About a month ago, Garrett and I had the chance to attend a baseball game for our local minor league team. The Salt Lake City Bees are the AAA affiliate of the Anaheim Angels. We only stayed for half the game, but it was much more enjoyable than the last time we went two summers ago. This time, Garrett actually watched a little of the game. Of course he was still more excited by the play area and the fire truck on display outside the front entrance. And of course, he was most excited in the third inning when we bought ice cream scooped into a little plastic Bees batting helmet--I'm sure that was his favorite part.
The only negative part was early in the game when a line drive was hit into the stands below where we were sitting on the third base side. The ball struck a I'm guessing two year old boy in the head who was sitting on his father's lap. The father tried to dodge the ball and shield his son with his hands but the ball hit right between the man's arms. Luckily, the child was screaming and not hanging like a limp doll. The father and the son left immediately--I'm certain for medical attention. There was no blood or unconsciousness but it looked pretty ugly. I felt really badly for that father who was trying to enjoy the evening with his slightly younger son the same way I was enjoying my evening with mine. At least the batting coach for the opposing team, showed concern before the man darted off and the people around him made sure that the sad twosome were in possession of the ball that the toddler had earned so painfully.
So we left around the end of the sixth inning. It was already well past Garrett's bed time and we had already seen some good run scoring including several home runs. We (I) was excited to see, in the morning paper, that the Bees did indeed hang on for the win.
I wonder if Garrett will end up playing baseball. He really wanted to play T-Ball this last year, having watched me play in my summer softball league. Of course if I ask him what sport he wants to play when he gets older the answer always changes. Today the answer was "everything." I pressed harder and he said, "basketball, and ski, and in the ice place, and football, and hockey, and just everything."
Matthew, on the other hand, I think will like baseball. He likes carrying around the toy bat and throwing the ball around. Then again he's quite the little scrapper. He could be a wrestler, or running back, or try and talk his mom into letting him enlist in MMA.
