Tampa Bay 26-27 August

Well, this is the first time that we departed from the plan devised last winter. Originally, the plan was to drive directly from Dallas to Fernandina Beach on I-10. In the Spring, I was invited to LCDR Simmons' retirement in New London. He and I were shipmates on USS Pennsylvania, so I could not miss the event. All went according to the revised plan until the Tropical Storm Fay came onto the scene. I flew to Providence and drove to New London. Kate was rerouted to I-20 through Atlanta. This turned out to be a good thing as my flight to Jacksonville was cancelled and I was sent to Atlanta where we met and proceeded to Fernandina Beach. It was nice to spend a few days in the city we call home. Bud and Kathy were kind enough to host us for which we are grateful.

While I was in New London, I had the opportunity to visit the Nautilus Submarine Museum. As you enter into the museum, the ever present Hyman Rickover was there. The rest of the museum was well worth the visit.
Outside the museum is a very interesting display. The larger ring has the same diameter of the current Trident Submarine. The smaller ring is the same diameter as the World War II submarines.

We proceeded to Tampa for the Rays games against the Toronto Blue Jays. As we approached the stadium, we found a cafe that understands.
We had heard quite a few negative things from many people about Tropicana Field, and as a result we did not have high expectations. As it turns out, there are many issues outside of the stadium contributing to these views. Many people in the Tampa area resent that the stadium is in St. Pete instead of Tampa proper. Others want a new field while others don't like the drive to the stadium. Frankly, we were pleasantly surprised by the stadium and our surprise started with the Hitters Hall of Fame that is inside the stadium. Admission is free.
The star attraction of this Museum is Ted Williams, but many of the greatest hitters in history are prominently displayed. This is a picture of a young Williams in Spring Training being tutored by Ty Cobb.
Ted Williams may have been fooled occasionally by the off speed stuff, but he believed that no pitcher could through a fastball by him. There are numerous testimonials by pitchers of the day that stated the same thing.
Williams was more than a hitter. He was a Marine fighter pilot during both World War II and Korea. This is his flight jacket from his Marine days.

Williams was a decorated hero and this shadowbox shows some his accomplishments.

This is a picture of Williams and john Glenn in the ready room prior to a mission.
Babe Ruth crossed paths with Ted Williams many times. This is a picture of the two of them during Ruth's final appearance in the All-Star game.
Other hitters are prominently displayed. This is a picture of the trio known as Murder's Row--Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, and Babe Ruth.
A major display in the hall is dedicated to Babe Ruth.

Another player on prominent display is Willie Mays
and Hank Aaron
Inside the stadium, there are a few memorials to Rays players. The one shown here is the yellow seat. This is where Wade Boggs' 3000th hit landed. He was the first player to hit a home run as his 3000th hit.
Game one was an ugly loss for the Rays. The second game started out with Cal Ripken throwing out the first pitch.

The second game went much better for the Rays. The only down point was the poor attendance. For a team in first place, one who is leading Boston and one who has driven the prospect of the Yankees making the playoffs into the dirt, this amount of attendance is really a shame.