If you'll indulge me, here's my column for Baptist Press Sports that I wrote last year about taking my son to his first game:
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Son's first baseball game
By Tim Ellsworth
June 24, 2004
Last Friday I had the chance to do something I hope to do many times in the next few years -- I took my son to a baseball game.
We had great seats nine rows off the field, thanks to the generosity of a friend who wasn't using his tickets that night. It was the first big league game for my 1-year-old son, and he got to see the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Cincinnati Reds.
Actually, I'm not sure how much of the game Daniel actually saw. He was too busy with other things, and didn't seem too interested in the game itself. Surely it's just a phase he'll outgrow. It better be, if he wants to keep living in my house. I'll cut him some slack for now. Next year, however, I'll expect him to keep score and provide a brief play-by-play synopsis when the game's over.
For a 1-year-old, lots of matters are higher on the priority list than baseball. Among them:
-- Popcorn. It was Daniel's first taste of popcorn, and he quickly became hooked. Our friends we sat with broke off little pieces of the yellow treat, and he gobbled them right down. He couldn't get enough.
-- Sleeping. Lots of people think baseball's a boring game. They don't know what they're talking about, but for now, Daniel agrees with them. He fell asleep after about two innings, and slept for about an hour.
-- Flirting. A young girl was sitting two rows behind us, and evidently she kept making funny faces at Daniel. I couldn't tell exactly what was going on, because unlike my son, I was interested in the game on the field. But as I was holding him, he kept looking back at her and laughing. She kept him occupied for a good inning or so.
-- Diapers. My wife took Daniel to get his diaper changed during the top of the 10th inning. Unfortunately, she didn't make it back by the time Albert Pujols led off the bottom of the inning with a game-winning home run. My son's first baseball game, and he's not even there to see such an exciting finish. What a shame.
The game obviously wasn't that memorable of an experience for Daniel. He'll have a ticket stub and the photos we took as mementos, and that'll be about it.
But for me, the game carried much greater significance. It was the start of something that will probably become a regular event for my son and me. I'll be able to talk to him about missing such a dramatic ending at his first game. I'll tell him what the weather was like and where we sat. I'll tell him who was playing and what the score was.
And even though he won't remember any of it, I'll make sure he'll feel like he was there.
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www.timellsworth.com
