Tonight we are headed to watch Stephen Strasburg pitch his first game against the Marlins. We've got the most incredible seats right behind home plate so it should be a lot of fun, especially for the boys who would both love to become pitchers someday. Now, to be honest, up until last season I really didn't care about going to see the Marlins play. I had never been much of a spectator. If I wasn't going to be playing, I really didn't care to go watch. And that is still true for just about every other sport (Tour De France and Ironman Triathlons excluded).
But that all changed when T got hooked on baseball last summer. It wasn't enough to play catch everyday, or watch games on television. He loved going to the ballpark to watch these guys play. It helped that for each of the first three game he went to that he either got a foul ball or an autograph. But unlike most kids his age, when he is there to watch a game - he watches. He doesn't care about all the food. He doesn't care about the souvenirs. He is really there to watch the game. He follows the stats and asks all kinds of questions on why players make certain plays, but he never takes his eyes off of the field. And if you are going to a game with him, you better be ready to stick around until the last pitch is thrown, no matter how big a blowout it is or how many extra-innings it takes.
This year Austin got into the mix and wanted to go to the games with us too. He's a different kind of fan than T though. Where T will just sit there quietly and watch the game like he was a surgeon figuring out how to do a certain procedure and somebody's life depended on him getting it perfect, Austin is there to make some noise. He's razzing the players from the other team whenever he can. He'll shout at them and really get into the emotional aspect of the game. They are complete opposites, and I love getting to sit next to them and watching their passion for the sport shine through in their own individual way.
As long as it doesn't rain, it should be a great way to start the weekend!
But that all changed when T got hooked on baseball last summer. It wasn't enough to play catch everyday, or watch games on television. He loved going to the ballpark to watch these guys play. It helped that for each of the first three game he went to that he either got a foul ball or an autograph. But unlike most kids his age, when he is there to watch a game - he watches. He doesn't care about all the food. He doesn't care about the souvenirs. He is really there to watch the game. He follows the stats and asks all kinds of questions on why players make certain plays, but he never takes his eyes off of the field. And if you are going to a game with him, you better be ready to stick around until the last pitch is thrown, no matter how big a blowout it is or how many extra-innings it takes.
This year Austin got into the mix and wanted to go to the games with us too. He's a different kind of fan than T though. Where T will just sit there quietly and watch the game like he was a surgeon figuring out how to do a certain procedure and somebody's life depended on him getting it perfect, Austin is there to make some noise. He's razzing the players from the other team whenever he can. He'll shout at them and really get into the emotional aspect of the game. They are complete opposites, and I love getting to sit next to them and watching their passion for the sport shine through in their own individual way.
As long as it doesn't rain, it should be a great way to start the weekend!
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