Baseball, Apple Pie, and Exhaustion

Happy Independence Day to all of my United States readers.

I tend to do things a little backwards, so I saw my 4th of July fireworks yesterday, at a minor league baseball game.  But first, I managed to get myself totally exhausted doing a 4 mile exercise walk in the humidity (we had some on and off rain yesterday).  It wasn't the most humid it's been, and it was only in the 80's but it somehow got to me.  So I was pretty tired by the time I got to the stadium.

In case you have only been to a MLB (Major League Baseball) game, you have a real treat coming and owe it to yourself to visit your nearest minor league stadium.  Minor league baseball is NOT major league baseball. Thank heavens.

I grew up in the Bronx, New York City and my parents were not baseball fans, so how I managed to become interested in baseball (in the early 1960's, when girls "didn't do that") is beyond me. My first couple of games, with friends were Ladies Day games.  Am I ever dating myself!  And then I met my future spouse.

The only baseball either of us ever knew was large stadium baseball. As older teens, the only seats we could afford were what we called the "nosebleed seats" and if you didn't have binoculars you vaguely knew there was a game going on down there below.  So years later, when we started going to B-Mets (Binghamton Mets, double A baseball) games when our son was younger, we were pleasantly surprised.

The stadium only holds some 6000 people and almost every seat is a good seat. 

When my son was young, the players freely gave autographs.  My son would wiggle up to the fence with the other children, when warm ups were going on, with his baseball.  Keep in mind, some of these players end up going to the major leagues (such as, Jose Reyes).  I didn't notice any autographing going on last night, and that is disappointing.

Between innings, there is hokey but fun entertainment. Over the years this entertainment has included musical commodes (don't ask), beanbag tosses for free restaurant tickets, and races between costumed characters dressed as the products of that year's sponsor.  Last night, a young man dressed up in an Uncle Sam costume threw T-shirts into the audience.  Later on, another costumed character tossed wrapped hot dogs into the audience.

The B-Mets wore "flag" uniforms that will be auctioned off after tonight's game.

The fireworks were about 10 minutes long, and the crowd enjoyed them.  Tonight there will be fireworks at a local park but the traffic is horrible and the parking limited.  We did it once and after that decided we would go to the B-Mets games for our fireworks.

And what about that apple pie?  We never have any.  Instead, my spouse (the family cook) will cook clams, hamburgers, corn on the cob.  But it's still a good ending to a very sunny day and some yard work and blogging. Later, we'll watch some of the 4th of July celebration in Washington DC on PBS.  And then we go to sleep early, to wake up for tomorrow's work day.