To quote Alex: “Dad was cursing. A LOT!”
We just came home from a fantastic 2-week road trip vacation in California. And towards the end we hit AT&T Park in San Francisco, which is #2 on my park list. We got there 2 hours early for batting practice…which turned out to be the source of my foul language.
So…here is the typical thing you find at batting practice before a game. A bunch of kids trying to get balls and autographs. Warms my heart.
But take a look at some of the people in the crowd. Why do grown men have gloves with them?
LOSERS! God, I’m getting all mad again as I write this. Grown men should not be trying to get balls. It’s embarrassing as hell. Wait…here’s my favorite shot. Look at how cool this guy thinks he is because he got a ball.
He was literally tossing it up and down in the midst of a bunch of kids who were dying to catch a ball. What a putz. For God sakes, you’re a grown man. If you want a ball, buy it. On several occasions, I saw these buffoons swoop over kids to catch a ball.
It’s especially bad when a player actually tosses a ball to a kid and these guys grab the ball. Eventually I got so mad I headed down to say something to one of these guys, but Mets closer, Jeurys Familia, called the guy out and demanded the ball be handed over to a kid.
Anyhow…here are all the words I used to describe these guys as I was ranting in front of Alex. For the sake of avoiding an X-rating, I have typed them into my iPhone and let auto-correct fix them.
Aside from my fury, the game itself was absolutely terrific fun. Actually, the whole 2-week trip was one of my favorite 2 weeks ever. But still, if you are a grown-up getting balls, you have to stop.
Here’s a video of Jack flipping the K placard.
NuckolBall 
I thought of you as Doug and I watched our only two baseball games this year. A real treat and thrill to see Maine Endwell play and win! I get a bit of why you love the game so much.
It’s all about tension for me. A lot of people find it boring, which I get, but nothing can keep you on the edge of your seat like baseball. Plus it is a team sport where each action is individual. It’s brilliant to me.
I so totally agree with you. I think any adult who catches a ball and doesn’t give it to a kid should be banned from the ballpark.