Results tagged ‘ Zorilla Gorilla ’

My Personal Top 10 Rays Photo Memories of 2010

 

 

I was reading an photography article before the beginning of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, and a quote from the esteemed photographer Ansel Adams just popped out at me. ” There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer“. And immediately after seeing this quote it dawned on me to try and catch a few extra essences of the game of baseball in 2010 that hopefully other will enjoy.

Yesterday’s post included my second 10 favorite moments and photos of the Tampa Bay Rays 2010 campaign. Today I will include in this post my Top 10 selection which I think had a direct impact on me, and hopefully a few of the Rays Republic. I am a true photography novice, but I guess this quote by famous photographer John Berger says it best for me today :

“All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this- as in other ways- they are the opposite of paintings. Painting record what the painter remembers. Because each of us forget different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it“.

Below are the Top 10 photos I have taken with my little Fuji camera that I think tells a great storyline to what has transpired through my lens this season. Rays/ Hess Express Saturday Night Concert photos are not included in this top 10 list, or they might have dominated the listing. These are moments caught in my lens that made historical significance to me and the Rays 2010 season. I hope you can see the vision within them today.

 

Photo # 10 was taken recently at the Rays welcome home celebration at the St.Petersburg/Clearwater Airport following the Rays clinch of the 2010 American League East title. The reason this young guy caught my eye and not the small boy near him sporting the Rayhawk is that this is the Rays future sitting on his Father’s shoulders. This is the expression and the excitement the next generation will need to have for this team to be here after 2027.


 

Photo# 9 was one of the photos taken from my Zorilla Gorilla photo segment in which I buried one of the furry creatures in the white sands in Fort Desoto Park, just at the Southernmost point of Pinellas County. I really wanted to get the sea oats in the background along with that sparkling white sands that permeate this region that was chosen one of the World’s Best beaches several years ago.


It was also a secondary way for me to show some friends in other parts of the country that the B P oil spill had not reached this region. The event crippled this region’s usually robust tourist season, and the effects of that will be felt for another two years or more before it rebounds. But then again, the media forgot to tell you that when arguing about empty seats in the Trop.

 

Photo# 8 was taken during the Rays InterLeague schedule when the Florida Marlins came up and played against the Rays in Tropicana Field. All season long on Sundays, the Rays mascot Raymond brought his three mini Raymond’s onto the field with him before the Rays games.


On this date, he also invited Billy the Marlin and his half pint also onto the field as they strolled around before the game and greeted and entertained the Rays and Marlins fans. Was a great way for the Rays to accent the family vibe of the Sunday Family Days, and the Rays got great support and played to an average of 25,990+ Rays fans during the team’s 13 Sunday matinees.

 

Photo # 7 is a recent picture taken on the night the Rays clinched their second postseason bid in three seasons. Rays pitcher David Price, who also got the victory on that night was coming down the line greeting fans after a small champagne bath from his teammates in the clubhouse.

What was so special about this photo is that both Price and Evan Longoria were side-by-side as they made their way down the Rightfield sidelines, and this was moments after it was officially announced that the duo was giving away 20,000 FREE seats for the next night’s contest against the Baltimore Orioles.


 
Photo # 6 was taken during the Rays home opener against the Baltimore Orioles in which the fans got a pair of Rays Manager Joe Maddon glasses. The Rays Bullpen took it a step further and each member of the Bullpen had a pair of these Maddon giveaway glasses on their face during the National Anthem, and most kept the glasses on or near them most of the night. Was waiting for someone (possibly Randy Choate) to actually wear the glasses onto the mound, but maybe that was just my wishful thinking.

 

Photo # 5 was another example taken from my Zorilla Gorilla sampling and was set on the beach just beyond the huge 3-story waterslide at the Tradewinds Resort and Spa on St. Pete. Beach, Florida. Sure I had to muster up a pail and shovel and do some manual labor, but it was a great way to get some extra Sun, plus get a free day out at one of the best resorts in the region that also were great Rays boosters.

