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What a lucky guy I am
By Blake Spurney
Some days I find it hard to believe I've been married for seven years. Those who know me can only imagine what kind of grief Melody has had to endure. That's why I wanted to do something nice for our anniversary May 27.
What better way to celebrate our love for each other than to attend an Atlanta Braves game? So we grabbed our matching score books and headed into the haze.
Of course, the first thing my darling little wife wanted to do once we got inside the stadium was to find the concession stand. I asked her to bring me something “nasty” from the “gourmet” hot dog stand. Even after all the time we've spent working together and living 1,000 miles from our nearest relatives, I should have known to be more specific.
Melody chose the Southwestern Dog, a large hot dog smothered in chili, ballpark cheese (the bright orange stuff that likely never met a cow) and jalapeño peppers. What she apparently heard was, “Bring me the nastiest thing on the menu.” The wad of napkins she brought with her weren't nearly enough, and I needed to hit the showers as badly as Braves starter Kyle Davies (4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER).
Melody, by the way, didn't do too bad herself by polishing off a Braves Dog - the same dog as mine but hers was covered in onions, relish and cheese. As one might discern, we had a great time. Oh yeah, the Braves were pounded by Philadelphia as Ryan Howard had two home runs. Andruw Jones came out of his slump with a homer and robbed Greg Dobbs of a home run in what was the greatest catch I've seen in a major league game.
Such outings typically cause us to be nostalgic about other ballpark experiences. Together, we've been to 13 major league parks and 14 minor league parks.
Some of our highlights include:
€ Having a bratwurst at Dunn Tire Park in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. Bisons center fielder Jonathan Van Every also snatched a homer from Scranton-Wilkes Barre designated hitter Pedro Swann in the top of the ninth in a tight game. (That would account for my qualifier on Jones' catch.)
€ Devouring a Geno's cheesesteak sandwich at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Though we saw our best game in the old Vet two years earlier, the old park didn't compare because it didn't have one of the famous cheesesteak joints inside the stadium. I can't remember who the Phillies played or the outcome, but we both put the experience high on our list.
€ Seeing Barry Bonds hit the longest home run ever hit at Edison Field (493 feet) on the final day of our honeymoon. I knew I was lucky when the experience of that game sold her on ballpark adventures.
My petite wife has sold me on the other element of going to baseball games. Invariably during our ballpark discussions, she refers to the cheesy tots we shared eight years ago at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. They had everything a cardiologist hates on them, and she had to walk to the far end of the stadium to get them. As for the game, it was cold and wet, and we were watching a minor league team, the Royals.
During our anniversary discussions, she clued me in on her perspective. Baseball games can be fun and entertaining, but she considers the ticket price as cover charge for ballpark food.
There's no doubt I consider myself lucky every day.
Blake Spurney is editor of The Clayton Tribune.
What better way to celebrate our love for each other than to attend an Atlanta Braves game? So we grabbed our matching score books and headed into the haze.
Of course, the first thing my darling little wife wanted to do once we got inside the stadium was to find the concession stand. I asked her to bring me something “nasty” from the “gourmet” hot dog stand. Even after all the time we've spent working together and living 1,000 miles from our nearest relatives, I should have known to be more specific.
Melody chose the Southwestern Dog, a large hot dog smothered in chili, ballpark cheese (the bright orange stuff that likely never met a cow) and jalapeño peppers. What she apparently heard was, “Bring me the nastiest thing on the menu.” The wad of napkins she brought with her weren't nearly enough, and I needed to hit the showers as badly as Braves starter Kyle Davies (4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 8 ER).
Melody, by the way, didn't do too bad herself by polishing off a Braves Dog - the same dog as mine but hers was covered in onions, relish and cheese. As one might discern, we had a great time. Oh yeah, the Braves were pounded by Philadelphia as Ryan Howard had two home runs. Andruw Jones came out of his slump with a homer and robbed Greg Dobbs of a home run in what was the greatest catch I've seen in a major league game.
Such outings typically cause us to be nostalgic about other ballpark experiences. Together, we've been to 13 major league parks and 14 minor league parks.
Some of our highlights include:
€ Having a bratwurst at Dunn Tire Park in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. Bisons center fielder Jonathan Van Every also snatched a homer from Scranton-Wilkes Barre designated hitter Pedro Swann in the top of the ninth in a tight game. (That would account for my qualifier on Jones' catch.)
€ Devouring a Geno's cheesesteak sandwich at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Though we saw our best game in the old Vet two years earlier, the old park didn't compare because it didn't have one of the famous cheesesteak joints inside the stadium. I can't remember who the Phillies played or the outcome, but we both put the experience high on our list.
€ Seeing Barry Bonds hit the longest home run ever hit at Edison Field (493 feet) on the final day of our honeymoon. I knew I was lucky when the experience of that game sold her on ballpark adventures.
My petite wife has sold me on the other element of going to baseball games. Invariably during our ballpark discussions, she refers to the cheesy tots we shared eight years ago at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. They had everything a cardiologist hates on them, and she had to walk to the far end of the stadium to get them. As for the game, it was cold and wet, and we were watching a minor league team, the Royals.
During our anniversary discussions, she clued me in on her perspective. Baseball games can be fun and entertaining, but she considers the ticket price as cover charge for ballpark food.
There's no doubt I consider myself lucky every day.
Blake Spurney is editor of The Clayton Tribune.
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