american pastime

This evening I went to my first local baseball game in YEARS. I think the last one I went to was one my uncle played in (??? maybe???). Every summer, our local park hosts teams from all over the county and this was the first time I have managed to check it out. I didn't get to stay the whole time, but I loved it! There is something so American and family oriented about baseball! Kids were running around, sunflower seeds were flying, hot dogs were cheap, and the seats were great. Even the weather was amazing. Baseball is the kind of sport that can be really laid back, and then in a moment, takes you by surprise (like a home run...or when the ball flies at the fence in front of you and you forget a fence is there and jump three feet, haha, like I did). It encourages conversations, and takes you away from the world for a while. No wonder it was such a rich part of our history during wartime.

Going tonight made me remember the baseball games our family used to play in my grandparents' front yard. I am sure that yard was not huge, but it seemed so to my young heart. Home base was a big tree with long branches that made for a great hiding place. And my dad or one of my uncles would pitch and we would run around the yard. I remember going to the local park in Oxnard to hit the ball with my dad and brother. Baseball was one of the few sports that wiggled its way into my heart. The few Dodger games I went to were so fun! The wave, where everyone would stand and raise their arms...the loud organ...the peanuts...baseball. I hope it never gets so watered down by money that it forgets to be the great American pastime. I think that is why I loved the local game so much. It was simple, and a moment that recalled the delight of the game that was so well established in my heart as a young girl.