Unbelievable.

That was my thought as I soaked in the surroundings at Legends Field on Friday night and heard the name of the Yankee starting pitcher announced over the PA system.

"And pitching for the Yankees, Jeff Karstens."

Incidentally, Bob Sheppard does not make the trip to Tampa and announce the Yanks.

Of course, we all know the reason for Carl Pavano's absence now (sort of), but at the time it was a total mystery.  Give him credit, at least he didn't spike himself.

Anyway, the Yanks won that meaningless game with Karstens on the mound 5-1.  That makes me 1-0 when watching the Yankees in person this year.  As for the Legends Field experience -- it was pretty cool.  The stadium holds 10,000 people (and seemed filled to capacity) and we had seats down the third base line in the second deck (there is no third).  Hall of Famer Robin Roberts threw out the ceremonial first pitch and a fireworks display capped off the game.  Also, the subway race, hidden ball game and trivia game were in full effect in Tampa (two out of three for me -- damn you hidden ball!) but, unfortunately, Cotton Eye Joe still has a home with the Yankees.  If I ever see that guy walking down the street I'm going to punch him in the ear.  Thankfully, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" (and not Liza Minelli's blasphemous "cover") was played as we exited the stadium.

Something I didn't like, however, was the choice of refreshments.  The only items sold by vendors walking around the stadium were peanuts and beer.  Isn't this America?  Did we lose a war or something?  Where are the hot dogs and Coca-Cola?  Also, Legends Field sells giant, and I mean GIANT turkey drumsticks at the indoor concession stands.  But, no hot dog vendors patrolling the stands.

Disappointing.

Also, a sort of interesting scene.  We took a little tour after most of the regulars were pulled and noticed some activity on the field behind Legends Field.  We noticed Alex Rodriguez working on some cone drills with an instructor and he was later joined by Hideki Matsui.  Expect both players to have big years in 2007 (and not because of the cone drills).

During the game, a friend of mine overheard a couple of Yankee "fans" talking about Jorge Posada.  Nothing unusual about that.  Except that they continually referred to him as Poe-SAY-da.

Now, I'm not going to get involved in discussing what makes a "real" fan.  I follow my teams closer than some and not as close as others (unlikely, but I'm sure there are a few).  That's okay -- you shouldn't have to take a test to be a fan, but if you don't know the pronunciation of Jorge Posada (that's "Poe-SAH-da") at this point, I don't know what to tell you.  You're at the game (I realize it's just Spring Training) and you don't know a guy who's been a major contributor for the Yanks for 10 years.

Annoying.

All in all, it was an excellent night for a ballgame.  If you get the chance, go check out the Yanks in Tampa.  Just remember to purchase your hot dogs before you sit down.

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