This morning’s game was another Education Day, this time at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Daytona. We previously had visited Lakeland, and noted it was controlled pandemonium. No such luck here at Daytona. The kids were very excited to be there, and celebrated the fact they were out of school by buying tons of water ice, foam hands, and plastic horns that echoed all throughout the stadium. This was more like hysteria. Cubby, the mascot, had a busy day as we spotted him signing autographs for almost the entire game, even autographing the sides of sneakers for a few kids. Thanks to Brandon for the autographed ball from Jeff Samardzija, a former Notre Dame receiver who gave up football to sign a five-year, $10 million deal with the Cubs.

After Daytona, we headed down the east coast of Florida to Jupiter, which is located in the Palm Beach area. Chris was given the opportunity to throw out the first pitch, and I video taped it. The pitch was a bit… weak. So much so that the manager of the Jupiter Hammerheads heckled Chris as he walked off the field. Video of this pitch exists, but Chris has made it clear it is not meant for the viewing public.

The attendance at Roger Dean Stadium was not the strongest, but Meghan was able to get us some great giveaways—a broken bat (previously used in a game), a signed Hammerheads hat, and some specialized Cardinals and Marlins balls. Thanks Meghan! We met up with Red, the ticket collector and gate keeper of the Roger Dean Stadium. He gave us an interesting tip on how to clean a baseball—just use a regular eraser from a pencil. We gave it a whirl, and sure enough, the ball was much cleaner afterwards. Whoa! Roger Dean Stadium will be the only stadium we will visit twice on the Tour. Why? Because both the Jupiter Hammerheads and the Palm Beach Cardinals play there. So… we’ll see you again on Thursday, Roger Dean.