From the Minors to the Majors

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Hello Sports Fans!

Those of you who know me well will be aware that I have a certain fondness for Baseball, and despite having visited the USA on numerous occasions prior to my recent emigration, my good wife (who despite this mild rant, will be obeyed and respected at all times) never saw the need to take me to a live game. Suffice to say…that when we were offered tickets to go and see the local Greensboro Minor League team, the imaginatively named ‘Greensboro Grasshoppers’ (or Hoppers for short) on the evening of the 4th of July, I was bordering on hysteria! Not only was I about to fulfill a lifelong (ish) dream, but it was going to happen on one of the most hallowed of baseball days…Independence Day! (Cue Will Smith whooping the ass of an Alien)

The game itself was a highly entertaining mix of strategy, striking, strutting and (for The Hoppers) stuttering. Unfortunately, the home team was given a lesson in how to play the game, you would have thought that there was some sort of unwritten 4th of July ‘home team must win rule’…alas, that was not the case. The Grasshoppers suffered a crushing 7-0 defeat…and as the game drew to a close I noticed something a bit strange, despite the humiliating trouncing…nobody seemed to care!? Nevertheless, the evening came to a dramatic finale with a spectacular (somewhat delayed due to bad weather) fireworks display to celebrate ‘Independence Day!’

The most interesting difference between attending a Baseball Game in the USA and say a Premier League Football match is that the actual sporting action appears to play second fiddle to the whole experience. At the Grasshoppers, the main reason for attending the game appeared to be more centered on having a fun family night out, with a bit of beer and food thrown in for good measure, than supporting the fortunes of the local team. I expected my second game, a visit to a Major League team, the Phillies, to be a very different affair…however, much to my surprise it turned out to be fairly similar, albeit on a much larger scale. Sporting events in The States are a much more complex affair than in the UK, a windswept stadium with standing room only and a cheese and onion pie at half time just won’t cut it. Over here, it appears that all of your senses need to be entertained, not a bad policy and undoubtedly one that the rest of the world will adopt sooner rather than later.

The Phillies' stadium is seriously impressive; it must hold over fifty thousand people. The view of Downtown Philadelphia is also fantastic and a nice bonus. The game was a much more even affair, with a few home runs and some fantastic action, although the Phillies eventually lost in over time (no draws in Baseball…that just isn’t American!) We fully immersed ourselves into the whole experience and enjoyed a couple of magnificent Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches and some fine local ale. I for one am looking forward to my next big game and hope to see a few more major league games on our trip...watch this space!

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Comments

[Steve]

Baseball?
You seem to be on fine form. Great Pictures and you seem to have lost a bit of weight.... x x x x