A Day at the Ballpark

Last Friday, I got the opportunity to go to the Cardinals game against the Rays, thanks to Aaron Borchelt, the field usher who is featured in yesterday's post. I ended up sitting in the first row on the 1st base line, a couple seats to the right of the tarp. It was an awesome experience sitting so close to the action. Two foul balls headed a couple seats to my right, close enough to make me wish I had brought my glove, and another sailed right above me deep into the 1st tier of seats. Despite the lousy turnout of the game, I did get to see Chris Perez up close in his major league debut, which was worth the while itself. He certainly looks major league-ready and was calm enough on the mound to recover from a rare Albert Pujols error. The best part of being at the game wasn't dissecting our team's performance or anything I could just as easily be able to do at home, however. Rather, the best part of being at the game was simply being at the game, being in the moment, being a fan. It was my first game of the season, and hopefully won't be the last. Walking through stadium brought back a feeling I hadn't experienced since last summer; seeing the rest of Cardinal Nation fill the ballpark, listening to the organ rile up the crowd, smelling the hot dogs and peanuts being served around the stadium, and watching the players simply toss the ball before the game all reminded me of how much I miss summer and how much I'm glad to be back in St. Louis. It's only baseball, but it's also a way for this distanced college student to return to the place he missed most... home.

Here are some pictures I took sitting in the closest seats I have ever sat in:

It also was the major league debut of Chris Perez, who hit 100 on the gun and repeatedly hit 95-97 MPH. Below is a short video of him throwing a pitch, one of his first in a Cardinals uniform. To the left you might see a familiar face - that's Silent George Hendrick as the 1st base coach.