|
Feb222008
|
Greer Field at Turchin Stadium |
After work this afternoon, Dad and I went down to the new Turchin Stadium for Tulane baseball team’s opening game. Mom met us where we parked, on the Claiborne Avenue neutral ground. After a little while we walked across the street to the Frostop for something to eat before the game. I wasn’t very hungry so I just got a milkshake and some onion rings.After “dinner,” we walked down to the stadium before its’ official opening. There was a crowd congregates around the marching band and flag team. There was a ribbon cutting at about 5:30 preceded by speeches by athletic director Rick Dickson, Tulane president Scott Cowen, board chairman Philip Greer, for whom the field is names and baseball head coach Rick Jones. I was right up front by the podium to shoot some pictures of those speaking. Afterward I managed to find Andrew and my parents so we could walk in.This was my first time in the new stadium, although I’ve seen it frequently from the outside for the last few years, and there was a webcam that you could track construction progress with. In short, it’s an awesome new stadium, much bigger than what was in its place. There is also a huge new video board adjacent to left field. New Orleans native Irma Thomas sung the national anthem which was followed by an impressive fireworks display.Our seats for the game were in the left field bleachers, adequate for watching the game but useless for taking pictures of the on-field action. Tulane handled the opposing team from the University of Illinois at Chicago without too much trouble. Shooter hunt opened the game with three strikeouts and in the bottom of the first scored three runs. Tulane pretty much coasted for the remainder of the game, scoring three more runs including a homer in the fifth. The final score was 6-0.Mom left the game early and Dad left in the seventh to make a trip to the office. After the game, Andrew and I walked to Felipe’s to wait to be retrieved.