Take Me Out to the Ballgame

This past Saturday we took Harper to her first Rangers game. We had been looking forward to the game for the past month or so. They were playing my old hometown team The Angels, and it was also Josh Hamilton bobblehead day. Now, I've never been a huge baseball fan, but I do easily become fans of certain players. Back in the day, I loved the Dodgers because they had Brett Butler and Mike Piazza. I've followed The Angels my whole life because I grew up 20 minutes from Anaheim Stadium (or whatever it's being called this minute), and feel a certain sense of familiarity and warmth for that stadium since all of the Harvest Crusades are held there. I can't remember any specific player that I've absolutely loved from The Angels, and it's been a while since the Brett Butler/Mike Piazza days. Enter Josh Hamilton. I won't go into it here, but he's got a great story, an amazing testimony and I just like the guy. Okay, maybe I love him. In any case, I love watching the Texas Rangers because I love Josh Hamilton. And Salty. And Kinsler. (Hey, I just listed those guys without even looking them up! Yay me!)

All that to say, I'd really been looking forward to Saturday. It was Harper's first baseball game and the first one Jon and I had ever attended together. He loves the Rangers so he jumps at any chance he can to go. Seeing a special matchup between The Angels and The Rangers was just icing on the cake, especially since it adds to our hometown rivalry. ;) Having it be Josh Hamilton bobblehead day was the candy sprinkle on the icing.

It had been raining all day long so we weren't sure if the game would be called off or not. We made our way down there with the hopes everything would be good to go. Word was that the game was definitely happening but there was going to be a delay. As I saw the people streaming from the stadium, arms filled with bobblehead boxes, I became more anxious to just get parked so we could get one of the limited numbers they'd be giving away. Thankfully no one had to be hurt and we each got one.

A note about Texas hospitality: I checked the website for permitted items allowed into the stadium and we packed our two small soft-sided coolers with sodas and snacks since hard coolers are not allowed. We got to bag check and realized cans were not allowed either (oops!) and I contemplated either ditching the sodas and cooler or trekking back to the car in the drizzle. That's when the lady at bag check asked if I wanted a cart. It took me a second to let it sink in that they were offering for someone to take us back to our car in a golf cart so we could drop off the cooler that I stupidly packed with cans. How great is that??? Even better is she let us pick up our bobbleheads first so that those could get back to the car and we wouldn't have to schlep them around with us the rest of the day. I stayed with Harper while Jon took the stuff back, all the while amazed and thankful of how accomodating the staff was, like it was no big deal. It meant a lot to us, especially since they could have very well not cared and just left us to figure it out.

We spent a good majority of the rain delay in the very top row of the stadium where it was covered. Harper was amazingly awesome the entire day. We did manage to keep her heavily bribed with Cheerios, raisins and goldfish all day. Hey, whatever works, right? She spent a good part of the day snacking, hugging, dancing, flirting with the row behind us, and even taking a nap! I couldn't have asked for her to do any better, and I know how difficult it will be for her to stay sitting still once she can walk, so I was soaking up every minute of her on my lap.

Here's some of our pictures of the day. Rangers won! It was a very strange thing for me to be somewhat rooting against the Angels, though I managed to represent the hometown by donning an Angels hat. Can take the girl out of California but can't take the California out of the girl. (Oh yeah - that's a Rangers t-shirt I'm wearing with #32 (Hamilton) on the back.)

View of the new Cowboys Stadium behind us.

Hanging out in the top row waiting for the rain to stop. She got her raincoat from Mimi (who had to get horses for her Texan granddaughter). We were so thankful to have it!

Trying on Daddy's hat.

Watching the crew prep the field.

Waiting for the game to start. She amazingly left her hat alone for most of the day.

Headed back to the car, Rangers Stadium behind us.

hehe.. you think this is your bobblehead, Mommy?