thursday. I'm not so sure their hitting coach was the problem though.

There were probably more Braves fans in attendance than there were people rooting for the Fish. That's pretty sad to admit in your home ballpark. And don't worry, the Marlins have a new state of the art stadium opening in 2012. You know, because that was necessary. If you can't get fans to come when the tickets are cheap, do you really think they are going to want to pay more money to sit in nicer seats and still watch their team lose??

A quick thank you to Braves bullpen coach Eddie Perez for remembering me, and giving my friend Marc a ball after he begged for 1 the entire game... On a side note, the Braves bullpen catcher's last name is Butts. That has to suck, wearing your name on the back of your uniform when there are people like us around to antagonize you.

Moral of the story: I hope our same seats are available when the Cardinals come to town in August.