Yesterday, Daphne and I went with Uncle Jeff and Grandma to Baltimore. Specifically, to Oriole Park at Camden Yard to see the Orioles play the Great Texas Rangers. It was Daphne's first Major League Baseball Game, and I'd say it was a great initiation. We got to the park, and Daphne posed for a picture with an Oriole mascot statue. Notice, she's giving him the Ranger Claw. Next, we found our seats in Secion 48, on the 3rd base side behind the visitors' dugout. Notice the seats are CUSHIONED! I have never sat on cushioned seats at a ball game before. This was high class! We immediately spied Daphne's favorite player, Josh Hamilton, signing autographs, so we rushed over, but we were too late. Daphne was pretty disappointed because she had made him a picture and wanted to give it to him:
All was not lost, though. Jeff and I took her over to see the inside of the Ranger's dugout. You may notice in the background, standing inside the dugout, a member of the Oriole's organization, kinda peering our way . Soon after this photo was taken, he came over and began nudging Jeff's foot. We thought he was trying to get Jeff to stop sitting on the rail, but when we looked down, he was holding a mysterious object wrapped in a paper towel, which he very sneakily handed to Daphne.
It was an Official Major League Baseball baseball! And it had been used, probably in batting practice or something. Daphne may as well have won the lottery. She was so excited. So nice of that old guy to give it to her. Especially since she was wearing an enemy t-shirt!
Also at the game, she got a certificate from the Fan Services people to show that she attended her first game. The lady from Fan Services snuck around and handed her a giant foam Orioles #1 finger. Maybe it's the orange hair, but this kid was getting all kinds of free loot. From us, she got a program, a hot dog, peanuts and crackerjacks, and a plastic helmet full of ice cream. And to top it all off, the Rangers won 3-0. And Daphne made it through the whole game with nary a complaint.
The whole day made me so happy. I remember when I was little going to Cincinnati with my grandparents to see the Reds play. I remember eating hot dogs and yelling "Charge!" and thinking the ballpark was the greatest place ever. I got to see greatness like Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Ken Griffey, and my favorite player as a kid, Dave Concepcion. I hope Daphne remembers yesterday in the same way. And I hope it's just the first of many trips to the ballpark. Thanks to Jeff for the tickets, and thanks to Grandma for going with us and handling everything in the back seat. It was a really fun day. Let's do it again soon.
1 comment:
Whata great day! We took L to a minor-league hockey game when she was 3 1/2. Perhaps she was too young, cause she didn't seem all that interested! The game was awesome and we had great seats! The home team scored four goals in the first period, (the horn scared her!) there were two fights, and someone started the wave! And we won 6-4! The game couldn't have been more perfect! She didn't care though! I think she enjoyed more walking around the arena during intermission and eating ice cream during the game! Oh well! I'm glad we didn't spend the money to take her to actual NHL game!
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