Tradwinds was also the sight of more than a half dozen great outdoors Rays Watch parties that were emceed by Rays Radio host Rich Herrera. Combined with the great sunshine and beautiful scenery, the oversized blow-up television screen provided great Rays away game presentations along with some great prizes and Watch Party events.

 

Photo # 4 was taken during the Rays home opener against the Orioles when the Rays used more than a few different levels of pyrotechnics to salute and introduce the Rays starting line-up for their first home contest. Got to admit, even down in the right field corner, after a few moments you could feel the heat pushing to you from the field, but it must have looked simply amazing on television.


 

Photo # 3 was taken of Rays reliever Lance Cormier and his young son who got a chance to throw off the Rays Bullpen mound following a Rays Sunday afternoon contest. Cormier worked out on the mound and in the field with his young son for about 20 minutes before both of them casually walked to the Rays clubhouse.

It was a great reminder to me that so many of these guys are also fathers and husbands and made that special time for the kids and significant other, even on a “getaway” day like Sundays as they embarked on a road trip.


 

Photo # 2 before the game it was announced that the Rays would be wearing a selected blue-hued plaid BRayser for their upcoming road trip with each member of the team forking out $ 300 for their own personal piece of Rays fashion history. It was just another of the great bonding elements thought up by Rays Manager Joe Maddon as a way to unite and bond his team off the field.


Recently Sak’s Fifth Avenue’s location here in Tampa, Florida announced that Rays fans could also come and get a Brayser custom fitted for themselves for $ 300. Remarkable how plaid just seemed to flow within the Rays clubhouse and stands after the premier of this fashion statement by the Rays Bullpen as they all strolled out to the benches wearing their personal outfits before a Rays home game. Do not know if a Brayser is my style, but I am warming up to it more every day.

 

Photo # 1 is a top view of the Harley Davison motorcycle tank that was part of the awesome motorcycle given to Rays pitcher Matt Garza to commemorate his June 26,2010 No-Hitter against the Detroit Tigers. The motorcycle also had the signatures of everyone on the Rays roster that night, plus a great airbrush rendition of both the on field celebration and linescore from the Rays Jumbotron. The bike was simply amazing and will be on permanent display in Garza’s California home.


So this concludes my Top 10 Rays photos that I took of game events during 2010. It was a great season and I did take a bit of time to go through the thousands of photos I took this season to even get close to a Top 20 that I posted the last two days. There might have been better photos or even better events that could have illustrated the 2010, but these were the moments and the photos that stuck deep into my mind this season.

My Picks for the Top 20 Rays Photos of 2010, Part 1

 

Most people know I took the blinders off this years and decided to do more photography before , during and after the Tampa Bay Rays game. With the media changing every day, I decided it was better to have a multi-faceted approach than to just sit back and write a blog and hope the someone in the photographer’s well got the same photos.

Being an amateur photographer (but getting better with every shoot), I decided to try and throw together two different posts to include my top 20 photos that I personally took from the Rays 2010 season. Today I am going to include the bottom ten (11-20) of my Top 20 2010 photos. Tomorrow’s post will have my Top 10 overall photos. These photos are not arranged or selected based on just the photo taken. Some have interesting back stories or reasons I feel they are in this top echelon of pictures taken during the 2010 year.

These photos will go from the day that Pitcher’s and Catcher’s reported to Port Charlotte, Florida this season, through Spring Training, and ultimately conclude with a Rays post season airport celebration photo. They will not however be any of the 2010 Rays/Hess Express Saturday Night Concert series photos.

I decided to do another post in the next few days with my top 2 photos from each of the Rays/Hess Express Saturday Night Concert Series concerts that I got to shoot down in front of the stage in 2010.


Considering I have no training or experience before this season taking photo except for a 7th Grade Photo class back at Tyrone Junior High ( they weren’t called Middle Schools then), I think my under 340 dollar old Fuji camera can sometimes get some pretty good shots. That being said, let’s get right to the top numbers 11-20 photos that I picked to include in this end of the season package.

