Funny how it goes.. how it takes a visitor to the city, in this ca
se Chris, my grandson, to get us out to a favoured Winnipeg pastime, a Winnipeg Goldeyes’ baseball game.
The Winnipeg Goldeyes are a professional Northern League baseball team. Their very popular games have been played in the state-of-the art Canwest Park here in Winnipeg since the start of the 1999 season.
I love baseball. I played it frequently when I was a young chick and of all the various team sports… it is the one game that I totally understand. All the more reason to wonder why we hadn’t gone before now.
Anyways.. we went last Tuesday … and it was a blast!
The day started off as many of our days seem to this summer, with threatening clouds hanging about. But by the time game time rolled around, the skies had cleared and we were once more reminded of why Winnipeg is such a great place to be come the summer.
Since BJ and Paul live just a short hop, skip and bridge walk away from Canwest park, we left the truck at their place and headed out on foot. A short jaunt later, through St. Boniface and over the Provencher Bridge we arrived at the park along with a gathering crowd of baseball fans.
This was exciting for a first timer. The park is a bustling place with many a food kiosk lining the stands. I don’t know that a bad seat is possible.. but I do think our seats were some of the best. I had no idea what to get when I picked up the tickets but we ended up sitting just to the right of home plate, slightly towards first base. The view was perfect.
The game began with the singing of the anthems. I guess I truly am a sap.. cause I never sing that song with out a tear threatening to fall. :-)
The first seven innings, the Goldeyes owned the field. At the bottom of the seventh the scoreboard read:
Goldeyes: 7 Kansas City: 0
Then, at the top of the eighth, the Goldeyes changed their strategie and their pitcher … and the tide. By the bottom of the ninth, and three Goldeyes pitchers later, the score read:
Goldeyes: 7 Kansas City: 8
The stands came alive!!! (and not in a happy way)
It was now do or die for the home team. With two out and one on base, Cody Ehlers of the Goldeyes stepped up to the plate.
And then.. just like it happens in the movies, Cody leaned into the plate, took a mighty swing … and knocked the ball clear out of the park!!!!
The crowd went wild!!! It could not have been a more perfect ending, leaving the Goldeyes victorious.
As you may imagine, we were pumped and full of the night as we headed on back to St. B., thankful that we didn’t have to contend with the traffic jam quickly clogging the streets around us.
With the lights of the Winnipeg skyline backlighting our way, we sang and danced our way home. (Did I mention that BJ and Chris are just a tad goofy) :-)
———-
And in other Christopher news: Paul and BJ are owned by this most amazing and gentle cat named Jimmy. Jimmy is quite the entertaining fellow and quite the character…. his really only negative attribute being that he tends to be quite vocal… especially in his demands to be let outside. Sadly, being an indoor city cat, his outdoor adventures have never been realized … that is until now.
Chris, my very intuitive and talented grandson, has built him the most perfect cat cage. Now Jimmy can finally enjoy these warm summer days and evenings out side in the yard with the rest of us. Happy at last!
Glad you enjoyed the ball game. We live in Phillies territory, and people are mad for them this year.
I love the cat cage. What a wonderful solution. Our Smokey Joe is an indoor cat, and we let him out on the deck when we’re there. He’s good and doesn’t run away.
Love the cat cage. One smart grandson.
I could feel myself sitting right there, Colleen. I love going to games, except I don’t like to be hot. luckily for me, our Tampa Bay Rays play in an air conditioned dome. I’m very grateful.
I know what you mean about the anthems. I recently went to see Toronto play the Rays, and I sang “Oh Canada” along with the person doing the honors. When I lived in Haiti, we had kids in our school from the US and Canada, so we always both sang both anthems.
For many reasons I got burned out on major league baseball, but I still loved the game. Then I discovered minor league games and have had many enjoyable evening watching.
I’m afraid our cat would seriously (and noisily) object to being confined to a cage, but it’s a great idea.
A post about cats and baseball — two of my favorite things! I’d rather watch an IronPigs (minor league) game than a Phillies game, and not just because it costs a lot less. And it’s good to get to know well-loved little Jimmy…
Perfect day, perfect post.
I didn’t tell you about Mr. Rhett’s adventure. He is always trying to escape and one night when I put out the trash I didn’t see him sneak out. In fact, I didn’t notice he was gone until noon the next day. I looked and looked and called and finally thought he was gone forever, eaten by a critter in the swampy preserve. Dad opened the crawlspace door in the garage and called… out he sauntered. The construction at that point still had a crawlspace opening from the outside of the house under the new addition and the brick work hadn’t been done. He had probably tried to come to the back door but no one paid attention and went to bed. So he went under the house through the opening and spent the night with the spiders and… well who knows what. You would think that experience would curb his sense of exploration… but Houdini he will always be.
Let’s hear it for the Goldeyes and for the kitty cat.
A perfect day.
The cat enclosure … great idea.
Blown leads in baseball … happens much too often, particularly when the relievers don’t relieve. :)
Twitter twits … hope Coco’s ear infection gets better, and the last few hours before vacation is always the toughest.
I know nothing about baseball but it seemed like an exciting game, and the Goldeyes winning must have made it special, with commiserations, of course, to Kansas (which was Dorothy’s home right?).
Best wishes.
Cats in cages. Gotta love it.