Tag: baseball

Ball Game!

Shirleyjdietz8 Comments

Baseball, or any other kind of ball or sport, is a fun way to spend time with your people. Baseball is particularly good because there is almost nothing happening out there in the field, leaving a lot of time for talking, concessions and hanging out in general.

There was time for us to hang out with what’s his name, I forget.

Eldest daughter’s husband was a baseball player and one of the first things I got to do with their family was go to a baseball game. There’s something down home and All American about these events. The stadiums are usually beautiful, clean, spacious and well lit at night. It’s usually summer when games are played so the weather is good. And there are often fireworks.

But while we are on the subject of sports, I have to say that the seasons when my girls played sports were some of the best times of our lives. Sure, it’s a little unnerving when you’re worried about them hurting themselves physically or being disappointed, but those times in the car riding back and forth are so good for relationship building. Watching young adults learn teamwork, discipline, and awesome physical skills is so satisfying, and should they happen to be on a winning team, all the better.

Some “young’ns” in my family hanging out at a game.

You’ve heard of soccer moms, but how about golf moms? Yes, there are such people. They get to do a lot of walking, which I’m always in favor of. I liked it when E played golf because the uniforms were more like regular clothes and didn’t usually get sweaty. She was a good golfer. We never did figure out what happened to that set of titanium clubs she had.

I hear that relationship building is even better if you can coach a sports team instead of sitting on the sidelines watching. My brother has always taken opportunities like that and as a result he knows families and their kids all over town. High school, middle school and even grade and pre-school kids are on sports teams and they are often looking for adult volunteers.

Remember the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”? It’s proof of what I’m saying here – memories will be made and you’ll have a great time!

There were fireworks!

Take Me Out (to the ball game)

Shirleyjdietz2 Comments

7-27-2019

It’s a beautiful morning in North Carolina.

I’m thinking about the fun time I had last night at the baseball game. Normally, baseball is not one of my passions. As far as watching the game, I put it a notch above golf on the excitement scale, which is why I have only gone maybe three times in my life. However, the whole ambience is interesting and attractive – the crowd, the camaraderie, the food, all that.

I really did not know much about the nuances of play and the organization of the teams and leagues but luckily, daughter Julia’s special friend Kevin, was a baseball player in a semi-pro league. He was the host for this night, and through family connections he had tickets to a box suite. It is a whole different experience to have a choice of air-conditioning, or outside balcony. Add in free popcorn and peanuts and it becomes a place I could take for several hours whether there was a game to watch or not. It was also informative and entertaining because Kevin’s three children were along, getting tutorials from dad on the plays.

I once did a stint working refreshments at several baseball games in Florida. I didn’t get to watch those games but I did learn that people spend way more on refreshments than they do to get into the game, in most cases. I didn’t need a hot dog or other food but I was thirsty enough to order a souvenir cup of Dr. Pepper for $ 6.50. This will help me remember the experience.

Greensboro Grasshoppers souvenir cup

Another reminder will be the picture that the kids and I had taken with the team mascot. You wouldn’t be able to tell, so I will inform you – he’s supposed to be a grasshopper. He wanders about, with an escort to help him see where he’s going, getting pictures taken with youngsters. I kind of snuck in there. It’s not every day I get photographed with an insect.

The Grasshoppers are the local team in Greensboro and, fortunately, they won by a healthy margin. The league is entry level professional and most of the players were right out of college, or even high school. All those long breaks waiting for the pitcher to decide to throw the ball were filled with chants, cheers and commercials over the loud speaker and on the giant screen at the back of the outfield. There was also pure silliness going on from time to time promoting the game sponsors. These cows came out and danced the chicken dance – thank you Chick Fillet.

In this league, occasional heckling and teasing was allowed but kept nicely in line by an announcer who led everything with sound effects and cheers at every opportunity. Nice idea and it worked.

And there were fireworks. Impressive ones.

Great night, beautiful stadium, family friendly atmosphere (including a real live rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by the announcer and some kids) – all the things baseball has been and should probably be. The one sobering moment was at the gate where, as times require, my purse was searched and we had to go through metal detection. I had to take my jacknife back to the car. Oh well, …