Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Baseball Game

The other day, I attended an Angels game with an old friend. I have never been a sports fan, for various reasons, but if I had to choose one it would definitely be baseball. I have always liked it, but never taken the time to really get into it. Mostly, not making it another hobby saves money and time. The game was a fantastically awesome time and I’m really, really glad I went. But I still do not believe I could become a rabid fan.

The tickets to the actual games are rarely very expensive unless you want really kick-ass seats. Normally they are between $8 and $14 bucks somewhere. However, that’s where the savings stop. Just about everything else baseball or sports related is unreasonably expensive.

A good nine of ten people were wearing red Angels clothing at the game. You can pick up a ball cap at the stadium for less than $10, but the clothing is much more expensive. Oh, and we musn’t forget the $10 parking fee and the fuel costs to get to the game. So, let’s say you want to join in on the festivities and enjoy yourself, yet as cheaply as possible. So far, with an $8 ticket, $10 in gas to get there and back (pretty conservative number these days), $10 to park, $8 for a team ball cap, $4.50 for an “Angel Dog”, $3 for a small soda and $8 for a single beer, you are already up to $51.50. So, a “cheap” baseball game can become a nice ding on the pocketbook real quick. And that is just for one person; if you bring the family, that number climbs exponentially.

Then you have the trading cards, the time to invest in watching a three-hour game on TV and following all the team stats, the extra strain of seeing your favorite players perform poorly or get traded, and subscribing to the whole “My team is better than your team” attitude. I really cannot stand that. All pro ball players are pretty good, and all teams win and lose. That’s why I just enjoy the game in general and only follow it loosely.

Football is way worse to me, though; I do not go for the brutal sports. Running toward a huge man with the intent to knock him over so that your team can get control of a small, oblong ball makes absolutely zero sense to me. I believe I’ll continue playing chess and sacrificing rooks to get my kicks. The worst injury I have ever sustained in a chess game is damaged ego after losing a game. That, friends and neighbors, I can subscribe to.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

I loved baseball when I was little, used to want to be a professional pitcher. Now it bores me to tears to watch it on television, though I do like going to a game once in a while.

I can't stand all this bs that has been going on with the McCourts (Dodgers owners), though. Let's get a divorce and have a custody battle over our baseball team.

Deirdra A. Eden said...

You have a fabulous blog! I’m an author and illustrator and I made some awards to give to fellow bloggers whose sites I enjoy. It’s not a pass on award. This is just for you to keep. I want to award you the Enchanting Entertainer Blog Award for all the hard work you do!

Go to http://astorybookworld.blogspot.com/p/awards.html and pick up your award.
~Deirdra

Derek Odom said...

Aww, thanks so much! I try to keep it interesting. I'll check yours out, too! :)