A three-foot black snake sent reporters scurrying in the press box as the New York Mets defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-5 in a spring training game on Tuesday. As the snake slithered across notebooks and laptop computers in the bottom of the fourth inning, fans stood up and laughed as they gazed into the press area. A grounds crew member accustomed to such occurrences at Chain of Lakes ballpark, was summoned. He grabbed the snake and released it in the parking area behind the complex.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the press box received an unexpected guest. A black snake made its way down press row, conveniently stopping and posing for several pictures along the way. I just happened to have my camera handy at the time and snapped these images. I was next to The Plain Dealer's Paul Hoynes throughout the process, until he took off screaming, finally landing a spot on the top row of the open-air press box.