Sweetheart of the Game
This weekend marked the Third Annual SwankPoet 4th of July Minor League Baseball Road Trip Extravaganza. We did a low-rent version this year (Tri-Cities and Yakima, and only one night actually away from home) because we've got a wedding to pay for and I'm burning up my vacation time this year on wedding related extravaganzas (not only my own, but Kaphine and RealSuperGirl's as well.)
It was my first time at a game in Yakima (I've now been to all the Northwest League stadiums) and although the town of Yakima is a dump, and the team consistently is at the bottom of the barrel on attendance rankings it was a FABULOUS time!
It wasn't for the quality of the ball. Angel Rocha, pitching for the Bears, gave up 6 walks in the first inning. Two hits. One of those hits because he forgot to cover first base on a routine ground ball (which SHOULD HAVE BEEN the third out of the inning). Eight Spokane runs scored that inning. Not only did Angel not make it to the fifth inning, where he could have been the pitcher of record, but he did not even make it out of the first inning. There is only one other time I can recall not seeing a pitcher make it out of the first inning of a game. The year I worked for the Northwest League, Boise had a phenom 18 year old (whose name I totally cannot remember at this moment) who was making his pitching debut in the Tri-Cities. Because he was young and new to the squad he was on a strict twenty-five pitch count maximum, and I think he got pulled with two guys out.
So not the best ball (Spokane also scored 6 runs in the 3rd inning. Everyone on the Spokane team got to score a run except for John Mayberry Jr. who went 0-6 that night). But, they had some kick-ass promotions.
OK, one kick-ass promotion. Before the 2nd inning the local flower shop sponsors the "Sweetheart of the Game." An essay contest of sorts, you fill out the sheet in your program as to why your Sweetie should be Sweetheart of the Game and they select one lucky winner who gets recognition in front of the stand and flowers from the sponsor's flower shop. I never saw the entry form in my program, because Sweetie is super-sneaky, but when the entry talks of how you're getting married later in the month, and you're on your Third Annual Forth of July Minor League Baseball Road Trip extravaganza (and it was MY IDEA to go on the first one, which seems impressive to a lot of people but was a no-brainer to me) - well, how can that NOT be a winning entry? And it was! He didn't even mention how we wouldn't be getting married were it not for the infield fly rule, or how the rehearsal dinner is at a rival NWL stadium and we're maybe more excited about that than the wedding itself.
Except, well, Sweetie made a typographical error on the form. At first I thought the guy reading the form mis-spoke, but Sweetie informed me later that HE had made the mistake. It was a BIG mistake. A mistake that led to much teasing over the course of the evening. I'm not going to repeat the mistake here, because at one point I came to a realization: Short-Season A Ball is at the bottom of the ladder. Pretty much anyone with hopes of a career in baseball can start out here with dreams of moving up. Players, coaches, umps, front office staff, broadcasters, this is your chance for a foot in the door. Some guys give up 6 walks and 8 runs in a half inning, but the year I was in the Northwest League Dontrelle Willis pitched for the Boise Hawks and now he's in the majors. And kicking ass.
So Sweetie just made a rookie mistake. I have no doubt he's going to make the majors. And now he can say he's getting married to a Sweetheart of the Game.
And Sweetie also got really lucky. Usually mid-game I'll get up to stretch my legs, use the restrooms, maybe grab a pretzel. But with a 1 hour long first inning (about 55 minutes of that was top of the first inning) Sweetie is lucky I didn't get up earlier than I did. As it was, I barely made it into the top of the third inning before I had to leave. I asked Sweetie what he would have done if I'd tried to get up to leave before they announced Sweetheart of the Game. Sweetie says he wouldn't have let me leave, which would have been REALLY entertaining to watch, given that in every game we've ever been to in the history of our relationship he's not had issue with me wanting to get up for a stretch during the game. But, alas, we'll never know how that would have turned out.
It was my first time at a game in Yakima (I've now been to all the Northwest League stadiums) and although the town of Yakima is a dump, and the team consistently is at the bottom of the barrel on attendance rankings it was a FABULOUS time!
It wasn't for the quality of the ball. Angel Rocha, pitching for the Bears, gave up 6 walks in the first inning. Two hits. One of those hits because he forgot to cover first base on a routine ground ball (which SHOULD HAVE BEEN the third out of the inning). Eight Spokane runs scored that inning. Not only did Angel not make it to the fifth inning, where he could have been the pitcher of record, but he did not even make it out of the first inning. There is only one other time I can recall not seeing a pitcher make it out of the first inning of a game. The year I worked for the Northwest League, Boise had a phenom 18 year old (whose name I totally cannot remember at this moment) who was making his pitching debut in the Tri-Cities. Because he was young and new to the squad he was on a strict twenty-five pitch count maximum, and I think he got pulled with two guys out.
So not the best ball (Spokane also scored 6 runs in the 3rd inning. Everyone on the Spokane team got to score a run except for John Mayberry Jr. who went 0-6 that night). But, they had some kick-ass promotions.
OK, one kick-ass promotion. Before the 2nd inning the local flower shop sponsors the "Sweetheart of the Game." An essay contest of sorts, you fill out the sheet in your program as to why your Sweetie should be Sweetheart of the Game and they select one lucky winner who gets recognition in front of the stand and flowers from the sponsor's flower shop. I never saw the entry form in my program, because Sweetie is super-sneaky, but when the entry talks of how you're getting married later in the month, and you're on your Third Annual Forth of July Minor League Baseball Road Trip extravaganza (and it was MY IDEA to go on the first one, which seems impressive to a lot of people but was a no-brainer to me) - well, how can that NOT be a winning entry? And it was! He didn't even mention how we wouldn't be getting married were it not for the infield fly rule, or how the rehearsal dinner is at a rival NWL stadium and we're maybe more excited about that than the wedding itself.
Except, well, Sweetie made a typographical error on the form. At first I thought the guy reading the form mis-spoke, but Sweetie informed me later that HE had made the mistake. It was a BIG mistake. A mistake that led to much teasing over the course of the evening. I'm not going to repeat the mistake here, because at one point I came to a realization: Short-Season A Ball is at the bottom of the ladder. Pretty much anyone with hopes of a career in baseball can start out here with dreams of moving up. Players, coaches, umps, front office staff, broadcasters, this is your chance for a foot in the door. Some guys give up 6 walks and 8 runs in a half inning, but the year I was in the Northwest League Dontrelle Willis pitched for the Boise Hawks and now he's in the majors. And kicking ass.
So Sweetie just made a rookie mistake. I have no doubt he's going to make the majors. And now he can say he's getting married to a Sweetheart of the Game.
And Sweetie also got really lucky. Usually mid-game I'll get up to stretch my legs, use the restrooms, maybe grab a pretzel. But with a 1 hour long first inning (about 55 minutes of that was top of the first inning) Sweetie is lucky I didn't get up earlier than I did. As it was, I barely made it into the top of the third inning before I had to leave. I asked Sweetie what he would have done if I'd tried to get up to leave before they announced Sweetheart of the Game. Sweetie says he wouldn't have let me leave, which would have been REALLY entertaining to watch, given that in every game we've ever been to in the history of our relationship he's not had issue with me wanting to get up for a stretch during the game. But, alas, we'll never know how that would have turned out.
posted by Swankette at 11:08 AM
1 Comments:
That's sooo cute!!!
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