sitting in comerica park
at the detroit tigers game
surrounded by these kids from canada
here with their team
thirty two strong
for a big night out at the ballpark
so excited for everything
good seats, cotton candy, no rain, family, friends, coaches
calling out to the pro players they recognized
dancing, cheering, singing
their own faces on the big screen
mitts ready
and
especially, especially, especially, especially
for the four foul balls they ended up with
they simply could not believe their luck
overflowing with happiness
at times sharing seats and laps to get an even better look
they could barely contain themselves
with smiles from here to there
and this guy
who made it his personal mission
to come over and tell them
to sit down and stop having so much fun
every chance he had
yet
in the end
the tigers
(and especially, especially that guy)
both lost
it was not even close
the kids had clearly won it all.
—
“baseball was made for kids, and grown-ups only screw it up.”
-bob lemon
Oh well, the kids had a blast and that is all that matters!! Some simply cannot deal with their own frustration. Yeah, the kids won it all!!
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they absolutely did –
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👍👍
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Sounds like everyone had a ball of a time 🙂
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yes!
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He looks like a spoilsport!
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yes, and that’s an understatement )
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Were they yelling in Canadian? That can get tiresome. Glad they had fun and ignored his rules.
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so gentle and what an accent! one set of parents, who when getting up for breaks, said, “excuse us as we get by, we’re canadian so we’ll say ‘sorry’ a lot.” i was glad they ignored him too, as it became his personal mission as we marched through the innings.
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There are just two truly great, sportsmanlike, sports left in the western world — maybe kabaddi is fun but imho they are baseball and cricket. They share contests between the guy with the bat and the guy with the ball within every game, individual feats of bravery, sacrifice, teamspersonship (I had to correct myself when I used the M word), and an unhealthily yet wonderfully nerdy reliance on statistics. Hurrah for Cooperstown and the Lords Museum… if you’re in London go to the home of cricket and take the tour even if you have no inkling as to how — or even why — the game is played. At the museum you’ll see the stuffed sparrow, killed in mid flight by an enthusiastic batter. Or better still Google Detroit Cricket League and catch a game near you with hundreds of folks to explain some of the rules.
Those Canadian kids could see it: The atmosphere evocative of a simpler, gentler age. I hope the jobs-worth is hauled into the general manager’s office for a bit of re-education.
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i’ve seen a bit of cricket here, though i don’t know the game at all. my daughter, married to an aussie, has attended matches, and it is a bit thing there. i’ll check out the museum if i find myself back in london one day, i love the bird story.
i grew up with baseball and have always loved it. it was a game that everyone could afford to attend, and an afternoon or evening spent at the ballpark was magic, and still is.
yes, the kids got it and fully embraced it. the big guy works in that section each weekend and is clearly very ‘protective’ of what goes on there. i hope he can remember what a joy it is to a person, especially a young one, to see it firsthand, up close and personal.
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I hope somebody from the club sees this great post of yours and tells the guy kids are supposed to act this way at the ballpark, Beth. #DetroitTigersGeneralManager #DetroitTigersCustomerService
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thanks, mark. i know that you love baseball too and understand the excitement
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thanks for the share, mark, fellow baseball lover )
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Of course, Beth. Every day for you, those kids and the grand game.
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Cricket was big in the US after the Civil War, particularly in Philadelphia.
Ask your son-in-law about The Ashes. England – at the height of its Imperial self-importance – lost what is known as a Test Match in London in 1882 to a bunch of men who had sailed three months from the bottom of the world. From that came an obituary for English cricket in the press and eventually a little terra cotta urn filled with the cremated ashes of the wooden cross pieces of the wicket.
The Ashes have been happening every two years since then. This December it kicks off once more in Oz. England has its own supporters’ club who spend thousands of dollars following the team on its often unsuccessful forays to India, West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,South Africa, New Zealand or Australia — the cricket playing nations (Zimbabwe is out and Pakistan now plays in the Gulf as it’s too dangerous at home). The fan club is known (of course) as the ‘Barmy Army’.
The honour of baseball impresses me most. Whether it’s the Black Sox or Pete Rose; even the bad times are good.
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yes, there is a certain honor to the game –
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Pingback: the big win. | Mark Bialczak
So glad you, Beth, were the fantastic American ambassador of goodwill and happy diplomacy!! 💕 ⚾
The guy was looking like he was “nice” so it wasn’t until I read your comments that you didn’t think he was teasing the kids. Hmmm, Mark is right, contacting the Detroit Tigers may be in order.
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thanks, robin. no other way to be for me, they were all so happy and having one of their best days ever )
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Nice!
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❤
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Great story for a perfect quote!!
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thanks, jb )
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I’m glad the kids understood they were supposed to have fun. And the adults with them supported that fun. Maybe that fella ended up going home feeling bad about being the only rain on those kid’s enjoyment.
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yes, they all fully embraced it, except for the big guy. i was happy that other people on the field came over to share in the fun with them throughout the game –
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Fun!
>
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it was )
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Shared this with a baseball fan who would understand the excitement. And what a wet blanket that guy was. Bronx cheer from me too (another baseball tradition!)
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thanks, sarah, for your very genuine cheer )
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What fun that had even when told not to. Thanks for sharing Beth looks like you might of had fun too.
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Yes, I’m quite sure we all did )
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I’m sure what was the final score do you remember? LOL
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The scoreboard does not always reflect the true winners.
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that is so very true –
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Good grief, he decided when he woke up today he was going to try and spoil it for everyone else. They’re kids, let them enjoy a fun outting. The big dummy.
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What did you think of the Verlander trade?
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one of my favorite tiger pitchers ever, but i know he wants a ring )
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