Take me out to the Ballgame

I took Ramsey to his first ever baseball game last night. We saw the Rockies beat Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants.

Now I'm not much of a baseball fan. Mostly, I find baseball a useful cure for boredom between the end of the college basketball season and the start of the NFL and college football seasons. But I do like going to a game every now and then and I really do want to create father/child moments that will leave an impression on my kids. Even if they don't remember specific moments I hope that they will fondly remember the one-on-one times we have together.

So last night was all about Ramsey. I picked him up from daycare at about 5:30 and we headed downtown for the game. We parked in a lot just behind the left field wall. It was only $7! A couple of ladies in their 50s parked next to us and congratulated me on having found this lot on my first ever trip to a Rockies game. They said it was a "best kept secret" that this was the cheapest and best place to park. I was feeling really good about myself until I realized we had to walk all the way around the stadium to get to our seats. I carried Ramsey most of the way.


We had a great time at the game. Ramsey really looked around and watched for the first hour. He told me he was surprised it was so noisy. He thought the game would be quiet – like going to a movie where everyone only whispers. I bought him a hot dog and French fries for supper. It was a foot-long dog and he was impressed.

After an hour he was ready to explore so we walked around the stadium. He played for a few minutes on a pathetic little playground they have set up by the left field bleachers. I wondered why the Rockies wouldn't have televisions set up so parents could keep an eye on the game while they watched their kids. We then went and bought Ramsey a Rockies shirt.

After that it was back to our seats. Ramsey really wanted some peanuts. He loves peanut butter and had heard that you are supposed to eat peanuts at baseball games. So I bought a bag of peanuts for him and a bag of Cracker Jacks for me. He had never had a roasted in the shell peanut or Cracker Jacks before so he was very excited about the purchase. In the end he decided the peanuts were too salty. He started in on my Cracker Jacks and, after eating a few handfuls, decided he didn't like them either.

At that point he was getting really tired so we decided to watch Barry Bonds final at bat before heading home.

In the end, I achieved my goal. I got to spend five good hours with my son. And that is really what it was all about.