Tampa Bay Recap

Wow.
What a weekend!

My last post was Friday night, so let me recap my happenings all the way up until I got back into Fresno.

Saturday, June 21st.

• Slept in until 12:30
• Ate at Panera for Lunch
• Headed to Tropicana Field for Game 2 of the Rays vs. Astros
• Watched the game with Ace from the Toronto Blue Jays and Stanley of the Florida Panthers, the Rays won in a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 9th. It was awesome!
• Post-game, since it was 80's night, they had a Kool & The Gang Concert and we got to hang out in Tampa Bay's dugout and watch the show. Troy Percival and his lady-friend kept giving me looks for taking pictures of myself in the dugout....what's so weird about that?
• After Kool and the Gang was over we headed back to the hotel and Albert and Alberta from UofFlorida showed up as well as TD from the Miami Dolphins, we kicked it for a while and then when to bed.

Sunday, June 22nd - The Big Day

• Stanley from the Florida Panthers drove me to Tropicana Field and we headed beneath the Concourse and were shown are VIP Dressing Room, I think VIP means Very Idiotic Parker.
• Anyway, we're all suited up and ready to go in the Tunnel and the announcer reads "A Bear with Flare, all the way from Fresno, CA, give it up for the 2007 Gameops.com Mascot of the Year, PARKER!!!.....I run out from behind home plate ready to make my big debut and guess what. I fell flat on my face, how embarrassing.
• We all had a good time on the field pre-game and I was clearly the most-talented out there :).
• We all sang Raymond happy birthday and headed back to the dressing room.
• 3rd Inning - T-Shirt Toss time, I got up on the Rays dugout and threw my t-shirt and dropped some knowledge by doing the worm.
• 8th Inning - Raymond, Lou Seal and I headed up on top of the Astros dugout and had a little dance off...when I refused to get off the dugout, Lou Seal unfortunately ripped off my clothes and I ran away in shame of being in front of 30,000 people in my tighty whities!!!
• Post-game was Kids Run the Bases, Stuff and I from the Orlando Magic chased the kids, TD from the Dolphins stole a golf cart, Albert and Alberta took hundreds of pics with all the crazy southern college football fans.
• Post-post game - We all met up for Dinner at a Tapas restaurant and had an incredible meal, I had Frog Legs for the first time.
• Post-Dinner - We headed out for a bit of fun and guess who Parker sees sitting at the bar ordering some food? Gary Sheffield of the Detroit Tigers, needless to say it was the capper to an amazing day.

Monday, June 23rd

• Let's just say I had a hard time waking up on Monday morning. My flight left at 9:25. I woke up at 7:45 and hadn't packed yet. I threw all my stuff in my luggage, got to the Ray's Hummer at 8:00 and then headed to the airport.
• However, there was a traffic jam and I didn't get to the airport until 8:50, approximately 2 minutes before the cut-off time for luggage. I pleaded my case to the curbside check in guy and threw him a $20 and he hooked me up. (Turns out he was from Visalia)
• Barely made my plane and had a rough flight from Tampa to Atlanta.
• Next was Atlantic to Salt Lake City, my Ipod died and forced me to sleep.
• Salt Lake City to Fresno.
• What a weekend!

Hopefully I get to do it again next year!

Your MLB tested mascot,

Parker