Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Play Ball! * Blue Jays vs. NY Yankees

Play Ball!

Toronto Blue Jays play New York Yankees...
and we're there...row 19 dugout area.

Friends arrived in town from Indiana and an invitation was offered to join them at a Blue Jays baseball game. Not having experienced a live game ourselves, it came as a surprise when my husband's boss offered him 4 SWEET tickets PLUS parking to escort our friends (and the boss' former boss himself ...LOL) to the ball game.

Hats and souvenirs for sale outdoors before even entering the stadium. Blue was the choice color of the day!

Straight up from the parkade, all those stairs became an obstacle for my hubby at first, but he persevered, remembered to use his "conserving energy tips" and then he remembered to recover once we were near our entry gate before moving onward.

We're here!

Our friends have a goal to hit all of the MLB game team stadiums over the next few years and had just arrived from a recent game in Detroit, MI, an activity they purposely included along the way during their driving venture here. Tickets in hand, away we went to this local MLB game.

Can you say "ideal seats"?

Yes, they were ideal, though the crowds were thick, the humidity high and the weather iffy for the game not to be allowed full circulation with the Roger's Stadium roofing opened up for more real air rather than canned air instead.

Halladay and Hill were the players our older daughter told us to cheer on. Having already attended a ballgame here herself, she KNEW we had great seats and thought to assist us in the "ball for dummies" - must know - information for both teams. :-) We were told to cheer for the Blue Jays you know...and why not, they were local.

The Blue Jays didn't have such a swell game though there were a few choice moments during a few periods when the crowds were no longer able to remain at the edge of their seats knowing full well all of those bases were loaded, therefore standing became a preference with plenty of rip roaring cheering. "Go Jays Go"

Crowds were thicker by each inning and many folks had baseball gloves in hand. Good thing many did as there were plenty of fall balls heading out to the stands. One person required medical help, but such is a ball game similar to a hockey game. Watch that ball, or that puck at all times!

Score card in hand, she was now ready to enter the stadium

She resolved to collect only game score cards she filled in herself and a souvenir cup of the game. With pencil in hand, she detailed every hit, run and scored every inning perfectly. Dedication to the sport enabled her to have a great personal souvenir and I became impressed with her loyalty to note everything on the card. Her true favorite team is the Chicago Cubs but it was great to see her cheering for our Blue Jays while here instead.

She worked hard to note every detail on her score card, her souvenir from this MLB game.

Our friends had a ritualistic flair for not eating any food before the end of the third inning, so we waited and then we savored the flavors of our hotdogs/sausage in a bun and drinks. Deep within a recreational atmosphere such as this one, this type of food just screams "BASEBALL", doesn't it?
Last inning, I wondered if he began to pray before heading up to the plate when they lagged behind against the New York Yankee team's great playing, especially after not one, but two home runs.

And the crowds cheered, and then the parking lots became crammed full of hopeful motorists wanting to travel home. After forty five minutes three parking floors underground, we began to move but just imagine the air down there from every vehicle running all that time and the humidity in the air was sickeningly warm to boot.

Thanks goes to the pedestrian who took it upon herself to begin directing traffic and at last, it all began to flow properly and we began our trek home in the late hour of the night. Or was it morning when we arrived home? Yes, my body told me the next morning - - that it really was.