 

Photo # 20 is a crowd photo taken from my seat region during the Rays annual Parks and Recreation Days that can fill Tropicana Field with over 15,000+ children all using the Rays Thunderstix either for crowd noise or for their own personal sword fights. Reason this is one of my favorite photos is the fact this is the day that Royals starter Zack Grienke complained about the “circus atmosphere” within the dome and it was all because of these great kids doing their part all game long.

 

Photo # 19 was taken during one of the St. Petersburg Times Sunday Fun Days when Rays Pitching Coach Jim Hickey decided to commandeer the Rays mascot Raymond’s All Terrain Vehicle during the Rays pre-game/ Hickey actually rode the ATV around for a few minutes, usually in a circle around Raymond before he got back to his regular Coaching duties before the game. Raymond finally got his ATV back, which he uses to entice the crowd excitement before the beginning of the Rays game, but it was great to see someone get the better of the blue fuzzy one for once.


 

Photo # 18 was taken at Bright House Network Field up in Clearwater, Florida during the Rays versus Phillies Spring Training game. In the photo we see Rays infielder Elliott Johnson chatting with a small ballplayer who just got done throwing a bit of pre-game warm-ups with Johnson for about 10 minutes. I found this photo intriguing knowing that Johnson hold small instruction lessons and camps with kids in the Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina area when he has been up playing with the Rays Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls.


 

Photo # 17 was taken during the first day that Pitchers and Catchers’ reported to the Rays Port Charlotte complex back in February 2010. So many people do not get to see this side of Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg as a big a fan as the rest of us. But also, he is always a gracious and hospitable guy who is more than willing to chat baseball or even sign for the Rays faithful fans. I consider Sternberg one of the most accessible owners in baseball, and his Carolina Blue sweater is usually a key element to his game day wardrobe


 

Photo # 16 is a unique photo of Rays Bullpen Catcher Scott Cursi putting the finishing touches on an inter-locking ” T B ” logo that the Rays Bullpen put on the back of the Rays Bullpen mound during the 2010 season. Not sure why the symbol did not get adapted or formulated for the Rays main pitching mound in 2010, but possibly it is just a experimental thing being done to see if they can duplicate some of the mound MLB team logo impressions. Like the tell-tale “A” of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.


 

Photo # 15 is special to me because it is the only photo of Rays left-handed reliever J P Howell in his Rays “whites” in 2010. This photo was taken on the Rays Opening Night and was the last time Howell would put on a Rays uniform and stroll down to the Rays Bullpen in 2010. It was a significant loss when Howell went down with shoulder fatigue, and then went under season ending surgery. I have gotten word Howell is doing great in his rehabilitation and should be ready to go in Spring 2011.


 

Photo # 14 was also taken at Bright House Field in Clearwater during the Rays versus Phillies game this Spring. During the middle of the 7th inning after Grant Balfour was done doing his side running in the outfield, he came over and signed for the Rays crowd for a few minutes before popping into the Rays dugout. Always find it interesting and exciting to see the pitchers’ after their outings running on the outfield

Warning track during Spring Training. Wonder if any of them have either been hit by a batted ball, or accidentally became involved with a ball in play?

 

Photo # 13 was taken on the night Rays closer Rafael Soriano set a new Rays save record. Just like thousands of Rays fans, I wanted to know what Soriano writes on the back of the pitching mound so many times during his outings. But it is a Soriano trade secret. I did take a photo however of his cap at one game and finally figured out that he has a bit of a cheat sheet in his cap to help him with hitters he faces on the mound. Going to be hard to find someone to duplicate Soriano’s dominance this season,.


 

Photo # 12 was one of my Zorilla Gorilla photos that I took one Sunday afternoon when the Rays were out of town on a road trip and someone within the Rays front office got me a few of the gorillas’ to put in some unique poses. This photo was taken at Lake Seminole Park in central Pinellas County on a sign by one of their great smaller lakes within the complex. The sign just seemed so perfect. Had a blast that day hitting over a dozen different locales taking photos that I submitted to the Rays.


