MacDill Happenings

The red hot Tampa Bay Rays play the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday 24 April. This is the second game of a three game series against Toronto. The game starts at 6:10pm. This game is also the kickoff of the 2010 Summer Concert Series with John Fogerty performing in right field after the game. A limited number of wristbands for field access during the concert are available for purchase. The Rays have had the best away series in their history after having swept a four game series in Boston against the Red Sox! The Rays are a solid team with good offense, good pitching and solid defense.  Get to the game early and have a tailgate party! Listen to a live band and enjoy attractions at Lot 7. If you do get to the game early, then the first 50 cars with 4 people or more can park for free in the Trop parking lots. Normal parking price is $15 at the Trop. The Trop is easily accessible from I-275. Inside the Trop, check out the Ray tank in centerfield. In the Left Field Street area, fans can participate in a baseball-themed game show, take their picture on a Topps baseball card, have their name inscribed onto a Louisville Slugger bat, touch and feel real game-used equipment, and broadcast play-by-play of baseball highlights. At Right Field Street kids can experience the magic of baseball in the Rays Baseball Carnival, a real working carnival that includes plinko, spin the wheel, ring-a-bat and skee ball. Or take a swing against a computer images of real Major League pitchers in a batting cage or test their arms in the speed pitch, both found in the T.G. Lee Rookie Challenge area of the Carnival. There is also kids-themed areas such as “Bats, Balls, and Brushes”, “St. Petersburg Times Pressbox” and “The Science of Baseball.” Centerfield Street has the Cuesta-Rey Cigar Bar, baseball’s first in-stadium cigar bar, as well as the Batter’s Eye Restaurant, located in the “batter’s eye” in center field. Centerfield Street also has the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall-of-Fame. For the 2010 season for every Rays Gold, Silver and Bronze games, the Rays offer a military discount of half off outfield tickets with a four ticket limit, when presenting an active military ID at the Tropicana Field Box office.

Military personnel on active duty, reservists and retirees with a military ID or CAC card receive free admission to the Outback Pro-Am Tournament which continues today and Sunday. The tournament is part of the Champions Tour.   This is a great opportunity to come and enjoy professional golf for free and also get free admission to a hospitality suite!   Children under 18 admitted free. Spouses & children 18 and over will be required to pay for a general admission ticket. Military members will also receive free admission into the Military Bunker located on the 18th fairway at the TPC of Tampa Bay. One guest admission into the military bunker may be purchased for $10. Normal ticket prices are $30 per day. TPC Tampa Bay located in Lutz was Recently Rated #13 Best Public Golf Facility by GolfWorld Magazine’s 2010 Reader’s Choice Poll.  The opening round each day is 7:20am. Mark O’Meara leads the tournament after Friday’s round of golf. Come out to see Tom Watson play or maybe you can see celebrities Micheal J. Fox or George Lopez. On Sunday there will be a special presentation by the U.S. military on the 18th Green Ceremony and Coca-Cola Cup Presentation immediately following play. If you haven’t been to a professional tournament before, then please remember to remain quiet and stand still when the players are about to hit the ball. For your own safety, stay behind the gallery ropes and obey the Officials and Marshals. You will be asked to leave if you don’t follow the rules.

