My mom grew up in Michigan. Every year we road trip out to see the extended family and every year my bonding time with my grandmother is working out. She takes me to the gym or we go walking but it’s always active. Quality time with my grandfather is watching baseball.
He has made me a Tigers fan.
Fast forward my little men have also become Tigers fans. Every year we spend time in the local stores stocking up in Tigers gear for the remaining part of the year.
For the last THREE years I have been trying to go to a Twins and TIgers game. How great would that be? Well, whenever the Tigers are in town something comes up or we work so we’re unable to go. This year I was determined.
I was at work, with a Twins game on in the background, when I saw a Game of Thrones theme night. My hubs is a BIG Game of Thrones fan. This became a win-win situation. I get to watch baseball and he gets to have it be based on his favorite TV show. The deal sealer was the fact that the Twins were playing THE TIGERS! SOLD!
I purchased the tickets that night! We’d be watching the game in 3 weeks.
Then the unthinkable happened. Minnesota teamed up with Mother Nature and fought about who was the bigger bitch. Our April baseball game was cancelled due to a snowstorm. We got dumped on and the game was rescheduled.
The good news is, the game was set to happen in May, Mother’s Day weekend. It would seem like all the pieces fell perfectly in place! Not only were the Twins playing the Tigers, on Game of Thrones night, on a perfectly spring weather day in May, it was also Mother’s Day weekend!
As most stories go there were lessons learned.
- Eat beforehand. While the food isn’t terrible, the cost verses quality was not even close to being worth it. Throw hungry kids in it and all of a sudden the cost of food for ONE meal becomes the same cost as weeks worth of groceries.
- Prepare to Rally with YOUR team. If you’re not rooting for the home team make sure you recognize YOUR teams colors on others. Because I’m an amateur at actually going to the games I didn’t know this was a thing. I was called out for wearing Tigers fans by Tigers fans a TON. In fact when we were catching the elevator back to our Jeep, we joined Tigers fans! It was funny because the kid had a Twins batters helmet that came with chicken strips and his dad said, “get that ugly thing off of your head”.
- Cheer for who you WANT. I’m not from Minnesota. I don’t feel a longing need to cheer for the home team. For me it’s all about family memories. I don’t know all the names of the Tigers or their current stats, BUT it doesn’t matter. I grew up watching them and I’ll be cheering for them for many years to come.
- The speed of the pitch (one of the coolest parts about baseball) isn’t shown on the scoreboard. To my limited knowledge anyway. I didn’t see it and trust me, I was looking.
- My mom doesn’t know ANYTHING about sports events.
My mom told me a week before we went that we couldn’t bring ANYTHING into the game. No purses, no backpacks, no nothing.
I believe her.
Turns out she was wrong.
It started in the parking garage, I saw someone put some gummy bears and other candies in their hoodies. My first thought was they are going to have to toss those at the entrance gate.
Turns out I was wrong.
After I acknowledged that I was wrong, I noticed so much more. Backpacks, blankets, big purses, little purses, snack, EVERYTHING but drinks were walking straight pass the security guards and into the stadium.
Things that make you go…HMMMM…..
Lessons learned! And it makes us so much ready for the next ballgame!
Namaste,
Jes xoxo