Taking my daughters to their very first Braves game . . . $50
Two jumbo hot dogs, a Coke, and a box of popcorn for the family while watching the ballgame . . . $21
Missing the home team’s stunning comeback after the Braves were down by eight runs capped off by a seventh inning Grand Slam because the girls couldn’t last past three innings. . . F@!KING PRICELESS, JUST UN-F@!KING-BELIEVABLY PRICELESS!
On Thursday, May 20, Ruth and I left work early to take the girls to their very first baseball game. It was a disaster.
We walked in at the top of the second inning just as the Reds hit a grand slam. We just got to the game and the Braves were already down by 8 runs. The good thing about that is there was no pressure to get to our seats to watch the game. So we took the kids to a children’s play area at the ballpark with slides, things to climb and soft-balls to throw at moving targets which they enjoyed. Then we made our way to the seats and bought essential ballpark food. Chloe Jane had been wanting popcorn since we left the house and was assured that there would be popcorn at this ballgame.
Chloe Jane looked at her surroundings while we watched the game from our seats and observed that “we’re in a castle, Daddy.” Before the box of popcorn was finished, the kids began to get hot so we left our seats and walked around the terrace level where we could still watch the game.
By the middle of the fifth inning, we were on our way out of Turner Field (Braves down seven runs). The girls were a bit tired from all the walking so we carried them most of the way back to the minivan. It was a long walk and I eventually had to ask Chloe Jane if she could walk the rest of the way with me and she politely said, “yes.”
When we got home, the kids were tired from the outing and quickly fell asleep for their naps. I went down and checked the news on the web. To my horror, I caught a headline about a stunning comeback by the Braves. After being down 8 runs, the Braves came back and won the game 10-9. The rally was capped off by a grand slam in the seventh inning.
So on the first time taking my family to see a baseball game, I missed an amazing comeback and a pinch hit grand slam because the girls couldn’t last three innings.
Like I said, it was a disaster . . . an unmitigated disaster.
Next time , to the Braves “castle” , go for last 3 innings!
We’ve NEVER made it to the seventh inning stretch and our kids are 11 and 9! We s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the ballpark food-one treat per inning if you will-starting with peanutes-then cotton candy-then…you get the picture. We’ve learned to buy the cheapest seats way up high in the SHADE uptop so they kids can walk around-baseball is long and hot and oh so boring….but it’s a piece of American fun-good for you guys for trying it!!! Check it off the bucket list….(GO REDS)