My baseball game went better than expected (I don't know how to link from my IPod, so look for a post from a few weeks ago if you don't know what i'm talking about). The start was not very promising. We carpooled, and the person driving decided to park more than a mile away from the stadium in order to pay $5 for parking instead of $12 (I offered to pay, but ze refused). Normally, I wouldn't have had a problem. It's a stunningly beautiful walk... on a sunny day. It was raining cats and dogs, and in fact the beginning of the game was delayed 35 minutes. It finally cleared up, and the baking began. 95 degrees under the sun is not fun. I drank a lot of overpriced Gatorade and tolerated until the 3rd inning. By then, I felt dizzy and, even worse, we were already down by 2. So I did the reasonable thing and went looking for some shade.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one being miserable, because two more people from our contingent followed me. I made a quick comeback on the 5th inning. By then, nobody was really socializing , just coming and going trying to feel comfortable. A few die-hard fans were withstanding what was until then an awful game under the sun.
Things were so bad that a few people actually left during the top of the 6th inning. Big mistake. Things got magically better during the bottom of the 6th. The clouds set in, so it was actually bearable to watch the game in the seats. And more importantly, the team began its comeback. The 7th inning was pure magic. I cheered as if I was at a soccer game back home.
In the end, I even got to demonstrate my deep knowledge of baseball. Sitting next to me was a student that was even more clueless than I was. At the beginning of the 9th inning, the star pitcher made its appearance and the stadium went crazy. The student looked at me and asked: "Why is everybody clapping? Is the game over? Did we win?". I explained her that no, it was just the pitcher who's been having an amazing couple of weeks. When the game was finally over, I looked at her and said: "It's over, you can cheer now". Her answer: "Thank God it's over. My professor pressured me to come. I hate sports". I told her that on a scale from 1 to 10, there are worst things to do for work than having to attend a baseball game, specially if you get the tickets for free. I don't know if I convinced her.
So in the end, I had a good time. And the tickets are really cheap. Ours were $11, and they were not the cheapest tickets. In fact, B. and I are planning on going one of these days. But I'll try to buy tickets for a game later in the day. Baking in the sun is still no fun.
By the way, does this sound like the chronicle of somebody who has at least a grasp of baseball, or from somebody who has no idea?
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