prutopia

take me out to the ball game

what a night! daddy took olivia to her first cubs game on monday night. we only stayed 2 innings, but, boy, did we have fun.


the night started out with a ride on the el (quickly rising up the charts as one of olivia's favorite activities). when we got off at the addison stop, olivia seemed to get more and more excited as the crowd grew. "going to the cubs game wif daddy!!!" she said with enthusiasm as we reached the street. i knew then that things were going to go well.

after we got our ticket, program, and found our seat. olivia was wide-eyed. of course, one should be wide-eyed if their tickets are in the second row behind the cubs dugout for their first baseball game (handy tip: if you want a good seat at wrigley, buy 1 ticket. their are single seats available all the way up until game time). she was definitely soaking in the sights.

i tried to explain to her what was going on... pointing to the pitcher and telling her that he was going to throw the ball and the batter was going to try to hit the ball... telling her when to yell out "good eye"... explaining what a foul ball is and the importance of hustling down to first base to try to prevent the double play. i wasn't sure how much she understood, but i was sure how much fun i had explaining.

in the middle of the first inning, olivia said, "go see mommy and eve". that was the reality check. as much fun and as interesting as the experience was, i knew that the endeavor ultimately rested on her mood (i.e. no meltdown). i asked her to hang on for a little while longer. this exchange repeated a few more times, each instance ending in her pleasant aquiescence. but, i knew i could only push it so far.

so, at the end of the second inning with the score tied at 0-0, we made our exit. we stopped to get a soft pretzel because i couldn't leave a baseball game without getting my baby some ballpark food. okay, i should have gotten her a hot dog, but would you want to fight that battle with heather? me neither. (i love you, honey) being her first soft pretzel, livvy was a little wary, but she soon decided that inhaling them was the desirable method of consumption.

before we reached the left field gate, something fantastic happened. a random cubs employee walked up to us and handed a baseball... one used in the game. how cool is that!?! first game, get a ball. you couldn't ask for anything more.

then to end the night, we rode the bus home. olivia's second favorite mode of transportation. i think it's mostly because of the crazy people. on sunday, some random guy started making all kinds of wacky bird sounds to entertain her. this night, some guy on the bus was arguing and/or discussing life issues with his t-shirt. i'm not kidding either. the guy was actually talking to his shirt. i didn't get many details, but i'm pretty sure he's a fan of pro wrestling. man, i love this city!

when we arrived home, olivia rushed in to tell mommy all about her adventure. she told mommy everything including the fact that "ronny cedano threw the ball and hit the ball". yeah, she picked that up along the way. later, when daddy was putting her to bed she remembered that "john hit the ball too". referring of course to journeyman john mabry. we have since gone over the lineup, and my 22 month old child can tell you that aramis ramirez plays third base, ronny cedano plays second base, and john mabry plays first base (we're working on pronouncing cesar izturis). the kid's amazing.

anyway, thanks livvy. you made your daddy very happy. now if the cubs can find a manger or general manager as smart as you, but that's another topic entirely. 

Labels: cubs

posted by pru @ 11:55 PM