Take Me Out to the Ball Game!
UPDATE! The Wiz has left a comment for this post, which he rarely does - so after you read this, be sure to check it out - it's pure "Wizdom"!
Chatty had never been to an indoor baseball game until last week – and only then because The Wiz had won excellent seats in a raffle at the Chamber of Commerce.
(And apologies to Pat, who has already heard this story…)
Words cannot describe the feeling of watching a baseball game in an enclosed stadium. It was SPLENDIFEROUS!
We could stroll. We could see EVERYTHING. The stadium is SPOTLESS...no trash ANYWHERE. No louts loitering, no dirty bathrooms – you could eat off the floors, should you be so inclined. And, the public areas where the shops and food are located are all CARPETED…with fountains, sculptures....and closed screen TV's everywhere you glance.
It was pure heaven even before the first pitch!
Our seats were PHENOMENAL. We "hung" over home base. Directly below us were the "family seats" - families of the players, Chatty means! Directly BEHIND us were the suites for the bigwigs...hugely expensive, but their seats weren't quite as good as ours - to make up for that, each suite has a private room behind it. Big deal...NOT.
The only air moving was the air-conditioning - and it was the perfect temperature. It was a night game, so the dome was closed. During the day, before the game, the roof is opened up so that the grass stays perfect. REAL GRASS. REGULATION FIELD. HUGE.
It was spectacular!
We took our own food, (amazing in itself – they let us bring in our own food!) but then a COCKTAIL WAITRESS came by and took our orders for drinks.
Ummm. can you tell Chatty had a great time???
Sheer bliss.
And then, as icing on the cake - it was a fabulous game! We won 13-7 (we left when it was 13-5, and the Pirates scored 2 at the top of the ninth...)
PLUS, because our team scored at least 8 runs, as we were walking out, we got Taco Bell coupons for chalupas - and they were cute coupons, too - shaped like little chalupas - no purchase necessary - and good through 12/31/08. Chatty LOVES Taco Bell chalupas!
Also, they had a special T-shirt night, so $22 T-shirts - really NICE ones - good cotton fabric, cool logo - were on sale for $14. Chatty bought one for The Wiz, and he likes it, even though there's no pocket.
Chatty bought herself a beautiful Diamondbacks visor - on sale for $8. Chatty really does wear visors a lot here in AZ, because she doesn't like baseball caps.
Oh, it was LOVERLY!
The Wiz disagrees with Chatty’s assessment entirely. He says Chase Field is “OK”, but no baseball stadium can compare (despite the dirt, grunge, filthy bathrooms, long lines, knife fights, drunks and outrageous prices) to his beloved Dodger Stadium. Note: he has refused to GO to a Dodger game the entire time Chatty has known him (because professional baseball is a “rip-off”), but as far as he is concerned, it’s still the BEST stadium EVER.
The Wiz is very loyal, and has been since childhood - when shortly after the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn, The Wiz met Duke Schnieder - who offered him a ride home when Duke realized his father hadn’t arrived to pick The Wiz up after the game.
Like a good little boy, The Wiz declined, and his dad showed up shortly thereafter. But in his heart of hearts, The Wiz has probably been kicking himself for not saying “yes, thanks” to the offer ever since!
Chatty supposes that for this and other reasons, Dodger Stadium will always reign supreme in his heart.
Go figure.
And GO DIAMONDBACKS!
Chatty had never been to an indoor baseball game until last week – and only then because The Wiz had won excellent seats in a raffle at the Chamber of Commerce.
(And apologies to Pat, who has already heard this story…)
Words cannot describe the feeling of watching a baseball game in an enclosed stadium. It was SPLENDIFEROUS!
We could stroll. We could see EVERYTHING. The stadium is SPOTLESS...no trash ANYWHERE. No louts loitering, no dirty bathrooms – you could eat off the floors, should you be so inclined. And, the public areas where the shops and food are located are all CARPETED…with fountains, sculptures....and closed screen TV's everywhere you glance.
