I have loved the Texas Rangers as far back as I can remember. My grandma was a big sports fan. She loved to watch the Rangers and the Cowboys. I remember lots of lazy Sundays hanging out and watching games with her. I do think she really liked football more than baseball because she would get so excited when they 'kicked goal!'
My love for baseball really kicked into high gear when I started dating a baseball player in high school. I loved going to games and cheering for our team almost as much as harassing the other team. One of the player's girlfriends on our rival team would wear a "Whatever-his-last-name-was's Babe" on the back of her shirt. I always swore I would get a "Corscadden's Bitch" shirt. I sure wish I had enough guts to do it then, because I know I would do it now!
Baseball was a big part of our social life after I married my baseball player. We went to a lot of games and played a lot of mound ball. Mark has definitely one-upped me by attending at least 20 opening day games and several World Series games in other cities. Lucky bastard.
I love it so much because, during a game, all that matters is what is going on at that very moment. What's the team's record? I don't care. They don't have a shot in the playoffs. I don't care. There are some shitty things going on in the world. Right now, I don't care. We share the love of the game with our kids and it's a positive atmosphere instead of negative. It's the one thing we have on TV throughout the summer and we try to make it out to the Ballpark for at least a game or 2. We feel like we've done parenting right when our daughter asks, 'hey, who's pitching tomorrow night?'
I love day games, I love night games, I love the fireworks, I love Chuck Morgan's voice, I love Emily Jones' post-game interviews, I love the players, I love the helmets and uniforms (especially the catcher's uniform... don't judge) and my son will tell you that one of my favorite sounds is the sound of metal spikes crunching on the sand. I love that I get texts from my sister that just says "NA-PO-LI" and I know exactly what she's talking about. I love that my youngest sister is just learning the awesomeness of baseball, even if she is an Astros fan.
There is this intimate connection built into baseball. You can see the player's faces and they are on our TV just about every night from April to (hopefully!) the end of October and they are having SO much fun night after night. And, no matter their current record, if someone has a walk-off home run, you'll celebrate like they just won the World Series and enjoy someone getting drenched with 2 buckets of Gatorade.
My sister's family and my family were lucky enough to attend the Sunday afternoon game in July when we were anticipating Adrian Beltre to hit his 3,000th hit. He is one of my very favorite players and just sums up why I love baseball. He is a respected leader and he is having the BEST time ever. We were at a lakehouse in Granbury the night before watching the game on my laptop. 9 of us crowded around a 15" screen. Would he do it? He didn't. 15 seconds later my sister and I were buying tickets to the Sunday afternoon game. It is going to be SO hot. Someone grab the
sunscreen and water bottles.
We get to the stadium and everyone immediately needs a new hat, or a new shirt, or new socks(!) like you do. We grab some grub and find our way to our seats (praise Jesus they are in the shade!) I am now officially in favor of building the new stadium with a retractable roof. Beltre comes to the plate for his second appearance and everyone is on their feet and, of course, everyone has their phone out ready to record history. Beltre hits a double and becomes only the 31st player in MLB history and the 1st Dominican player ever to have 3,000 hits. The place goes crazy! We are cheering and jumping up and down and laughing and crying! Crying!!! Are you crying? Why am I crying?? Happy sports tears are the best. The celebration is second to none. Beltre's family running out. The new banner that is revealed. The whole team is on the field to congratulate him. The moment is just as momentous as we thought it would be. We replayed our videos over and over and watched it all again on ESPN. And Fox Sports Southwest. And the local news. You get the idea.
Yet, after all the hoopla, the one thing that has stuck with me the most was the game the next night. Felix Hernandez, with the Seattle Mariners, had just given up a 2 run homer to Odor before Beltre came to the plate. Hernandez walks off the mound to give Beltre a hug. I'm not crying. You're crying. I heart baseball. Forever fan.
My love for baseball really kicked into high gear when I started dating a baseball player in high school. I loved going to games and cheering for our team almost as much as harassing the other team. One of the player's girlfriends on our rival team would wear a "Whatever-his-last-name-was's Babe" on the back of her shirt. I always swore I would get a "Corscadden's Bitch" shirt. I sure wish I had enough guts to do it then, because I know I would do it now!
Baseball was a big part of our social life after I married my baseball player. We went to a lot of games and played a lot of mound ball. Mark has definitely one-upped me by attending at least 20 opening day games and several World Series games in other cities. Lucky bastard.
I love it so much because, during a game, all that matters is what is going on at that very moment. What's the team's record? I don't care. They don't have a shot in the playoffs. I don't care. There are some shitty things going on in the world. Right now, I don't care. We share the love of the game with our kids and it's a positive atmosphere instead of negative. It's the one thing we have on TV throughout the summer and we try to make it out to the Ballpark for at least a game or 2. We feel like we've done parenting right when our daughter asks, 'hey, who's pitching tomorrow night?'
I love day games, I love night games, I love the fireworks, I love Chuck Morgan's voice, I love Emily Jones' post-game interviews, I love the players, I love the helmets and uniforms (especially the catcher's uniform... don't judge) and my son will tell you that one of my favorite sounds is the sound of metal spikes crunching on the sand. I love that I get texts from my sister that just says "NA-PO-LI" and I know exactly what she's talking about. I love that my youngest sister is just learning the awesomeness of baseball, even if she is an Astros fan.
There is this intimate connection built into baseball. You can see the player's faces and they are on our TV just about every night from April to (hopefully!) the end of October and they are having SO much fun night after night. And, no matter their current record, if someone has a walk-off home run, you'll celebrate like they just won the World Series and enjoy someone getting drenched with 2 buckets of Gatorade.
My sister's family and my family were lucky enough to attend the Sunday afternoon game in July when we were anticipating Adrian Beltre to hit his 3,000th hit. He is one of my very favorite players and just sums up why I love baseball. He is a respected leader and he is having the BEST time ever. We were at a lakehouse in Granbury the night before watching the game on my laptop. 9 of us crowded around a 15" screen. Would he do it? He didn't. 15 seconds later my sister and I were buying tickets to the Sunday afternoon game. It is going to be SO hot. Someone grab the
sunscreen and water bottles.
We get to the stadium and everyone immediately needs a new hat, or a new shirt, or new socks(!) like you do. We grab some grub and find our way to our seats (praise Jesus they are in the shade!) I am now officially in favor of building the new stadium with a retractable roof. Beltre comes to the plate for his second appearance and everyone is on their feet and, of course, everyone has their phone out ready to record history. Beltre hits a double and becomes only the 31st player in MLB history and the 1st Dominican player ever to have 3,000 hits. The place goes crazy! We are cheering and jumping up and down and laughing and crying! Crying!!! Are you crying? Why am I crying?? Happy sports tears are the best. The celebration is second to none. Beltre's family running out. The new banner that is revealed. The whole team is on the field to congratulate him. The moment is just as momentous as we thought it would be. We replayed our videos over and over and watched it all again on ESPN. And Fox Sports Southwest. And the local news. You get the idea.
Yet, after all the hoopla, the one thing that has stuck with me the most was the game the next night. Felix Hernandez, with the Seattle Mariners, had just given up a 2 run homer to Odor before Beltre came to the plate. Hernandez walks off the mound to give Beltre a hug. I'm not crying. You're crying. I heart baseball. Forever fan.
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