2007 MLB Preview

Hot dates

By MARC TOPKIN
Published April 1, 2007

Here are five dates at Tropicana Field you might want to check out:

FRIDAY, BLUE JAYS: The home opener is an annual welcome back baseball party, with a chance to see old friends and new faces, plus the new scoreboards and renovations at Tropicana Field. There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance, and even some bunting, though the Rays would rather hit homers.

APRIL 23-24, YANKEES: It's the first of three visits by the neighborly New Yorkers but the only games against them or the Red Sox before mid July. The 23rd should be interesting as the first 10,000 fans get cowbells.

MAY 28-30, TIGERS: The defending AL champions are likely to draw some decent crowds, and even more so with Tampa's Gary Sheffield in the middle of their lineup.

JUNE 22-24, DODGERS: It's a rare visit by the team formerly from Brooklyn, and the Rays mark the occasion with a trio of promotions: NASCAR night, with a free soft cooler on the 22nd; Turn Back the Clock night, with a spiffy Don Zimmer "Now and Then" Figurine (above) on the 23rd; and Women in Baseball Day, with a kids backpack on the 24th.

JULY 27-29, RED SOX: The first of two second-half weekend visits by Boston. There's Rays beads and a Mardi Gras theme on the 27th, a tie-dye shirt on the 28th for '60s Flower Power Night and a Carl Crawford action figure for Cartoon Day on the 29th.

[Last modified March 31, 2007, 20:57:45]