Admit it. You're jealous. I got to go to a Pittsburgh Pirates game on Nate McLouth bobblehead night and you didn't. Not only did I get a free bobblehead, but I also got $5 towards concessions. Okay, so that means I only had to pay for ONE overpriced item (my Cracker Jacks) rather than two (I got the super dog for free-- after waiting in the rain for 10 minutes for it to cook). Yep, this little collector's item gets to hang out in my office now (hmm-- will that add to the professional atmosphere?).
Seriously, though, a Saturday night baseball game is fun. This was my first major league baseball game; up until this point I've only attended farm team games for the Giants, and even that was a long time ago. I went with a friend from my ward and three farmers from Uzbekistan. Yup, now you're even more jealous, aren't you? How did I get in on this great opportunity? WVU is doing some kind of agriculture hosting deal where they've brought in farmers from Uzbekistan to learn American farming techniques. Two of those farmers are staying with my friend's family for two weeks. They wanted to see an American sporting event. Pirates tickets aren't exactly pricey since the team isn't exactly very good (although they were winning when we left at the bottom of the 7th inning last night), so baseball it was. The farmers invited one of their friends from another host family, so that made two English speakers, three Russian speakers, and limited communication other than a Russian phrase book, pointing, and smiles. The Uzbeks came home being able to say "baseball" and "pizza."
Back to the game. We had pretty decent seats, although not where we could catch any foul balls (of which there were many). We were a little too high for when the mascot started shooting t-shirts into the crowds, but we could see well and we were close to a covered entrance when the rain started. In one game I experienced a rain delay, a home run by the real-life version of the bobblehead, Pirogue races around the outer edge of the field (not real pirogues; people in pirogue costumes. Um, is this a Pittsburgh thing?), baseball food, and a lot of random games and trivia clips to keep us entertained when innings got slow. Oh yes-- and guess who the visiting team was? The Colorado Rockies. Nice link to my Colorado family and friends, even if they're not Rockies fans. (The Rockies were the better team as far as I could tell, but don't tell anyone I said that.)
And I got a bobblehead souvenir for free. Life is good.
4 comments:
Sheila, I am soooo jealous. My only memories of that night are looking after nine children and listening to your car alarm go off all night.
I have no idea why my car alarm did that. I'm so sorry! I wish I could have stopped it from a distance.
Where did the extra four children come from?
Man, Uzbekistan is working overtime on international relations these days! I just got a "Visit Uzbekistan" brochure in the mail, complete with tourist map. It was forwarded to my children from my in-laws living in Europe. I've gone years without thinking about Uzbekistan once, and now here it is twice in one week! Maybe someone I know will go some day!
Who would have thought Uzbekistan was launching a major tourism campaign? Maybe Khazakstan as well-- I just heard on NPR that Khazakstan is where the original apple trees that are now all over the world came from (well, supposedly).
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