Two Days
With opening day just two days away, my boys (adult and child alike) are in the front yard now playing catch, practicing some pitching, swinging the bat. S will be out there in a few minutes, I'm sure, with her little pink glove C gave her for Christmas.
Our home town team opens the season in Kansas City this year.
Last summer we lucked into some great tickets at the very last minute. I'd arrived home from work and relieved the sitter when my husband called. He said, "We don't want tickets to tonight's game, do we?"
It was 5:15. C was out on the bay with his sailing class until 6:15. The game started at 7:00. We can do this, I thought. It will be tight, we might miss an inning, but we can do it.
I replied, "Yes! Yes, we do!"
Quickly a plan was made. I organized a backpack of snacks for the drive into the city, a change of clothes for C, and various other things. I called a friend to see if we could stash our car at her house near the park. My husband ran off to the ATM and a rendezvous point with the boyfriend of the house staff doctor who offered the tickets.
When I picked up C, with M and S already in team gear, and we told him where we were going, he didn't believe us at first. When he realized I wasn't joking, he was so excited.
We met up with my husband at the park and made our way inside. We were in season ticket central - about 20 rows behind home plate. Awesome seats.
A great game followed. We were playing Kansas City, and it was a real pitchers duel. Our young hot shot pitcher, recently added to the roster, pitched a one-hitter. (And that young pitcher later left the team because of a serious illness - an illness in which my husband specializes, and about which my husband was quoted in a local paper, but my husband did not treat this young man.) I was pleased to see the KC 2nd baseman play - he was one of my favorite players when he played for our side during the second half of the 2005 season.
I took the kids to the team store. I let each of the boys choose a $5 item, and a grab bag of playing cards for $1 each (one included a vintage card for our team manager). S took home her own pink team baseball.
It was a late night, but a great night.
Two days....two days....
6 comments:
It's sort of refreshing to know someone who loves baseball. It must be an east coast thing.
Here they're nuts about football, or basketball. They don't even bat an eye over baseball. And they don't show Mets games on TV very often, either!!
Sounds like your kids had a great time, there's nothing better than a family outing to a baseball game. :)
There are some baseball lovers your way - they're just Twins fans, not Mets fan.
You'll find one if you follow a link in the comments on the spring baking post...
This year we are hoping to get to a couple minor league games, maybe a Cape Cod league game (for college prospects).
I am so jealous - as is DH...
We have our tickets to the Sox/Orioles game in August. Not quite Fenway Park, but Camden Yards is an awesome ballfield and we can actually get there. ;-)
My daughter decided she LOVED Mark Bellhorn when he played for the Red Sox. She named him "Ding Bellhorn". He is now with the Reds, and according to DH has been sent down to their AAA camp, Louisville Bats. Guess who our local AAA team (Tides, for the Mets) plays next weekend? E is OVER THE TOP. She is positive she's going to get his autograph.
BTW, E has that pink glove too, and a pink batting helmet. She's still playing with the local little league, and has been the only girl on their team for the last several seasons. She's an awesome third basewoman.
HAVE FUN UP THERE!!!!
We almost didn't get those tickets. A initially refused them, thinking I wouldn't want to gather the kids and drive back into town after having been up and out of the house for work at 5:30. I'm glad he checked.
Tickets for Fenway often are hard to manage for regular people. It's a small park, MANY season ticket holders, a popular team - and lots of scalpers and ticket agencies. Lucky situations like this is how most people I know go at all!
That said, you could make a baseball pilgramage this way without seeing a Fenway game. There are several minor league teams (including one partially owned by Bill Murray) here and along the way, the Cape Cod league, and daily tours of Fenway on off days...then head west to Coopersown to see the Hall.
Trivia question for E: Who was the first major leaguer to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same inning? (And who led his team in strikeouts in 2004? And was totally redeemed by those home runs vs. the evil empire during the playoffs?)
I went to a Twins game once.
The stadium was only about half full and it was a completely different experience.
And no one threw anything at an umpire.It was very subdued. I was disappointed.
"And no one threw anything at an umpire."
Ha! Midwestern manners gone awry! You crack me up.
A couple years ago we took the kids to a Diamondbacks-Mets game. It was 2/3 Mets fans - in Arizona. Fun anyway because of all the east coast transplants we met and the walking frozen margarita vendor (carried it all in a backpack contraption).
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