Play Ball

John's youngest daughter Johnnie Lynn turned eight years old in March. She wanted to go see a St. Louis Cardinal baseball game as one of her birthday presents. So on June first we went to an afternoon game to see the Cardinals play the Dodgers. It turned out to be one of those great days to watch a baseball game. The weather was in the low 80's and the sky was overcast. It meant we weren't baking in the St. Louis sun. There are plenty of ways to see a ball game. Bleacher seats, box seats, first base side, third base side, outfield, just lots of choices. I thought it would be fun to sit on the Coca Cola Patio in straight away center field. It had the bonus of having your food and drink included in the price of the ticket. When a beer at the ball park can cost over $10 it seemed reasonable to pay more for the ticket and have those drinks included. Johnnie could have all the Coke products she could drink. Since I like to experience things though Johnnie's eyes I gave her the camera and had her take pictures.

She wanted a picture of her father and grandfather before we left. I'm wearing my Cardinal hat. It is a bit dated since it shows the Cardinals as 9 time World Series champions. They have now won the title 11 times.

Since I paid for the tickets I had John drive our car. So Johnnie wanted a picture while we were on the road.

This is the view of the field we had from our seats. There was only one time during the game we had to stand up to see a play. One of the Dodger players hit a long fly ball to the warning track in center field and we had to stand to see it caught by Dexter Fowler.

The people in white standing along the first and third base lines are members of the United States Navy. The large group behind home plate are new recruits taking the oath and joining the Navy that day. Join the Navy, watch a Cardinal game and off to basic training.

The band pictured above played God Bless America. The group farther away was tasked with singing the national anthem. I know in the recent past there have been individuals who felt compelled to kneel or refused to stand for the national anthem. While I disagree with their manner of protest I do respect their right to do so. There was no protest this day. Everyone stood and respected the playing and singing of the anthem.

Yadier Molina, the Cardinals catcher warms up in the outfield in right field. He stopped his warm up routine to pay his respects to the flag and the anthem.

The game has begun. It turned out to be a low scoring event. Adam Wainright was the Cardinal pitcher. The game ended with the Cardinals winning 2-0. The only runs were scored in the second inning when Wainright hit a two run homer into the left field bullpen. Pretty tough when you have to pitch and drive in all the runs.

There is a story behind every picture. The players pictured here are relief pitchers heading for the clubhouse after the game. One of our friends on Tybee by the name of Mike has a nephew who plays for the Cardinals as a relief pitcher. He was called up from triple A Memphis the day before and I was hoping to get a picture of him on his first day as a major league player with the Cardinals. He has previously played in the majors with the Braves. He, unfortunately, is not in this picture.

So, how did the day turn out? Well, Johnnie says it was the "the best birthday present ever". She's only 8 years old so hopefully the future will hold even better gifts. Having made that disclaimer I think Grandpa hit a home run this year.