Dennis & I spent the afternoon/evening at the ballpark. The baseball tickets were a reward for good performance on a project at work (Thank you Lockheed Martin!). The company apparently has a section of seats reserved on the third level along first base, which offer a very nice view.
We go to the game not knowing a thing about the Rockies, how well they are doing in the season, who the star players are, or even if they are any good.
What I do know is that baseball is a celebrated and much loved American past-time. Why not give it a whirl in honor of our Independence day. If we weren’t such rebels back in the day, I might be going to watch a game of cricket instead…
We got to Coors Field fairly early. It was really hot because our seats were in the sun, and it was around 93 dF! Dennis immediately started in on a beer and was kind enough to acquire a G&T for the Ms. I then pulled out the peanuts & crackerjacks (Yes, we had both snack foods, as they are tradition).
The Marlins were up to bat first. On the very first pitch, the Marlin dude hits the ball out of the park…home run! Oh, boy, I thought, “I’m sitting out here sweating like crazy and these guys suck. What am I doing here?”.
The fans were eerily silent. The next guy up for the Marlins takes a ball in the back, it looked extremely painful. I thought, “Who is this pitcher?”.
So, after the first inning, the Rockies were down 5 runs (6-1). The next few innings were excruciating, as the Rockies would score a little and then give a lot. They were not recovering from the staggering start.
In the fifth, the Rockies got a break in #5, Holliday. A grand slam brought them back in the game. The crowd was on their feet, and finally the sun was setting, so it was cooling off. The stadium was filling up as folks were trickling in to see the fireworks. By this time there was lots of beer flowing amongst the fans. We all got riled up watching the game, anything could happen!
The nineth inning finally comes, and we are all sitting in eager anticipation. Will they pull off a miracle? Or will the game fizzle away? By the way, the score at this time, is in double digits for both teams (see below). It’s more like a football game!
Finally, we hear a crack, and the crowd jumps out of their seats. We watch the ball soar into the stands-it’s fair ball! They had two dudes tag home plate in the nineth inning, and the game was over. The crowd went crazy. Everybody hugging and high fiving and yelling.
The last time I felt that kind of energy was at a University of Kentucky basketball game…it was awesome, the noise level was through the roof.
The best part, after the victory, was the fireworks. They really spared no expense when it came to the display. It went on for at least 45 minutes, and the conclusion was so loud, I could feel percussion in my chest. I really felt like I was watching “bombs bursting in air”.