Part 5 of the 'My Bucket List' series. WINTER 2010

BY MARY JO HARROD
WINTER 2010

My Bucket List

Part 5:  Go to a Baseball Game

Turning each day into an exploratory journey of fun is much better than living life on the sidelines. 

Have you ever seen programs on television and wished you could actually be there and experience all that is happening? Maybe it was a game show or the David Letterman Show. How about the excitement of a sports game and being a part of the cheering crowd? On a Sunday afternoon in early October, I was a part of this scenario. I watched––in person––two of professional baseball’s oldest franchises square off in a match. 

My first memories of baseball are not of multimillion-dollar stadiums, spiffy uniforms or a well-manicured playing field, but of me as an eleven-year-old playing with neighborhood kids on an unmown vacant lot, with a scarred wooden bat and a scruffy ball. Our version of the game only vaguely resembled that of professional ballplayers. 

Wanting to see how the pros play the game, we drove to the Queen City to watch the Cincinnati Reds play the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park. This ball park serves as the home of the Reds, baseball's first professional franchise. Situated on the banks of the Ohio River, Great American Ball Park officially opened for the 2003 season and has a seating capacity of 42,271 fans. 

The stadium was impressive, much larger than it appears on television. As we entered the gates and surrendered our tickets, we were each given two baseball trading cards of Reds’ players––one of Brandon Phillips and the other of Aaron Harang. Omigosh, my younger brother used to collect baseball trading cards when we were kids, but I had no idea that the cards were still being printed and distributed. I was thrilled at receiving these small tokens of future sports history!

As we made our way to our seats, located on the bottom section between the home plate and first base, it was exciting to see the vendors selling the team memorabilia and smell the aroma of the foods offered to fans. I was hungry just smelling the tempting variety of choices, and I had had breakfast less than two hours earlier! This was the last game of the regular season and it was designated  Fan Appreciation Day, with special appearances by actors from the play, “Beauty and the Beast,” and a variety of giveaways for the fans. 

Rolled-up tee shirts were being fired from a cannon into the screaming crowd, but none made it into my hands. That was okay with me because I was excited at actually being at the stadium watching live baseball. Seeing the vendors selling traditional ballpark fare––hot dogs and beer––as well as other goodies was just like something from the movies, except that it was real and I was there. Cold beer sells for $7.50 a bottle from the cooler carried by vendors through the stands. 

I am not a beer drinker, so this was not an issue, but can anyone go to a baseball game and not buy a hot dog or bratwurst? Hot dogs just taste better when you are at a baseball game, even at $5 each. Trust me on this!

Since the day was cool and a breeze blew constantly, my jacket felt great. But it didn’t dampen my enthusiasm as we watched the two teams give it their all. One good thing about watching baseball games in person rather than on television is that you are not usually able to see, or forced to watch, the players repeatedly spit. 

It seems that close-up shots of the players always catch them in the act. Do the players do anything else when they are not on the field? Spitting in public disgusts me, so I turn my head when I see it on TV. But, this is not a problem when you are in the stadium.

Ending on a positive note as the Reds won 6-0, I thought the game and the surroundings were fascinating. I now have a new appreciation for baseball after seeing it live. Winning is always more fun, but seeing my first major league baseball game in person would have been a positive experience anyway.