July 11, 2008 - There are few days that make you feel alive like a Friday afternoon at a ball game. The boys in tight pants, the popcorn, the beer, the sushi... (What? In Vancouver, you get sushi at the ball park). You can also get the classic microbrewery beers, sake, crackerjacks, peanuts, and hot dogs. There is something so Summer about the game of baseball - and all its trimmings. You don't even have to enjoy baseball to enjoy a day at the park. You don't have to be a sports fan, and you don't have to like caramel popcorn. There is something there for everyone.
For the old folks, there is seat service for snacks and beverages. You don't have to get up for anything (well, except for the restroom lineups). For the kiddies, there is the mascot, the prizes thrown in to the stands, the candy and the hot dogs. For sports fans... there is the game itself. For families, there is enough going on to entertain everyone. For the single girl, there is another side to the game entirely - and it isn't just the game on the field.
I wonder when a young boy picks up that bat for the first time if he is dreaming of making it to the big league? As he grows up, is that dream adjusted a little to include stadiums full of adoring women keeping a close eye on his ah, game? And when the dream expands to include the money - does it get easier to keep your eye on the ball or harder?
That being said, I will be at the nooner this afternoon. I'm not a huge baseball fan (now football is another story), but I am most certainly a fan of the scenery. And I am not alone. I'm amazed at the number of women in the stands at these games. It's not like we have a major league team - we're the farm team for the Oakland A's - but we have some fabulously talented young men on the field with their bat and balls, and that is game enough for me. The sushi is pretty good too. And on Babe Ruth Day - the day in 1914 that Babe Ruth debuted in the Major Leagues, I'll go and see what other Babe's in the making might be on the diamond.
Today is also Cheer Up a Lonely Person Day. Sadly, though there are lonely people everywhere, it seems to be a real challenge of aging. As we get older, we lose our friends and family might move away. Of course there are lonely people at any age. Loneliness might actually be hard to quantify. What qualifies as lonely? Lonely for a day? For a week? For years? What about those times when we just feel alone? I believe it is important to learn to enjoy your own company, and it is good to be comfortable with just yourself. But how much time do you spend with yourself before you become boring? And when does that become loneliness? I spend as little time alone as I can. I don't find myself that amusing. When I start to tell myself a joke, I invariably jump in and tell the punch line before I'm done. I rarely listen to the end of the conversation, and will quite often roll over and fall asleep on myself.
I'm a social person. I like crowds, I like noise, and I like being with others. And in a stadium full of baseball fans, I'm sure to find at least one person who hasn't heard the punchline yet. I hope that my jokes can cheer them up.
For the old folks, there is seat service for snacks and beverages. You don't have to get up for anything (well, except for the restroom lineups). For the kiddies, there is the mascot, the prizes thrown in to the stands, the candy and the hot dogs. For sports fans... there is the game itself. For families, there is enough going on to entertain everyone. For the single girl, there is another side to the game entirely - and it isn't just the game on the field.
I wonder when a young boy picks up that bat for the first time if he is dreaming of making it to the big league? As he grows up, is that dream adjusted a little to include stadiums full of adoring women keeping a close eye on his ah, game? And when the dream expands to include the money - does it get easier to keep your eye on the ball or harder?
That being said, I will be at the nooner this afternoon. I'm not a huge baseball fan (now football is another story), but I am most certainly a fan of the scenery. And I am not alone. I'm amazed at the number of women in the stands at these games. It's not like we have a major league team - we're the farm team for the Oakland A's - but we have some fabulously talented young men on the field with their bat and balls, and that is game enough for me. The sushi is pretty good too. And on Babe Ruth Day - the day in 1914 that Babe Ruth debuted in the Major Leagues, I'll go and see what other Babe's in the making might be on the diamond.
Today is also Cheer Up a Lonely Person Day. Sadly, though there are lonely people everywhere, it seems to be a real challenge of aging. As we get older, we lose our friends and family might move away. Of course there are lonely people at any age. Loneliness might actually be hard to quantify. What qualifies as lonely? Lonely for a day? For a week? For years? What about those times when we just feel alone? I believe it is important to learn to enjoy your own company, and it is good to be comfortable with just yourself. But how much time do you spend with yourself before you become boring? And when does that become loneliness? I spend as little time alone as I can. I don't find myself that amusing. When I start to tell myself a joke, I invariably jump in and tell the punch line before I'm done. I rarely listen to the end of the conversation, and will quite often roll over and fall asleep on myself.
I'm a social person. I like crowds, I like noise, and I like being with others. And in a stadium full of baseball fans, I'm sure to find at least one person who hasn't heard the punchline yet. I hope that my jokes can cheer them up.
Happy iPhone Day.
ReplyDelete