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 »
Throw Out Your Caller ID
I'm all for scientific research into the paranormal, since it will benefit humankind whether the results are affirmative or negative – but apparently it's awfully hard to keep such research scientific. For instance, I never fail to be amused by ghost hunters who claim to have proven a haunting because electromagnetic readings are higher in the area, a phenomenon that has no demonstrated correlation with hauntings. And let's not even get into the ones who claim to have proven a haunting because a "psychic" said they sensed ghosts nearby. Go »Captain's Compromise
I think a lot (too much maybe) about morality in storytelling. Anybody keeping up with The MCU Project might be getting tired of my complaints about how little thought the writers of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. put into this important part of their job. Go »Wests Take Southwest to Southeast
As Steve West mentioned, he and Brenda recently visited Sarasota for a week of fun. In advance, we rented an AirBNB (cat allergies prevented staying at my place) and kicked around some ideas for what to do, but we were concerned about unpredictable fatigue and other medical complications and knew that we had to take it one day at a time. The trip had a bumpy start, with Kelly taken by ambulance to the ER the night before (she recovered quickly) and a difficult Southwest flight and Uber pickup for the Wests, but that all quickly felt like it was behind us as soon as the fun began. Go »Halloween Party 2006
Last night I had the privilege to attend a Halloween party thrown by Miah (Jeremiah) Poisson and his fiancée Ines Sarante, which doubled as Miah's birthday party. My thanks to the hosts! I had a great time. Go »Emails!
Does the Internet baffle you? Try Gabe & Max's Internet Thing. Thanks, Marlon. 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?