Take me out to the ball game..

I am not a big fan of baseball. 

I own a glove and understand the terminology, but the professional sports side of it I do not understand. When someone asked me who my favorite player was I said Buck Bokai, for the London kings.

So why a baseball game? Well we were kind of enticed to go.

We did know the star of the show, the most talented hostess Halley Murrow Castleberry, and her invitation was hard to pass up.

Not only that but our kid brother was asked to say play ball to start the game and I had to be there to cheer him on. This was not the first ball game I have been to see.

Sleydar Says: Plaaaay Ball!!

A long time ago when my son was still little I took him to see a game in one of the big stadiums back home in New York. I am not sure which team it was like I said I am not a big fan, and that was a long time ago. I went then because I wanted to be able to say I took my son to a ballgame.

It is a staple in American society. Kind of a bonding ritual that shows up in your memories like a black and white photo of a past that seems sweeter then it was. I don’t remember who played or what the score was but I remembered how I felt.

I remember the roar of the crowed, the smell of the food, and the excitement of the game.

I also remember there was a line for everything, in between plays being slow, and really being upset I was not old enough to buy beer. Not to take anything from the memories I made with my son or the grandeur of the great American ball fields of New York but I think I really enjoyed this time better.

If it were not for Halley I likely would have never known that the pelicans were even a thing and I have been to Myrtle Beach many times (Mrs Winter and I honeymooned there and we try to go back every anniversary) but I did not even know they had a baseball stadium.

This outing still turned out to be one of our best nights at the beach.

When it comes to bang for your buck an evening with the Pelicans is the way to go. When it comes to ticket prices it is not a lot. I don’t want to say how much tickets are, this is not an advertisement but I will say that I have spent more to see a movie.

Not only that but it is more than just a ball game, it is kind of a show too. The game started off with a troop of fire jugglers from Over the Moon Productions who put on quite a show. I was so close to the show I could smell the kerosene.

Then there was a rousing rendition of the national anthem preformed by Aubrey Cook that had the whole stadium standing with hand on heart.

The part that had Mrs Winter and I all excited though came when Sleydar walked on the field with team mascots Splash Pelican and Rally Shark to say play ball to get the game started.

I am no sports reporter and I can not give you the low down of the game. But I can tell you that between innings we got a chance to see things like the pony hop and that type of game come on the big screen often hosted by Halley the hostess with the mostest.

The first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to a ball game, well my mind anyway, is the food. You can’t help but get hungry with the smell of popcorn and pretzels in the air.

It was not all just junk food though the ring of fire grill offers grilled vegetables and veggie burgers. Kayla ate sensibly but I had to have a braut but I put vegetables on it so I wouldn't be a bad influence over the kid. The view from the grill was great. ->

The staff very friendly. One park associate had seen Sleydar anxiously chase foul balls with his glove on  and gave him an official game ball. It was nice but unnecessary because a few innings later Sleydar got the ball he was waiting for when a player knocked a foul ball right over our heads and it landed were he could retrieve it.

He soon turned around and gave it to a family that looked like they wanted a souvenir. What a sweet kid.

As the game went on and our attention span started waning we took a walk around the park and got a helmet full of dipping dots as we found our way to the bouncy house. Sleydar got a chance to bounce of some excess energy and throw a few baseballs.

We even got a silly picture with him in a baseball card cut out. As the night went on we quickly wore out
and before too long we were all ready to go home.

Though we had just made  it through the seventh inning stretch it was time to go home. Though we hated to see the Pelicans loosing when we left, if we had not left then we would have been carrying Sleydar to the car.

There are few things that are more American than a day at the ballpark. I doubt that I will ever know all the major league teams or watch a game on TV.. but I must say that a day at the park is a good day indeed. I am certain that this will not be the last game we go to.