 

Photo # 11 was taken after one of the many extra innings games by the Rays this season. It was actually a 1-0 win over the New York Yankees thanks to Reid Brignac’s walk-off Home Run. The Rays mascot Raymond always has a few interesting costumes he changes into during the game, but this pajama and nightcap ensemble always gets me laughing. I know that we do not have Spider-Raymond or Rally Raymond costume in-house anymore, but this night time Raymond just needs bunny slippers and it is perfect.

Hope you enjoyed the bottom ten of my Top 20 photos taken during the Rays 2010 season. Do not forget to stop by again tomorrow as I post my personal Top 10 photos that I got to take druing the 2010 season.

Zorilla Gorilla Webkinz Adventures, Part 2

 
 
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You might remember that last weekend I went around the beaches and stores of the Pinellas County area to bring about the excitement about the Tampa Bay Rays upcoming promotion for the Zorilla Gorilla Webkinz. Well, it is finally only a day for the kids around Tampa Bay to get their own Zorilla to hug, snug or even just put on the bookshelf as a keepsake of their own. So with that in mind, this is the last installment of the Zorilla Gorilla adventures around Tampa Bay.

But what kind of antics will I have our furry friend doing today? I guess since we just had Earth Day recently we might as well take in a few of the natural wonder that make this region such a great place to live….and I might have a few other surprises down the line…You never know with me and the Zorilla Gorilla.

 
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So I decided that the Gorilla needed to go and burn off a few extra calories and some adrenaline that builds up when you are traveling in a car for most of the day. So we headed on over to one of my favorite parks in the area, Lake Seminole and took in the kid’s playground area and also sat on the docks for a bit and watched the boats and jet ski’s streaming by before again heading back to the slides and artificial rock climbing area.

 
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And the kids I saw at the park (along with some of the adults) were excited to know that the first 10,000 of them and their friends would be able to come on down to Tropicana Field on Sunday along with their families and get their own special Zorilla Gorilla for their own. Besides the kid’s getting this great collectible, the parents will see the extreme value that Sunday’s offers with the St. Petersburg Times Sunday Fun Days package where a family of four can come to a game with affordable comfort.

 
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But what kind of day would it be if we did not go hit the best natural option available in this region….the white sandy beaches. So I took the Zorilla Gorilla for his first venture into the area of St. Petersburg Beach and we went out to the jetty area right at the end of Pass-a-Grille Beach and watched the multitudes of boats and watercraft zoom all around the sparkling emerald green open waters of Tampa Bay.

 
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And I have had a few people remark on how the Zorilla Gorilla is a more defined Gorilla subject than his cousin who was given away near the end of 2009 by the Rays Baseball Foundation. His cousin is more in line with a big chimp than the current Zorilla Gorilla who definitely looks more powerful and is larger than life, even on the white sands of the beach among the sea oats.

 
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And it was “Gorilla being Gorillas” while we were at the beach were the trio did paddle ball, swam in the warm waters and just made a day of it, but in the distance we could see a large object dominating the seascape and we decided to head on down the beach about a mile to one of the Rays favorite resorts in this area, the Tradewinds Resort where the team holds outdoor Rays Radio broadcast parties when the weather is prefect and the Rays are out on the road during the beautiful Summer months.

 
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And the Zorilla Gorilla was just like a kid in a candy store as he went from corner to corner of the huge resort checking out all the sights and sounds and also causing a little monkey business of his own. Here he is in the main courtyard by a glorious fountain that he pushed his brother and his little cousin by “accident” right before into the fountain before I took the photo…How thoughtful of him.

 
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I have to tell you, thanks goodness this boat was anchored on solid ground because these three monkeys wanted to get on it and sail out into the western seas of the Gulf of Mexico and really did not think about provisions or even a little banana pick-me-up for later in the day. But he did get to fulfill his fantasy of being “King of the World!” As he did reenact that famous scene from “Titanic” on the landlocked vessel.

