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Trop's creature comforts leave fans feeling satisfiedBy Darrell Fry © St. Petersburg Times, published April 1, 1998 He had all the comforts of home. Thing was, he was at Tropicana Field, living it up with eight of his buddies inside the park's Cigar Room about an hour before the Devil Rays' season-opener. "I'm from Chicago, and being at Wrigley (Field) or Comiskey (Park) is a lot different than this," said Freburg, who drove from Venice for the game. "I don't feel like I'm at a ballpark." For many fans at the Rays' inaugural game, a day at the ballpark took on a striking new meaning. There were all the usual stadium surroundings, but some aspects of the still-being-renovated dome had a country-club feel. All in all, most fans at Tropicana Field arrived with high expectations and walked away quite satisfied. "I'm impressed," said Wayne Busselle of St. Petersburg, who was in his seat more than an hour and a half before the first pitch. "Hey, what's there not to be impressed with?" Indeed, from all accounts, those in attendance had a good day -- certainly better than the Rays, who were roughed up by the Detroit Tigers 11-6. There were few complaints about traffic flow to the dome or parking. Darryl Montgomery and his family said they took Interstate 275 from their home in Ruskin and got to the park in about an hour. "It wasn't bad at all," said Montgomery, who noted that access for disabled fans was adequate, except that there appeared to be only one elevator designated for them. For fans who arrived early, getting inside the park meant waiting. And they flooded the gates when they opened. "But you can expect that, since it's Opening Day," said J.R. Baker, 17, of Tampa. Once inside, though, fans said the dome scored big. Pre-game entertainment included a live band in the rotunda near Gate 1. There were plenty of souvenir shops and concession stands near every portal that offered a variety of food, from hot dogs and soft drinks to steaks and wine. On the club level, there was even a wine room stocked with a variety of domestic and imported labels. "This place is much more up-to-date or high-tech or whatever you want to call it," Baker said. "I've been to other parks, like the Braves' park in Atlanta, and you don't see food places like Outback (Steakhouse) and seafood places like they have here. It's usually just hot dogs and popcorn." There wasn't much of a wait for food, either. After each inning, lines would form, but for the most part, buying a beer or a hamburger was a breeze, fans said. "We just walked right up," said Dan Sopko of St. Petersburg. Tropicana Field officials apparently were more than ready to accommodate the Opening Day crush. Workers were stationed throughout the dome to assist fans in any way possible. They made it easy to find your seat or the nearest restroom, concession stand or ATM, fans said. "This is really good," said Tim Malloy of Bradenton, who brought his 9-year-old son, Dennis, to the game. "It's certainly not like going to a game when I was growing up." The Cigar Room was a big hit. It features several leather chairs and a sofa, a large supply of imported cigars such as Cuesta-Rey and Arturo Fuente and a full bar. The room has an outside patio where visitors sat and smoked under umbrella tables while soaking up the late-afternoon sun and a view of downtown St. Petersburg. Robin Henson and her friends Denne Pruitt and Tonya Doyle spent nearly two hours there, puffing on stogies and sipping cocktails. Their only complaint: no ashtrays. "It's great," Henson said. "The people, the excitement. I couldn't sleep at all last night." Perhaps the best part of the Rays game was just being inside the dome. Initially, not everyone was wild about watching baseball indoors. But fans raved about the comforts of being shielded from the elements, especially on a day like Tuesday, when temperatures were in the 80s. "At Tampa Stadium, you've got bugs flying around while you're trying to eat, so you can't really be comfortable," said Thomas Colding, 15, of Tampa. "Here, you don't have to worry about the weather. There are no rainouts. You know they're going to play every game." Pruitt, finishing her drink before leaving the Cigar Room for her seat, wasn't too concerned with being in a dome or concession food or traffic or any of that other stuff. The way she sounded, everything in the world could have gone wrong at Tropicana Field and she still would have been happy. "St. Pete has a baseball team," she said, rising from her seat, "and that's all that matters."
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T. PETERSBURG -- Brad Freburg was reclining in a cushy brown leather chair. He had a fine Latin American cigar in one hand and an imported beer in the other and seemingly not a care in the world.
