Play ball!

I am going to the Milwaukee Brewers game tonight and baseball is linked with many memories for me. While my family is traveling we go to baseball parks that are near to our paths. I would like to share some baseball memories, so sit back, hum a quick "Take me out to the ball game..." and enjoy my ballpark recollections....

• Many times as a child I would go to Wrigley Field and cheer on my beloved Cubs. It was mostly a large family trip - my parents, my brother and I, my grandma, my aunt, cousins, and my Uncle Fred and Aunt Phooey and her cowbell! Yes, Phooey, that's another blog someday. She would clang that cowbell whenever the men in blue would do something positive... what fun! We would bring our own lunch, pb and j sandwiches smashed into a brown bag. I think I had pb and j for lunch for 15 years straight and I am not complaining. To be truthful I had one today also!
• My brother and my parents went to County Stadium many times growing up. I remember seeing Reggie Jackson smash 2 HR's in one game. I remember seeing Jose Canseco steal 2nd base and become a member of the 40/40 club in 1988. (40 homeruns/40 stolen bases). I also recall not seeing much of a game because some yahoo was a big fun of Rob Deer and brought some huge cardboard Deer cutout and would raise it up every few pitches...."DEER, DEER!" he would bellow.
• While in college in Chicago I went to a few White Sox games. In one game the southsiders started off the game with back-to-back-to-back homeruns. Greg Luzinski was next so we were hoping for 4 in a row but he flied out to deep center. Still cool because we all know, chicks dig the long ball! I also saw the final 14 innings of a Brewers/Sox game in Chicago that ended in the 27th inning!
• On vacation we have seen the Cardinals win in St Lois. We saw 45 couples get married or renew their vows in the Metrodome before a White Sox/ Twins game. We cheered for the Red Sox in Tampa Bay because the devil rays were no good. For that game we purchased 4 $2.00 bleacher seats and sat in the second row by firstbase because there were only about 2,000 people at the game. Shelly and I sat in the shade at Coors Field in Denver watching the Rockies. Unfortunately, Shelly picked up an awful striped sunburn on her legs which she still displays today. Denver is really closer to the sun! In Georgia we had great seats to a Braves game, very nice stadium! Very few Braves fans show up until the post season, they are spoiled in Atlanta.
• One of the funniest memories involves my dead grandpa and my very much alive son. My Papa lived with my parents and my brother for some 10 years or more and whenever we left the house he would hollar out "Don't forget your shoes!" I always thought, are you serious, who forgets thier shoes. Thanks to him I never did, not once! One night we arrived at Miller Park for a fantastic night at the Brewer game and one of my sons timidly says "I forgot my shoes." Here we are, ready to enter the stadium and he has no shoes, no sandals, nothing..... We went in a group, surrounding him so he could get past, got in and bought a pair of brewer flipflops.

So off we go, shoes and all, looking forward to more memories......

Eye will see you later.