 
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But I did try and get that sailor’s anxiousness out of him so all four of us decided to shanghai a paddle boat and we did a lap around the man-made lagoon that encompasses the resort’s property with me doing all the work and the Gorillas all flirting with the girls. I was told since I was the least hairy of the bunch it was my duty to paddle the boat and be the “Captain”, but for some reason I didn’t even feel like the First Mate on this voyage. And why did they keep calling me Gilligan?

 
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But I kept one of the biggest surprises for right after we got off the paddle boats and took them beach-side to see the towering water slide that is always fun
ctioning and also a wet and wild adventure here at the Tradewinds. All three of the Gorillas were eager, willing and sprinted for the line to be the first to try this awesome slide. And I got to say, all three were acrobatic and also very animated as they made their way from the top barreling towards the end of the slide and to again run and get into line…..about 40 times that day.

 
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But while we were out there on the beach sitting in a nice Cabana, one of the Gorilla remarked that he would love to one day own some beachfront property and maybe settle down and enjoy this lifestyle for good. Well that got the rest of us working hard and we produced a nice prototype of his beachfront casa made out of the great sands. And besides, what day at the beach would not be complete without a picture of someone near a sand castle?

 
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So as we were leaving the beach area, the Gorilla’s all remarked that they had a case of the munches, so we stopped by the local Sweetbay Supermarket to get some instant potassium, and one of the Gorilla decided to just be the clown in the store and he jumped right up into the banana display and would not come down without two pounds or more personally put into a bag and saved just for him.
 

 
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But then, just out of my eye range, another of the Zorilla Gorilla’s had decided he wanted to purchase a bunch of Pepsi products for the trip back into St. Petersburg and was all excited that he could enter for a chance to win Home Plate tickets and a $ 100 food card for future bananas and essentials from Sweetbay. But I think the real reason he wanted to jump up on that display was to finally get a photo with Raymond, the Rays furry mascot.

 
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So I finally got them all out of the store and into the car and we decided to go hit some of the downtown St. Petersburg sites before I finally dropped them off at their hotel for the night. Here they are in the Rays garden that encircles the eastern portion of Tropicana Field and is an example of one of the ways the Rays promote “green” living and provide a journey into some of the areas sustainable plants that do not use excessive water, or promote environmental watershed advantages to your own home planting scheme.

 
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The guys even wanted to visit the Rays Team Store and see some of the great items and values they had for Rays fans, but the store had closed a few hours before, but you know them. They wanted to sit there and wait for the store to open in the morning, and if I had not talked them into visiting some other sites, we might still be there now.

 
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One of the Zorilla Gorillas was actually feeling pretty brave today and wanted to scale the Trop. like his old Grandfather King Kong and lounge around on the sloped roof getting a much needed suntan. But I told him I could not get him to the hatch in the Cupola of Tropicana Field and he would have to just jump for joy and hope this photo remotely looked like he was standing on top of the roof…..Not sure it is totally believable, but he liked it.

 
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And while we were standing in the parking lot of Tropicana field, we heard a sound of a wooden bat and a ball meeting and the Zorilla Gorillas immediately went searching for the sounds. It took us down to Progress Energy Field where a local amateur team was playing an exhibition game on the Rays old Spring Training stomping grounds. We could not get into the front of the stadium, so the Zorilla Gorillas acted like the old Knothole Gang and took their chances by scaling the fence and sitting in the bushes to watch the game.

 
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But what day would not be complete without visiting the construction site of the new Salvador Dali Museum going up right within a Home Run of Progress Energy Field. The Museum is not finished yet, but it will be one of the most beautiful waterfront building in St. Peterburg, Florida when it is finally completed.

 
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Not sure if it was the abstract look of the Dali Museum, or maybe the kiss from the sun and all their adventures of the day finally zapped the Zorilla Gorillas of their energy today, but the guys wanted head on over to Hotel Indigo and call it a night. Got to admit, this small chic boutique hotel has some interesting history as the Rolling Stones once stayed here while doing a concert in the now gone Bayfront Center arena. So I drooped the guy off just in time for “Happy Hour” and they saddled up to the bar for a virgin banana concoction.

