I Really Was at the Ball Game

Yes, I really was at the ball game today. Here's stuff to prove it.



We were originally going to take BART, but at the last minute decided to drive. That was fine with me. I don't like riding a train car with a bunch of drunks, whether or not they're really drunks or just boys having fun on the way to the manly bonding experience called a baseball game. It only took us ten minutes tops to get to the Coliseum (I know they call it something else now, but to me it'll always be the Coliseum, just as the stadium where the Niners play will always be the Stick).

Going to our seats was a huge moment of deja vu for me. The last time I stepped foot in that arena was the summer of 1975 when we attended a Day on the Green (remember those, Bay Area old farts?). I think that year was a British invasion with Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton, and whoever else was from Britain and on the charts. I do remember that we were sitting in the seats under the overhang and some dude walked up to us, dropped a huge baggie of dope on my lap, said "Peace", and walked away. I don't remember the rest of the concert except that Stevie Nicks took off her bra and threw it into the audience. It must be the age thing that prevents me from remembering. Ahem.

One thing I noticed is that they must have ripped the seats out and replaced them with very small ones. I sure don't remember being so squished in them 32 years ago. I know I haven't gained any weight - in fact, I can still wear the miniature clothes I wore back then. (If you believe that, then I have something to sell you.) Hubster and I were so mooshed up that I couldn't spread my arms out to knit. After the game had started, we moved down a few rows, since there was NOBODY there, and then I was able to take up almost two seats (I can't believe I gained that much weight... or maybe I just spread out a little).

But I'm getting ahead of myself a bit. First of all, it was also Hat Day, so I was hoping to get a straw hat. We got there too late - they were out. So we bought the hat you see in the picture. It's a child's hat, which shows you how small my head really is. Hm. I wonder if I look like those space creatures on Bugs Bunny with the huge bodies and tiny heads. That's a scary thought. So while we were in the souvenir shop, I asked the clerk where the Stitch 'n Pitch table was. They hadn't even heard of it. Not a good sign.

It turns out that there was a tiny table set up on the upper deck behind all the seats and crammed into a corner. Only a few people were in line to get their gifts. I saw what it was and wondered how they put yarn and needles and stuff into it. Well... they didn't. The green container thing you see in the picture was it. While its cute, I never would have gone to a ball game just for that. I got two of them, since we had two tickets. If I'm knitting a single sock on DPN's, I can fit it in there. If I'm doing two socks at once, forget it. Sigh.

So we went back to our seats, Hubster went for grub (nachos, beer, hot dogs, more nachos, Sierra Mist, etc. - you have to eat like a pig at these things), and I spread out (literally) and began to knit. There was a very small group of knitters behind me and a few more below me. It was terribly disappointing - I thought there would be a huge group, judging by the pictures of other games I've seen. Oh well - more room for me.

I kept falling asleep every few stitches and then got really cold (we were in the shade, and the wind was blowing). So I went to another souvenir shop to buy a zip-up sweatshirt. I bought the cheapest one they had - $66. While its nice, its not worth that much money. Oh well - I spend that much on a couple skeins of yarn. (And that's what I was thinking as I paid for it - how much yarn I could be buying.) At least I was now warm.

Hubster and I left around the sixth inning. The game was boring as hell (although there was a fight between the second batter and the pitcher - the pitcher hit the batter with the ball, and the batter ran to the pitcher and started whaling away on him... then both teams came pouring out to either help or try to stop it). That was the highlight of the game. I damn near fell asleep in the car on the way to the grocery store and did fall asleep on the way home. Then I sat down at the computer and promptly fell asleep again, waking up just a half-hour ago.

So that was my Sunday. There was so much I could have done - knitted, worked on getting my stash sorted out, drooled all over myself as I fell asleep in front of the TV - but I have to admit that it was fun going somewhere and being outside. Will I go again? No. It just wasn't worth it.

And I didn't even get a baggie of dope.