Thursday, March 27, 2008

National Pastime, Shopping

I have always enjoyed going to baseball games, although when I was really young I didn't follow the action very well. The problem was, that I was too distracted by all the other crap going on. One time when my dad took us to a double header White Sox game, I was totally engrossed by the mushroom cloud forming to the west of Comisky Park. It turned out that a gas station had blown up.

I have to admit that some baseball games are boring, in fact most are boring, and you have to dial down your expectations for an exciting time when attending them. That's why it's always interesting when I bring Mark to a game with me. He seems to find a never ending number of things that are more interesting than the game, sort of like me when I was a little boy.

Tuesday Mark and I went to a Marlins spring training game here in Fort Lauderdale. Mark wasn't very interested in the game itself, he was more interested in what material the players uniforms were made out of. He was sure that those grass stains wouldn't come out. Usually when I take Mark to a baseball game with me, he amuses himself by shopping in the gift shop during the game. He really likes the Wrigley Field gift shop and he once disappeared for five innings while we were at a Cubs game. Unfortunately, this was a minor league ball park, and it had no place for him to shop. Instead I had to put up with his constant distractions, and questions for five innings before I decided we'd seen enough and went home.

I think in the future, when I go to a game, I'll find someone else to take with me. Someone who will watch the game with me. Someone who doesn't feel compelled to buy a lot of junk to bring home. Someone who won't be critiquing the opposing teams uniforms for having clashing colors. Another option might be, to buy two tickets in different sections, with my seat in the stadium and Marks seat in the gift shop.

6 comments:

  1. $6.00 FOR A HAMBERGER !! $3.75 FOR A SODA !! OIY VEY!

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  2. I've always preferred what was going on around me more than the actual game. I love a cold beer, hot dog and a bag of peanuts. Unfortunately the beer wants out soon after in goes in. Still, it is the great American pass time. It's interesting to see just how drunk some of the people around you seem to get drinking beer. They must start before the even arrive at the park (like on the bus).

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  3. I just saw that two spring training teams are leaving Florida on the news. Seems they came to Florida because we built them a stadium, and they are leaving because we didn't maintain the stadiums. It's supposed to mean a loss of a lot of revenue.

    I have only been to a few baseball games. They were all in Chicago. I enjoyed the Cubs games the most because the fans are so loyal and it was such a "cozy" stadium.

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  4. The last baseball game I went to I was so high up in the bleacher (Hey! don't go there. I already know what you are thinking) Like I was saying...I was so high up in the bleachers that the players looked like tiny people....

    Little did I know... that I was attending a little league game.

    Padump!

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  5. ...or the midget league.

    Padump! Padump!

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  6. They are called "Little People" not midgets. Don't forget to be politically correct and/or sensitive to other people's "short"comings. eh eh eh.

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