 
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But it was a great day for everyone involved, even me. And the Zorilla Gorilla wanted me to end this post with a photo of him outside Tropicana Field hoping that every kid gets a chance today to come on out to the ballpark and take him home for their own. And then they can also embark on the
ir own set of adventures in the far reaching areas of Tampa Bay that we all call home.  See you at the ballpark! 

Zorilla Gorilla Webkinz Adventures, Pt. 1

 

 
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I was talking to a member of the Rays Promotional team a few days ago in an email and was told that the Tampa Bay Rays were going to be pushing their upcoming “Zorilla Gorilla” Webkinz that would be given out to kids 15 and younger during the next home stand on Sunday, April 25th. So I floated out an idea that I would take one of these plush promos around the west-side of Tampa Bay over the weekend and get a few shots within a few of the Rays business partners and try and get the buzz hitting a fever pitch for the upcoming promotion.

So today my post will be mostly the photos I took over the past weekend all around the Pinellas County region of Tampa Bay. Sorry to those South of the St. Petersburg area, or to the East in Tampa, but my financial situation doesn’t merit a drive over either bridge at this time. For my travels, I decided to begin with a great morning pick-me-up at a local Tropical Smoothie location owned by the spouse of one of the Rays Front Office members, and got to say, it was one of the best blended and fruitful concoctions I have ever had in my life…Kudos for the Banana/Strawberry smoothie aka Jetty Punch offered by this awesome soda-alternative stand. You can definitely count on me coming back for another slice of taste buds heaven real soon.

　

 
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So, for today’s post I will be throwing out a multitude of photo shots, and a bit of an explanation for each of the photos. I have to say in advance here, I had a blast because this was one of the first truly gorgeous sunny and steamy days this Spring and it was the perfect weather for not only cruising up and down the beach corridor, but also going out and meeting some of the Rays Republic in the stores and resorts around this great County.

 
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I decided to start my day’s journey after getting a “wake me up” beverage at the place that outside of Tropicana Field holds the biggest set of Rays memories for most of us. That place of course is the St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport where almsot 4,000 of us helped celebrate alongside with the Rays their clinch of the 2008 American League East crown. It was a festive day, and one of the best crowd experiences I have ever seen in my life.

 
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So being at the airport, you knew I had to head on over to one of the Rays airline connections and see if I could get the Zorilla Gorilla a First Class seat on a flight to Boston for the Sunday game. But to my dismay, the airline could get me to the NorthEast that day, but I might be a bit north of the desired location, but would have been in a foodie mecca called Portland, Maine. But when the Zorilla Gorilla heard they were serving peanuts as a snack on the flight, he decided he would rather go Fed Ex….Stubborn monkey!

 
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I was sitting there while trying to decide on the photo at the airport and I cam upon the great thought of including my little inanimate Zorilla Gorilla with this great cartoon interpretation of an Allegiant airline jet. Found it very “hip” that the image not only had a sunburst upon the tail section of the jet, but the smile and the sunglasses were an instant hit since this one of the best day so far this Spring.

 
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So then I decided to head on west towards the sound of the crashing waves upon the shores of Florida and came upon one of the Zorilla Gorilla’s favorite spots for a virgin Banana Daiquiri and some great music. But then again, I noticed that tonight was Ladies Night, which showed me that the Zorilla Gorilla loved to dance and mingle and basically let his inner primate come out at night.


 
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The decided to hit the Ambassador Limo location to see if I could set up the Zorilla Gorilla with some plush and elegant transportation for the evening. Well, he had other ideas in mind and was so impressed by the white Rolls Royce and purely extremely lavish transportation that he was really thinking of using this service that evening to make an impression.

