Lunch hour was a home run today

"The temperature in New York: 49 degrees."
"The temperature in Pittsburgh: 42 degrees."
"The temperature here at McKechnie Field? 79 degrees!"

What a glorious day for baseball in Bradenton, and my first game of the season. Business Editor Jennifer Rich (devout Red Sox fan) went with me (maniacal Cards fan) for a few innings of Pirates vs. Yankees. We got there just in time to hear Manatee High's women's ensemble sing the national anthem. If you haven't heard them yet, check out Vin Mannix's preview story and Paul Videla's video capturing their harmonious rendition.

Both teams started with their stars, adding even more electricity to the sold-out crowd. Here's the view from my new seats this year -- totally awesome.
And yes, it was a working ballgame hour for us -- honest. But we managed to wolf down a couple ball dogs and enjoy a few innings before heading back to the newsroom. And we had John Lembo's blog to keep us posted.

That's a winner.

Oh, say can you see -- by this great video

Here's a belated plug for one of the more heartwarming annual events in the heart of Bradenton: the national anthem tryouts at McKechnie Field.

Photographer/videographer Paul Videla and Columnist Vin Mannix were there last weekend, and their story and video are great. The results certainly warrant the accompanying headline:

National anthem tryouts fill McKechnie Field | CLICK for the GREAT VIDEO!

Take a few moments to smile -- you can't help it as you watch this video. You might even break out in song...

Boys of spring move on -- Play ball!

I never had mixed feelings about Opening Day before living in Bradenton. That day really was the start of the calendar, growing up in St. Louis. Who needed New Year's Day when you had Cardinals baseball?

But as the National Anthem rings from Yankees Stadium at this writing, I'm feeling that twinge of regret that Spring Training has wrapped up for another year. And it was a glorious March at McKechnie Field, with attendance shattering records as reported by sports writer John Lembo: in his story here, in his Spring Training blog and, of course, on Facebook and Twitter.

We were in the stands Sunday, celebrating the last game of the year and soaking in a perfect day at McKechnie. (Hey, the Pirates even won!) How grand was it? Check out this photo of Vin Mannix, perched in the perfect bleachers spot above us.

Now, on to the 2011 MLB season. The Cards square off with the Padres at 4 p.m. EDT!