Crying in Baseball
by Scott Hardie on September 20, 2009
Kelly and I won tickets to see a Tampa Bay Rays game in a deluxe suite last night. We've been excited about it for weeks, looking forward to a good game, good seats, and good food, all paid except the parking.
What we got was a let-down. The game wasn't so good, due to eight scoreless innings, but this was Rays vs. Jays so that wasn't a big surprise. The food wasn't so good, but hey, it was free, so whatever, we made a meal of it. The problem was the seats: We were told that twenty people would be there, plus a representative from the company that owns the suite. When we arrived, there were only nine seats with any view of the action, all taken. There were a few empty tall-boy chairs in the kitchen area toward the back, where we could watch the game on TV and listen to the crowd cheer. Hooray. We drove all this way to see something we could have watched on TV at home. Why did they invite twenty people to a suite that only seats nine? After some people got up, we stole their seats for a couple of innings late in the game, but by then the excitement was over and we were already looking forward to seeing friends in Tampa after the game.
I don't want to sound ungrateful, since the people who ran the contest went to a lot of trouble, and I really had fun playing it. I just wish the prize had turned out to be what was promised, and I could instead be writing a blog post about what a great time we had.
Three Replies to Crying in Baseball
Steve West | September 20, 2009
I went as a kid to an Orioles game after winning tickets similarly. They were advertised as tickets to sit in the 'Bird's Nest' This was when the Orioles played at their old stadium, Memorial Stadium. The seats were part of the concrete infrastructure that held up the overhang. Seats so high even the birds got nosebleeds. Catering consisted of a special visit from the hot dog vendor. Once. And it still cost money. I'm not sure about parking. What we could see of the game between the concrete pillars was exciting enough but my brother and I kept having to switch seats between innings to give the other a chance to see the game. But I remember my Dad getting a beer and letting me have a sip. That was pretty cool.
Amy Austin | September 20, 2009
Aww... and all these combined experiences are what helps to put the millions in the pockets of those 'roid-munchers. I'm sorry, Scott. ;-( (Congrats on "winning", though... ;-))
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Like That Smash Mouth Song
Dramatic photo of a shuttle docking with the International Space Station, set against the sun: (link) Thanks, Aaron W. Go »Dumb Question
Why is it called "word to the wise" when you're telling someone who doesn't know? Go »His Name is Bond
[Spoilers for Casino Royale.] One of my favorite bits of any fan-invented mythology is the identity of 007: It is held by some series fans (and me) that "James Bond" is merely a codename. When one Bond is killed or retires, another one takes his place and assumes the same name, which is why you see a different actor every decade and the man doesn't age despite having been around since the Kennedy administration. Go »Powerless
Going without electricity in Florida can be a miserable affair. You sweat non-stop. You sleep fitfully at best, waking up in pools of your own body fluid. Go »Pug Life
A friend recently contacted Kelly and me out of the blue to ask if we could take care of her dog for six days while she was on vacation, since the arranged sitter was suddenly unavailable. Neither Kelly nor I have experience taking care of dogs, and we're definitely not dog people. I was attacked by a dog when I was little and I've never been comfortable around them, especially any dog large enough to leap up from the ground and reach my face with its teeth. Go »
Aaron Shurtleff | September 20, 2009
Yuck! I'm sorry that the experience wasn't all it was cracked up to be. My wife got tickets to a game once, and I think it was in a similar spot to that. Two rows of cramped seats up front, and a food/drink area out back?