Hmm. I probably should have brought a Danish-English phrase book with me.
Many years later, my hubby is still crazy about the Twins. I'm more of a fair weather fan. If you give me a hot dog and a beer, I'll shout out "Go Twins!" like nobody's business. Otherwise, I couldn't tell you what the latest box scores were.
Back in March, we went to a spring training game in Ft. Meyers. While, I didn't get a hot dog, I did get a thirst-quenching overpriced beer. It was a fun outing. And now you get to see a million pictures of the game because, hey, that's one way of living up to my marriage vows.
So here we go. Grab yourself a hot dog and beer before you start scrolling down.
When you get to Hammond Stadium, you're in little doubt that you're in Twins Territory. It's a nice little stadium. It's got a Florida vibe going on.
I may or may not be in the picture below. Those of you who know me, know that I'm camera shy. I'll give you a hint. I'm wearing a Twins t-shirt.
I guess that's not a great hint. Everyone was wearing Twins gear.
We watched the Colorado Rockies' batting practice. That netting is a good reminder of how fast these balls go flying.
I wonder how many balls they go through in batting practice. More importantly, why are the balls always white? Why don't they jazz them up with different colors?
It was overcast for a while. Overcast is a great thing in Florida. When the sun is shining it can get super hot. Then I get sweaty. Then I get cranky. Then I get thirsty. Then I ask Scott to buy me a beer.
They were selling Leinenkugel beer. Scott got really excited. Then he got disappointed cause it was their summer shandy, not the original. We had Yeungling instead.
Here's the Twins' dugout. It looks clean and tidy now, but after the game I bet you'll find sunflower seeds all over the place. Some of these guys are like little hamsters, cramming tons of seeds into their mouths.
These are some of the more expensive seats. We didn't sit here. We got the cheapest seats you could get. They were $9 each, which isn't too bad. Of course, there are other fees for "convenience" and "processing" which get added on top for a grand total of $25.50. It was a nice day out away from the boatyard, so worth it.
I thought it would be cool if Scott took a picture of a baseball. So he did.
Just in case you forgot, this is Twins Territory.
We watched the Twins doing warm-up over at the Tom Kelley field.
Fans watching the game from the grassy areas. Looks more comfortable to stretch out on a blanket than sit in a plastic chair.
Here's where we sat - in the outfield. While we were waiting for the game to start, we called Scott's aunt and uncle in North Dakota. They're big Twins fans. I think it's a requirement if you live in North Dakota. You also have to like lefse and cold weather. I like lefse, but I don't like the cold. This is one of the many reasons why we don't live in North Dakota.
A lot of work goes into getting the field ready for the game.
The game was televised. Scott's uncle watched. Not sure about his aunt. I wonder if we made it on screen.
The game is about to start!
Please don't ask me for a recap of the game. I didn't pay that close of attention. Plus, we don't want to talk about the fact that the Twins tied. They should have won, right?
Scott just reminded me of something weird that happened during the game which just goes to show how little attention I did pay to the game. When the ninth inning started, there was a guy on second base. For a few minutes, we both thought that aliens had abducted us and we had lost time cause you don't start an inning with someone already on base.
Turns out you do in spring training. I guess they experiment with new rules before rolling them out into the regular season.
Anyhoo, here are some action shots of Byron Buxton. Scott wanted to make sure that I added these. Apparently, he's awesome.
Not so much action in this one. They're waiting for a pitching change.
Back to some action.
I wonder if they're talking about sunflower seeds?
When you mention sunflower seeds for the second time, that seems like a good place to stop.
Do you like baseball? If so, who's your favorite team? What other sports do you like?
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Don't you love all the fees they add to ticket prices these days?
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun day out. Baseball is funner in person than just watching it on television.
We've gone to the Rays spring training games a bunch of times. I always like the closer, more intimate nature of the spring training fields, how the guys would sign autographs, etc. Oh, and yes on the Yuengling!
ReplyDeleteI watch games like you do. I'm busy watching the people and not paying much attention to the game itself.
ReplyDeleteI'm Danish but I don't know a single Danish word.
I had no idea what your title meant. Now I do!
ReplyDeleteHow fun. I would have loved to have been there.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day and week, Ellen. ♥
Baseball always seemed more fun to me in theory than in person. It does take skill, i will admit that.
ReplyDeleteHi Ellen.
ReplyDeleteBaseball, not a clue. We don't have baseball in this country, cricket yes, and I mean yes for me too, rugby, European rugby that is is also yes, soccer is another yes but not for me and then all the other non-American sports. American sport isn't played much here or even watched, most people prefer European sports, I'm one of those. Absolutely love cricket, I know the rules, I love Rugby, I know the rules for that too but baseball, as I said, no idea. :)
Blessings from Geoff in South Africa where they play Rugby and cricket. :)
Fun post! And you got some really great pictures, too.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a huge baseball fan. For me, it was the Baltimore Orioles all the way. When they were in the World Series with the Mets (boo! hiss!) in '69, I even got permission to bring a small TV to the hospital lab so I could half-watch the game during work. Then we moved to Atlanta in '71. To the Braves, who were sooooo bad back then, if you called the stadium to ask what time the game was, they asked you what time you could be there. Or if you left a couple Braves tickets in your unlocked car, when you got back, you'd find that someone had left you a few more.
You get the idea. They were bad. Still, I got to be a Braves fan, too, especially during their huge winning streak. Now? I'm more of a football fan. I couldn't even tell you the last time I watched a baseball game, but I NEVER miss the Falcons' games.
Starting innings with people on the bases is something I didn't know either. I'm going to have silly images of men with chipmunk cheeks the rest of the evening.
ReplyDeleteYour husband is gonna hate me, but baseball bores me to tears. (Great hotdogs, though.)
ReplyDeleteThe highlight of this post for me was the mention of lefse. I love me some lefse!
I've seen a handful of baseball games in my life. The first was minor league game in Tucson, AZ. Neither team scored a point. It was quite boring. I'm sure it was nail-biting to baseball fans. I saw one major league game in Atlanta. It must have been the Cardinals vs the Braves - I only say this because we were in Atlanta (the Braves) and we went with our friend who came from Greenville for the game and he is a big Cardinals fan.
ReplyDeleteBeing from St. Louis (Cardinal land), I can tell you that the Cardinals did play the Twins in the World Series once. I have no idea who won - I'm sure Scott knows.
Tell Scott, nice pictures! And glad you had a good time away from Indiantown!