I have been to baseball games all my life. I have been to games in Cincinnati, Chicago, Atlanta, Augusta, and San Francisco. I know there is no way I can so eloquently describe the experience like this guy, but I do have to try.
When you go to major league games, it feels like you are taking part in history in the making. Thousands of games have been played before, and countless more will follow... but maybe... just maybe, you will witness something that people will talk about for decades to come. And even if it doesn't happen, you know you are taking part in a very American tradition. You can't help but catch your breath as you walk out and see the field for the first time with the sun setting and the players warming up. You are part of something generations of people have come together to watch... It is special, and for tonight you are a part of it.
Games in places like Wrigley or Candlestick demand you take note of your surroundings, but I have found that even if you are someplace that doesn't have the same rich history... it doesn't diminish the experience. Tonight my GF treated me to a game between the Las Vegas 51s and the Portland Beavers. It wasn't the majors this time, but to my pleasant surprise it didn't matter. GF had never been to a baseball game so she was as excited about the new experience as I was about coming home so to speak. Baseball was a big part of my life growing up, and it has been too long since I have been around it. And honestly... the post by Br3tt above made me want to go all the more.
This outing had been planned for several weeks, and I watched the weather reports in horror as I saw a week where the high would not dip below 105. Today I think the high ended up around 109. As we sat watching the news tonight... hoping the temp would magically drop quickly, we finally resigned ourselves to a hot and sticky night at the ballpark and left her apartment with the thermometer around 105. We pulled into the stadium parking lot about 15 minutes after the game was to have started. Showed our tickets and made our way up the ramp as instructed. When it was finally in view, the scene of players on the field really did make me pause. How could I have been away this long? I wish I could have paid more attention to GF's reaction, but for that moment I was in my own world. Slowly her arms wrapped around mine and she pulled me towards where our seats were. They were about 15 rows back half way down the first base side. Perfect. Nobody sitting immediately around us... Again... perfect.
One small blessing was that the sun had dipped below the stadium walls and we were not in direct sunlight. It was quite warm, but nothing like I had feared. As we watched and I explained the parts of the game, I found myself smiling for no apparent reason. Could there be a more perfect setting? The music played between innings... We chanted along with the crowd. We clapped when they made a good play. Boo'ed when the umpire made an obvious mistake. Drank beer... ate ballpark food. Walked away with a home team t-shirt. It was what a night rooting for the home team is all about.
It was a good game with a lot of hits and several outstanding plays. At one point, a right handed hitter hit a line drive foul ball directly at us. At me to be more exact. I had a beer in one hand, and my food in the other. As the ball broke the sound barrier in its flight towards us, I quickly made sure GF was safe and realized I was the one in the path. There was no time. I braced myself for what I was sure was going to be either a broken bone or at least a bruise that would of course have to have a picture posted here... And then just before it hit me I heard a loud "CLANG". The ball barely (and I mean barely) hit the seat back right in front of my right knee. One inch higher and I would be on crutches right now. The best part... didn't even spill my beer.
We eventually had to leave before the game ended. Work tomorrow was just looming a little too big for us to stick it out. But the home team seemed to have the game well in hand. Six innings was enough for tonight. As we walked back to the car discussing what we had witnessed, I made a mental note to never be gone this long again.
--C
When you go to major league games, it feels like you are taking part in history in the making. Thousands of games have been played before, and countless more will follow... but maybe... just maybe, you will witness something that people will talk about for decades to come. And even if it doesn't happen, you know you are taking part in a very American tradition. You can't help but catch your breath as you walk out and see the field for the first time with the sun setting and the players warming up. You are part of something generations of people have come together to watch... It is special, and for tonight you are a part of it.
Games in places like Wrigley or Candlestick demand you take note of your surroundings, but I have found that even if you are someplace that doesn't have the same rich history... it doesn't diminish the experience. Tonight my GF treated me to a game between the Las Vegas 51s and the Portland Beavers. It wasn't the majors this time, but to my pleasant surprise it didn't matter. GF had never been to a baseball game so she was as excited about the new experience as I was about coming home so to speak. Baseball was a big part of my life growing up, and it has been too long since I have been around it. And honestly... the post by Br3tt above made me want to go all the more.
This outing had been planned for several weeks, and I watched the weather reports in horror as I saw a week where the high would not dip below 105. Today I think the high ended up around 109. As we sat watching the news tonight... hoping the temp would magically drop quickly, we finally resigned ourselves to a hot and sticky night at the ballpark and left her apartment with the thermometer around 105. We pulled into the stadium parking lot about 15 minutes after the game was to have started. Showed our tickets and made our way up the ramp as instructed. When it was finally in view, the scene of players on the field really did make me pause. How could I have been away this long? I wish I could have paid more attention to GF's reaction, but for that moment I was in my own world. Slowly her arms wrapped around mine and she pulled me towards where our seats were. They were about 15 rows back half way down the first base side. Perfect. Nobody sitting immediately around us... Again... perfect.
One small blessing was that the sun had dipped below the stadium walls and we were not in direct sunlight. It was quite warm, but nothing like I had feared. As we watched and I explained the parts of the game, I found myself smiling for no apparent reason. Could there be a more perfect setting? The music played between innings... We chanted along with the crowd. We clapped when they made a good play. Boo'ed when the umpire made an obvious mistake. Drank beer... ate ballpark food. Walked away with a home team t-shirt. It was what a night rooting for the home team is all about.
It was a good game with a lot of hits and several outstanding plays. At one point, a right handed hitter hit a line drive foul ball directly at us. At me to be more exact. I had a beer in one hand, and my food in the other. As the ball broke the sound barrier in its flight towards us, I quickly made sure GF was safe and realized I was the one in the path. There was no time. I braced myself for what I was sure was going to be either a broken bone or at least a bruise that would of course have to have a picture posted here... And then just before it hit me I heard a loud "CLANG". The ball barely (and I mean barely) hit the seat back right in front of my right knee. One inch higher and I would be on crutches right now. The best part... didn't even spill my beer.
We eventually had to leave before the game ended. Work tomorrow was just looming a little too big for us to stick it out. But the home team seemed to have the game well in hand. Six innings was enough for tonight. As we walked back to the car discussing what we had witnessed, I made a mental note to never be gone this long again.
--C
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Also, I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on the entire game. And then we left.