take me out to the ballgame

Baseball: America's past-time & one of my favorite sports. I love watching baseball--it's entertaining at all levels: from tee-ball to the pros. I grew up with baseball, so I guess it's now wonder that I am constantly asking Jarid to take me out to the ball game.

Dad coached both Jarid & Craig at some point in their young baseball careers. Where could I be found? Not in the stands with the other mothers & daughters, no way! I was always sitting on the bench with a uniform of my own rooting on Daddy's team. Tee-ball & then high school games were exciting to watch because my brothers were playing (Craig is better at baseball than Jarid). But my love for baseball was much bigger than that.

I have & always will "root, root, root for the home team" my Kansas City Royals. I can remember going to Kauffman Stadium (the K) to watch George Brett play as young as 5. I know that the Royals aren't the greatest team in baseball, but I love them anyway. Our biggest claim to fame happened before I was born: defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1985 World Series (my grandmother's house, which was about a mile from the stadium, caught fire during game 7 causing traffic from the game to be redirected--I guess that would be my families claim to fame. . .). In Kansas City we are also famous (rather infamous) for the "pine tar incident." Any top 50 moments in baseball that you watch inevitably shows George Brett charging from the bullpen onto the field in a fit of rage that cannot be matched. No matter what the stats say or how stupid a single player acts, the Royals are my #1 team.

The most awesome experience I have from baseball is meeting the legendary Buck O'Neal (who should be in the baseball hall of fame). Buck treated Crystal, Jarid, Craig, & I like his own grandchildren. When we hugged my grandmother, he made us give him a hug as well. I was so honored to meet on of the Kansas City Monarchs (KC Negro League baseball team). That afternoon I was able to walk around the Negro League Museum & read about KC's rich baseball history. I was in baseball heaven.

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So far this year I have visited the K three times: May 5th against the LA Angels, May 27th against the Minnesota Twins, & June 23 against the Colorado Rockies. Each time I have attended a game my seat buddies have been slightly different. The first game I went with Jarid & Travis; the second, Jarid, Lindsay, & Craig; & the third with Dad, Mom, & Crys. At each game I had a ton of fun cheering on my Royals & soaking in the life at the K: the new HD jumbo tron, the overpriced pop & nachos, the loud, screams & groans of fans, the crack of a baseball bat, Sluggerr, the T-shirt and hotdog launch, the hotdog races (Go Relish!), & singing Take Me Out to the Ballgame.