It was orientation day on the west central coast of Florida as the Albany Blue Jays, complete with 11 CDMSBLers and 5 other tournament teammates, gathered for the first time in Juno Beach for an easy practice. Many on the team have played past Florida Classics, a handful of us are playing our first tournament. Two new teammates were on the 52+ champion team here last week. Another, jumped coasts, having played in the Roy Hobbs world series in Ft. Myers last week. The rest of us made our way from NY, some by air, some by car. All seem excited to start the week. Manager Artie shared some preliminary thoughts for the week, urging focused efforts and, especially, a high degree of camaraderie. He then passed out some tournament swag and we were off to the event BBQ in W. Palm Beach. A bit of sustenance and a quick look through the supplier booths ended the evening for many of us, as we gear up for two games on Monday.
Yes, we jump right into a day one double header Monday morning. Port St. Lucie and and the Tradition Field complex, the NY Mets spring training site, is the setting. We'll be at one of the outlying fields for the day, facing teams from Venezuela and Chesapeake.
curt - this is the first time i can recall someone writing up the pre-tourney preparations. it's not the usual baseball story, but that's good. it's different and it preps the readers, too.
