Live Baseball...Almost...

Baseball...as those of you who have known me for a while know, it has not always been a huge love of mine. However, I think there's some things about it that have made it a love of mine, especially my Minnesota Twins. I think there's a few qualities that do it for me...there's actually the "nerd" factor of stats and numbers that intrigue's me. There's then the sense of the competition and thrill of the chase - who's ahead, who's behind, will they make the run and will they make the base... However, there's also two less obvious qualities...it is the lone sport I played as a kid. I sucked at it, but did play it in Little League. It is also the only sport I remember going to see live as a kid, as part of a church group outing to the old Met Stadium in suburban Minneapolis. That said, there is that part that - for 9 innings (and occasionally more) lets me be a kid for a little while. Of course, I now have the money to reasonably buy anything I want for myself. Furthermore, who can argue with an excuse to eat hot dogs, beer, and nachos with no guilt at that moment - other than parting with the obscene amount of cash they want for those basic food items. Right now, I can say I don't much care about the money...that Dome Dog, all beef and with ketchup, mustard, relish, and onions sounds pretty good to me!

That said, I was pretty excited at the prospect of seeing a game live tonight. Justo, while doing the driving around told me about the game at the National Stadium, or "Estadio Nacional" (also known as "Estadio Rod Carew" being he was from Panama). I had great visions of the game in Panama... I was going to get to the game, see the outdoor stadium, get a beer for a buck instead of $6 at the Dome (at least according to an online story I read ahead of the game), maybe buy a ballcap after deciding which team I would support, decide to maybe support the "Los Santos" team for no other reason that the name was similar to the St. Paul Saints back home, have a hot dog for dinner and not feel guilty at all, watch the crowds and listen for the bands that article promised would be there playing music unlike at the Dome (or probably any other MLB ballpark). It was going to be a blast, with myself getting pictures for my memory and to share, hoping my fellow fans didn't spill beer near me when they threw their cups because of what was happening on the field.

Unfortunately, the Panama City taxis had another idea. I had my camera on me and ready to go. I headed to the street to flag a cab, which promptly stopped. Justo said the cab should be $2-3. The first cab then said $5 for the cab there. At first, I figured "okay, gringo pricing..." I offered $2 and was willing to give in at $3. The driver, after a face of displeasure from hearing the words "Estadio Nacional" from me was unwilling to go lower than $5 so I bailed on that cab. I figured maybe the next cab. However, that cab said $6 for the ride (with the same unhappy look at hearing where I wanted to go), to which I bailed again. I realize in the end I was talking just a few dollars and should have seen the bigger picture, but when you get used to one price it's hard to not feel you're getting ripped off. However, I did question if I was missing something in both drivers asking a relatively high amount. I decided to go back to the hostel to confirm the price. Ultimately, I met Carmen - one of the managers at the hostel - on the street. She agreed with Justo the amount should be around $2-3, so I decided to try again. The next two drivers not only didn't get to a price, they just basically refused to go to the stadium at the time I wanted to go. After four cabs, and who would think you'd have this much trouble with cabs in Panama City, I decided to throw in the towel. I suppose I could have tried another cab until I found one who would go, but by this point the dream of a great game was fading.

In the end, I stayed near the hostel and had some pork chops for dinner. I then resigned myself with going to the casino and making enough to pay for those pork chops, followed by some TV back at the hostel watching "Hellboy" on a local channel that broadcasts in English. Not quite the night I imagined, but it will be okay. Perhaps I'll get another chance in Nicaragua. I remember the Nicaraguans also love baseball so perhaps I'll see it then. If not, I'll just have to keep up with my Twins and hopefully I'll find enough fast internet connections to broadcast online. In the end, it will all be okay...as long the Twins win...

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