Okay, St. Patrick’s Day is on the 17th of this month.  But this St. Patrick’s Day 5k run is free!  The event is sponsored by the MacDill AFB Fitness Center.  It starts at the MacDill AFB Fitness Center at 7am, so it is a great way to start the day.  Make sure you come out early to register for the event.  The 5k course normally starts on the north side parking lot and goes towards the 2nd hole of the north course of the golf course and back.  It may be a little chilly, but the wind should be minimal during this time of day. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the fitness center, then this is a great time to take a look. The Fitness Center that has everything needed for a complete workout! Use the large cardio workout room, the huge weight room or take aerobic or cycling classes. A portion of the cardio room has a children’s play area so that you can use a bicycle, treadmill or stairmaster and keep on eye on your child at the same time. There is also a gym setup for basketball and volleyball. For runners, there is a cushioned 1/4 mile track right outside the Fitness Center, and a nearby 4 mile cushioned trail along the bay with some great views of the water! During the weekday lunch hours, the Fitness Center has the most people using it so any other time it is pretty empty. Make an appointment with a personal trainer to help setup your workout program.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the Gasparilla Races take place along Bayshore Blvd.  So make sure you plan to not take Bayshore Blvd those mornings.  Your best bets are to take the Crosstown or take Kennedy Blvd so that you miss the traffic and crowds.  The Gasparilla Distance Classic 15K starts at 7:05am Saturday near downtown Tampa at Platt and Parker Streets with the race extending along Bayshore Boulevard and back and ending by the Tampa Convention Center. The Gasparilla 5k starts at 9:30am at Little Bayshore next to Publix Super Markets. On Sunday, the Gasparilla Marathon and Half Marathon start at 6 am at Platt and Parker streets. If you want to race, then you can sign up today at the Tampa Convention Center from 10am to 6pm during the Health and Fitness Expo or starting at 6am on Saturday at the Convention Center.  Register early to receive a Nike dri-fit t-shirt!  The The Expo is free and open to the public and in addition to Late Registration & Packet Pick-up, will offer the latest in running shoes and apparel, Nike’s Gait & Stride Analysis and Nike+ Experience, as well as the latest in medical breakthroughs and information to help you take charge of your health. Parking during the Expo as well as during the races is available at the Convention Center parking garage and many other nearby lots.

Get ready to the world famous Harlem Globetrotters at the St. Pete Times Forum at 7:00pm on Thursday 25 February.  This is great family entertainment!  Watch the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals play to win, with the Globetrotters doing their signature style of show basketball that will entertain all ages. After the game, the players are scheduled to sign autographs in the arena for a minimum of 15 minutes after the final horn sounds. Founded in 1926 by Abe Saperstein, the Harlem Globetrotters played their first-ever road game on Jan. 7, 1927, in Hinckley, Ill.  It seems like the Globetrotters have won every game that they have played, but in fact the Globetrotters have lost 345 games over the course of eight-plus decades.  They have over 22,500 wins with the best winning percentage (.985) in the history of professional sports. If you want to make it a night, then there are plenty of dining options available near the Forum. Across the street from the Forum is the Hut both very popular before any event in the Forum.  Within walking distance from the Forum is Channelside. Channelside has a wide range of restaurants from Hooters to Stump’s and everything in between.  Parking is available next to the Forum at the Regional South Parking Garage and next to Channelside. Stop by the MacDill AFB ITT office to get your discount tickets. Gate price starts at $25, but at the ITT office tickets are $20.75 with no tax!

The Tampa Bay Ray Fan Fest is 20 February at Tropicana Field in St. Pete.  Admission and parking is free! Autographs for kids 14 and under are free. Autographs for fans 15 and older will cost $20 with the donation going to the Haiti disaster relief efforts through the American Red Cross and Save the Children. There will be a kids interactive area with wiffle ball home run derby challenges, speed pitch machines, and batting cages. You can also tour the clubhouse! Or you can audition to sing the National Anthem before a regular season game! Baseball season is around the corner with the first spring game on 4 March.  Pitchers and catchers reporting into camp yesterday.  The first full workout is 24 February.  The Rays start out the season on the road against the Orioles. The major league schedule home opener is 6 April!  We did not make the playoffs last season, but it has been a good off-season.  With a couple of good trades and signing of free agents and some reported extra hard off-season conditioning by some key players who have a lot to prove, fans can look forward to a great season.  Making it to the World Series in 2008 has raised the expectations of fans.  Fans are not going to be satisfied with not making the playoffs.   The Rays have the players and the minor league system to be in contention for a long time!  More importantly, the owners and management know how to build a contender in a small market.

