Somewhere within the fog of the smoke from the grills, and
the clamor of the excited crowd, was a child. This child had been waiting for
this day much like he was awaiting Christmas or a birthday party. He was young
at heart and in mind, he was the child within me.
Yesterday my inner child came out to watch the other kids
playing the game that they love, and that I have been fascinated by since I actually
was a kid.
Truthfully, there was no fog from any grills. I happen to
know how stadium concessions work and all of the food is grill-marked the day
before, and reheated before the event. Heather and I both ordered some ballpark
food and were wildly disappointed, save for some free cheese curds we received
in the beginning due to a malfunctioning cash register. I liked the idea of me
walking around in a mystical fog; oversized clothes, glove, and hat, and a look
on my face of astonishment as celebrities pass us up in the hallways like Roy
Smalley and Tim Laudner. Writer’s liberties: some of my work has to be fiction,
because every so often the truth is a little macabre or boring.
I wrote in my last post that the season opener last year was a fairly
uneventful event. Well this year was dissimilar in every way. First, and most noticeably,
we scored. Again, in my last post I referenced last year by saying that we had
only scored one run, but I was wrong, we were shut out. This year we scored one
in the third, then six more in the seventh in an inning full of walks (one of
which was intentional, and under the new rule, no pitches needed to be
thrown.). I lost my voice temporarily as I screamed and shouted and the bases
were full and three runs were walked in. Two run-producing singles followed as
the Twins batted around in the inning, and the crowd came to life.
As always, we were surrounded by people who know how to be
managers of sports teams at a professional level, all of whom had imbibed a “professional”
amount of alcohol before shouting out such helpful suggestions as, “Throw
strikes!” and “Hey [pitcher], You’re stupid!” Maybe I joined in with them and
shouted out other helpful advice like, “Also, don’t forget to wear pants!” I
think Heather liked that one.
The weather was not pleasant. The internet claimed that it
was 52 degrees at game time, which it may have been, but it was also windy and
very moist, making for a much cooler feel. We were given Twins pull-over
hoodies upon entering the stadium, and they came in handy. There was no sun,
but it never really rained, and we all survived.
Overall, it was a great day. Heather and I were on a date,
and it went well. We laughed, and smiled, and took cute pictures. And we will
go on another date in the near future, and continue to find ways to make things
work, as we discover new fun things to do as the weather finally begins to
cooperate.
And now for some pictures:
