The Wandering Disciple

Sarasota, Florida: The Reds minor league squad took on a squad from the Twins for a fall exhibition game under sunny skies at Ed Smith Stadium for the final game of the fall instructional league. The Fall Instructional League follows the completion of the regular league season and consists of highly regarded prospects in the lower levels of minor league baseball. The players compete in a series of games and workouts to help refine their game and advance their careers. Just like minor league spring training and extended spring training, the purpose of the instructional league is to enhance a player’s game. No stats or scores are officially recorded; the focus is strictly on player development and not competition. Click on the photo above for pictures from the Reds/Twin gallery.

Tampa, Florida: The Tampa Museum of Science and Industry, more commonly known as MOSI is a hands-on science museum located near the University of South Florida in Tampa. The museum is home to hundreds of exhibits and Florida’s only IMAX dome theater. MOSI is the largest science museum in the Southeast United States and the fifth largest in the United States. The history of a science museum dates back to 1962 when Hillsborough County created a youth science museum in Sulfur Springs called the Museum of Science and Natural History. The museum continued to grow and in1967 it was renamed the Hillsborough County Museum. As the museum continued to grow and develop, it quickly outgrew its location and needed a new home. So in 1976, the county approved funding to construct a new museum. A site was selected in North Tampa and construction began on the new state of the art facility. The construction was completed in 1980, the new Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) opened to the public in 198...

Sarasota, Florida: The Sarasota Reds were swept by the Dunedin Blue Jays following a 3-0 loss on Sunday afternoon to wrap up the 2008 season. Dunedin wasted no time taking the lead, striking for a run in the top of the first. Brad Wilkerson doubled to right to lead off the inning. Wilkerson scored on a double by Anthony Hatch to take a 1-0 lead. The Blue Jays added to their lead in the sixth inning. David Corrente doubled to left to lead off the inning. Luis Sanchez reached on an error followed by a walk to Wilkerson to load the bases. Marcos Cabral drew a bases loaded walk to push across the first run of the inning. A second run came on a wild pitch by Terrell Young to give the Blue Jays a 3-0 win. Click on the photo above to view the Reds/Blue Jays gallery.

Sarasota, Florida: The Sarasota Reds suffered a 7-1 loss to the Dunedin Blue Jays on Saturday night at Ed Smith Stadium. Dunedin jumped out to an early lead in the first inning. Brad Wilkerson went deep with a solo home run to lead off the game. Then the rain came and the tarp was pulled with the Jays leading 1-0 in the first. Play resumed after a 25 minute delay and the Blue Jays offense continued right where they left off. In the top of the third Wilkerson led off the inning with a double to center. He later scored on a double by David Cooper to increase the lead to 2-0. The Reds pushed across their only run in the bottom of the third. The inning got started with single by Jake Long, Jose Castro and Carson Kainer to load the bases. Yonder Alonso plated a run with a single to right. But the Reds left the bases load as they cut the lead in half 2-1. The Blue Jays got a solo run in the fourth and another in the firth to help extend the lead. Then in the sixth they pushed acros...

Sarasota, Florida: The Sarasota Reds rallied late but were unable to defeat the Dunedin Blue Jays, losing 4-3 on Friday evening. The Reds took the lead in the first inning. Logan Parker struck an RBI double to center that scored Todd Frazier to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. But Dunedin bounced back to take the lead in the fifth inning. Chris Emanuele hit a triple to left to lead off the inning. Then Anthony Hatch cleared the bases with a two run homer to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. The Blue Jays added to their lead in the seventh inning. Brad Wilkerson doubled to right with two outs to put a runner in scoring position. Wilkerson then scored on a single by Marcos Cabral to increase the lead to 3-1. The Frazier/Parker connection struck again in the eighth for the Reds. Frazier drew a walk and later advanced to second on a wild pitch. Parker drove him home with a line drive to right to pull the Reds within a run of the lead 3-2. But Dunedin posted an insurance run an inning later....

Bradenton, Florida: The Gulf Coast League Pirates are the rookie affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The GCL Pirates are in the northern division of the Gulf Coast League. The club was founded in 1978. They are a three time division champion having won the division title in 2003, 2003 and 2008. The GCL Pirates play there games at Pirate City, the spring training home of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Florida. Click on the photo above to view the GCL Pirates photo gallery.

Tampa, Florida: Jambo Junction takes a behind the scenes look at the animal care program at Busch Gardens. The Junction is home to newborn animal, animals under veterinarian care and also a few other animals are on display outside the care center. Opened in 1986 as the Nairobi Field Station, the care center is home to the world class animal care team. Here guests can take an inside look through windows at the care provided to newborn and sick animals. Outside the care center are several animal habitats. The Junction is home to flamingos, lemurs, sloths and more. In 2007, the attraction was transformed into Jambo Junction. The area was remodeled to provide a more interactive experience. The Junction is now also home to the animal ambassadors, a group of animals that travel to educational facilities to educate animal awareness. For more pictures, click on the photo above or visit my Jambo Junction photo page.