Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Play Ball!

I took the day off and headed to Detroit to catch a ballgame. Last night's game was rained out. It was drizzling when this game began and cold--temperature at 1:05 PM, game time, was 51 degrees.
The grass was wet enough that when people slid after a ball, you could see water... Here, at the beginning, you couldn't see the tops of the buildings. By the end of the game, the clouds were breaking up.
Another foggy shot... This was an afternoon game played under the lights! Sadly, the Tigers lost to the White Sox, 6 to 2. The vendors were also suffering. With a light jacket, I wasn't interested in a "cold beer.' Others fans, some dressed in heavy coats, didn't seem very interested either. Later, the vendors were back selling "hot chocolate." At $4 a cup, I decided I wasn't that cold...
This fellow stopped by to see me (or see if I had anything to eat). Teams are named after birds, but I've yet to see a Cardinal, Oriole or Blue Jay in a ball park. But I've seen plenty of pigeons and seagulls!

18 comments:

  1. Seagulls - maybe, but I doubt you'll ever see a team named the pidgeons! LOL


    $4 per cup? Robbery, pure and simple.

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  2. A fantastic idea for this trip to change things up a bit! Wonderful!!!

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  3. The LA Pigeons. Yeah, it's got possibilities.

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  4. Lordy but you were up high. Do they put an emmitter in the ball for you to track with a GPS. And really you cannot blame the clouds, it might be that at ground level things were dry. Cetainly dryer anyway.
    Could you run faster after sitting there for those hours like the Kenyan runners.
    Oh Oh, was it Quidditch you went to see and made an error.
    Mind you I should laugh, check out Croke Park on youtube. For the upper seats are in that Icelandic ash cloud

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  5. For us Southern folk going into winter, it's the start of Rugby season. And I love my rugby!!! Its quite similar to American Football in some ways. We play against New Zealand, South Africa, France, England, and Wales. (Those are the main contenders anyhow.) I hope the weather fines up for ya soon! xo

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  6. Kenju, of course, it's also robbery to pay $7 for beer. At that price, only the rich can afford to become an alcoholic.

    Michael, it was fun to have a day not to think about other things, only about why they kept leaving guys on 3 base (The Tigers stranded 2 or 3 there)

    Charles, I was thinking more about it as a name for the new Washington team--better yet, the Washington Stool Pigeons!

    Vince, you can actually see well there. I don't like the lower deck seats unless you're close to the baselines or behind home plate and those tickets go for $70. I've got too much Scot in me to pay that much for a regular game... these seats were $22... As for that ash cloud, it's blowing your way!

    Michela, I've been to three professional football games and at two of them, I froze my butt off--one was the last game of the season in Pittsburgh--it was snowing and well below freezing and the wind was blowing and I was one of the fools to stay to the end!

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  7. I'm not much of a sports guy but even so, I would still see more games live if the prices weren't so obscene. Not just the gate prices but as you pointed out, the food and beverage prices.

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  8. I miss the old stadium- and their prices! Last time was there was 1984, when they won the World Series..what a team!

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  9. That's what I like about the Houston stadium...they can close the roof on days like this.

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  10. I saw a cardinal the other day. He/she was incredible

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  11. Pittsburgh Pigeons or San Francisco Seagulls, that works!

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  12. Ed, the prices are high!

    Buffalo, never saw the old stadium, but the new one is nice. I still remember the 68 series (I was in the 5th grade and was crushed when the Tigers beat St. Louis)

    Jen, i never like something that big moving over my head!

    Pia, it was a "he." The male cardinals are bright red.

    Kontan, shame on you for saying that about Pittsburgh, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!

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  13. Man, that grass is really green!

    I have a baseball game coming up in a few weeks! Yay for summer.

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  14. Here it's the end of the soccer season. On Sunday the final of the Europe Cup: Inter of Milan against Bayern Munich, here in Madrid. It will be a great match.

    I hope you enjoyed the game, the pics are great!

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  15. I remember the old stadium well, and those times when I watched Al Kaline, Norm Cash, Willie Horton and the oldies; plus the times the Yankees came to town, and I watched Whitey Ford, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, etc.

    I even tried to get a seat or something from the old stadium when they went up for sale, but even the smallest items were nearly a years wages seemed like, so I ended up with nothing.

    I think the 'pigeons' would make a good mascot, seeing how resourceful they are ... maybe the tigers could have used some of their skills at your game?

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  16. I think I'm the only person that really loves those scavenger birds. I love pigeons and seagulls. That's a pretty one that came to see you Sage.

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  17. It was pretty chilly at the two Reds games I went to. I thought it poor marketing for them to be walking around yelling "Ice cold beer!"

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