 
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So the Zorilla Gorilla called a few of his “Boys”, and away we went for a day excursion up and down the beach region of Pinellas county swinging from the chrome rails above the seats and stopping at every single location that had either Florida gifts or a thatched hut somewhere on the grounds. It was a great day for the Zorilla Gorilla and his cousins to just enjoy the great sights and scenes of the Tampa Bay area.

 
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Since it was still early in the morning, the Zorilla Gorilla decided it was time for another Banana shake and to make get some grub for the day trip today. And since Checker’s was open early now, it just made perfect sense to grab a few great Chili dogs and maybe a few orders of fries to make the trip a bit more enjoyable with a full stomach.

 
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And the poor Checkers worker here did not know what she was getting into as the Zorilla Gorilla group all converged on the “Order” window and did not want to wait their time ordering. For some reason 5 straight orders were given to her at once, and amazingly, she got it right the first time…True professional, plus the Banana shakes were incredible!

 
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But we still had to go get some added goodies and beverages for the beach venture. So we made sure to hit Hess Express for some of our cold needs and unfortunately some good-natured fun at the expense of the Zorilla Gorilla. I have to admit, it was my fault here. He asked me to open the door for him, but I let it close not knowing he was still in there and had not grabbed the Gatorade G2 yet. But that was not the only good natured fun he had at Hess Express.

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But we did have another wild adventure in the store as a young patron helped the Zorilla Gorilla up to get a Pepsi product, but let him hanging there for a bit until I found him again stuck within the closed doors of the Hess Express coolers. And after that, we did head on over to the Godfather’s Pizza window and ordered a pizza whish was heavy on the Banana Peppers. Not sure why we also got a pizza after just leaving Checkers, but the Zorilla Gorilla had a certain Rays player’s Visa card, and I was not going to argue with him.

 
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So we finally got out of the store and headed to one of my favorite sand and mediation spots around this region and the Zorilla Gorilla instantly liked John’s Pass and the activity of all the sunbathers’ and fisherman trying to get some action off the rocks surrounding the pass. Got to admit it here, but it was the perfect scenario, nice seabreeze and even some great commotion started becuase of the Zorilla Gorilla’s celebrity status.

 

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The group instantly took to the fine grit sand and spent a few great moments together as a group before the towel-snapping and the crew all took to the waves to get the much needed feel of the sea water upon their fur. The water was a perfect emerald green today and mixed with the blue of the sky made for a perfect beach day.

 
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After a few hours of paddleball, whistling at a few primates and acting the fool, the boys decided to bury their kid cousin up to his neck in the sand. But little did he know that one of the Zorilla Gorilla group had gone over to one of the fisherman and gotten a live crab he caught and put it right behind him as he was buried in the sand. He did not even know about the crab until one of his pinchers was firmly attached to his nose and he went screaming covered in sand and with a crab dangling from his nose into the swirling waves.

 
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After leaving the John’s Pass beach area, everyone was a bit dehydrated and felt a bit peaked, so we head on over to Sweetbay Supermarket and got some needed potassium from the bananas the Zorilla Gorilla bought in the store. He was actually sitting on the top of this display imitating James Cagney  screaming “Top of the World Ma” to anyone who would listen to him. He definitely needed a potassium fix.

 
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But before we could get out of the Sweetbay store, the Zorilla Gorilla saw a Pepsi display featuring the Rays mascot Raymond, and of course, being a good friend of the Seadog, he had to get a entry slip to win Home Plate seats and a $100 grocery spree. Hey the Gorilla might already have his seats, but to get a chance to win tickets to a free food and beverage area, plus a chance to sit in luxury behind Home Plate was an opportunity he did not want to miss out on….He could actually win!

 
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So that concludes our Zorilla Gorilla Adventure for Saturday, but he wanted to be sure to let the Rays fans know about the upcoming Rays Radio broadcast out on the sandy shores of St. Petersburg Beach. The event would include the awesome tall waterslide, plus a chance to win Rays merchandise and possible game tickets. It was an event you know he would not miss, and tomorrow, we will see a few more places that the Zorilla Gorilla hit this past weekend.

 

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