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Palm trees, a view and a laid-back 'tudeBy Terry Tomalin © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 "We knew about Opening Day but didn't have tickets," Snyder said. "But we figured, why not drive to Florida and see what happens?" So the two cousins climbed into a 1996 Honda Civic and headed south. "We rolled in here, went to the beach, got cooked, then came here and started looking around," Snyder said. "We didn't think we'd have much luck." The die-hard baseball fans wandered the parking lot for hours looking for salvation. They had just about given up hope, figuring they would just watch the game at a bar, when they found a couple of bleachers seats. "This is great," Snyder said. "Go to the Beach and see a baseball game." That was the attitude of the majority of fans in the cheap seats in leftfield Tuesday night. The Beach has palm trees, a great view and no lines for beer or bathrooms. "This is good, but where's the sand?" asked Lori Castellano, who bought season tickets in the upper deck of leftfield with her boyfriend, Doug Kittrell. "These would be great seats if it wasn't for the foul pole. That wasn't here when we picked them." The Beach has a distinct advantage over the other low-cost sections of Tropicana Field, because it's only eight or 10 rows from the front railing to the back walkway. The feel here is more casual. Even the ushers wear Hawaiian shirts. "We try to take it easy up here," said usher Marty Marcellino, sporting a shirt covered with surfboards. "This is the Beach. Everything is laid-back." None of the sections was marked, so Marcellino stayed busy helping fans to their seats. Most maintained a good attitude, but a few got testy, especially with this reporter, who also happened to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt. "What are you, some kind of idiot?" one woman yelled. "What do you mean you don't work here?" The woman, like most Beachgoers, failed to dress for the occasion. There were a few shorts, lots of jeans and gray Devil Rays T-shirts, but no T-backs, Speedos or baggie surf trunks. Mark Brooks knew that sooner or later, the ugly blue, black and purple shirt his father got in Hawaii would come in handy. "This thing must have been hanging in the closet for 20 years," he said. "I looked at it this morning, saw that it had Devil Rays colors and took it to the dry cleaners." The leftfield fans liked Brooks' fashion sense and might have voted him King of the Beach if the game hadn't turned into such a slug fest. His shirt was much uglier than anything the ushers could muster, including Pat Schneider's "Dogs Driving a Woody" print. But Brooks had no time to bask in his glory. No sooner had he finished the interview than another lost fan showed up, mistaking Brooks for an usher. "Hey, buddy, where's my seat?"
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HE BEACH -- Spring in Connecticut is cold and wet. Chris Snyder and Jason Gahr needed a little sun and sand.
