Miami: Marlins 8, Braves 3

Well, my trip definitely got off to an interesting start. My flight was delayed by almost 3 hours because of mechanical issues and we had to fly through several thunderstorms to finally land in Miami. I did still manage to make it to the stadium in time for the game but still had other issues to contend with.

It seems that the Marlins can't seem to get their policy straight on camera lenses. The security guard told me I would be unable to bring in my telephoto lens, which is something I expected from time to time... some stadiums dont want you snagging professional quality photos of players... they have a paid staff to do that. What I didnt understand was when the security guard also told me I wouldnt be able to bring in any of my other lenses because they dont allow more than one (attached) lens on an SLR. I had to do some haggling with the security and PR staff before they agreed that they would allow me to bring in all my lenses except my telephoto lens. Unfortunately I lost a lot of good lighting and the first few innings of the game going through this.

I did manage to convince the Marlins staff to allow me into the upper deck to take my fisheye photo, even though it was closed for the game. It took a lot of smiling and batting my eyelashes to get it done, but it was totally worth it. Being able to show them my previous photos on my iPhone definitely helped... technology definitely saved my ass on that one.

The game itself was a good one. A good pitching matchup early on, followed by an offensive outburst by the Marlins off of Braves relief. The attendance looked way less than the announced 13,000 ... Im very surprised that the team and city of Miami are going forward with plans for a new stadium in 2012.