Tonight the USF Bulls basketball team takes on the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Sun Dome at 7pm.  The Bulls have been playing great basketball this season with wins over No.7 Georgetown and No. 17 Pittsburgh.  The last game at Cincinnati resulted in a loss, but the Bulls always play tough at home.  Hot shooting junior guard Dominique Jones has been shredding the nets all season. Teams are focusing on Jones, but he still getting his shots, rebounds and assists!  Ticket prices start at $8. There is a special for an all-you-can-eat ticket for $20! Make sure you bring an appetite! The University of South Florida is offering free tickets to all students, high school age and younger, to every men’s and women’s basketball games during the 2009-10 season. The tickets, located in all sections, must be purchased on game day at Gate 3 of the Sun Dome Ticket Office. The University of South Florida is one of the nation’s top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities as designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. USF was awarded more than $360 million in research contracts and grants in fiscal year 2007/2008. The university offers 219 degree programs at the undergraduate, graduate, specialist and doctoral levels, including the doctor of medicine. The university has a $1.8 billion annual budget, an annual economic impact of $3.2 billion, and serves more than 46,000 students on campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and Lakeland.

Come out and support the Tampa Bay Lighting  as they take the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on 23 December.  Game time is 7:30pm at the St. Pete Times Forum.   The St. Pete Times Forum is located in the Channelside District of Tampa just south of downtown Tampa.  The Forum has state-of-the-art technology and innovative design which combine to make the St. Pete Times Forum one of the best facilities in North America. In addition to NHL hockey, the St. Pete Times Forum hosts more than 150 events annually, including concerts, family events, ice shows, the circus and other indoor sports. The Forum has a full range of food available including a great restaurant with a buffet, The Medallions. The Lighting have been struggling, so they really need the fans out there to support them.  With Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, and Victor Hedman playing the Lighting are always a fun team to watch. There is plenty of parking nearby at Channelside or directly across the street from the Forum.  Channelside offers a variety of restaurants sure to please any palate from Hooter’s to Stump’s.  Across the street is the Pit another great bar and grill. Tickets start at $8. But if you show your military ID card at the box office, you can get two free tickets!

If you’re looking some entertainment and some exercise on a Sunday, then stop by the MacDill AFB bowling alley, MacDill Lanes. The Sunday Family Special includes 2 games, shoes, 1 large pizza and a pitcher of soda. The price for 2 people is $20 and for 4 people it is $30. The Special runs from 1-7pm. MacDill Lanes offers 12 lanes of top quality bowling with automated scoring and pinsetters. Bowling is great family fun! There is pro shop that has everything that you need for bowling including the latest balls that can be drilled to you hand size, bags, shoes and other accessories. The snack bar has great food at a reasonable price. The snack bar is open at 11am on Sunday to Friday and at 1pm on Saturday and closes one hour before the lanes close. The summer hours are Mon-Wed 11am to 5pm, Thu 11am to 8pm, Fri 11am to midnight and Sat 1pm to midnight. Per game rates during the week from 11am to 5pm is $2, and 5pm-8pm is $2.50. On Saturday from 1pm-8pm, the cost is $2.50. On Friday and Saturday night from 8pm to midnight, Xtreme Bowling with glowing pins and balls and flashing lights takes place with a charge of $3 per game. MacDill Lanes also has a birthday party special for $100 for 10 kids. The birthday special includes 2 games of Xtreme Bowling, shoe rental, table and chair set up, decorations and a choice of hot dog, fries and a soft drink or pizza and soft drinks.

If your child is looking to learn how to play golf, then the Ace Golf driving range in Brandon and in Riverview has what you need.  On Saturdays, Ace Golf offers junior golf lessons in Brandon at 9am and in Riverview at 10:30am.  Lessons are for 60 minutes and costs $20.  Range balls are included.  Lessons are drop-in, so no need to pre-register and no long term contract.  Ages are 5 to 17 and all levels are welcome.  There is a maximum of 8 students allowed.  The instructor, Cole, is great with the kids.  No matter how kids are present for the class, he will spend a lot time with each child and make sure that they understand the correct form!  My son usually has a hard time hitting his irons.  But after a couple of tips from Cole, my son was hitting the ball pretty solid.  It was a huge change!  Instead of hitting just dirt in the air, the ball was getting loft from a 7 iron.  Ace Golf has pretty reasonable priced range balls with a small bucket of 34 balls starting at $4.  They have a well stocked pro shop with reasonable priced equipment including bags, clubs, shoes and all types of accessories.  There is a chipping and putting green.  If you want to try out something other than the driving range, then there is a minature golf course and batting cages.  You can also have birthday parties with minature golf and pizza!