Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Angels In The Outfield


This isn't our first baseball game as a family, the four of us.  But that first one didn't really count.  First of all, it was a Dodger game.  And we ain't Dodger fans.  Secondly, it was a for a baby shower, so we hung out in a suite and didn't see one minute of the game.  Don't get me wrong, the suite was awesome.  Food was good.  But you gotta be in the stands if you want to experience baseball, am I right?  Nick was still a newbie and I spent most of the time trying to get earplugs from first aid at the stadium.  It was fun, but it had nothing to do with baseball.   See?  Doesn't count.

Fast forward a year, we still haven't taken the boys to a game.  An Angels game.  It's tough because it needs to be a day game and there aren't too many during the season.  But my good friend, KT, was awesome enough to give P some tickets for a game that was a day before his birthday!!  Not to mention VIP parking!  Happy birthday, papa!!!  Thank you, KT!!!  It was for a day game against the Kansas City Royals and the seats were uh-mazing!  Right by 3rd base.  It was a hot, hot day so we did our usual thing of eating in the shade and walking around the stadium until the sun settled a little more.  

One of my earliest memories of when P and I dating was receiving tickets to an Angels game as a gift from a friend.  It was my first baseball game and I had a blast!  I became an instant fan.  Just in time to see our team win the World Series the following season.  Baseball, itself, took me a little bit to get excited about, but the experience of going to the game was magical.  The sound of the roaring crowd.  The voice of the announcer blaring through the speakers.  That vast green field and red sand.  And at night, the bright UFO lights that attract every moth within a 5 mile radius.  The smell of nachos and dogs.  The hundreds of variations of Angels gear that people wear in silent cheer.  Doing the wave.  Rallying when we're losing.  The extra innings.  Parking a mile away and waiting an hour to get out of the lot after the game.  All of it.  There's nothing like it.  I challenge you to find the equivalent.  I'm so grateful to my P,  for sharing his love of sports with me.  I never participated in any sports in my youth unless I absolutely had to.  And even then, it was a struggle to pass phys ed.  I never appreciated it, not as a player nor as a spectator.  I might've gone my entire life, completely oblivious to the greatness of team sports and all that comes with it, had it not been for my husband.  

Now, many years later,  we have 2 boys of our own.  Surreal doesn't even begin to describe it.  The excitement I feel about all the sports that will be a part of our family memories is hard to describe.  There's nothing more to life than to share what we love with them.   And we love baseball.  We love the Angels.  So, this game was a big deal to us as parents.  The next day, we'd be heading out to Mammoth Lakes on our first family trip.  This was the perfect send-off.  Big thanks to my sister from another  mister!!

W had a lot of fun, minus a few moments of major attitude.  But he definitely liked sitting in the stands and cheering when everyone else did.  Obviously, he had no idea what was going on.  He would even cheer when people were booing the other team.  LOL!  It was adorable.  We took W to an Angels game when he was a baby, but he never went inside.  He spent the entire game crying in his stroller, absolutely terrified by the crowd and loud noises.  I stayed outside by the gates with him until the end.  See?  That didn't count either.  I thought he might still be a little skiddish because it is a scary tall building and lots of noise, but he loved it.  I'm talking giddy.  He kept running up and down the corridor by our seats and around the planters outside. Oh! and our seats!  You know how those seats fold up automatically?  Now,  just add a fidgety 3-year-old to that mix and you have non-stop entertainment.  We thought it was the heat, but it turned our little baby N had a fever.  Sigh.  Right before our trip to Mammoth.  Unbelievable but yet, not surprising.  He spent most of the time in papa's arms, trying to nap.  

Hopefully, our next game will go a little more smoothly.  No one be sick.  Lots of Dippin' Dots.  And I definitely will not forget to bring the rally monkey next time.  Almost had a meltdown during the 7th inning when that little primate came on the big screen.  Stupid mom.  How could you forget to bring the monkey?!



Little boy in baseball hat.  That's perfection.
Lil' Conger!!!  Look at that face.  

Whadda tell ya?!  Great seats, right?

His first Dippin' Dots.  I don't think he looked up once while eating this.

Even gave his brother some.  Sigh.

Just walking' around, waiting for our seats to cool off.

One of the greatest baseball coaches ever.  

Doesn't he make that hat look good?


Your turn, little one.
Nope.  Not havin' it.  
My angels.


Baseball's awesome.  Just like you.