Take me out to the Birdcage

This weekend I got to go do one of the more enjoyable activities you can do in summer, well if you're a sports fan. I went to enjoy some minor league baseball. A nice summer evening, outdoors, with the crack of the bat and the crowd, it was a great time. I went with my buddy Jordon, and we got to sit with a group of about 10 people that just had fun laughing, joking, and telling great stories as we enjoyed the game.

One thing I love about minor league baseball is the creativity of the promotions staff. They do crazy things you won't see in the pros. I like watching pro baseball just as well, but this has a totally new feel to it. For example, the Village People made an appearance.


I'm not sure how they talked these 5 senior citizens into doing this, but it got a huge response from the crowd. They laughed, the of course sang along (everyone sings along with YMCA), and they did the actions right along with them.


The night we were there happened to be super hero night, and Spiderman made an appearance. Even better, Spidey coached first base for half an inning. On one play, the baserunner on first takes off running, trying to steal second. Well, he doesn't get to stay as the batter fouled the ball off, so the runner came back to first. One younger kid in the stand yelled, "Way to send the runner Spidey, good call!" Of course, that sign comes from the third base coach, and spiderman had absolutely nothing to do with it, but it still got a good chuckle from that area of the ball park.

The weekend wasn't all fun and games though. I had to endure two torture tests. The people who put these on call them physical fitness test, but they are really torture tests. If we'd turn them into the police, they'd be arrested on account of cruel and unusual punishment. Funny that football, basketball, and pretty much all the other sports don't require their referees to pass these tests, but not soccer, nooooo. The one I took this morning they talk about making you sign a waiver that if you die doing the test, your family cannot sue the referee organization. But, I didn't die (yet) and I'm now certified for another year. Not sure how much I'll use it though, since I'm helping coach soccer this fall too. Speaking of which, I have to run and get my own "torture plans" ready for the kids tomorrow.