Hockey Goalie Mikayla Demaiter Struts Around A Mansion Pool Complex, Matt Chapman's Dog & Idiot Of The Year
I took Screencaps Jr. to his first Major League Baseball game(s)
Wednesday was a pretty special day around here. The baseball gods lined up a good one in Detroit where the Pirates and Tigers had an old-school, one ticket gets you into a doubleheader featuring pitchers Jared Jones vs. Tarik Skubal & headliner Paul Skenes in the second game.
The doubleheader was mentioned during the Wednesday morning OutKick Zoom call, and it got me thinking. Why not make it happen? I might not attend many MLB games these days, but I know the value in a one-ticket doubleheader and I know enough about young MLB pitching to know this was one that I couldn't pass up.
I told Screencaps Jr. he was making his MLB ballpark debut, and we were off to The D.
At first, I couldn't gauge his excitement level. With no previous experiences at ballparks outside of Toledo Mud Hens games and a trip to Akron to see the Savannah Bananas, he was going in blind, but his eyes would open soon enough.
The first indication that I knew he was grasping the scale of the day happened as we walked the block from our car to the ballpark. I think there was a "Woah" as he first laid eyes on the size of the park. Then, there was the rush entering Comerica and seeing the field from the standing-room only area in right-center.
Screencaps Jr. observations that I noticed:
– There was a constant smile, a constant level of amazement over the scale of things. The scoreboard was bigger than any scoreboard he'd ever seen. The hot dog vendors were louder than he'd ever heard.
– I splurged on seats three rows behind the Tigers dugout so he could get a perspective from field level, but he really enjoyed the view from the upper deck and the outfield seats where he didn't have to turn his head to the left to see the scoreboard. That's a score. Now I can say we opted for the row 30 tickets so we can see the scoreboard. Hey, we can always move down!
– He was very interested in Ty Cobb after I told him how there are stories that have been passed down of Cobb being a dirty player and how he played the game ruthlessly in order to win. Myth or not, he keyed in on the stories fast.
– The novelty of the fountains blasting after a Tigers home run intrigued him and in the second game he got to see them go off after Matt Vierling hit a solo shot off Paul Skenes.
– Screencaps Jr. was concerned about sitting in seats that weren't our own. Bless his heart. I explained how Tigers ushers weren't worried about fans during a daytime doubleheader in May.
– His food list: a stadium dog (loved it); small french fries (really loved them); baseball helmet of chocolate ice cream (really, really loved it, but it was three huge scoops of ice cream which he didn't finish; I'll give Comerica credit for not cheating kids on the ice cream helmet; It might be $8, but it's enough for at least two kids).
– He heard his first stadium heckling and the guy was going after Rowdy Tellez in the outfield bleachers. "You suck, Tellez", the guy kept yelling. I get the feeling that line will become something we talk about for years in this house. I had to explain why the guy would be going after a member of my Garage Beer All-Star team.
My observations:
– I'm very happy with the changes in pace of play since the last time I went to an MLB game. It's not hard to see how teams have adopted ideas developed by the Savannah Bananas. The constant music between outs. The constant crowd shots. Between innings is much faster. The pitchers running to the mound to get innings rolling is a nice touch.
– Game one went just over two hours. A nine-inning game with 8 runs!
– There was a general upbeat feeling at the park. Yes, it was a Detroit school kids day at the park, but the fans in general seemed to be engaged, not falling asleep and ready to be on the scoreboard having fun.
– MLB is going to go broke with how many baseballs are going into the stands to the fans. The Tigers were throwing a baseball into the stands after pretty much every out when the bases were empty.
– I think the stadium hot dog was like $7. As a country, we need to figure out how to get that down to $4. We can do better.
– The credit card machine asking for a tip – and the workers looking – was a nice touch. I can't wait until those damn things are shot into space.
– I'm telling you, don't sleep on Detroit. Yet again, the city was on fire with action for a Wednesday. I'd never seen so much work traffic leaving downtown. Woodward Ave. is looking like an actual big city. There are expensive shops. Expensive hotels everywhere. The filth that I knew from downtown Detroit two decades ago is gone. I don't know the costs and who's paying for it, but things are much, much different.
Why didn't you take your son to an MLB game before this?
I thought about this question quite a bit yesterday. Had I failed as a parent? There were tons of parents with young kids at the park Wednesday. Had I committed parenting malpratice.
Honestly, I didn't think Junior would enjoy sitting there watching an MLB game. I didn't think he'd understand the scale, and it would be a whatever, can we go moment in his life.
As a kid growing up in Dayton, Ohio without a minor league baseball team to enjoy, my dad was left no choice but to take me to Reds games. That was all we had and knew.
But I don't have many memories of games until I was about 11 or 12. That's when things exploded for me. I was hooked.
My hope is that I hit Screencaps Jr. with this doubleheader at the perfect time in his life where he'll develop a love of the live experience and understand why it's better than watching on a TV screen.
Wednesday, I never heard "When are we heading home?"
It was a relief. A huge relief.
After Skenes finished the 6th inning at 100 pitches, I knew it was time to roll. Fully content with his first big-time experience, Screencaps Jr. slept nearly the whole way home.
My work here was done.
Speaking of the current state of tipping
Someone tell me this IS NOT actually happening. Please tell me this is a Photoshop job.
Vintage Pizza Huts that have been transformed
– Beer Guy Neil writes:
I don't know if we're still doing repurposed Pizza Huts, but this one in East Cleveland is a beauty.
Visiting Ohio
– Bill in Oregon writes:
My beautiful bride and I just returned from a visit to the Cleveland area to visit our son that had moved to Ohio a while back. While we did typical tourist stuff like visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and having lunch in Little Italy in Cleveland, most of our time was in the Vermillion and Amherst area. We had a wonderful time and several Screencaps topics came to mind.
1. Saw lots of homes with great lawns. I found myself wondering how many of the owners mowed on Thursday nights.
2. Took a boat trip to Put in Bay. A place I had never heard of before until I learned of your previous golf event in previous years. It was a fun place and we had an enjoyable visit.
3. Sunsets over Lake Erie can be spectacular.
You certainly live in a wonderful place (despite the incredible thunderstorm and tornado watch last Sunday) and we met a number of very friendly people. I believe you have a great place to raise your kids.
Kinsey:
Bill, thank you for your words about Ohio. Of course, it has its warts and it's endless cornfields, but we have a few special places to have some fun. At the end of the day, only one state in this union can boast it's "The Heart of It All."
That's Ohio, Bill.
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That's it this morning. Tell me about taking your kids to their first MLB games. Tell me about what you remember about attending your first big-time sporting events.
Now go have a great day as we close down May.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com