The field of play at the Devil Rays games got a lot larger for kids this year with nearly a dozen new areas where kids can paint their own banners, play vintage video games, make their own baseball cards, pet a stingray or see what pine tar feels like.
And all of them are free or relatively cheap ways to kill time before the game.
Darcy Raymond, vice president of the newly created Fan Experience department for the Devil Rays, said the new ownership decided to spice up the experience for young fans this year at Tropicana Field.
"It's really been a big hit with the kids," said Raymond, who oversees the interactive areas for kids. "The whole idea was to make the whole fan experience seamless, so it's not just a trip to a ballgame. It's really about driving home the magic of baseball."
The majority of the activities are found on the boulevards to the left and right of the main rotunda in the Trop. The doors open two hours before the game and most areas close by the fifth inning. So parents would be wise to hit the area early, pick up a time card for the stingray touch tank and fight for time with the kids over the vintage Sega and Xbox games.
Trivia: There's a mayor of Left Field Street with a microphone who asks kids easy trivia questions and hands out prizes.You can also test your trivia knowledge in the Baseball Trivia Challenge, which has a podium, microphone and buzzer. Or you can make your own baseball card ($5) or have your name engraved in your own Louisville Slugger bat ($29-$49).
Learn: Great Explorations and Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry have exhibits about the science of baseball and a chance for kids to be on a television screen.
Create: The Arts Center's "Bats, Balls and Brushes" has been one of the more popular stops because kids can create their own artwork to go on the wall or make their own banners and signs to bring into the game.
At the St. Petersburg Times Press Box exhibit next to it, kids can be the star of the front page and take home a personalized poster. It costs 35 cents and comes with a copy of that day's paper.
Play: In the Mountain Dew Extreme Zone, you can play stick ball ($3 to hit 15 tennis balls with a stick) or play for free on the vintage game systems. There's Xbox 360, Nintendo 64, Atari 7800, Sega and others.
Touch: For a hands-on experience, pet a stingray in the Rays Touch Tank. It's easier if you pick up a time card and come back. For more touchy-feeling wonders, wander into the Feel of the Game area where there's a replica of a dugout and locker room, some field turf, a rosin bag, pine tar and you can handle Carl Crawford's cleats.
The arts and entertainment area is growing in popularity with both fans and players, Raymond said.
"When Rocco Baldelli was on the disabled list, he did art with sunflower seeds and Styrofoam cups and it's on display at the Arts Center area," Raymond said. "And we have paintings the kids made, so we're starting to build this whole wall of art from players and fans."