It was pure heaven even before the first pitch!
Our seats were PHENOMENAL. We "hung" over home base. Directly below us were the "family seats" - families of the players, Chatty means! Directly BEHIND us were the suites for the bigwigs...hugely expensive, but their seats weren't quite as good as ours - to make up for that, each suite has a private room behind it. Big deal...NOT.
The only air moving was the air-conditioning - and it was the perfect temperature. It was a night game, so the dome was closed. During the day, before the game, the roof is opened up so that the grass stays perfect. REAL GRASS. REGULATION FIELD. HUGE.
It was spectacular!
We took our own food, (amazing in itself – they let us bring in our own food!) but then a COCKTAIL WAITRESS came by and took our orders for drinks.
Ummm. can you tell Chatty had a great time???
Sheer bliss.
And then, as icing on the cake - it was a fabulous game! We won 13-7 (we left when it was 13-5, and the Pirates scored 2 at the top of the ninth...)
PLUS, because our team scored at least 8 runs, as we were walking out, we got Taco Bell coupons for chalupas - and they were cute coupons, too - shaped like little chalupas - no purchase necessary - and good through 12/31/08. Chatty LOVES Taco Bell chalupas!
Also, they had a special T-shirt night, so $22 T-shirts - really NICE ones - good cotton fabric, cool logo - were on sale for $14. Chatty bought one for The Wiz, and he likes it, even though there's no pocket.
Chatty bought herself a beautiful Diamondbacks visor - on sale for $8. Chatty really does wear visors a lot here in AZ, because she doesn't like baseball caps.
Oh, it was LOVERLY!
The Wiz disagrees with Chatty’s assessment entirely. He says Chase Field is “OK”, but no baseball stadium can compare (despite the dirt, grunge, filthy bathrooms, long lines, knife fights, drunks and outrageous prices) to his beloved Dodger Stadium. Note: he has refused to GO to a Dodger game the entire time Chatty has known him (because professional baseball is a “rip-off”), but as far as he is concerned, it’s still the BEST stadium EVER.
The Wiz is very loyal, and has been since childhood - when shortly after the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn, The Wiz met Duke Schnieder - who offered him a ride home when Duke realized his father hadn’t arrived to pick The Wiz up after the game.
Like a good little boy, The Wiz declined, and his dad showed up shortly thereafter. But in his heart of hearts, The Wiz has probably been kicking himself for not saying “yes, thanks” to the offer ever since!
Chatty supposes that for this and other reasons, Dodger Stadium will always reign supreme in his heart.
Go figure.
And GO DIAMONDBACKS!
That was Duke SNIDER the third best centerfielder in New York - Behind Joltin' Joe Dimagio and Willie Mays, not bad company... just sayin', but he was my boyhood hero. I was 10 at the time and it was one of life's great moments. Anyway, I don't follow the Dodgers anymore since my dad passed away at the tender age of 101. I'm a Diamondbacks fan as well. But Dodger Stadium is still probably the best, and oldest stadium for baseball in this country. I'm sure it's clean and pristine now as most stadiums are today. I quit because I really don't need to spend my hard-earned money so some shortstop can make a quarter of a Billion dollars to play baseball for fifteen years. Don't care!
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I know what you mean. I was in Toronto's clean and friendly roofed stadium last month for baseball and it was a DELIGHT. Nope, I don't need dirt and smell to enjoy baseball!
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My youngest has been begging and pleading to go to a baseball game before the season is over. We haven't made it there yet, mainly because my oldest doesn't have any inclination to go. It makes it hard to find a time to take each of the seperately to activities. But, having just read your posting, I'm thinking I'm going to have to make that time a huge priority, either that or force the oldest to go like it or not! Look out Iowa Cubs here we come!
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While I am not a baseball fan, I could enjoy fountains, sculptures, clean bathrooms, and someone bringing me drinks.
Dear Chatty, you have just elevated the game of baseball in my mind.
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