American Sports Part IV: Baseball

After watching the US versions of proper football, their version of football, and then basketball I finally got a chance to watch some baseball during the summer months.

The closest thing we have to the baseball in the UK is probably watching paint dry rounders or, if you really squint, cricket. Like American Football the games go on FOREVER, and I was also surprised at how many games there are in a season … the teams seemed to be playing every couple of days. Although I don’t enjoy the game as much as basketball (my favourite US sport so far), actually being at the ballpark is a good day/evening out.

I’ve been to two so far: the Indianapolis Indians at Victory Field and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The former representing a newer ballpark; the latter an older, more historic one.

The first Indians game that I went to started off a beautiful early summer evening; it was stupidly hot and humid, we were sat out in the outfield/grass banking, and naturally I was eating a huge portion of fries and a hot dog.

Of course I bought a huge foam hand too. As the game wore on some huge storm clouds came right over, and some flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder added excitement to a game that wasn’t going in any particular direction. Then the rain started to fall and I was amazed that the players were still continuing the game. It looked dangerous with how slippery the grass must have been let alone the lightning that was streaking above our heads. By this time most of the crowd had either left the stadium (textbook fair weather fans!!) or, like us, had ran for cover beneath the main grandstand. After about 20 minutes of persistent rain the players were called off from the pitch and, in scenes identical to rain at Wimbledon, the covers were dragged onto the playing area. Thankfully Cliff Richard didn’t pop us to serenade us.

There is, however, a bit of a sing song that traditionally happens at baseball games … it’s during what is known as “the Seventh Innings Stretch” and the song is “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” – complete with organ! I found the following video on YouTube; unfortunately for you there are no known recordings of my dulcet tones fumbling the lyrics …

Not me …

My trip to Wrigley Field coincided with a weekend trip to Chicago (great city). The ballpark is a beautiful looking sporting arena, something I was able to appreciate even though it was just too hot that day. It was during a spell of intense heat that seemed never ending for a couple of weeks, so I got some nice tan/burn lines.

I liked the fan involvement with the game, the fact that if a ball comes into the stand then you can keep it. It also encourages you to keep watching the game and not to doze off … because that ball would hurt if it hit you. Something that a woman sitting near us can confirm as she was smacked in the face by a ball that was tossed to her son. The boy completely missed the ball that was thrown to him and (I don’t know what the mum was doing) it caught her. I’m ok laughing about it; she was fine. Although I now fully expect baseball karma to smack me with a home run next summer … It also reminded me of the time my youngest sister threw a stone at my dad, from point blank range, whilst at the beach when we were younger. She still claims it was an accident … : )